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Riverside Chats

Hot Shops' Jahmai Brown on the Inspiration Behind His Bold, Colorful Paintings

Black-and-white image of Jahmai Brown, a Black man with short hair and some facial hair. He's smiling, wearing a t-shirt, posing in front of a patterned backdrop.
Hot Shops Art Center
Jahmai Brown is a painter and photographer. His studio is at Hot Shops Art Center in North Downtown.

Jahmai Brown is a painter, photographer and Hot Shops Art Center resident.

An Omaha native, Brown attended North High School and graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute. His paintings are often works of bright colors, bold patterns and less traditional materials like glitter and magazine clippings.

Brown was also among the artists who created the “Black Skies” mural in 2018 at 24th and Grant Streets, which highlights the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen. Brown was only 17 when the mural was unveiled to the public.

In this episode, Brown and Michael Griffin are talking about the inspiration behind his work, and his hope for viewers to interact with it. They're also talking about the skills he thinks are important for a young artist to develop, and how those artists can find support in Omaha.

Courtney is back in her hometown after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2019 with degrees in journalism and film. While at KU, she was the arts and culture editor of the University Daily Kansan and had a summer internship at KCUR, Kansas City's NPR member station. She has three pet rats and has seen almost every Audrey Hepburn movie.
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