Gradients of Trust

An ethnographic study of The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, Nebraska

This brief looks at how an organization’s founder can work towards building community trust

February 2026

2 Min Read

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Table of Contents

Overview

Ideas In Practice

Publisher(s)
The Wallace Foundation

Page Count 2 pages

Summary

How we did this

The researcher conducted interviews with staff at The Union as well as local residents to inform his research. He also attended various community-led events and observed The Union’s day-to-day operations over a 10-month period.

The Union for Contemporary Art (The Union) in Omaha, Nebraska, was founded in 2011 to strengthen the social and cultural landscape of the local community through the arts. Brigitte McQueen, the organization’s founder, had previously worked for another Omaha-based arts organization, but not in the North Omaha neighborhood that The Union would be located in. She aimed to create a space that supported local artists by providing studio and performance space, equipment, and other developmental opportunities.

Their ethnographic researcher, Jason C. White, suggests that despite having good intentions, it may be difficult to build community trust in a neighborhood that an organization’s founder has not worked in before.

This brief is based on a study by Jason C. White, Ph.D., Xavier University

Leaders of arts organizations rooted in communities of color should not assume that community trust is forthcoming without careful attention to local stakeholders, community leaders, and gatekeepers.