Building community through arts engagement.

​Values.  BFF supports the Arts & Community by Advocating for Education, Inclusion, Opportunity, and Unique Experiences.  AEIOU!    (We’d like to buy a vowel!) 
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Vision.  While continuing to build community in Benson and Omaha, BFF envisions using our 8-year history as a guiding template to expand the mission to build community through arts engagement in other neighborhoods and cities.

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THE BFF STORY

After months of planning and research, Benson First Friday began in June 2012 with the help of organizers Alex Jochim & Jamie Hardy. Although the June 2012 event was planned as a one-time gig, Jochim and Hardy saw so much success and promise in the night that they immediately began planning the following month...and the following month...and the following month (you get it).
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Three years later - after many months of event planning, artist curating and installing, collaborating with Benson businesses and growing with the help of community support - BFF was granted 501c-3 nonprofit status in July 2015. The duo, along with many more acquired organizers, had wanted to see the organization grow from just a once-a-month gathering to one that supported the area arts on a daily basis.

Now in 2020, BFF continues to grow its influence outside of Benson and into other areas of Omaha and the surrounding area.  We took the big step away from "Benson First Friday" and turned our nickname into our official name: 
We are simply "BFF."

OUR TEAM

BFF is an 85% volunteer-run organization!!!

Our volunteer staff is comprised of local artists, business owners & operators, neighborhood staff, and community members! 

Each and every one of us are passionate about BFF and its programming.
This truly is a passion project.

And we are always looking to add different ideas and perspectives to the mix!  If interested in lending a hand, shoot us an email at info@bensonfirstfriday.com!

The Crew

This is the DREAM TEAM behind the organization.

Caitlin Little, Development Director

Alex Jochim, Co-founder
​& Executive Director

John-Paul Gurnett, 
​Communications Director

Linda Hilliar, Member of the Board

Sarah Bettenhausen,
Youth Engagement Coordinator

Ben Matukewicz, Executive Assistant

Annie Butler, President

Shelby Audiss, Member of the Board

Brittani Button, Vice President

Kirby Kaufman, Member of the Board

Sarah Cavanagh, Secretary

Ramanda Fuelberth, Treasurer

Maggie Weber, Public Art

Sara Pate, MaMo Gallery

Zach Schmeider, Live Music

Liz Thrash, Events

Paul Meyer, BFF SWAG

Joe Addison, Petshop

Laura Simpson, Youth Engagement

Deb Holst & Eve Machtakova,
​Youth Engagement

Grace Short, MaMO Gallery

Joe Benson, DJ

Nicole Hulstein, Artist Market

Sarah Miller, Photography

Stephanie Goraczkowski, Kirby Kaufman, Brittani Button, BFFzz

The CREW at the 2018 Members ONLY Ball

Sarah Ferguson, Dan Cavanagh, Alex Jochim, Joe Addison, et al., Petshop
​***Petshop  is operated by in-house artists & volunteers

Crew Members not pictured:  

Tony Buttells, Ang Bennet, Edward Engles, Cat Grange, Jamie Danielle Hardy, Steve Andrews,
Teresa Gleason, Colin Conces, Patrick Fuerstenau, Patrick Sather, Jenna Lambrecht, Laura Simpson,
Bret Reimers, Sam Hultquist, Thou Chum, Alex Edmonds, Stephanie Diaz, Ali Thariani, Ryan Morrissey, Nell Horgan, Bart Vargas, Lauren Doeschot, Tyler Meyer, Nick Miller, Lindsay VanZee, Erin Carr,
​Sol Kim, Vivian Caniglia, & SO MANY MORE.

BFF Core Values

Here at BFF, we'd like to buy a vowel!  Because AEIOU! stands for:
Advocate for Education, Inclusion, Opportunity, and Unique Experiences.

BFF Advocates  for... 

• Education
  BFF strives to provide education through workshops, youth engagement, interactive elements, intern programs, and by working with emerging artists, curators, and community activists.
• Inclusion
  BFF invites all communities and peoples to join in and engage in our projects and programming.   Accessibility and inclusion for all keeps BFF vibrant and flourishing. (See Inclusion statements below)
• Opportunity
  BFF gives opportunities to artists, businesses, volunteers, youth, communities and organizations by bringing them together and providing an arena for engagement and interaction.
• Unique Experiences
  Keepin’ “Benson Bent” & “Good Weird,” BFF encourages originality, novelties, and perhaps unconventional ideas and strategies to support the arts and the neighborhood.

BFF Inclusion 

BFF cultivates diversity and inclusion by creating educational & artistic experiences, collaborations,
​and opportunities that are visible and accessible.

Inclusion Vision Statement
BFF intentionally fosters inclusion by expanding education efforts for both youth and adults, creating higher visibility & transparency among various demographics, groups & communities, diversifying artist outreach and open call tactics, and including marginalized community representation within the organization.

Inclusion Tactics & Strategy

• Diversify open calls & artist outreach:  Provide alternatives to the online submission process.
• Expand education opportunities, mentorships, & youth partnerships.
• Create a wider visibility through artist swaps, worldwide curation, & city-wide promotional efforts.
• Expand beyond the Benson neighborhood and into the greater Omaha area.
• Continue to expand collaborations & partnerships with diverse organizations.
• Continue to offer programming that fosters multidisciplinary experiences.