Dear Customers & Friends:

Several months ago -- I approached Mark Masuoka, the Executive Director of The Bemis Center, with a question: "What's in store for the bemisUNDERGROUND in 2010?" My curiosity developed into an ongoing series of conversations with Mark about creating a more engaged arts community in Omaha -- and how to build upon the rich history of the bemisUNDERGROUND so that it could become more than a gallery for great talent, but a space in which our arts community can thrive.

Those conversations also led to a realization on my part that I sincerely wanted to play a larger role in whatever that space would become.

Since opening Pulp in 2007, it has become clear to me that what I love most about it is its gallery. I've realized that it's not curating that thrills me -- but the conversations about art that have taken place in this space -- discussions that have brought artists and the community together -- that's what I love most about my job.

That said... I was honored when Mark invited me to become a member of The Bemis Center staff as the bemisUNDERGROUND Manager. It's an amazing opportunity for me to not only do what I love, but expand upon it -- and I have graciously accepted the offer. I will be closing the doors to Pulp at the end of December in order to become a full time member of the Bemis staff next year.

Although I am beyond excited about my future at The Bemis -- I cannot deny being a bit sad about what it means for Pulp. I have given my all to this shop, I love it dearly -- and I know that it's loved by many of you. As much as I will miss this space -- I have no doubts that truly brilliant things lie ahead, and I hope that you understand my decision to move towards them.

I wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for the overwhelming amount of support, kindness and friendship you've shown to me over the past two years -- but I've realized that there's NO way to put what I feel into words. I can't even begin to try --- so please accept my humble "Thank you" knowing that the emotion behind it is deeper and stronger than those two tiny words may convey.

It it my most sincere hope that your support and friendship will follow me to The Bemis. I will be curating exhibits in the bemisUNDERGROUND, will be welcoming visitors and having many more great conversations about art there each day. I hope that you'll accept my standing invitation to be a part of the great things happening -- not just in the bU, but in every part of The Bemis Center -- next year.

Wishing you the most wonderful of New Years,

Brigitte McQueen

owner | curator

pulp | paper & art

* as of January 1^st, I can be reached at brigitte@bemiscenter.org

... a third friday opening at PULP ....................................
"The Color That it Paints Me"
New Work by Reneé Ledesma Hoover
November 20 through December 7
Artist's Reception | Friday, November 20 from 7-10pm

Reneé Ledesma Hoover was born in San Diego, California in 1967 and raised in Bellevue Nebraska. She has been part of the Omaha music and arts community for more than 12 years. Her work has been widely exhibited through out the city, including Jackson Art Works, The Darkroom Gallery, RNG Gallery, Avenue Gallery and White Crane Gallery. Renee' has also been part of many prestigious auctions at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, The Joslyn Museum and her work is part of the permanent Dia de Los Muertos collection at El Museo Latino. She was also a recipient of the 2008 Omaha Entertainment and Arts award for Best 3-D artist.

From her artist's statement:
“In 2006, I started working with clay and it immediately took me to a new level in my creative process. When working with clay, I rarely have a finished product in mind. In my painting and design everything is carefully laid out and meticulously constructed. With clay the pieces sometimes seem to form themselves and take on personalities all their own. When combining ceramics with painting, my goal is to create an atmosphere similar to walking onto the set of a play. The figures of skeletons and birds are the players, the wooden screens and boxes I build are the sets and stages. Each piece has its own story and emotion to convey. As an artist my intention has always been to create from my joy. The things that drive me -- music, family, community and spirituality – are common themes in my artwork and in my life.”

Please join Reneé in the gallery for an Artist's Reception on Friday, November 20th from 7pm to 10pm.

... shop scoop ....................................
Starting this week -- all gift wrap, gift bags and ribbon will be on sale for the month of November -- 25% off all sizes and styles. Also -- just a heads up, Pulp will be closed on November 25th and 26th -- have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

... in the gallery ..................................................
"Chroma/Umbra" New Work by Laura Berman
July 17th through August 17th

Laura Berman creates hand-made structures based on sequence, multiple and interactive images through her work, which is often non-traditionally displayed and orchestrated. She has created site-specific exhibitions and exhibited her print work at numerous galleries and museums around the country and internationally. In addition, she has been a visiting artist and has worked as an artist-in-residence at a number of institutions throughout the USA and also in Spain. Ms. Berman is currently an Assistant Professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, where she has taught in the Printmaking Department since 2002. She received her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and her MFA from Tulane University.

Her work has been featured in The Book of Probes by David Carson / Marshall McLuhan and Printmaking at the Edge by Richard Noyce, and she is represented by Dolphin Gallery in Kansas City.

"Chroma/Umbra" will run through August 17th.

... shop scoop .....................................................
There's been a lot of daydreaming happening at Pulp. Thoughts of summertime camping trips -- of flowering fields and and leafy green trees -- and it's absolutely showing on the shelves. We've just received a shipment of paper goods created by the lovely and talented, Jill Bliss. There are journals and datebooks and post cards galore, all decked out with her amazing illustrations of leaves and flowers. Coming soon: a new line of tote bags in the shop from Massachusetts-based Smudge Ink. These bright bags are made of 30% recycled material, they're reusable and fully recyclable with other household plastics....which makes then pretty much perfect! Also coming: a new shipment of paper cuckoo clocks from decoylab and new lovely floral note cards from San Francisco's Peculiar Pair Press.

A Third Friday Opening at PULP
Tall Tales | New Work by Mindy Kober
June 19th through July 13th
Opening Reception on June 19th from 7pm to 10pm

Mindy Kober was born and currently works out of Houston, Texas. In her large scale drawings on paper, she juxtaposes stereotypical American characters and icons into foreign or created environments, where they can interact in various ways. These cultural relationships explore themes of politics, colonialism, diaspora, and nationalism, and environmental issues. Sampled images are taken out of context and combined in new ways for the viewer to interpret.

Mindy Kober received her BFA in painting from the University of Houston, and her MFA in painting from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

You are cordially invited to an Opening Reception for Mindy's exhibit on Friday, June 19th from 7pm to 10pm. This exhibit will run through July 13th.

Shop Scoop for June
June is a great month at the shop --- the annual National Stationery Show is held in NYC each May, which means a whole new slew of designers on the shelves in the store. This month, we'll adding work from Small Square Design, Screech Owl Design and Peculiar Pair Press. There will be new stock from The Yellow Owl Workshop -- as well as great new journals and cards from Old School Stationers. Of course, the cards and gifts for Father's day are rollin' in... there should be a super selection of cards on the shelves by next week.

Also ---- if you haven't had a chance to check out Stephen Azevedo's exhibit, "A Sentimental History" the exhibit runs through June 15th. Pulp will be taking part in this month's Old Market Gallery Crawl on Wednesday, June 10th from 5pm to 8pm -- which would be a great time to stop by!

PULP in the Passageway!
Pulp is now located at 1026 Howard Street in The Old Market Passageway. We're on the lower level and you can get to the space via the main Passageway entrance on Howard Street --- or by using the staircase located under Omaha Prime on South 11th Street.

NEW Summer Hours
Tuesday through Friday | 11am to 8pm
Saturday | 12pm to 9pm
Sunday | 12pm to 4pm

In the Gallery
"A Sentimental History"
New Work by Stephen Azevedo
May 15th through June 15th 2009

Stephen Azevedo creates paintings and drawings from his home studio in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated in 2003 with a BFA in Painting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“A Sentimental History” is an ongoing series (2008 - ) of appropriated images, painted on wood panels and drawings. These works of art together illustrate a subjective memory comprised of social, political, and pop culture references. The images collectively help create nostalgia specific to each viewer’s sentimentality.

Please join us for an Artist's Reception in the gallery on Friday, May 15th from 7pm to 10pm. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. This exhibit will run through June 15th, 2009.


Shop Scoop for May
Mother's Day is right around the corner, and the shelves at Pulp are stocked with tons of great sweets and treats for the ladies you love. There's a wonderful selection of cards in stock from Wiley Valentine, A. Favorite, Smudge Ink and others --- gorgeous new gift wrap from Elum, photo albums, journals, bags and wallets.... and (great big dramatic pause...) I've just received a shipment of salted caramels from Fran's Chocolates -- all wrapped up in lovely lavender and lime boxes and ready to go!

Also --- Pulp's got what you need for this semester's slew of grads -- lots of congrats cards and gift ideas -- journals from Tenth & Grant, gorgeous hand made pens from local artist, Sam Pane and laptop bags made from recycled felted wool by Queen Bee Creations.

In other news...
Pulp will be participating in The Old Market Gallery Crawl, which will take place every second Wednesday of the month from 5pm to 8pm through October. It's a great way to enjoy the Old Market and see some amazing work each month. The season kicks off on Wednesday, May 13th, if you haven't had a chance to come down and see the new space, or the amazing show of emerging artists in the gallery -- it would be wonderful to see you then!

shop scoop
During the month of March, Pulp will be open a little less during the week in preparation for next month's move. The shop and gallery will be open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 7pm each day. The last day PULP will be open at the Benson location is Saturday, March 28th. The shop will be closed for a bit as I shift things downtown -- but should be up and running again by the second week of April. Please check back here for more details at the end of the month.

Also ---- I'm doing a bit of early Spring Cleaning Clearance running at the shop this month. There's a bit of everything on the sale table, including books, invites, cards, wallets and journals -- all marked down 50%!

I totally got by with a little help from my friends...
Just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out on Thursday night for the fundraiser. The evening was a huge success ---- I'm still feeling overwhelmed by the kindness and support that this community has shown for the shop and I.

I can't even begin to express how thankful I am to everyone -- the artists who donated work, those of you who came out to shop and dance with me... thank you doesn't seem big enough to express how grateful I am.

See you in The Old Market next month!
-- Brigitte

in the gallery at pulp
"Benenden Girls"
New Work by Mark Gilbert
December 19th through January 12th

Mark Gilbert had spent the last two years as Artist in Residence at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The exhibition of the resultant work will run concurrently with this exhibition for three months at The Bemis Center of Contemporary Art, Omaha.

On returning to the UK in August of this year, Gilbert took up the post of Artist in Residence at Benenden School, England. “Benenden Girls” consists of over 100 drawings of girls attending one of the UKs’ most elite, all girl boarding schools. The drawings were executed from life over the past 2 months.

Gilbert attended the Glasgow School of Art and he has shown his work internationally in solo exhibitions at such venues as the Royal Scottish Academy (Edinburgh), the National Portrait Gallery (London), the Museum of Modern Art (Wales), Medicinhistoriska Museet (Stockholm) and Yale University. His work has been reviewed in publications such as The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Il Messagerro Dominica, the South China Morning Post, Der Spiegel, New York Times, the Sddeutsche Zeitung and the International Herald Tribune.

Please join us for an Artist's Reception on Friday, December 19th from 7pm to 10pm -- and for a discussion about the exhibit with Mark Gilbert in the gallery on Saturday, December 20th at 1pm.

shop scoop
December 15th will mark the one year anniversary of Pulp's opening..... and what a year it's been! When I opened the doors of the shop a year ago, I had no idea how much love and support I would receive from this city --- it has constantly overwhelmed me, and I am more grateful to all of you than I have the words to express. Thank you so much for believing in me and the vision I had for the space, thank you for loving the things I stock here as much as I do -- and thank you, from the very bottom of my heart, for coming out to the openings in the gallery and supporting the artists and arts in Omaha. Thank you!

This has truly been one of the best years ever -- and I couldn't have made it happen without your constant friendship and support. I am so looking forward to what 2009 holds for Pulp and I --- and would just like to wish you and your families the most wonderful of holidays and all the best for the New Year.

That said ---- December is pretty much just going to be one great big month of celebrating every little thing over here at the shop. This Saturday, December 6th -- please stop by from 12pm to 6pm for our Second Annual Holiday Open House. Grab a cupcake and some cider -- stock up on some holiday goodies, or just stop by to say hello! All the holiday cards and wrap are on the shelves as well as great gifts galore. The new wallets and hip holsters from Queen Bee Creations are in stock, as well as a new favorite that I'm proud to have at the shop -- handcrafted wood pens from local artist Sam Pane. I will also be getting a new shipment of paper cuckoo clocks from KC-based Decoylabs -- and have a great new selection of 2009 calendars and datebooks.

in the gallery at pulp
"That Synthetic Choir -- It's All For You."
New Work by Jessica Levy
November 21st through December 14th, 2008
Artist's Reception | November 21st from 7pm to 10pm

Jessica Levy was born in Omaha on a hot, stormy night in the summer of 1977. She doodled all over everything as a child and teenager. The things that she makes have definite ties to her studies in architecture, time in Mexico working as a silversmith, and brief stint as a tattoo artist. Levy gives the most credit to being born on that night in the 70's and those memories of getting yelled at even though the internal desire to doodle on everything was uncontrollable.

In her most recent show entitled: "That Synthetic Choir--It's All For You.", she is happy to allow the viewer total freedom to attach meaning, or to accept each piece simply as it is at face value. Using a mixture of materials and techniques that are classically given artistic merit, and other forms of fabrication that are oftentimes considered cheating, Levy considers the work revealing in a synthetic way. The viewer's opinions aside, Levy asks only a few questions of herself: Because something looks and tastes like real, does it make it real? Is the beauty that something holds diminished if it is synthetic? You try and figure it out.

Please join us for an Artist's Reception in the gallery on Friday, November 21st from 7pm to 10pm. Music for the evening will be provided by Tim McEvoy. This exhibit will run through December 14th, 2008.

shop scoop
Christmas and Chanukah are right around the corner! Within the next couple of weeks the shelves will be stocked with holiday cards designed by Elum, 9SpotMonk, Zeichen Press and Hello! Lucky -- just to name a few... We've also stocked up on everything you'll need to create perfectly wrapped presents, and will have great gifts and stocking stuffers galore from Allymoon, Jill Bliss, Queen Bee Creations and a new favorite find at Pulp -- The Small Object.

We also have a great stash of 2009 datebooks, planners and calendars from Little Otsu, Nikki McClure and Egg Press...

in other news...
Starting on November 8th Pulp will be open from 12pm to 6pm on Saturdays. The week-day hours will remain the same til we get closer to the holidays: Tuesday to Friday from 11am-7pm.

Pulp will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday from Wednesday, November 26th through Friday November 28th --- I hope that every one has a very happy (pie-filled) Thanksgiving!

a third friday opening at PULP
"I Can Taste it in Your Mouth"
New Work by Allyson Gibbs
October 17th through November 17th, 2008
Artist's Reception | Friday, October 17th from 7pm to 10pm

Allyson Gibbs was born and raised in Omaha. She received her BFA in Painting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2001, and was awarded a Bemis Center Artist Residency in 2002. This exhibition will be Allyson's first show exclusively featuring woodblock prints.

From her artist's statement:
"I chose woodblock printing as a medium for a number of reasons. The process of carving out the image in wood can be long and arduous, but the resulting image has an primitive quality that, for me, has a raw and immediate feel. The carved plates have a physical weight and tactile surface that is compelling in it's own right. The raised black dots of the prints, become reminiscent of human imperfection, like a mole or blemish on the skin. The lines, rough and uneven, seem to have more immediacy---the overall print seems like a quick thought, rather than a meditated, carefully executed drawing.

With this work, I was interested in the printmaking process as a metaphor for intimacy and relationships. bringing together paper and plate, not only a physically intimate act in and of itself but also illustrates how, in human relationships, each time two people interact they can have a profound effect on each other. The resulting print exists as a record of the interaction, like a memory. No two prints are identical, the amount of pressure, dampness or softness of the paper, and ink viscosity all effect the outcome. Just as in relationships we live immersed in unseen forces, subject to variants of mood, body rhythm, and brain chemistry."

Please join us for an Artist's Reception on Friday, October 17th from 7pm to 10pm.

currently in the gallery...
"Broken, Lost and Beautiful"
New Work by Olivia Jeffries
Running through October 12th, 2008

Olivia Jeffries creates mixed media drawings from her home studio in Norwich, United Kingdom. She graduated in 2000 with a BA in Printmaking and Photomedia from Norwich School of Art and Design.

Olivia's creative process is continually influenced by her fascination for used paper. She enthuses about working on a surface that has already been given a sense of purpose in a previous incarnation which has become visibly worn over time. Old letters, books or packaging materials, for example, are detached from their original roles and combined with figures drawn from old photographs, stripped of their surroundings. These relatively valueless materials are brought together to explore the barely tangible traces of life; to project the vulnerability of love, precariousness of life and inevitability of death which embody the complex and uncertain nature of simply being human.

This will be Olivia's first solo show in the United States. The exhibition will run through October 12th, 2008.

shop scoop
This month will welcome a few new designers to the space, including paper clocks and prints from Kansas City based DecoyLab. There will be new cards on the shelves from Brooklyn's Screech Owl Designs and Sycamore Street Press.

Also -- all of the Queen Bee Creations wonder boy wallets are on sale this month! I've marked the current stock down 25% to make room for Rebecca's new wallet designs... a shipment of the new ones will be on the shelves by the end of the month.

Lastly -- I just wanted to thank everyone for their patience with the wonky shop hours during September. There's a bit of strangeness coming in mid-October, I'll be heading to the East Coast for a bit, so the shop will be open for shortened hours from October 21st through the 25th. If you're planning to stop by that week, please check the website or give the shop a call to get the updated hours. Thanks again for your understanding!

New Work by Parskid
August 15th through September 8th, 2008
Parskid was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest where he draws inspiration from his childhood, the weather, nature, fantasy and folklore. He experiments with paint, plush and digital mediums.

His work has been exhibited in many cities in the United States including LA and NYC and abroad in Australia, Taiwan, Spain and the UK. His work has been published in Hi-Frustose, Art Prostitute, Cool'eh, Beautiful/Decay, Dot Dot Dash, Pictoplasma 2 and Monstaah!. When he's not painting, he enjoys dripping Marsh ink, spraying Rustoleum paint and playing by the train tracks.

To view works available in this exhibit, please click here. To make a purchase -- please drop a note to info@p-u-l-p.com or call (402) 319-7857.


a bit of shop stuff...
The shelves at pulp are brimming with paper-ie goodness -- new to the space this month are new pocket journals from Elum, matchbook notepads (perfect for purses!) from Egg Press and the new journals and cards sets from Allymoon have finally arrived! Oh -- and I almost forgot, I have a new pinhole camera in stock... along with a great rubber band powered model airplane kit!

I've also got some great new gear from Queen Bee Creations -- a few more styles of the JetPack lap top bags are due next week, along with their awesome new Hip Holsters that have just been made available. Rebecca over at Queen Bee has recently redesigned the way their wallets will look... they are phasing out the old styles -- so if you're fond of the current look, this will be the last batch available in the shop.

On the book shelf -- I've recently got in a great Marcel Dzama collection of prints, a few more copies of Mark Ryden's Fushigi Circus and The Woodbook -- published in 14 volumes the original book was assembled by Romeyn Beck Hough between 1888 and 1913 in what still remains a stunning and unparalleled achievement. It is a work of breathtaking beauty that has set the standard for the study of trees and wood. TASCHEN's Woodbook reproduces, in painstaking facsimile, all of the specimen pages from the original volumes.

... and other announcements

New Hours: Starting this week, Pulp will be open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 7pm and on Saturday from 10am to 6pm. The gallery at Pulp will be open on Sunday and Monday by appointment -- please call (402) 319-7857 if you'd like to schedule a visit.

Olivia Jeffries' opening in the gallery will take place on the second Friday in September (not the third) -- on September 12th from 7pm to 10pm. I hope you'll be able to join us for the opening reception

a third friday opening at Pulp
Bill Hoover, New Work
Artist's Reception on Friday, July 18th from 7pm to 10pm
Bill Hoover has been making art and music in Omaha for over twenty years. His paintings are colorful and narrative, using symbols and shapes to tell stories about everyday life.

This collection of paintings is almost exclusively oil on wood, along with some charcoal drawings on paper. His paintings have been used in several movies by the Chicago filmmaker, Frank Ross, and his work has been widely collected throughout the United States.

This will be Bill Hoover's first major solo show. We hope that you'll be able to join us for the opening on Friday, July 18th from 7pm to 10pm. Music for the Artist's Reception will be provided by Tim McEvoy.

The exhibit will run through August 10th.

pictured on right: Easter Hats by Bill Hoover | 2008 | oil on wood panel 21"x30"

going green(er)
I am really proud to announce that starting in July, Pulp will be supporting the production of renewable energy by being a partner in OPPD's Commercial Green Power Program. OPPD has made some great strides since entering the renewable energy market in 2003. They began with a 660-kilowatt wind turbine generator, located at Valmont Industries Inc. in Valley, and a $4 million landfill gas-to-energy plant, at the Douglas County Recycling and Disposal Facility near 216th Street and Highway 36. OPPD has expanded its landfill gas-to-energy plant and entered into a wind farm partnership that will generate another 10 megawatts of green energy.

Pulp is also trying to conserve energy by only using the AC in the afternoons, when it becomes necessary, using compact fluorescents where ever possible in the space, and by using only natural sunlight to light the space on bright days. So, please pardon us if sometimes it's toasty or dark -- if you're uncomfortable, please just let us know... we're happy to make it better for you!

If you live in Omaha and would like get more information on enrolling in the Green Power Program for your home or business, please visit http://www.oppd.com

... and a few little shop announcements

• Pulp will be closed on Sunday, July 20th. Sorry for any inconvenience


• Pulp is now able to accept AmEx and Discover cards for purchases.


• If you haven't had a chance to visit the gallery and see Seth Johnson's installation, A Vexing Hex, the exhibit will be up through July 13th.

A Third Friday Opening at Pulp
"A Vexing Hex" New Work by Seth Johnson
Artist's Reception on Friday, June 20th 2008 from 7pm to 10pm
Seth Johnson received his BFA in Printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2001 and an MFA from the Maine College of Art in 2008. Seth is a member of the multimedia collective Carnal Torpor. Working in a space somewhere between artistic collaboration and communal cult, the work of Carnal Torpor explores utopian themes within a variety of contexts. The work has found its home in a diverse range of settings, from death-metal concerts to new age retreats to institutions of fine art, including an installation entitled "Initiation of the CalmDome" at the Paragraph Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri in the summer of 2007.

Please join us at Pulp for an Artist's Reception on Friday, June 20th from 7pm to 10pm. Music will be provided by J. Ashley Miller of The Ssion. This exhibit will run through July 13th.

Hot Off the Press(es)
Each May, hundreds of new designers introduce their stationary lines at The National Stationary Show in New York City. The work on display this year was amazing -- and I'm excited to be stocking several new lines at the shop that debuted at the show. Starting this month, I'll be carrying new cards from Brooklyn-based Enormous Champion, Chicago's Orange Beautiful and Seattle's Ilee Papergoods. I'll also be carrying several new gift wrap designs and notepads from a Vermont-based press called Pikku. Also coming soon will be cards and note sets from a Pulp favorite -- Allymoon!

Later this month, the shop will also be stocking handmade photo albums from a London-based company called Celadon. The albums contain acid free paper with glassine interleaves, are hand bound and covered with linen. I'll be stocking several colors and sizes at the shop --- and think they'd make perfect little wedding gifts this summer.

A Third Friday Gallery Opening at Pulp!
Please join us in the gallery on Friday, May 17th for an Artist's Reception for Jeff King. The event runs from 7pm to 10pm and will be followed up on Saturday, May 17th with a Gallery Talk at 1pm. Hope to see you there!

Things are starting to bloom this month over at Pulp! Welcome Spring with new floral notecards from Smudge Ink and Nantaka Joy... and I've got some great new notepads in stock from La Familia Green (out of Chicago) made from recycled album covers and vintage postcards. I also have a new shipment of screen printed canvas bags from Puckish -- a little company run by two of the nicest (and, um... most adorable) guys I know in Seattle.

A Little Something for Mom
Mother's Day is right around the corner! Send the moms in your life a little extra love with a hand made letter pressed card (I've got some perfect picks in stock from SidePony, 8mm ideas and A.Favorite). The shop is also stocked with some great gifts: how about a handmade limited edition book from The Nebraska Book Arts Center, or a wallet from Queen-Bee Creations? We've got journals by Jill Bliss, wonderful work in the gallery by Andrew Hershey and Carlos Guerrero, notecard sets by local photographer, Dana Damewood and ....

Gray Salt Caramels by Fran's Chocolates! Yup -- they're back! Wrapped up in a brown linen box -- they're the perfect way to wish your mom a super sweet Mother's Day. A harmonious blend of complex flavors that is an intricate dance between the smooth chocolate, buttery caramel and the unexpected boldness of the gray sea salt. Each ingredient is hand-selected and paired perfectly with Fran's single origin chocolate to reveal its own unique and mesmerizing taste characteristics.

The shipment is due to arrive on May 6th... if you didn't get a chance to try them in February, I hope you'll come by for a box -- they really are amazing!

Gifts for Grads
I'm just starting to get some graduation gifts and cards into the shop -- there are plenty more on the way. I just wanted to mention that I'm now stocking a couple of Queen-Bee's JetPack Laptop bags -- made of recycled felted wool, with a bright orange waterproof nylon interior, these bags are environmentally friendly and super functional... stop by and check them out!

I've reworked the site a bit so that I have a space to post updates about the shop, as well as information about shows happening in the gallery... I hope you like the new look!

Things are getting moved around a bit -- schedule-wise -- at Pulp. This month's Third Friday Gallery Opening has been bumped up to a Second Saturday event featuring work by Carlos Guerrero & Andrew Hershey. Click here to read The City Weekly's review of the show. The exhibit has been curated by the ever-talented and awesome Joey Lynch from Tugboat (details here). And, I'm switching up the store hours for the Spring. I know the schedule may not make a lot of sense, but I needed to work the hours around the schedule for the Blue Barn's production of Man from Nebraska (which I'm performing in!) I hope that it's not too much of an inconvenience, and that you'll find some time to come by for a visit soon. Here's the scoop:

New Spring Hours!
Starting on April 6th and continuing through May 12th, Pulp will be open during the following hours:
Tuesday and Wednesday 11am to 7pm
Thursday through Saturday 11am to 5pm
Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Closed on Monday

So -- I'll be closing a bit earlier over the weekends. But -- the big change is SUNDAY HOURS! Starting April 1st, you'll be able to visit the shop and gallery on Sundays. I hope that you'll be able to stop by and meet the lovely Annie Dilocker -- who will manning the front desk on Sunday afternoons. Originally from Missouri Valley, Iowa, Annie graduated from Morningside College in 2003 with an English degree and moved to Omaha in 2005 to work as a copywriter at NetShops. She now works as the super-smart assistant at RIA Compliance Consultants, Inc., during the week -- and also writes for her blog, http://www.whynotlime.com/.

New Stock to Chase the Gray Away!
I'm super pleased to announce that I'm stocking a new line of cards, from Fold, in the shop. Created by Miro Chun, each card is crafted with a design that she bends out of fine wire and attaches to wonderfully thick card stock. She also creates cards that, when opened, become amazing 3D mobiles. Her work has become some of my favorite in the shop!

Also on the shelves this month: brand new wallets from Queen-Bee Creations! Rebecca's designs for the spring are *gorgeous* -- leafy branches, cherry blossoms and a spoutin' whale adorn her leather-free vinyl wallets and pouches. And, I have a new children's book designed by Nikki McClure, new journals and datebooks from Little Otsu, new imprintable invites from Smudge Ink, and will be stocking the new journals and cards designed by Nantaka Joy.