LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – While many businesses have struggled to get off the ground over the past year, Letura Idigima has found a model that works well in a pandemic and it continues to benefit those she’s aimed to help since the beginning.
She opened Art Bus LNK about a year ago, a remodeled school bus she uses to bring creative services to neighborhoods around Lincoln.
Now she’s opened what’s known as The Bus Stop in the Turbine Flats building. It’s a bright and clean space that’s equipped with mediums that span further than what’s possible on the bus.
“Expose kids to different types of art,” Idigima said. “Whether that be a Cricut machine or photography and photo printing and it’s the same concept as the bus, it’s a free opportunity for kids to explore art.”
In the year since it’s been open, the Art Bus has already served hundreds of kids in Lincoln through neighborhood pop-ups, partnerships with nonprofits and three LPS schools for after-school programming.
“I think it’s important to give students regardless of their background that same opportunity to express themselves in different and unique ways,” Idigima said.
Now instead of one bus, there are two. Both of those and ultimately The Bus Stop were something Idigima dreamed about for years.
“It feels good to have repeating kids come in,” Idigima said. “To see them touch into different types of art and grow in that way.”
Her next venture is expanding beyond Lincoln to start bringing the Art Bus services to Omaha. She’s in the process of finding a more permanent home for the second bus there.
“I’m small in this big world of community organizations so to have my community stand behind me and help me navigate into this world has been amazing,” Idigima said.
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