RDG Out & About: Night Light: Groove After Dark
RDG’s Kene Okigbo joins community leaders, artists and educators for an Omaha community conversation exploring how jazz, culture and collaboration can shape the future of neighborhoods and cities.
Event Details
Date: June 27, 2026, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Location: Kiewit Luminarium, 345 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE
In the Groove: Building Community Beyond the Blueprint – Community Conversation
What does it look like when communities grow organically — shaped by culture, creativity and human connection rather than solely by development ambitions?
As part of the Kiewit Luminarium’s Night Light musical experience, this conversation explores how Omaha’s rich cultural and musical history can inform more inclusive and authentic approaches to community building. Inspired by the collaborative nature of jazz, panelists will examine what it means to create neighborhoods that are “improvised” rather than “contrived.”
The discussion draws from Wynton Marsalis’ reflection in Moving to Higher Ground: “Jazz shows us how to find a groove with other people, how to hold on to it and how to develop it.” Participants will consider how the freedom, rhythm and collaboration found in jazz can inspire new ways of thinking about the future of Omaha.
This event is for attendees aged 21 and over.
Panelists include:
JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, Malcolm X Memorial Foundation
Dr. DérNecia Phillips, Identity Preparatory Academy
Celeste Butler, multidisciplinary artist, quiltologist and storyteller
Kene Okigbo, partner and landscape architect at RDG Planning & Design
Attendees will leave with new perspectives on how cities can support authentic, people-centered growth rooted in collaboration rather than prescription.
Learn more about the Night Light: Groove After Dark experience here.