Limited Taxonomy

Limited Taxonomy is a collaborative research-based project by Jessie Fisher and Viy that seeks to bridge the human / nature divide by examining how built and non-built environments interact on a small scale.

Working on a 12x12 ft plot in Millwork Commons where industry, development, and nature co-exist, Fisher and Viy set out to document the plants, fungi, insects, rocks, and debris on the site’s surface. They researched each of these organic and inorganic bodies to create a taxonomic index that traces their characteristics, histories, and journeys resulting in a body of work that includes photographs and printed material. Installed in a constellation of images and text, Limited Taxonomy uses small scale intervention and a light hand to magnify the complex entanglements of interdependent human and non-human environments.

• Installed in the Ashton building at Millwork Commons, Limited Taxonomy is on view from August 6th - August 22nd during regular business hours (7:00AM - 7:00PM).

• A closing celebration will mark the end of the exhibition on August 22nd from 5:00PM - 7:00PM. RSVPs for the closing are appreciated but not required to attend.

The Ashton is wheelchair accessible and located in Millwork Commons, a walkable and bikeable district off the number 4 Metro Transit Omaha bus line. Free parking can be found north of HELLO Apartments and in the lot west of the Mastercraft building. Metered Parking is available on Millwork Ave, 13th St, 12th St, and Nicholas Street. Be sure to download the City of Omaha’s Park Omaha app or pay at the purple kiosks. Click here for directions.

Free and open to all, Generator Series programming is made possible with support from the Nebraska Arts Council, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and Metropolitan Community College.

About the Artists

Jessie Fisher makes art in multiple mediums, but for the last 5 years has primarily been a printmaker. He works in letterpress, woodcut/linocut, monotype, and cyanotype. Whether it’s experiments with processes, or more direct socio-political propaganda, the work encourages questioning what's possible. Jessie grew up on a farm in rural Nebraska, but has called Omaha home for the past 20 years. In that time he's worked in construction, art education and for the past 6 years has been a home inspector. Jessie helped create an art/community space called “Media Corp.” It provided meeting space for a variety of advocacy groups and also functioned as a food pantry for a time.

Viy, pronounced /v/, is a non-binary, multi-media artist. Their practice focuses on the materiality and history of objects, breaking them down to better understand them so they can be reconfigured and re-contextualized as art objects. Interested in refuse and refusal, their work comes from their own trash and items discarded by others, refusing the notion that these objects are worthless and instead seeing them as full of artistic potential. Most recently their practice has been focused in handmade papermaking, fiber based media, and relational aesthetics.

About Millwork Commons

Millwork Commons is a collaborative community designed to inspire and support the work of innovators and creators by providing engaging spaces to work, live, connect, explore, and unwind. With more than 70 businesses and nonprofit organizations located in the neighborhood, Millwork Commons is a hub for tech, art, design, and community growth.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Ashton, 1229 Millwork Avenue, Omaha, United States