On The Cover: “Gentle Song of the Earth”
By Ang Bennett
Photo by Joshua Foo
Ang R. Bennett (b.1990, Little Rock, AR) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, actor and queer activist. Bennett’s work explores gender and race, blending introspection with research. Their portfolio includes Body Defiance, a two-person photo-exhibition and mini-documentary, examining masculinity through the lens of those assigned female at birth and colored Black, a solo exhibition traversing 50+ years of being Black in America. Bennett’s contributions to the art community have earned them local, national and international recognition.
Notably, Bennett’s work is featured on the inaugural membership card for the Stonewall National Monument Visitor’s Center, the first LGBTQ2IA+ center within the National Park System. They were a contributor to Project 270, a national Get Out the Vote campaign, organized by Mana Public Arts.
In 2022, Bennett made a thrilling expansion of their artistic journey, taking on the lead role of Fiona/Adrian in the Voices in Alliance production of Rotterdam, a play penned by Jon Brittain.
Bennett is a heavy contributor to the thriving Omaha arts scene, currently serving as the vice-president at Benson First Fridays, BFF Omaha, a local arts nonprofit. Additionally, Bennett has held the position of visual arts chair for the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards since 2021, transitioning from a shared co-chair role, and is actively engaged as a member of both the Amplify Arts Community Advisory Group and Opera Omaha Community Panel.
Outside of the art world, Bennett is an All-American defensive end for the 2024 D2 National Champion Nebraska Pride, a full-pad tackle football team in the Women’s Football Alliance. W