Building Community Around Activism at the Colorful Luli Creative House
By Sarah Wengert
Photo by Ron Coleman, C4 Photography
Like that perennial childhood favorite, the classic box of crayons, Ariel Panowicz’s Luli Creative Space lets patrons and guests create whatever colorful world they wish within its four walls.
Luli is a unique, multipurpose space in Omaha’s historic Redfield Building at 19th and Howard streets, where folks are welcome to “create and connect.” The building, in the emerging Flatiron District, is still adding tenants, and Luli is currently the sole occupant on the fourth floor.
“Color is a really powerful thing, and I’m a big believer in the power of happy, joyful spaces,” said Panowicz, founder and creative director at Luli Creative House. “Color evokes emotion and sets a mood. I think we live in a really beautiful world, and I want to highlight, emphasize and showcase that.”
In addition to color, light is a big deal at Luli. With its plum corner spot, massive windows, and 18-foot ceilings, the space is bright and airy. The decor is downright infectious with its radiant rainbow hues and funky retro-yet-modern feel, and the space has been described in many reviews as “magical.” It’s a versatile, unpretentiously posh playground for adults, and the good vibes abound.
Originally from Omaha, Panowicz earned her bachelor of fine arts in photography at Denver’s Art Institute of Colorado, then lived briefly in Los Angeles. When she returned home 15 years ago, she “just sort of fell in love with the Omaha community.”
“I thought, ‘Well, I could go somewhere bigger, more established, and be among the rat race there, or I could plant my roots here and try and help the creative community, and the community in general, evolve in my hometown,’” she said. “I felt like here I could make the impact I wanted from a community standpoint, and life is hard enough—I don’t want to have to sit in traffic for 800 hours every day anyway.”
In addition to running Luli Creative Space, Panowicz is also photographer/creative director of her thriving eponymous photography business.
Panowicz credits the beginnings of her creative bent to her parents for exposing her to “artistically forward” activities as a child. Her mother, who she calls “just a spunky, creative gal,” had a jewelry business, and Panowicz’s father dabbled in photography, giving her the opportunity to “play around with cameras.” By high school, Panowicz was the go-to shutterbug, documenting her life and her friends’ lives on a disposable camera.
“I’ve always loved capturing part of the human spirit in a still moment,” Panowicz says. “When you develop a disposable camera, it’s such an exciting thing, to get the photos back, tap into those memories, and have those feelings return. And, a lot of times, they’re feelings of joy. I just wanted to bottle that up as long as I could, so I think my photography career sort of started from there.”
By 2007, Panowicz had evolved from disposables to a professional rig and a full-blown photography career. Her work shares Luli’s lush, colorful character, and she’s known for shooting in quirky, vibrant locations. She finds the kinds of backdrops that make you want to hop right into the frame and explore—the ones that make you wonder, “Where is this dreamy place?” Yet Panowicz said such places are everywhere if we just open our eyes to the beauty surrounding us, and she enjoys the challenge of discovering them.
“If you shift your perspective a bit, you’ll realize there are cool, colorful, unique places that hold beauty within them everywhere,” she said.
The seeds for Luli were sown during Panowicz’s time in Denver, L.A., and extensive travels. After admiring cool, creative spaces in other cities and pining for someone to open such a space in Omaha, Panowicz started thinking perhaps she was the one to make it happen.
“The Omaha community is the type of place that if you love on them, they’ll love you back. So, I felt called to create a space like this, not only for myself but for the community. I just saw a need,” she says.
Panowicz knew nothing about commercial leases, construction or build-outs, but she dove into research and met with locals for feedback. In February 2020, newly pregnant with her first child, she nearly signed a lease on another space—her dream space, she thought—but something in her gut held her back. A week later, everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She welcomed baby Penny Lu later in 2020, weathered the pandemic as a first-time parent, and was “crushed” that her plans for a creative community space had seemed to disintegrate.
But by the summer of 2021, a friend who knew of Panowicz’s earlier plans approached her about the Redfield Building space. She says it took her a moment of doubt and deep consideration, touring the then-unfinished space, but it had the good bones she wanted, felt right, and reignited her spark.
“I believe in the power of listening to your gut, especially as a woman,” Panowicz said.
The build-out began in February 2022, and Luli opened its doors that October—its moniker taken from her daughter’s baby nickname. Luli functions as a rentable photo/creative studio and event space for individuals and organizations alike. It has provided the backdrop for workshops, team meetings, private dinners, baby showers, fundraisers and nonprofit events. Panowicz likes to meet everybody who walks through Luli’s doors to facilitate them feeling comfortable and confident in the space before they start their photo shoot or their event.
“We always have the lights on, the candle going and the vibes set,” she said.
In addition to renting the space for studio shoots and other events, Panowicz intentionally uses Luli to build community around activism. She says seeing that come to fruition at Luli and watching the community activate in a safe, comfortable space where they can use their voices and advocate for themselves in their community is “literally a dream come true.”
“I’m the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and he always said there’s nothing worse than being a bystander,” Panowicz said. “I grew up knowing how powerful it is to use your voice, and especially in the climate we live in today, it can be scary, intimidating and overwhelming to use your voice. I think having a fun space where people can do that allows them to be vulnerable.”
Luli curates some of its own events, often partnering with other entities, and donates a portion of its proceeds from ticketed events to a different nonprofit each time. Panowicz also believes strongly in the importance of paying artists, so all creators Luli collaborates with for an event are paid commission.
“All [Luli] programming has some facet of giving back to the community,” she said. “And we try to highlight different organizations that way.”
Panowicz said Luli has partnered with so many incredible local organizations that she’s almost reluctant to name any, but does rattle off I Be Black Girl, Access Period, Refugee Women Rising, You Go Girl and Joy Brings Light. Anything related to women’s rights or that empowers women is of special interest to her.
“Activism, for me, is just using your voice to empower yourself to fight for what you want in your community. In this day and age, we get so wrapped up in the digital world, and there’s definitely a place for digital activism, but I think people are craving a return to in-person activism and using their voices to rediscover something new about their fellow human beings. There’s such power in finding your people to literally activate with.”
Panowicz thinks Omaha is a special place for building that connective tissue.
“I love the community here. Omaha can get a bad rap sometimes. And, granted, we do have a lot of work to do, but the people here are really special and want to see you succeed,” she said. “There’s a lot of room for opportunity and growth here. People want to help you climb the ladder, as opposed to everybody just fighting and clawing to get their way to the top.”
Having created a fantastic flagship space, Panowicz’s next brainchild involves “taking Luli on location.” An exciting (for now, top-secret) concept that lets Luli out into the wild to create pockets of Luli community on the go.
“I spent many years feeling like I needed to fit into a certain box to be successful as a woman in business. I realized I could be the businesswoman I wanted and also be fun and weird and funky, and whoever I wanted to be. The more authentic you are to yourself while building your business, and just in general, the more your audience, community and people will find you.” W