ewish Presto
NE HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST LINCOLN NE 63508
Serving Nebraska and Western Iowa for more than 75 years VoL LXXVI
No. 22 - Omaha, NE
26 Shevat, 5759
February 12,1999
Art as therapy
Betty Mellen Helps Mabel Katskee paint a watercolor pictured, '.
by Carol Katzman
Once a week, Betty Mellen drives tot Omaha from Lincoln to use her talents as an artist as therapy for the residents of the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home. Watching Mellen patiently ask iz a-resident which piece oXcqnstruption paper slie'd like to place on her decorated cigar boat's obvious that combining her art and psychology background has been put to good use. An accomplished artist, Mellen went back to school as a "non-traditional student" to obtain a master's degree .; from Pratt Institute of New York in
Art Therapy and Creativity Development in 1997. She has a studio in the Mission Arts Building in Lincoln and lives in Lincoln with her husband, Jeff,vand two children, Erinn and David. __J_^_;: "I approached Barbara Gottlieb (Executive Director of Jewish Senior Services) about adding art therapy to the Blumkin Homes 'menu' of services," Mellen said in a recent interview. "It's a way of utilizing the creative process as a reflection of an individual's abilities, personality, con-
at the Regional Center Adolescent and Family Services. And she has worked as an artist-in-residence with the Friedel Jewish Academy, where she supervised the painting of a mural with younger children and assisted older students with individual projects. Despite the "commute" from Lincoln, she is looking forward to working with Friedel again on a future project. And-next Monday, like the week before, she'll be in the art room at the Blumkin Home increasing self-awareness and communications skills with residents of the Blumkin Home.
FJA student Brent Saltzman paints alongside Blumkin Home resident Rhoda Guggenheim.
Ben Wiesman honored by Downtown Omaha, Inc.
Hussein, gentle champion of peace, succumbs to cancer
by Connie Hilding, special to the Jewish Press
NEW YORK (JTA) - The most-fitting summation of King Hussein bin Talal's nearly five decades as Jordan's ruler may well come from the title of his own 1962 autobiography, Uneasy Lies the Head. His reign would certainly have been less uneasy had he possessed more cards to play in the region's shifting sands of expedient military alliances and often-deadly power politics. But his was a desert kingdom with few natural resources and little real regional power. Jordan, created as a buffer state by England and France after World War II, was perpetually buffeted by its more powerful neighbors. Hussein repeatedly had to protect his nation's sovereignty from the onslaughts of Syria, Iraq and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The king was, moreover, something of an outsjder in his own country: The royal Hashemite /family from which he was descended had its roots in the far southern edge of the Arabian peninsula. On more than one occasion, his loyal Bedouin troops saved his throne. Of necessity, Hussein walked a political tightrope throughout the more than 46 years he occupied the Hashemite throne. At his death at 63, he was the region's longest-serving ruler - eight U.S. presidents and 10 British prime ministers came and went from the time he ascended to power in 1952. He was, in short, a political survivor. And he used his survival skills to become, as he will perhaps best be remembered, a champion of peace. Educated at the Sandhurst military academy in , (Continued on pag
The Visionary Pioneer Award was presented to local developer Benjamin Wiesman by Downtown Omaha, Inc., at their annual meeting last week. The honor was in recognition of Wi'esman Development's efforts for the city of Omaha and downtown area development. A video presentation chronicled the highlights of the company's history since 1955 to the more than 500 guests assembled. Wiesman became involved in the real estate : industry through his ownership and management of duplexes and apartments. By the late 1960s, he specialized exclusively in commercial real estate and incorporated Wiesman Development in 1988. "Downtown is once again becoming a focal point for social and business activities fueled by the museums, the arts, a strong financial community, and a renewed commitment to industry," he noted. According to Wiesman, "when mosi business developers were abandoning the downtown area in the 70s, (our company) kept the properties it had purchased earlier and began buying and rehabbing additional properties. All of the development was done without government funding or grants of any .kind."
cerns, interests and conflicts. "For residents at the Blumkin .Home, art therapy allows them a chance for expression in non-verbal as well as verbal methods," she added. Art therapy differs from art as a programmatic activity by using psychological theories and practice which can help an older adult, in this case, deal with issues like grief, frustration, or adjustment to a new lifestyle. "We don't just make 'stuff here," Mellen noted. "I ask a resident to make choices; I try to draw them into conversation." For example, Mellen will ask a client what colors or patterns to use in making a project and then follow up with a question that may help them recall a memory, like the color of a favorite Childhood dress or toy. She also likes the group interac-", tion art therapy provides. It often brings different older adults together for an activity that allows Mellen to explore common bonds with them. Mellen is a member of the American Art Therapy Association and is in the process of obtaining state certification for her mental health license. There are fewer than "*i5Cart therapists in Nebraska, but with an aging population, there is a growing need for this profession. She also does not limit her practice to older adults. Before coming to thi Blumkin Home as an art therapist, she served in the Lincoln Public Schools and worked with juveniles
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Some of the examples cited at the presentation included the Ford Plaza building at 20th and Harney Streets, designed by Albert Kahn and Associates, the "world-renowned architectural firm which also, designed the Ford Motor Company in Detroit." It is one of the few art deco buildings in Omaha. After falling into disrepair, it was purchased by Wiesman, gutted and renovated and now
leased as a corporate business office. Other development followed, including demolition of all the buildings from 2060 Farnam to 2300 Farnam, which made the area suitable for the building of the new Federal Reserve Center. Wiesman also built the Wells Fargo Armored Car facility in the northern part of downtown and "rehabbed and redecorated" the Flatiron Building. Buildings Ben Wiesman along 17th to 18th and St. Mary's Avenue have been purchased for future development. ' In addition to redeveloping existing buildings, Wiesman spearheaded the efforts .to obtain the cooperation of city, county, state and federal governments for new storm sewers, as well as separation of sanitary and storm sewers in the downtown area. Buildings which house the Corps of Engineers, Westin Aquila and historic library were a few 'to benefit from his support through three mayoral administrations. Downtown Omaha, Inc. presented the award"for purchasing add redeveloping property...and (helping to) keep the downtown area alive." •••'••
by Mitchell Danow and Gil Sedan