by KARA SCHWEISS
Jordan Acker Anderson is the director and a professor of studio art for Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but her first degree is from UNO. She has fond memories of the institution and the area surrounding campus that go back even further.
“My mom (a music teacher) did a lot of music competitions at UNO, so I would volunteer there. I was always on campus. It just sort of felt like part of our life. Living in the neighborhood, we would drive by all the time,” she said. “It felt like the home university.”
After graduating from Omaha Central High School, Acker Anderson studied art at the University of Wyoming before transferring in 1999 to UNO and earning a bachelor of fine art degree in painting in 2002. Her father, Andy Acker, earned a degree there nearly 30 years earlier and spoke highly of the university’s art department. The decision to transfer turned out to be doubly serendipitous.
“I felt this calling to go home, to be back in Omaha, and maybe sort of reset the stage and consider new pathways… It just felt like the right place to be,” she said. “And Josh transferred at the exact same time to UNO.”
Josh Anderson was a former middle school classmate that Acker Anderson had known only casually.
“We both ended up recognizing one another… I still remember very clearly,” she said. “He said, ‘Hey, I know you!’ and I said, ‘Yeah, you’re Josh Anderson.’ It was kind of happenstance, but when I look back, it feels really purposeful.”
The couple had much in common, including families of artists and teachers and an interest in building a career in art. They married in 2006.
“There’s a lot of synergy when we go to family events,” Acker Anderson said, adding that, not surprisingly, their three sons’ inherent creative talent began emerging at a young age.
After her time at UNO, Acker Anderson earned master of arts and master of fine arts degrees from the University of Iowa, where she was also an adjunct professor. In 2008, she joined Mount Mary’s art department, augmenting her educational credentials in 2024 with a master of business administration degree.
Wisconsin has become home; not only did husband Josh quickly find a teaching position with Mount Mary University, Acker Anderson’s parents relocated to be closer to grandchildren. Acker Anderson’s mother, Janet Blazek Acker, is also an alumna, earning a BFA in art history from UNO in 1972.
Acker Anderson (jordanackeranderson.com and @ jordan_acker_anderson on Instagram) has been published in numerous publications and her works are included in several collections and have been chosen for multiple exhibitions including a 2024 exhibit at Lauritzen Gardens and a February 2025 alumni exhibition at UNO that also featured her husband’s, father’s and father-in-law’s art. She’s also recently obtained gallery representation.
