Listening Lights by Jo Ratcliffe
Jo Ratcliffe is a UK-based artist and graduate of Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London. Her practice blends fine art traditions with contemporary media, sharing her distinctive visual language through both print and motion.
Imagination by Julia McGuigan. I grew up in Papillion, Nebraska, and earned my BS in Education from UNO. In 2014, I studied art and Spanish at Veritas Universidad in San José, Costa Rica, an experience that broadened my perspective and deepened my appreciation for architecture, color, and community. Ever since, I’ve been drawn to illustrating spaces that tell stories and help people feel connected to where they live. This illustration was inspired by my four-year-old son, Shawn. He reminds me of the power of imagination every day. I hope it invites adults to reconnect with that same sense of wonder. A cardboard box can become a spaceship. A stick becomes a magic wand. A cloud becomes a shark or a butterfly. Children don’t see limitations; they see possibilities.
Chattermarks by Nancy Manter. Nancy Manter (BFA, MFA) lives and works between Beacon, New York, and Bass Harbor, Maine. Manter’s paintings are inspired by weather, atmosphere, and geological surfaces both above and below ground. The title of this cover, Chattermarks, is a geological term describing the gouges and markings left in glaciers—indicators of glacial movement.
Just Graduated by Kelly Altman. Altman is a visual artist best known for her portraits in colored pencil and watercolor. Based in Ashland, Nebraska, she graduated from UNO in 2016 with a bachelor of arts in journalism and media communication.
The graduate featured on the front cover is Vivian Kaldahl, a UNO Alumni Association scholarship recipient. Kaldahl joyfully graduated summa cum laude in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education.
