Sierra Arts programs manager at College of the Sequoias

Sierra Arts Programs Manager Candace Nicol is also a local printmaker and the co-founder of the Northern Nevada Printmakers Conspiracy. She holds an MFA from Boise State University and is also a part-time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College. From October 2 through November 1, the College of the Sequoias Art Gallery in Visalia, Calif., presents “Candace Nicol and Becki Smith: A Mixed Media Exhibition.”

Turning Point exhibition, reception

Sierra Arts and the City of Reno present a exhibition of artwork created by students from Turning Point – O’Brien and Turning Point – Alice Smith schools September 17 through October 26, with an artists reception on Thursday, September 27 from 3 to 5 pm, at McKinley Arts and Culture Center’s Gallery West, 925 Riverside Drive in Reno. The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Erik Holland, Sierra Arts’ Artist-in-Residence, instructed students in grades 2-12, in various residencies as part of Sierra Arts’ Arts Alternatives program services. Turning Point, formerly known as the Secondary Transition Learning Center, is an alternative school for the severely emotionally and behaviorally challenged students in the Washoe County School District. The program gives students the opportunity to experiment in painting, drawing, mixed media and mural creation throughout the school year. It gives students positive outlet for expression and creative insight into their emotional issues instead of the need to express their emotions through aggressive verbal and physical means.

The mission of Turning Point is to provide the students with the emotional and behavior skills needed to be able to return to their regular school campus. Positive experience in the arts helps to unleash their creative potential and allow them to experience a sense of pride and self-achievement. Sierra Arts has been producing this program for six years with the Turning Point students and staff and has met great success.
Sierra Arts’ Arts Alternatives programs are supported by Washoe County Juvenile Services and funded by the Nell J. Redfield Foundation, the Sato Foundation, Nevada Arts Council, a state agency and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

For more information about Sierra Arts’ Arts Alternatives programs and this exhibition, please call Sierra Arts at (775) 329-2787 or visit www.sierra-arts.org.

Aspens- A Different View

Artisans International Gallery of Minden, Nev., presents an exhibit of work by local area artists through November 3. The exhibit and sale offers the theme, “Aspens- A Different View.” An artist reception will be held on October 6 from 4 to 6 pm where visitors will have a chance to meet many of the artists whose work is featured in the exhibit. Juried into the exhibit is a watercolor/pen & ink piece by Sierra Arts Communications Associate, R. Keith Rugg.

“We have so much natural beauty in the Carson Valley and aspens are a perennial favorite subject with their seasonal colors and shapes” states Bronwyn Mason, owner of Artisans International Gallery.

In addition to Rugg, the list of artists who have been juried into the exhibit includes Peter Jarvis, Peter Chope, Nanette Oleson, Janice Powell-Shedd, Ulla Warner, Anne Armijo, and Anna Louise Darden, among others.

The gallery is located in Minden Village at 1653 Lucerne Street, Suite B. Minden Village is located south of Highway 88 on the east side of Hwy 395. Call the gallery at 783-8881 for store hours and directions.

Slogging through September

The weather had the decency to hold out long enough for the Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale to come off without a hitch, and the participating artists rated it to be a success…

Now that the weather is turning a little bit brisk, why not stop in to one of the four galleries associated with Sierra Arts?  Amelia Currier has a show at the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust Art Gallery at the South Valleys Library, Edw Martinez is at the Northwest Reno Library Gallery, Gabi Etenberg at the Metro Gallery at City Hall, and  James Simpson has an exhibition at the Sierra Arts Gallery.

Click on the gallery listings on the right-hand side of the Sierra Arts website for more info…

www.sierra-arts.org

Fall Art Sale Sneak Preview

Sierra Arts teams up with the Reno Farmers Market on Friday, September 14, to provide a sneak peek at the Fall Arts Sale, which takes place the following day, Saturday, September 15.

If you haven’t visited the Farmers Market on City Plaza yet, this is the perfect time to do so. Sierra Arts staff stopped by on Friday, September 7, to scope things out for the sneak preview on Sept. 15… and we left loaded down with tons of treats! Our purchases included locally produced honey, juicy apples and fresh-baked bread, and we’ll be back for more stuff this coming Friday.

On September 14, more than a dozen of the artists participating in the annual Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale will be set up at the Farmers Market, giving shoppers a chance to purchase nourishment for their souls, as well as nourishment for their bodies. And then on Saturday morning, the Art Sale kicks into high gear, with art from more than 40 Sierra artists on display for purchase.

For more info, call Sierra Arts at 329-ARTS or visit the website at www.sierra-arts.org.

Music and food, too!

Not only will the Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale (September 15, City Plaza, Reno, Nevada) feature 45 Sierra artists and their pottery, photography, oil paintings, watercolors, glasswork, fiber art, jewelry, prints, sculptures and more— as if that weren’t enough— but there will also be live Bluegrass music during the event, as well as food for sale from our friends at Wild River Grille, www.wildrivergrille.com.

art is life

Yes, the Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale is a celebration of art, and of our area artists, it’s true. But in a broader sense, this annual event is so much more. The Fall Arts Sale is a time to pause and reflect upon our accomplishments of the past six months, and to prepare for the next half-year to come. It is a time to gather as a community to celebrate the human imagination, vision and creativity. At a time when the brown and withered grasses, leaves and plants tend to remind us of the finite nature of our world, the Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale is an affirmation of life.

***

Since the coming of Spring earlier this year, and throughout the Summer, our minds and actions have been turned outward. Growth and vitality have been the bywords of the seasons, as we have cared for our lawns and gardens, as we have camped and hiked and boated and climbed, as we opened the windows to let the gentle breezes bring fresh air into our homes.

But as the months have passed, so have the seasons, and as we head into Autumn, we begin to turn our focus and attention inward. The harvests of the gardens and farms are brought in from the fields to be stored away in preparation for the Winter ahead. Doors and windows will soon be shut against the chilling cold of late October, November and on through the remainder of the year. The days begin to shorten, and soon, the work day means both leaving and returning home from work in winter darkness.

Fortunately, we’ve developed a tradition designed to stave off the cold and dark that comes with Winter, to bring a bit of Summer’s warmth and light into our homes until the tilting of the Earth brings warmers seasons back our way. Each year, as the days grow cooler and the nights grow longer, Sierra Arts presents the Fall Art Sale. Dozens of artists from among the Northern Nevada community gather for one day in downtown Reno and make the products of their labor available to the public.

Apples, pumpkins, fruits and vegetables of all sorts are being gathered to nourish and sustain us through the winter. So, also, are these artists bringing their work to market, where we can choose art to nourish and sustain us through the bleak season. It might be an oil painting, a watercolor or a print to hang on our wall, to provide inspiration through the months to come. It might be hand-crafted jewelry, a spark of creativity to carry with us and ward off the winter chill. A woven scarf, gourd tableware, a ceramic vase. It could be any one of a multitude of artistic creations that will represent life and vitality throughout the time when the world seems so very barren.

Visit the Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale. Celebrate life with our community of gifted artists, now, and throughout the months to come.

—The Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale takes place Saturday, September 15, outdoors on the City Plaza at 10 N. Virginia Street, (corner of First and Virginia Streets), in downtown Reno, from 11 am to 6 pm.

Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale, September 15!

RENO, NV – The highly anticipated Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale is scheduled for Saturday, September 15, outdoors on the City Plaza at 10 N. Virginia Street, (corner of First and Virginia Streets), in downtown Reno from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. In cooperation with the City of Reno, Sierra Arts will feature more than 45 regional fine artists, brought together in one venue for one day, to display their passions in a variety of media to include pottery, photography, oils, watercolors, glass, fiber, jewelry, printmaking, sculpture, gourds and mixed media works. The public is invited to purchase these one-of-a-kind pieces of work such as hand woven scarves, ceramic vases and tableware, gourds and vessels, gemstone necklaces and belts.

Sierra Arts presents these artists’ work to the public as part of the largest art sale of the year. 75% of all artwork proceeds are retained by the artists, while the remaining 25% of the proceeds go to Sierra Arts as a donation to support the many programs and community projects the local arts agency creates throughout the year.

The majority of artwork is priced at $100 or less but varies according to artist. Local restaurants, coffee houses and parking is all close by. The Sierra Arts Fall Art Sale presents itself as the perfect opportunity to shop for the holiday and is an established favorite shopping excursion for many people in town for the Reno Air Races. Local residents eagerly look forward to it as well.

For more information on Sierra Arts and the Fall Art Sale, call (775) 329-ARTS / 2787, or visit www.sierra-arts.org.