NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART

Exhibitions:

Celebrate Art of the Tiffany Era – Three unique exhibitions open through May 20

The Tiffany family design legacy is celebrated in this unique mix of exhibitions featuring Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass of the art nouveau era and a rare collection of Tiffany & Co.’s decorative firearms. Charles Lewis Tiffany established Tiffany & Co. in 1837; his son Louis Comfort Tiffany later founded Tiffany Studios, renowned for exquisite decorative objects.

Special Events:

Mother’s Day Trunk Show

May 12, noon – 3 pm

Find the perfect gift this Mother’s Day from the work of ceramics artist Barbara Glynn Prodaniuk and jewelry artist, Gail Rappa – both Wild Women artists. Admission to the Trunk Show is FREE.

TALK: BRDI and BRAF Present: Candy Chang | Before I Die

May 17, at 6pm

In collaboration with the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the Black Rock Design Institute, the Museum welcomes artist, designer, urban planner, and wanderer Candy Chang as she presents her project Before I Die. Recognized as a leader in developing new strategies for the design of our cities, Chang will also discuss her installation of Before I Die in Reno. Networking and social hour with beer provided by Silver Peak Brewery at 5pm. Talk follows at 6pm.

Cost: $10 / $8 Museum members.

ART BITE: Meet the Collectors: The Bloms on Southwest Pottery

May 18, at 12 pm

Brenda and John Blom discuss the range of pottery they have collected from every era and pueblo in the Southwest.

Cost: $10 / FREE with admission and for Museum members

THE DISCOVERY

Biodegradable Art

May 12, at 11am, and May 12– 13, at 11am and 1pm

Combine art and science when you create your own piece of art made from biodegradable packing peanuts.

Cost: $3/Members Free

Eclipse Viewer

May 19, at 11am, and May 19– 20, at 11am and 1pm

Learn about solar eclipses and view the upcoming eclipse through the safety of the home made viewer you’ll create in this intriguing class.

Cost: $3/Members Free

SPARKS HERITAGE MUSEUM

May 16, at 4 – 10pm

Fiddle and Banjo Workshop, a Nevada Arts Council Folklife Education Program and a free concert to follow!

NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

Mutant Rides: Origin of a Species

They began a spontaneously, a change in the genetic code, and evolved from the assemble line to an emerging species on the Black Rock Desert.  These rolling works of art are now deeply entrenched in the culture of Burning Man. Imagine a world of motorized vehicles where boundaries are limitless, imaginations rule and the bizarre becomes the norm.

The Reno Tahoe region boasts 32 museums! Between golf outings, spa days, and hikes through the blossoming flowers this spring, check out the featured exhibits at one of the awe-inspiring museums. Every month we will highlight a brief selection of exhibits to visit!

NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART

August Sander: Face of Our Time

Ends: April 22

This exhibition features sixty black-and-white portraits taken by German photographer August Sander in the early part of the twentieth century that document a cross section of German society. This unique set of prints from Sander’s series Antlitz der Zeit (Face of Our Time) has never been exhibited before, although the photographer did publish a volume of images by the same name.

In 1936, Nazi officials seized all copies of Sander’s books and ordered that his Face of Our Time photographs be destroyed. This was because the social and cultural range of people he photographed suggested diversity within the German nation, which was a threat to the Nazi doctrine of racial purity. Sander’s studio was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid in 1944.

The Canary Project

Ends: April 29

The Canary Project includes diverse works involving more than 30 artists, designers, writers, educators and scientists. The causes and effects of global change, which encompass those of climate change, are increasingly the focus of artists around the world, whether they are working in the Antarctic, Canada, Chile, or Southeast Asia. Many of those projects rely on photographic evidence for working materials. What makes the Canary Project unique is that Sayler and Morris have partnered with local artists and others wherever they have been in residence. This enables them to expand the reach of their concern through the use of other media, including bus ads, billboards, posters, and installations such as the climate poker game Quartet for the End of Time, and the fashion performance Increase your Albedo.

THE DISCOVERY

Truckee Connects

Learn all about the favorite summer hangout, the Truckee River. Flowing from Lake Tahoe, through the downtown Reno waterpark, and into Pyramid Lake, there’s an adventure and vital duty at every bend. Educate yourself on its many uses; including, recreation, irrigation, hydroelectric power, and wildlife in this very interactive exhibit. Beware of the potential splash zone, who do you trust more with water: Shamu or your kids…

SPARKS HERITAGE MUSEUM

Night of the Titanic

Ends: April 28

Every Saturday this April, from 1-3:30pm, experience what it was like to stand on the deck of the doomed ocean liner Titanic the night she sank in a 22 minute multi-media production.

For more museums in the area, please visit our website: VisitRenoTahoe.com.

The Sparks Heritage Museum became the first Museum in Nevada to incorporate I-pad technology into their exhibits.  Thanks to a grant from the Ben Snow Foundation, the Museum has been working to create a more interactive experience which will appeal to patrons of all ages.   The first exhibit, the I-pads, will appear in the new Sparks in Space exhibit. 

It is a little know fact that the rockets that got the first man on and off the moon were developed and tested right here in Spanish Springs, at the Nevada Field Laboratory, a facility operated by Rocket dyne.  In partnership with the Challenger Learning Center of Northern Nevada, the Sparks in Space exhibit presents an in-depth look at the US space program with an emphasis on manned space flight and the role the City of Sparks has played.   The three major topics include: “From Railroads to Rockets,” “Animals in Space,” and “The Next Generation.” 

 From Railroads to Rockets

Most people know Sparks began as a railroad town. Now, thanks to an oral history project conducted by Dick Dreiling, a Museum Board Member, the important role Sparks played in the development of space transportation systems is documented and on exhibit for all to learn.   Fun interactive bonuses include the new I-pads kiosks in the Space exhibit, as well as in the Museum’s Railroad Room.  Children can learn about outer space on apps researched and selected by the Sparks High School Astronomy students. Visitors can have their picture taken looking like an astronaut, or try their hand at piloting a space craft and landing on the moon using the “Return to Camelot” simulator.

Animals in Space

It just so happened that the Museum Docent is the Veterinarian who supervised the mice that went to the Moon on the Apollo 17 mission –  Dr. Richard Simmonds.  Not only does he volunteer at the museum teaching visitors about Truckee Meadows history, but he is also a Challenger Center Board Member.  His passion for teaching is evident in the exhibit. Visitors can learn about various animal astronauts including dogs, mice, fish and primates, and see first-hand the prototype of the “mouse hotel” that Dr. Simmonds helped develop to care for the mice on their journey into outer space.   Interestingly, the species of mice that travelled into space exist in the deserts of Nevada and were chosen as they require very little water to survive.

Over the next six months, the Museum will offer a series of activities focusing on the different topics featured in the Sparks in Space exhibit, including dome programs, movies, poetry readings and lectures.     Blast off with your family at the Sparks Heritage Museum! 

The Sparks Heritage Museum is located at 814 Victorian Avenue, Sparks on the corner of Pyramid Way. 

The Museum is open  Saturdays and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 4 pm

ADMISSION:  $5 for Adults, Children 12 and under Free.  Active Military and their families are FREE.   

For more details please call (775) 355-1144.