Nevada: Promoting the Arts in the State Capitol

“The Emancipator,” by Sy Collier, one of five artists presenting solo exhibitions this spring in the Nevada State Legislative Building. Image courtesy of the artist and the Nevada Arts Council

Since 1985, the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) has organized and presented visual arts exhibitions in the Nevada State Legislative Building during biennial legislative sessions. This year, between February and June, the Legislative eXhibition Series (LXS) is featuring five solo exhibitions of artists working in photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture, as well as a retrospective that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the NAC Folklife Apprenticeship Program. A new initiative created for the 2013 Nevada legislature, The Work of Artists, provides an opportunity for artists to engage with community members and those working in the State Legislative Building through lecture demonstrations and workshops. The series features photography, saddle making, printmaking, Chinese calligraphy and Washoe basket making. The Work of Artists is a collaboration between NAC and SenArts, a new program of the Nevada Senate to promote the visual arts in the Senate areas of the State Legislative Building. Through both the LXS and The Work of Artists programs, NAC places the arts—figuratively and literally—in the center of state policy-making, ensuring lawmakers can’t overlook the work of artists and the impact of creative experiences on all Nevadans. For more information, contact NAC Executive Director Susan Boskoff.