Annual Silver City Christmas Party and Potluck: Saturday, December 19th at 6pm at the Silver City School House (hosted by the Silver City Volunteer Fire Department).Ham, turkey and beverages provided - bring your favorite side dish. Special appearance by Santa Claus.
Town Survey Deadline Extended: The survey by the Silver City Citizen Advisory Board of Silver City residents regarding the future land use and development in and around Silver City will be discussed again on January 5th, 2016 at 6pm at the School House. During a Dec. 8th workshop, Board members noted that so far they've received about 30 of 75 household surveys, and they are hoping residents will complete and return their surveys by Christmas. Any resident who did not receive a survey, or who has lost their survey, can contact one of the Board members.
Silver City December Citizen Advisory Board Meeting is at the Silver City School House on Tuesday, Dec. 8th at 7pm.
Silver City Arts is hosting a display showcasing music by past and present Silver City musicians at the new Post Office display case. To get involved with the arts group, contact Carol Godwin, or attend the next meeting on Tuesday, December 15, at 7 p.m. Check out their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Silver-City-Arts-618872294885649/
New Exhibition Features Women of Silver City, Gold Hill and Virginia City: "The Women's Project: The Gift" by Silver City-based artist Karen Kreyeski is "a unique and special exhibition" with a focus on women from 3 Comstock communities. Through January 15th, 2016, the entire first floor of St. Mary's Art Center is the backdrop for Karen Kreyeski's fantastic collection of portraits and corresponding flower pieces. St. Mary's writes, "Women from our area were her focus and she pays a lovely tribute to each individual woman and the heart and soul within them. Her collection includes a variety of mediums that not only capture her subjects, but the uniqueness and character within each woman, whether the portrait or the representative flower." In his review of the paintings, poet Shaun Griffin writes, "Every oil portrait represents the choice a woman made to create a possible life: painter, archeologist, educator, actress, gardener, bartender, and all the roles that become an amalgam of women: mother, wife, breadwinner. She honors each of their characters with portraits that bend time. They move away from the literal time of their lifework to reflect upon how these women lasted in their community, the Comstock, a place whose resources have been mined and excavated."In April 2016, the show will travel to the Dini Center in Yerington.
Open Studio, sponsored by Silver City Arts:
Saturday, January 9 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm at the School House. Open studio where people can bring arts and crafts; build upcycled art (recycled items in a new use), writing, sewing, or whatever they would like to work on. Please bring a tarp if you plan to use paint, glue, glitter or anything else that could harm the floors. Carol Godwin notes, "Finger food would be nice if you have some."
Frances Melhop, Winter Visiting Artist: There's a Resident Artist Program in Silver City now, with visiting artists from both near and far. During the summer, multidisciplinary artist Brian Schorn of Michigan offered free workshops and created exhibits, and during the Fall, New Zealand painter and printmaker Sophie Scott was the visiting artist. This winter, internationally known photographer Frances Melhop will create photo portraits of locals during her stay. In the spring, Oakland based writer and performance artist Scott MacLeod will offer free workshops, and in summer 2016, the program welcomes London-based artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully. More about the program can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/
Silver City Soup Social, sponsored by Silver City Arts: Bean soup will be the featured soup on
January 15, starting at 6:00 pm at the School House. Carol Godwin explains, "If able, you can bring salads, breads, special beverages, or desserts. If not, come anyway."
Acoustic Jam Session, Saturday, January 23 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm at the School House. Bring your musical instruments and jam.
Brian Schorn's Silver City art in Reno until April: Sierra Arts Foundation's "Galleries at Work" program puts art in spaces like foyers and offices. For instance, 22 pieces of art Michigan artist Brian Schorn made while living in Silver City, Nevada at the Resident Artist Program are on display in the foyer of the 50 West Liberty building in Reno's Arts District until April 2016. Check it out during business hours. Brian's artwork was previously presented in a solo exhibit called Comstock Wabi Sabi at St. Mary's Art Center in Virginia City in August 2015. His mixed media assemblages were made with found objects from the historic Comstock area of Silver City. More here:
http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/2015/11/brian-schorn-resident-artist-program-in.html
New at the Volunteer Library: The Volunteer Library will host a series of lectures, with various speakers, on the history of Silver City, 1960's to 2005, during the winter of 2016. Watch for flyers with times and dates at the Post Office.
Las Swanson essays Have you been following local Las Swanson's essays on Silver City in the Comstock Chronicle? Here's an excerpt from her essay on snow in Silver City: "...In the beginning, it puzzled me as to how there could be snow all around us in the neighboring communities while the driveways and roads in Silver were clear. I decided this was a gift from Mother Nature who was obviously playing favorites by sparing Silver the inconvenience of snow when she sprinkled the areas surrounding us...I mentioned this theory to my father who has lived in Silver for maybe 37 years. He's been here long enough to have learned the truth and has set me straight. For those of you who may not be aware, dates and duration of snow in Silver are determined by the Town Board. As is custom, snow is permitted on occasion for the pleasureof the children who enjoy playing in it. Seasonal snow is scheduled in order to contribute to the festive holiday atmosphere and other Special Occasion snow is allowed as requested and agreed upon. ..My father told me about the snow policy, and because he wouldn't lie to me, I'm certain it's true. Ok, he may have been joking about the jackalope, but I'm pretty certain that if I spend enough time beating the bushes at night with a flashlight, I'll find me some of those snipes..."
Wally's World: The Loneliest Art Collection in Nevada: This exhibit, which includes artwork by dozens of Nevada artists including work by long-time Silver City residents such as Jean LeGassick and Jeff Nicholson, former Silver City resident Jim McCormick, and other well-known Nevada artists such as Craig Sheppard, will be at St. Mary’s Art + Retreat Center in Virginia City from April 4th through May 27, 2016. More about the exhibit here:
http://nac.nevadaculture.org/indexc612.html?option=com_content&view=article&id=1941:george-perreault&catid=36:artist-services-traveling-exhibition-program
Silver City, an Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center: On November 5th, 2014, "the Silver City, Nevada Citizen Advisory Board resolved to recognize the existing character of Silver City as an Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center, and resolved to formally recognize the considerable work residents have contributed and continue to contribute, to the production of important work in the areas of arts and cultural resources. The Board also resolved to formally recognize the extraordinary support the entire community has given and continues to give to local arts and cultural resources production, events, and programming."
Since the late 1960's, Silver City has been a magnet for a group economists term the "creative class" - web designers, archaeologists, anthropologists, artisans, teachers, attorneys, economic development experts, artists, musicians, historians, etc. Today, creativity flourishes alongside entrepreneurial initiative - the community is a virtual hive of creative industries and in-home studios, workshops, and offices for artists, musicians, photographers, consultants, writers, and craftspeople.
Over the last 50 years, this community of less than 200 people has been responsible for a remarkable body of work that has had a demonstrably positive impact on the town, the state and beyond. Residents have contributed their diverse talents and skills to produce regionally and nationally recognized work in archaeology; visual art; theatre; music; historic preservation; and academic research and projects resulting in technical reports and a variety of other publications. Many residents have created hand-crafted items in silver, wood, gemstones, clay, etc. and examples can be found in a wide range of places, from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the region's historic cemeteries and buildings.
Silver City Arts' "Nevada 150 Exhibit", an official event of the Nevada Sesquicentennial, highlighted the work of Silver City artists, writers, researchers and artisans. If you missed the event, you can find photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/Nevada-150-Art-Exhibit-of-Historic-Silver-City-Nevada-375973665900542
A Few of Silver City's Many Assets:
Silver City Organic Community Garden and Compost: A dedicated group of local volunteers keep the beautiful garden going. Located across from the School House, summer 2015 was the garden's 7th growing season!
Image: DETAIL FROM KAREN KREYESKI'S PAINTING, "Garden Ladies."
The Silver City Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1863. More here: http://www.silvercityfiredepartment.org/
The Silver City Town Advisory Board normally meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm at the Silver City School House (Community Center) located at 385 High Street, Silver City. Current Advisory Board members are Erich Obermayr, Lorraine Richmond and Cal Dillon. More here:
http://www.lyon-county.org/index.aspx?nid=221
The Silver City School House (community center) is managed by the Silver City Historic Preservation Society (SCHPS), a non-profit group created by residents of Silver City. The school house is the center of many community dinners, holiday events, and activities throughout the year. More here:
https://www.facebook.com/Silver-City-School-House-1511886055743937/
Silver City Arts group is composed of local volunteers who organize free public programming in arts and culture throughout the year, including fine art and photography exhibits, artisan shows, lectures, poetry readings and displays, musical performances, and more. They've hosted pop-up shows with internationally known artists like Nes Lerpa of Denmark, as well as shows highlighting the many skills and talents of local residents, such as the arts group's Nevada 150 Exhibit, a "Signature" (official) Nevada Sesquicentennial event featuring work by locals such as Jean LeGassick, Karen Kreyeski, Larry Wahrenbrock, Jeff Nicholson, Larry Kotik, Julie LaCroix, and many others.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-City-Arts/618872294885649
The Silver City Post Office was established in 1860 and includes historical photos of Silver City, a special collections area with changing displays, and a community bulletin board.
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ilver City Summer Program: Silver City launched the popular summer series of arts and science activities for youths in the Comstock region in 2003 (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programming). The program is an example of collaboration, with work and/or funding contributions from many Silver City volunteers and donors, nonprofits like Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, county departments such as Lyon County Parks, Buildings and Grounds, and many regional groups, such as University Nevada Cooperative Extension, Western Safe Routes to Schools, Society of Women Engineers, the D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program, United Way, Resident Artist Program in Silver City, etc. Contact Quest Lakes at Healthy Communities for more info: 287-7598
Resident Artist Program in Silver City: Those creating in the performing, visual, media, or literary arts are invited to apply to the Program. Inquiries: quest@theodata.com. Silver City was recently declared an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center" due to the high output of visual art, music, publications, and historic preservation resources by residents over the last 50 years. The Resident Artist Program provides an opportunity for artists from other regions of Nevada, or from other states or other nations, to reside in the town at the Resident Artist guest housing for periods of up to 4 months, in exchange for offering free public performances, exhibitions, workshops, etc. in the community. Upcoming artists at the Resident Program include New Zealand-based artist Sophie Scott (fall 2016); internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop (winter 2016); widely exhibited and published writer and artist Scott MacLeod of Oakland (spring 2016); in-demand, London-based illustrator Claire Scully (summer 2016); UK artist Stewart Easton (Midlands based artist working in hand embroidery and digital print on fabric); and the international cultural -research team Marksearch, which will come to Silver City after a 6 month project in Japan (summer 2017). Michigan artist Brian Schorn, the summer 2015 resident artist in Silver City, created 22 mixed media assemblages while he was at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City - those works were in a solo show at St. Mary's Art Center in August, and are now on display in Reno at 50 West Liberty Street. More info on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/
Silver City Volunteer Library is located within the Silver City School House/Community Center. It includes a collection of thousands of books, many sets of reference works, periodicals, etc. thanks to donors from all over the U.S., Silver City, and other libraries. Most of the collection is stored in the basement of the school house so that there is plenty of room for other uses upstairs. The collection is rotated every 3 to 4 months, and new arrivals are added each month so there are always new things on the shelves The library has its own blog site: http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/
