Resident Artist Program Thrives On Community Support

SILVER CITY, NEVADA- The Resident Artist Program in Silver City was launched in 2014 by Theo McCormick and Quest Lakes, long time residents of the historic Comstock community located in the mountains near Virginia City.

Together the couple co-fund the Program without grants or foundation funding, although both Lakes and McCormick are quick to point out that the Program gets lots of in-kind support - work by community volunteers, gifts of materials, and supportive partnerships with local and regional groups.

For instance, the Program has been gifted with art supplies, equipment and artworks from visiting artists and writers and has recently received its first cash donation from an art lover in Oregon.

McCormick says that people from all over the northern Nevada region have been very supportive, participating in the Program’s free writing, music and art workshops, and attending poetry readings, concerts, and art exhibitions. "And," he added,"probably 20% to 30% of Silver City folks have hosted the visiting artists in their own homes as dinner guests, or given them tours of their home studios or personal art collections, or taken them on hikes or drives to point out interesting spots. It's a really welcoming community."

A number of groups, such as the Silver City Arts group, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties, Silver City Historic Preservation Society, and St. Mary’s Art Center, have partnered with the Program to add support to exhibits, displays, marketing, receptions, etc.

The Program has also benefited from the work of gifted summer art interns like Marielle Toll, and dedicated “friends of the program” such as Fred Swanson, Nancy Calvert, and Las Swanson.

There’s a crackerjack team of advisers serving the Program, too. Lakes can call on them for insights based on their fields of expertise. Advisers include internationally known photographer Frances Melhop, sculptor and Western Nevada College art instructor Stephen Reid, Christy McGill (performing arts adviser - degrees in both Drama and English), Allison Rasmussen (culinary arts adviser for exhibit receptions), Kerry Rossow (social media adviser -best selling author and CEO of the She Said project) and Jessica Sanford (dance adviser – Earlham College).

“The artists and writers who have Residencies in the community contribute so much while they’re here,” Lakes said. “And they leave a lasting impact even after they’re gone.” A few examples: Pulitzer Prize nominated poet David Lee’s poem about the view from the Resident Artist housing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Award winning photographer Frances Melhop’s photo portraits of Silver City and other Comstock folks, along with stories recorded by film maker Mary Works Covington, will be unveiled in an exhibition at the Haldan Gallery at Lake Tahoe this October. Michigan-based artist Brian Schorn’s exhibition “Comstock Wabi Sabi,” 22 assemblages created with objects found on the Comstock, has been featured at St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City, at 50 West Liberty Street in Reno’s arts district and at the Microsoft campus in Reno. New Zealand artist Sophie Scott’s painting, based on an 1860s photo of Silver City, was on display at the Nevada Legislature during the 2017 session. London-based artist Stewart Easton, whose artwork has recently been shown at both the Tate Modern and the Ashmolean, created a painting of McCormick House that will be included in an upcoming UK retrospective of his work. Oakland-based artist Scott MacLeod gifted his ship model artwork, created in collaboration with Silver City residents, to the community. Today locals continue to be delighted (and inspired to create their own artwork) when they discover the whimsical miniature ghost towns and sculptures MacLeod left in the hills surrounding the town.

About Theo McCormick and Quest Lakes: Theo McCormick was born in Nevada and resided in Silver City for most of his life. The son of Nevada artist and UNR emeritus professor Jim McCormick, he studied physics and computer programming in college and became a software engineer. After completing a degree in literature and history, Quest Lakes moved to Silver City, Nevada in 1989 and fell in love with the community and its fascinating history, mountain views, and wildlife.

July 1st Dinner and Conversation with Cultural Researchers in Silver City

Silver City, Nevada-Silver City residents are invited to a potluck dinner with the current guests at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City on Saturday, July 1. An introduction to cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of Marksearch, and their son Roli, begins at 5pm at the Silver City School House with a slide show and brief videos about some of their recent work in Japan and Portugal as well as in Alabama and California. After the slide show, they’ll describe ideas they have about projects in partnership with Silver City residents, and invite input. Their talk will be followed by a community potluck and a chance to chat with them further.

Potluck Dishes: A main dish of spaghetti will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring side dishes such as green salads and breads.

Stories About Stories: Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas explain that, “honoring the spirit of Silver City’s monthly soup potlucks, we would love to share stories with you about our creative practice over a communal meal.

For many years, even before there was the art-world term ‘social practice’, our projects have relied on conversations with people in parks, at farmers markets, in libraries, at bus stops and on the street. Our creative practice exists under the umbrella of interdisciplinary visual arts, but the manifestations of our practice rarely look like anything you would typically find in a museum or gallery.

While we are interested in history and architecture, our work is not scientific or academic. People’s stories fascinate us.

Please join us as we recollect some of our experiences collaboratively generating work and research in nearby and far-away places including our home in Oakland, rural Alabama, Portugal, and Japan. Through images and videos, we’ll give you insight into our process.

We’re looking forward to learning from you and are excited to talk about some of our initial ideas for a Silver City storytelling platform.”

About Sue and Bruce: The Marksearch team (Sue Mark + Bruce Douglas) focuses on place-based cultural preservation and social memory. Their performance-based projects explore intersections of lost history and cultural complexities. As conversation artists, they engage people in collaborative expressions of local stories to expose and deepen multifaceted bonds between people and their environment. Their participant-driven projects craft a much-needed conversational commons.

Their methodology synthesizes their academic backgrounds. Bruce Douglas is a fabricator and professional mechanical engineer who has meshed his values of building community and using recycled materials to build things such as functional, quirky human-powered vehicles. Sue Mark, with a BA in philosophy and linguistics and an MFA from the California College of the Arts, creates national and international projects about local history, culture and community challenges.

Since 2000, Marksearch has collaborated with non-profits, community groups, students, historians, urban planners, and municipalities worldwide, designing interactive projects for empowerment and preservation. For instance, a 2016 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fellowship helped them to research cultural preservation strategies in Japan. Their 6 month residency in Kanazawa, Japan included studying the traditional architecture in Kanazawa such as the Machiya, townhouses from the Edo period (1603-1867). In a completely different sort of project, in 2013 Marksearch researched the disappearance of handicraft and agricultural practices in a region of Portugal comprising 26 villages. They created portraits of traditional makers of baskets, shoes, olive oil, bread, wine, tools, and more. These portraits, permanently installed in each of the region's 26 villages, now form a new regional cultural landmark. Other Marksearch explorations have been presented in the US and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, and Spain with support from California Humanities, Fulbright Commission, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, San Francisco Art Commission, and others. For more about their work, see marksearch.org.

Happy to be Queen of Her World: Outsider Artist Molly Brunhild of Silver City Nevada

Silver City, Nevada - Silver City Arts group is sponsoring “Outsider Show: Molly Brunhild Paintings,” at the Silver City School House (community center) at 385 High Street. The exhibit will feature the artist’s current work as well as work from earlier periods. The public is cordially invited to a free reception, which includes light refreshments and an opportunity to meet Molly Brunhild, on Saturday, July 22nd from 1pm-5pm.

About Molly Brunhild: Outsider artist Molly Brunhild lives her dream from many years ago: to live a bohemian lifestyle on a hill surrounded by valleys and other hills, far away from cities, free to paint when she chooses.

Born in Tennessee, she spent much of her early life with her grandparents in Florida, and when she could, visited her writer mother in New York City. During the 1950s, her mother ran with a pretty hip crowd of artists and writers which influenced young Molly’s outlook on the world and art. As a child, she was fascinated with drawing the shapes of lips and high heel shoes. At the age of 12, Molly asked one such artist, Ben Benn, “How does it feel to be a famous artist?” While Molly never knew Benn’s work at that time or since, her own work reminds the viewer of this pioneer in modernism.

Molly lives in Silver City near her children and grandchildren. Her studio gallery, which is also her living space, invites one into a collage of books, collectibles, and art on walls and furniture. Using paint and collage of unconventional materials, she prefers wood as a base. Sometimes the grain of the wood suggests images and subject content, as she works. She believes in the magic of art in that a painting paints itself if it’s straight from the heart where the truth is. She works fast, sometimes from start to finish in an hour or two. If too much thought goes into a painting, she believes it cuts off the energy from the heart, and while the painting may be a graceful design, it becomes too full of ego.

True to her free spirit, Molly’s subjects for paintings often come to her in dreams, as do the titles such as “They Administer Ironstation to Master Brown.” If a title doesn’t come to her, she may pick a number to represent it. While she doesn’t intend to influence the viewer, she does explore her political views as in “Western Hospitality,” a satire on western civilization’s influence on the world, and she confronts establishment color theory in “Mosim Bey.”

The simple essence of her style and intent can best be seen in her most recent work, “Last Dream,” a heartfelt reaction to the current American political arena.

Her work is in a number of private collections, and was the subject of the first chapter in Mary Beth Elam's book Mining the Treasures: Contemporary Comstock Artists.

About Silver City Arts: Silver City Arts draws on the community's own rich resource of artists, artisans and musicians, and also connects with regional and statewide groups to bring programming by national and international artists and musicians to town. Since 2014, the group of volunteers has hosted music, visual arts, fine crafts, and poetry events and programs, such as a pop-up show by Danish artist Nes Lerpa; a reading by Nevada poet Shaun Griffin; music by cellists Diane Kotik and Becky Crowe; a pop-up show and reception for Karen Kreyeksi's exhibition The Women's Project; a screening of the documentary "Rockin' at the Red Dog: The Dawn of Psychedelic Rock" by Silver City native Mary Works Covington; and an official Nevada Sesquicentennial event featuring art, fine photography, publications, poetry, hand-crafted jewelry and silverwork by Silver City residents. The group's mission is "to encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events."

Where is Silver City? Silver City is located on the Comstock within a federally designated historic landmark 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, and 12 miles from Carson City. For more information about the show, contact Carol Godwin of Silver City Arts at godwinsilvercity@aol.com.

Build a Glider in Silver City Tuesday June 13th

SILVER CITY, NEVADA— Each summer since 2003, the historic Comstock community of Silver City has offered free, public programming in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). Last week the annual program kicked off with a blues concert in the park, and this Tuesday, June 13 the program continues with science activities led by Jim Barcellos of University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension (UNCE). Children ages 8-12, and their parents, are invited to have fun with whirly gigs and to build a glider to better understand how drones work. Drones can be useful for monitoring wildlife, 3-D mapping of remote landscapes, observing farm fields, search and rescue efforts, etc. The activity begins at 10am and ends at noon.

Location: Silver City is within the historic Comstock district 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, and 12 miles from Carson City. The park and School House are located at 385 High Street.

2017 Program Note: During children’s activities, parents are asked to stay with their children to participate in the fun and to help with clean up. Children’s activities will be on Tuesdays from 10am – noon, beginning Tuesday June 6th through Tuesday August 22th at the Silver City town park and the community center, known as the School House, at 385 High Street. Adult and teen events take place on various days and times, listed below. For more information about the annual program, contact Quest Lakes at 847-0742.

Acoustic music jam sessions, last Saturday of each month from 3pm-5pm, hosted by Silver City Arts. If you like to sing, or you play a musical instrument, or if you simply enjoy music, come to the School House. During good weather, musicians may meet at the outdoor stage in the park, the Silver Pavilion. Recommended age: adults and teens.

Hands-on Engineering Projects with Society of Women Engineers. For girls and boys ages 7-12. Sponsored in partnership with Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey – Tues 10am-noon, June 20th (“mining” for chocolate) and August 1st (robotics) at the School House.

Science and Math Experiments with Jim Barcellos of University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension (UNCE). For ages 8-12. Sponsored in partnership with Healthy Communities Coalition. Tues 10am-noon on Tues June 13th and Tuesday June 27th at the School House.

Bike Safety Rodeo with Western Safe Routes to Schools for ages 5-12. Tuesday, July 18th from 10am to noon at the Silver City basketball court (next to the School House). Kids will learn road rules and safety, participate in bike maneuvers and exercises. Kids will receive new bike helmets if they do not have one yet. Sponsored in partnership with Healthy Communities Coalition.

Art Exhibition: Molly Brunhild's solo exhibition, titled The Outsider Show: Molly Brunhild Paintings, is being sponsored by the Silver City Arts group. A reception for the show takes place at the School House Saturday, July 22 at 1pm. Her work was the subject of the first chapter in Mary Beth Elam's book, Mining the Treasures: Contemporary Comstock Artists.

Fun Fair for Preschoolers and Their Parents. Tuesday, August 22 from 10am to noon at the town park. The event, which includes free books and snacks, plus crafts, hands-on science and literacy activities provided by United Way, is for parents and their children ages 2 years to 6 years. Nevada Families First will also host a booth with fun things for preschoolers and their parents to do.

SILVER CITY SCHOOL HOUSE (community center) and COMMUNITY GARDEN

Mylo McCormick Blues Concert Tuesday June 6th in Silver City

Silver City, Nevada - Bring a lawn chair and a picnic to the Comstock and enjoy a morning in the shaded Silver City park with a free acoustic blues concert by Mylo McCormick on Tuesday, June 6th from 10am to noon.

With the mountains as a backdrop, he'll perform on the town’s new outdoor stage, the Silver Pavilion, located adjacent to the town community center, known as the School House, at 385 High Street.

McCormick was born in Silver City, where he learned to play guitar with musician Will Rose. After moving to Carson City, he began taking vocal lessons with Linda Badinger of Music Lessons Unlimited. By age 16, he was invited to join Mo’z Motley Blues, a northern Nevada band performing blues infused rock, pop, soul and country music. Band leader, award-winning musician Monique De Haviland, explains that “at just 17, Mylo is a masterful young guitarist with tasteful riffs and solos that would make Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan take notice. He fires up the audience and is the driving force behind the Motley "blues" flavor."

McCormick has written some of his own tunes, and has also recorded guitar solos for songs written by De Haviland, who expects to release a solo album soon. In addition, the Mo'z Motley Blues Band is recording a live album.

This spring he graduated from Silver State Charter School in Carson City, with a head start on college credits through Western Nevada College’s Jump Start College program. "I'll study history, anthropology, and writing at WNC this year, and then I'll apply to Berklee College of Music in Boston and see what happens," McCormick said.

The free concert is sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City and kicks off the town’s annual free arts and science summer program. For more information, contact Program director Quest Lakes at (775) 847-0742.

Summer Arts and Science Programming in Silver City: Each summer, the historic Comstock community of Silver City offers free, public programming in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM), with separate activities for all ages at the park and community center. The town is located within the Comstock district 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, and 12 miles from Carson City.

David Lee Nominated for Pushcart Prize for Poem About Silver City, Nevada

Silver City, Nevada - Poet David Lee, the latest Resident of the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, gave another of his extraordinary readings in the historic Comstock town on May 27, 2017. His most recent book of poems has been nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, and one of the poems he wrote while at the Resident Artist Program (describing dawn in Silver City) was just nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His reading attracted folks not only from Silver City, but also from Reno, Carson, Gold Hill, and even France.

Last Fall and Winter while teaching a graduate course at University of Nevada Reno, Lee lived at McCormick House in Silver City, a geodesic dome built in the 1970s by artist Jim McCormick. Since then he’s been perfecting a number of poems he wrote while living in the tiny but vibrant community. Many are about the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election, and several are about the town itself. In his Pushcart Prize nominated poem “Silver City Dawn Psalm", Lee describes making coffee at dawn, watching quail and the neighbor’s “rattlesnake killing cat” from the kitchen windows as the sun comes up over the mountains. He writes, “the tired old sun stretches his long arms/pulls down eastern horizon/with a yawn and sigh/one more time shoulders his pack/and begins the high lonesome saunter/over Sierra.”

He plans to publish the poems in a slim volume, tentatively titled, Silver City, Nevada.

Lee gave his very first reading from Bluebonnets, Firewheels, and Brown-Eyed Susans, which has since been nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, to an enthusiastic audience at the Silver City School House in December 2016.

About David Lee: Utah’s first and longest serving poet laureate, David Lee has also been a boxer, pig farmer, seminary student, cotton mill worker, and a baseball player. He was named one of the 12 greatest writers to ever emerge from the state by Utah Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Lee has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and has won the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award in Poetry and the Western States Book Award in Poetry. He’s received the Utah Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement in the arts and the Entrada Institute’s Ward Roylance Award. Lee was previously considered as a candidate for Poet Laureate of the United States, and his books Last Call and Bluebonnets, Firewheels, and Brown-Eyed Susans were nominated for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

About the Resident Artist Program in Silver City: Located in rural northwestern Nevada 3 miles from Virginia City and 29 miles from Lake Tahoe, Silver City is a small, unusually creative and productive community on the Comstock within one of the nation's federally designated historic landmarks.

Entering its fourth year, the Program provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with people of the region through the arts. Those creating in the performing, visual, media, design, or literary arts are invited to apply to reside for up to 3 months at McCormick House, a geodesic dome designed in the 1970s by Nevada artist Jim McCormick. In exchange, visiting artists offer public performances, exhibitions, readings, workshops, etc. in Silver City and other northern Nevada communities. The Program is privately funded and directed.

2017 Summer and Fall Residents will be from the Marksearch team, which includes Sue Mark (Bachelors in philosophy and linguistics and a Masters of Fine Arts) and Bruce Douglas (fabricator and professional mechanical engineer). They have focused on place-based cultural preservation and social memory with projects around the world, including Japan, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and beyond. Back by popular demand, Autumn 2017 Resident will be New Zealand painter Sophie Scott, who was also a Resident in 2015.

Past Residents: Over the past several years, the Program has hosted Pulitzer Prize nominated poet David Lee; internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop (her Lake Tahoe Haldan Gallery exhibition of Comstock Portraits opens in October 2017); illustrator and senior lecturer at Brighton University, Claire Scully of the United Kingdom; writer/artist Scott MacLeod whose work is now being collected by the Farhat Art Museum; multi-disciplinary artist Brian Schorn of Michigan; dancer Jessica Sanford; emerging artist Marielle Toll; emerging musician Mylo McCormick; and London-based artist Stewart Easton, whose work has recently been on view at both the Tate Modern and the Ashmolean in London, the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology.