All About Cloth Diapers Presentation August 15th

Silver City, Nevada - Parents and expectant parents are invited to join workshop presenter Marielle Toll at the Silver City School House (385 High Street) on Tuesday, August 15th at 10am for a free workshop on how to use cloth diapers, and a dialog about why cloth diapers are less expensive, and better for the environment.

Marielle will also describe “The Cloth Diaper Project," which provides families in need, including military, low income and foster families, an opportunity for a free cloth diaper rental service. Their mission is to reduce diaper need and to make cloth diapers accessible to northern Nevadan families in need. The program seeks to help families in need thrive by alleviating the cost of diapering, so that families can use these funds towards other basic essentials, such as food, utilities and medical expenses.

The workshop is co-sponsored by the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey and is part of Silver City's annual summer public programming in arts, science, health and wellness.

For more information, please contact Quest at HCC at 287-7598 and leave a message.

Concert and Dedication for New Silver City Podium Aug 19th

Silver City, Nevada - Join us on Saturday, August 19th from 5pm-9pm at the Silver City outdoor stage, known as the Silver Pavilion, for an evening of music, food, and story telling, plus a dedication for the town’s beautiful new handcrafted podium, designed, built and funded by Bruce Douglas and Sue Mark of marksearch, with input from locals.

Help us wish a fond farewell to visiting artists Bruce, Sue and their son Roli as their time at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City comes to a close.

*Live music by local musicians.

*Dedication for the unique new podium built for the town by marksearch.

*Open-mic for storytelling, sharing a memory or a favorite book passage or poem.

*Check out the 10 postcard designs with photos of Silver City marksearch is developing as a gift to the community.

*Bring a potluck dish to share if possible.

Sponsored by Yellow Truck Productions; the Resident Artist Program in Silver City; marksearch; and Evangeline Presents.

More about marksearch at marksearch.org

What is marksearch? 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 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.

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 UK; 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.

Silver City Conversations with Sue and Bruce: July and August 2017

SILVER CITY, NEVADA— Join "conversation artists" Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas, the current guests at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, for a series of conversations and workshops with locals about the historic Comstock community.

Dinner Presentation, Saturday, July 1st at 5pm: Dinner and presentation with cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. Silver City residents are invited to meet 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 for projects in partnership with Silver City residents, and will welcome input. A main dish of spaghetti will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring side dishes such as green salads and breads.

What Does "Building Community" Mean in Silver City? Tues July 11 at 10am: If you missed the dinner presentation and chance to meet the current guests of the Resident Artist Program, here’s another opportunity. Stop by the Silver City School House and Volunteer Library between 10am and noon to meet Sue Mark of marksearch. There will be updated schedules for Silver City’s summer events, and a chance to borrow books from the Volunteer Library to catch up on your summer reading. You’ll also have a chance to see the piece Bruce Douglas of marksearch has designed as a message box where Silver City residents can share their mottos/aphorisms about what it means to them to build community here. (The message box will later be available at the post office also so locals can leave responses at their convenience).

Design a Platform for Sharing Silver City Local History, Thursday July 13 at 9am: Conversation One: Design charrette (an intense period of design and planning). Silver City residents are invited to meet with “conversation artists” Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch to give input on designing a platform for sharing local history. They would like to hear from residents about their needs for collecting history. They’ll then create a structure that will be informed by local needs. The small, reusable structure will serve as a dedicated space for sharing Silver City stories. The structure can be popped up when people gather for local events. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location: 847-0742.

Locals Walk with Sue and Bruce, Tuesday, July 18 at 9:00 am: Conversation Two: Silver City residents are invited to a morning walk with “conversation artists” Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. They would like to walk with townspeople and see some of their favorite and/or important sites in town. They’d also like to learn about locals’ favorite hiking spots. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location of the walk starting point: 847-0742.

Locals Share Their Favorite Book Passages, Tuesday, July 25 at 9am: Conversation Three: Silver City residents are invited to share passages from their favorite books with cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. Locals are invited to come together to read from their favorite books. Selections can be ones that have informed and shaped their live in Silver City. The selections will then be compiled by marksearch into a town reader that will become part of a story sharing platform in Silver City. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location of this event: 847-0742

Music, Picnic, Dedication for New Town Podium, Saturday, Aug. 19th from 5pm to 9-ish at the Silver City Park and Silver Pavilion stage: Music, potluck picnic, farewell to Bruce, Sue and Roli, and a Dedication for the Silver City podium/ storytelling platform structure designed by marksearch with input from locals during their summer stay at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Contact Bob Elston if you'd also like to offer music for the event. Sponsored by Yellow Truck Productions, Evangeline Presents, marksearch, and Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

What is marksearch? 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 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.

July and August 2017 Events in Silver City, Nevada

SILVER CITY, NEVADA— Each summer since 2003, the historic Comstock community of Silver City has offered free, public arts and science programming.

Location: Silver City is within the historic Comstock district 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, and 12 miles from Carson City. Most events take place at the Silver City School House and/or town park, located at 385 High Street.

Contact: For more information about the annual program, contact Quest Lakes at 847-0742.

Ongoing:

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.

Displays at the U.S. Post Office in Silver City: June and July feature photos and posters about the 2017 Silver City Arts and Science Summer Program. In August, the display case will feature photos of the structure designed by marksearch in partnership with Silver City residents, along with photos from some of the events locals have participated in with Sue and Bruce of marksearch.

Poetry Corner: Watch the right side of the bulletin board at the Post Office for poems and song lyrics written by Silver City residents, and/or written about Silver City. Pulitzer Prize nominated poet David Lee’s 2016 poem “Silver City Dawn Psalm” was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and was recently displayed in the Poetry Corner.

July and August Events in Silver City:

Dinner Presentation, Saturday, July 1st at 5pm: Dinner and presentation with cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. Silver City residents are invited to meet 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 for projects in partnership with Silver City residents, and will welcome input. A main dish of spaghetti will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring side dishes such as green salads and breads.

July 4th: No children’s STEM event due to holiday.

What Does "Building Community" Mean in Silver City? Tues July 11 at 10am: If you missed the dinner presentation and chance to meet the current guests of the Resident Artist Program, here’s another opportunity. Stop by the Silver City School House and Volunteer Library between 10am and noon to meet Sue Mark of marksearch. There will be updated schedules for Silver City’s summer events, and a chance to borrow books from the Volunteer Library to catch up on your summer reading. You’ll also have a chance to see the piece Bruce Douglas of marksearch has designed as a message box where Silver City residents can share their mottos/aphorisms about what it means to them to build community here. (The message box will later be available at the post office also so locals can leave responses at their convenience).

Design a Platform for Sharing Silver City Local History, Thursday July 13 at 9am: Conversation One: Design charrette (an intense period of design and planning). Silver City residents are invited to meet with “conversation artists” Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch to give input on designing a platform for sharing local history. They would like to hear from residents about their needs for collecting history. They’ll then create a structure that will be informed by local needs. The small, reusable structure will serve as a dedicated space for sharing Silver City stories. The structure can be popped up when people gather for local events. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location: 847-0742.

Locals Walk with Sue and Bruce, Tuesday, July 18 at 9:00 am: Conversation Two: Silver City residents are invited to a morning walk with “conversation artists” Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. They would like to walk with townspeople and see some of their favorite and/or important sites in town. They’d also like to learn about locals’ favorite hiking spots. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location of the walk starting point: 847-0742.

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 July 22: 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.

Locals Share Their Favorite Book Passages, Tuesday, July 25 at 9am: Conversation Three: Silver City residents are invited to share passages from their favorite books with cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of marksearch. Locals are invited to come together to read from their favorite books. Selections can be ones that have informed and shaped their live in Silver City. The selections will then be compiled by marksearch into a town reader that will become part of a story sharing platform in Silver City. Contact Quest Lakes at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City for the location of this event: 847-0742

Acoustic Jam Saturday, July 29th at the School House 3pm-5pm

Hands-on Engineering Projects (robotics activity) with Society of Women Engineers, Tues Aug 1st 10am-noon at the School House. For girls and boys ages 7-12. Sponsored in partnership with Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey.

Shakespeare production for children, Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe, Wed August 2nd at 10am.

Music and Picnic with Locals and Resident Artists Saturday, August 19th (time to be announced) at the Silver City Park Silver City townspeople are invited to share a potluck picnic with Bruce Douglas and Sue Mark of marksearch on their final week at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Check out the storytelling platform they built with input from locals, share local stories, and enjoy a concert with local bands organized through Yellow Truck Productions and Evangeline Presents.

Garden Tour, Tuesday at 10am in August 8th at 10am: Take a tour of Silver City’s lovely community garden, which is celebrating its 9th growing season. The garden committee members who help make it thrive will lead a brief tour and explain a little about how plants grow from seeds and generate seeds. Then we’ll go to the park, find some shade and do a garden related activity. We’ll find rocks, wash them, paint them, dry them on tarps, spray them with a fixative, and then place them around the garden fence to deter digging critters from coming into the garden.

Save with Cloth Diapers, Tuesday at 10am in August (date to be announced). Parents and expectant parents are invited to join Marielle Toll at the School House for a demonstration on using cloth diapers, and a dialog about why cloth diapers are less expensive, and better for the environment. In addition, “The Cloth Diaper Project” provides families in need, including military, low income and foster families, an opportunity for a free rental service. Their mission is to reduce diaper need in our community and to make cloth diapers accessible to Northern Nevadan families in need. The program seeks to help families in need thrive by alleviating the cost of diapering, so that families can use these funds towards other basic essentials, including food, utilities and medical expenses.

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.

Acoustic Jam, Saturday August 26 from 3pm-5pm at the School House.

Photo by marksearch

1976 Article Proclaimed, "Silver City Folk Do Their Own Thing"

Silver City, Nevada - Lenita Powers' 1976 article titled "Long Hair, Liberal Ideas: Silver City Folk Do Their Own Thing" is a lot of fun to read, especially if you've lived in Silver City very long. Many of the things that locals boasted about in 1976 still hold true - the community is still "close-knit" and "dedicated to its children," with a populace comprised of many "exceptionally creative people" who take "fierce pride in their volunteer fire department" and the town's very low crime rate.

Among the things that have changed? Age demographics. In 1976, town advisory board member Chan Laughlin (aka legendary radio commentator Travus T. Hipp) told Lenita Powers that roughly "one-third" of the town was composed of children. Today, the population has aged and many of the children of those responsible for the mid- 1960s and early 1970s "cultural re-population" of Silver City grew up and moved away, even as their parents remained in the historic Comstock community. (The U.S. Census data for Silver City is extremely unreliable and estimates by locals are more accurate, probably because Google and Yahoo maps for the town are in error, and Census takers are often not from Silver City and do not find most of the residences, many of which are located on steep drives or back lanes. For instance, 2015 Census estimates say more than 25% of the town is under 20. On the contrary, there are presently only about 12 children under the age of 18 in a population of about 170, so roughly 7% of the population are children. Most of the children you see in the 2015 town photo are out-of-town grandchildren and great grandchildren of current residents)

The people who stayed have produced a remarkable body of work during the last 50 years that has had a demonstrably positive impact on the town, the state and beyond. They've contributed their diverse talents and skills to produce regionally and nationally recognized work in archaeology; visual art; theater; music; historic preservation; and academic research and projects resulting in technical reports and a wide range of other publications. Many created hand-crafted items in silver, wood, gemstones, clay, etc. and examples can be found in diverse places, from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the region's historic cemeteries, homes and buildings.

Accordingly, in 2014 the Silver City Advisory Board resolved to recognize the existing character of Silver City as an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center", and formally recognized 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 formally recognized the extraordinary support the entire community has given and continues to give to local arts and cultural resources production, events, and programming. Today the town has active arts and preservation groups, plus a resident artist program and a summer arts and science program.

Not surprisingly, the legacy of this town "dedicated to its children" is evident in the accomplishments of many of those who grew up in Silver City in the last 50 years, and in the accomplishments of their children as well. A 2015 re-staging of an iconic 1970s town photo by Jake Wise attracted current locals, as well as many of the children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren of the 1970s newcomers "who matriculated to the Comstock Lode to swell the tiny town's census to 150." The 2015 town photo, staged in the same spot, is evidence of the exceptionally sharp folks the little community presently includes and has produced: artists, musicians, documentary film makers, photographers, publishers, artisans, fire fighters,programmers, and a surprising number of people with PhDs and Masters degrees - archaeologists, writers, history consultants, teachers, librarians, editors, university professors.

1970s Jake Wise Town Photo and 2015 Town Photo


Following are photos of the 1976 Lenita Powers article on the community of Silver City, Nevada. Click on the images to enlarge.

SILVER CITY, NEVADA CHILDREN 1970s