Silver City's Music Scene 1965-2017

Silver City, Nevada- The historic community of Silver City has its roots in 1860s underground mining, but by the 1960s, the town’s population had dwindled, and it was seen as a ghost town. However, beginning in the mid-1960s, a wave of new residents arrived, leading to a “cultural re-population” of the community. This was the final stage in Silver City’s change from a mining town to a residential community.

Lyon County land use plans in the 1970s, the 1980s, and again in 2010 reassured newcomers that the town was zoned as residential, excluding heavy industrial use such as open pit mining from the town limits.

The new inhabitants bought historic buildings and homes, rehabilitating the structures into cozy, and often unusual, residences. Other newcomers to town built their own architecturally unique homes, like strawbale homes and geodesic domes.

Music Town: The newcomers also brought a particular love of music with them, and the town became home to a number of professional musicians and singer/songwriters, music promoters, and semi-annual music events like the Fireman’s Ball. The film Rockin' at the Red Dog documents the key role the new wave of Silver City residents, such as Chandler Laughlin and Don Works, played in the “dawn of psychedelic rock” on the West Coast.

Today the town has an outdoor performance stage (The Silver Pavilion) that is the site of frequent summer events. During the cooler months, a number of local groups host indoor concerts with both locally and nationally known musicians. In the last 6 months, the town has been host to concerts with everything from blues, folk, classic rock, ukulele, and show tunes to opera.

Monthly Acoustic Music Jam: For the last two years, acoustic jam sessions have been a monthly highlight of Silver City community life. The next one takes place on Saturday, October 28, 2017 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Silver City School House, 385 High Street, Silver City, Nevada 89428.

"Silver City, Nevada- Preserving a Fascinating History; Protecting a Vibrant Present and Future."

Meet New Zealand Artist Sophie Scott Thursday

Silver City, Nevada - There will be a "meet and greet" with New Zealand Artist Sophie Scott, the current visiting artist at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, on Thursday, October 19th, 2017 from 6pm-8pm at the Silver City School House at 385 High Street.

Program director Quest Lakes says the public is cordially invited to this opportunity to meet Sophie and to try some very New Zealand refreshments such as Marmite and toast.

About Sophie Scott: In addition to being an award winning painter and printmaker with a BFA from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, Sophie is also a shepherd on her family's farm, working to keep track of about 6,000 sheep with the help of her 8 sheep dogs.

Some of her latest artwork, based on historic photographs of the Comstock, can be seen in the 4th Floor Gallery of nearby St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City through the end of November 2017.

Photography Show and Sale in Silver City, Nevada on December 2

Shop the Comstock for Unique Holiday Gifts

Silver City, Nevada -Photographers from historic Silver City will display and sell their work in a one day show titled “What Silver City Can’t Photograph Ain’t Worth Looking At”, a reference to the 1800s newspaper tagline, “What Silver City Can’t Do is Hardly Worth Doing.”

The event, sponsored by the Silver City Arts group, takes place Saturday, December 2, 2017 in the Silver City School House, 385 High Street, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

While the photographers in this show have made their living in a variety of careers, their passion is photography. Their work reflects Dorthea Lange’s view that “the camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” Photos by Johne Behner, Meg Burns, Evangeline Elston, Robert Elston, Wil Godwin, Theo McCormick, Henry Park, Las Swanson, Renate Victor and Ron Victor will be included in the Dec 2 show.

PHOTO BY THEO MCCORMICK

PHOTO BY JOHNE BEHNER

Silver City Arts group founder Carol Godwin, PhD, explains that in this show, photographers will share their vision of the world and of Nevada. “These photographers have embraced photography to show that Nevada has a rich ecosystem, beautiful landscapes, interesting residents, and unique architecture. They wish to share the world as they see it with others."

Shop the Comstock

Make a day of it and shop the Comstock for unique holiday gifts from morning to late afternoon on December 2nd. Just 3 miles up the mountain in Virginia City, St. Mary’s Art Center is also hosting their annual Holiday Faire from 10am to 4pm, and the nearby Storey County Senior Center is also hosting their annual Craft Show and Bake Sale. For more holiday events on the Comstock, see the “Visit Virginia City” website calendar.

About Silver City Arts

Silver City Arts group is composed of local volunteers whose mission is "to encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events.” The group draws on the community's own rich resource of visual artists, musicians, artisans, and writers, and also connects with regional and statewide groups to bring programming by national and international artists, writers and musicians. To stay up-to-date with Silver City Arts group’s events throughout the year, follow their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Silver-City-Arts-group-618872294885649/

Silver City Welcomes New Zealand Artist Sophie Scott

Silver City, Nevada – Sophie Scott of New Zealand is the visiting artist at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City this Autumn. Her latest artwork will be showcased in an exhibition on the 4th Floor Gallery of nearby St. Mary’s Art Center, 55 North R Street, Virginia City, from October 14 through November 2017. The public is invited to attend the catered opening reception on Saturday, October 14th from 1pm-4pm.

While in Nevada, Scott is creating new artwork based on historical photographs of St. Mary’s Art Center (Virginia City), Devil’s Gate in Silver City, and other historic sites in the region. A. Perry, St. Mary’s Executive Director, writes that Scott’s “work is complex and absolutely intriguing.”

A painter and printmaker, Scott has a BFA from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Of her artwork, she writes, “My work is primarily concerned with the stripping back of an image. Through the stencil process I search for the point where an image forms and dissolves. My work consists of two parts, the painting and the stencil. The stencils are residues of my painting process, which hold traces of the hand on the outskirts of a preconceived structure of voids. The editing process of the stencil reduces the image down to what is essential leaving a confetti of geometrics.”

In addition to creating award winning artwork that’s been seen in a number of New Zealand galleries and the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nevada, Scott is a shepherd on a high country sheep farm on the beautiful South Island of New Zealand.

She grew up in Kingston, which was once a main access way for gold in the New Zealand gold rush, and is now a tranquil village. These parallels between her hometown and similar settlements on the Comstock attracted her to the region and it’s unique history.

Four Shows at St. Mary’s Art Center in October: Scott’s exhibition will be one of four at St. Mary’s Art Center this Fall. From October 14-21, Carol Brown will also share her new show, "Ossified," in the Art Center's Post Gallery. On the Art Center's 2nd floor, there will be an exhibition of work by Chris England, who "captures the strength and wild beauty of a particular band of horses close to his heart." And on the Art Center's third floor galleries, visitors will find photographs by Will Barber, whose work is informed by his Ph.D in ecology and Masters in zoology. The Art Center's artisan gallery will be open as well, showing the work of many of the region's artisans, such as Mimi Patrick, Casey Clark, Anna Smith, JoAnn Pinnock, and others. The exhibitions are funded, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nevada Arts Council.

What is the Resident Artist Program in Silver City? The privately funded resident artist program exists within the small but vibrant Comstock community of Silver City, located within one of the nation's largest federally designated historic landmarks. Recently designated an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center," the town is already home to a surprising number of Nevada’s artists, musicians, writers, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. Those creating in the performing, visual, or literary arts may reside for up to 3 months at McCormick House, the guest housing for the Program, engaging with the Northern Nevada region through public performances, exhibitions, workshops, poetry readings, etc. The Program has hosted some extraordinary people since it began in 2014, such as Utah’s longest serving Poet Laureate, Pulitizer-Prize nominated poet David Lee; internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop; and London-based artist Stewart Easton, whose work has been on view at both the Tate Modern and the Ashmolean in London. Contact Program director Quest Lakes at 847-0742 for additional information.

Silver City's Art Trail

Silver City, Nevada- It's a bit like Guru Road near Gerlach, Nevada, but you can't drive on it, and no one will tell you how to get there. Silver City's high desert art trail includes dozens of pieces lining several miles of a scenic trail with gorgeous views of the Sierras and the Pine Nut mountain range. These creations have been made with all sorts of found objects, ranging from the very old to the relatively new, and each beckons one a little farther down the path. People from all walks of life, mostly locals, have contributed. There are also contributions from established artists and artisans from Silver City, other states, and other nations.

PHOTO BY MARKSEARCH

Over the years, locals have left whimsical arrangements composed of all sorts of things - glittering rocks, oddly shaped pieces of wood, and bits and pieces found in the town’s historic dump - antique bottles, old car parts, rusting spring mattresses, fragments of 19th century tea cups, square nails... Walkers often engage in a kind of “call and response” to these assemblages, leaving their own additions of colorful rocks, desert glass, and beads.

PHOTO BY LAS SWANSON

In 2015, the trail got an infusion of inspiration from visiting Michigan-based artist Brian Schorn's "Comstock Wabi Sabi" artwork, 22 works created in 2015 with found objects that have been shown in multiple solo shows in Virginia City and Reno. Schorn writes, “In 2015, while at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, I was deeply inspired by the found object art trail located just behind the McCormick House (my home and studio at the time). I hiked the trail often with my neighbor, Fred Swanson, who was a significant art contributor to the trail. I remember so many times, while hiking alone, seeing something out of the corner of my eye, looking closer and finding an amazing configuration of colored rocks, purple glass and rusted metal. This experience was so powerful, that I began picking up my own found objects along the trail. I brought them back to the studio and ended up with a collection of material that eventually became a series of wall assemblages entitled "Comstock Wabi-Sabi." I am grateful for this trail and the people who make it so special.”

Brian writes of his artwork titled "Dinnerware," that "broken pieces of plates, cups and bowls are a very common object to find in and around the mining areas. Often, upon finding colorful, ornate, yet deteriorating pieces of dinnerware, I would pause and think to myself, 'Who ate off of this plate and what was their life like?' This historical perspective gave significant impact to every fragment I found. Each fragment containing its own stories, some evident, some secret. “Dinnerware” collects a diverse series of plate fragments along with rusted silverware amid a field of gray earth, acting as a neutral background. It also continues the exploration of asymmetrical composition and formal strategies suggesting mining pits."

Oakland-based artist Scott MacLeod's 2016 found object assemblages added another layer to the art trail treasures. His piece with an antique typewriter has been altered and moved to various spots along the trail since he created it, yet remains one of the most photographed pieces on the trail. In 2016, while at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, MacLeod created two large sculptures made from abandoned car parts, wood and metal that mark an area near the head of the art trail. He also created two miniature “ghost towns” - Sweaty Creek and Fort Mylo- and placed them at undisclosed locations along the trail. In addition, walkers delight in trying to find MacLeod’s lovely tribute to Bob McKinney, a sailing ship artpiece made from found objects.

PHOTO BY PETER KROGH ANDERSEN OF DENMARK

PHOTO OF SCOTT MACLEOD'S USS BOB MCKINNEY

After Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet David Lee’s 2016 and 2017 poetry readings in Silver City, Fred and Las Swanson created a kinetic art work that's a tribute to his poem "Silver City Dawn Psalm." The poem is attached to a dangling pendant positioned so that the morning sun shines through as it comes up over the mountains. Or as David Lee describes it, "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."

Artists, both local and visiting, have responded to Silver City's art trail by creating found object art, photographs, fiction, and even film, such as this 2016 contribution from a Czech-born artist. https://www.instagram.com/p/BDTyb_omMYk/?taken-by=calouseque