After a lively arts townhall conversation in Silver City in February 2014 hosted by the Nevada Arts Council, Godwin led locals to form the Silver City Arts group. Since then, the energetic group of volunteers from all walks of life have hosted music, visual arts, and poetry events and programs. They draw on the community's own rich resource of artists, artisans and musicians and arts groups, and they also connect with regional and statewide nonprofits to bring in visual and performing artists from other parts of the U.S. and the world.
Sometimes the group organizes its own events, such as a pop-up show with Danish artist Nes Lerpa or exhibitions featuring local artists such as Larry Kotik. But often, the group acts as a sort of Coalition of local arts and culture groups, working collaboratively to organize music concerts, workshops, poetry readings or art shows with the Silver City Historic Preservation Society, the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, Yellow Truck Productions, Evangeline Presents, etc.
At the latest Silver City Arts meeting on September 11,2019 the enthusiasm continued. The group is brainstorming about the possibilties for funding murals that celebrate the strengths of Silver City.
They're also interested in communicating with the other arts groups across Nevada, perhaps creating exchanges in which artists from other parts of the state visit and attend our events, and/or share their art with Silver City, while artists from Silver City visit other towns to attend their events and/or share their skills through lectures, shows or projects.
Also discussed: possibilities for a temporary, and then a permanent and public home, for the beautiful ship model art piece locals worked with Oakland-based artist Scott MacLeod to build in 2016 while he was at the local artist-in-residence program.
Finally, the group intends to continue with development of a new play by locals about the community of Silver City, and its past, present and desired future. This summer, New York -based playwright/ opera librettist/theatre critic/arts journalist David Cote led play writing workshops at the Schoolhouse during his time with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. He supported locals in brainstorming possible structures for a play about the town. They liked the idea of a play set within a town meeting, with transhistorical characters from the 1860s to present (and maybe even future) giving "public comment" in the form of songs, soliloquies, or monologues.
Cote contributed a stellar sketch of his own in which a mine owner dubbed "Al Dorado" gives a rousing song and dance to the townspeople that exposes the "greed and delusions of companies trying to capitalize on the mythologies of the past." Cote even offered to expand upon it for inclusion in the full play locals are developing about Silver City, if wanted. You can find his first reading of the sketch at this link: https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/videos/334753703904247/
Silver City Arts group's next meeting is Thursday, October 10 at 7 pm in the Silver City Schoolhouse. Come be part of this group of inspired volunteers who put on great concerts, art shows and fun events!
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