Silver City Nevada News and Notes, Winter 2015

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.

Silver 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/

Brian Schorn, Alumn of Resident Artist Program in Silver City, has artwork in Reno's Art District

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 gorgeous 50 Liberty Street 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. The following excerpt from a review of that show by Erich Obermayr was typical of the high praise for Brian's work, "Simply put, this is high-level work of an artist and craftsman who knows what he is doing...The first thing that strikes you is the craftsmanship.The pieces are neat and contained, their diverse parts joined invisibly, or held together with small, unobtrusive screws. Pieces of weathered wood form the backing, and background, for the smaller, varied objects, which also serves to focus our attention, and lets us know we are looking at something special. Silver City’s one-hundred fifty year plus history has given Brian much to work with, and his practiced eye has picked out quite a selection—everything from oyster shells imported during the 1860s to pieces of desiccated garden hose, and in between a broken comb, fragments of plates, bowls, and bottles, wood honeycombed with dry-rot, a spoon and fork, the lost head of a plastic toy cowboy."

Photo by Frances Melhop of some of Brian Schorn's artwork on display at 50 West Liberty Street in Reno, Nevada.

Excursion Ideas - See Brian's artwork, then "First Thursday" events in Reno: Check out Brian's work at 50 West Liberty Street during the afternoon on Thursday, November 5th, and then choose from dozens of evening events that take place on the first Thursday of each month in Reno's Art District.

For example, you can enjoy live music, refreshments, and an artists' reception and open house on the first Thursday of each month from 5pm-8pm at Liberty Fine Art Gallery at 100 West Liberty.

Also on the first Thursday of each month, the Nevada Museum of Art at 160 West Liberty Street hosts "First Thursday" events from 5pm to 7pm. Grab a drink, groove to the live music, and check out the museum's galleries for just $10 (free to museum members). More here: https://www.nevadaart.org/calendar/

If you're feeling particularly energetic, check out the "Off Beat Arts and Music Festival" that kicks off on Thursday, November 5th. It's a four day Arts and Music festival with 90 musicians at about a dozen different venues around Reno. More here: http://www.offbeatfest.com/

The artwork in Brian's "Comstock Wabi Sabi" show is available for purchase - contact Sierra Arts Foundation for details.http://sierra-arts.org/

For more about the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, see https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/

New Zealand Artist Attracts Many to Silver City, Nevada Show

Silver City, Nevada - New Zealand artist Sophie Scott has been traveling the U.S. this Fall, beginning with New York City, then on to Memphis, New Orleans, and various spots in New Mexico and Colorado before arriving in Nevada via train for a mini-residency at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

While she was in Silver City, she created much-admired paintings and stencils based on historic photographs of Silver City, Virginia City, Lake Tahoe and the Sutro Tunnel. Sophie explains, "The stencils are remnants of the painting process revealing the editing system of reduction and erasure, reducing the image down to what is essential, leaving a confetti of geometrics."

Her pop-up show at the Silver City School House on October 24, 2015 was a veritable who's who of the Northern Nevada art scene.

Among the visitors, we spotted Joseph DeLappe, professor of the Department of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno; New Zealand born photographer Frances Melhop; Reno artist Wes Lee; Carson City artist Galen Brown; French born artist Stephane Cellier; Silver City craftsman and artist Doug Beverly Brown; North Carolina artist Cindi Powell; New Zealand film maker Max Bellamy; Silver City artist Karen Kreyeski; Western Nevada College instructor and artist Stephen Reid; and Cashion Callaway of Silver City, who has an example of her metal smithing - a set of pierced overlay silver buttons - in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK DEMING: New Zealand artist Sophie Scott is seen here at the Silver City School House with Rasta, dog of Silver City musicians Will and Sheree Rose. New Zealand-born photographer Frances Melhop and New Zealand film maker Max Bellamy are in the background.

Sophie Scott: Sophie Scott is an award-winning artist, already featured in many shows in New Zealand. Her mesmerizing "work hovers at the point where an image forms and dissolves, through a stencil process. Her images are stripped back until the place is recognizable only through its landmarks, suggestions of shape" [quote from Diversion Gallery in Picton].

Sophie grew up on a rural high country station near Kingston, New Zealand, and graduated in 2011 with a BFA in painting from the University of Canterbury in urban Christchurch, New Zealand. In addition to creating artwork that's been acclaimed in New Zealand, she works as a shepherd on a high country sheep farm in the South Island of New Zealand. When she returns from her travels in the U.S., she'll immediately resume the challenging physical work of the sheep farm.

Exploring Northern Nevada: While she was in Nevada, Sophie got an insider's tour of northern Nevada's arts and culture scene with internationally known photographer Frances Melhop, who is also originally from New Zealand. Together they visited Lake Tahoe, and Chinese painter Yu Ji's new exhibit at the Haldan Gallery at Lake Tahoe Community College. They also visited the Nevada Museum of Art, and met with acclaimed artists Phyllis Shafer (Sierra Nevada College), Karen Kreyeski of Silver City, Galen Brown of Carson City, and a number of other artists in the Reno area. While at St. Mary's Art Center, Sophie visited many of the museums, historical sites, and tourist attractions in Virginia City, and while at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, she visited the Nevada State Museum's new exhibit "Ranching in the High Desert," and hiked the hills above the historic community. After the Silver City residency, Sophie went on to hike at Yosemite National Park, then enjoyed Halloween in West Hollywood, and traveled northward to check out the music scene in Seattle.

Sophie's stencil based on an historic photograph of Silver City, Nevada

What is the Resident Artist Program in Silver City? The resident artist program exists within the vibrant small community of Silver City on the "Comstock" - 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 highly productive artists, musicians, photographers, writers, actors, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. Those creating in the performing, visual, media, design, or literary arts are being invited to reside at McCormick House and engage with the community for periods of up to 4 months, in exchange for offering public performances, exhibitions, workshops, art work, etc.

Schedule of Visiting Artists at the Resident Program 2015-2017: Upcoming artists at the Resident Program include internationally acclaimed New Zealand born photographer Frances Melhop; widely exhibited and published writer and artist Scott MacLeod of Oakland; in-demand, London-based illustrator Claire Scully; UK artist Stewart Easton (Midlands based artist working in hand embroidery and digital print on fabric); and the international cultural -research team Marksearch Oakland, which will come to Silver City after a 6 month project in Japan (sponsored through the US Japan Friendship Commission, which is administered by the National Endowment for the Arts). Retreats with themes of plein air painting, yoga, and photography are also planned at the Resident housing, known as "McCormick House".

Contact: The "Resident Artist Program in Silver City" is privately funded and directed by Theo McCormick and Quest Lakes. Artists have been scheduled through Summer 2017, and additional applications are being accepted for later dates. Please contact Quest Lakes at quest@theodata.com for additional information.

More about the Resident Artist Program in Silver City can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram

Sophie Scott Show Acknowledgements:Special thanks to Community Harvest CSA for local, organic produce, to artist Galen Brown for technical support, to the Silver City Historic Preservation Society for use of the space, to Mylo McCormick for providing music, and to Frances Melhop for extensive support, including communications and photography. The show is sponsored by the Silver City Volunteer Library, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties, and the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

New Zealand Artist Sophie Scott, Autumn Resident Artist in Silver City

Silver City, Nevada - The Resident Artist Program in Silver City is delighted to announce that New Zealand-based painter and printmaker Sophie Scott is the resident artist in Silver City, Nevada this Fall!

The award-winning young artist, who has already had a number of shows in Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand, will have a pop-up show and public meet and greet on Saturday, October 24th from 1pm-4pm at the Silver City School House at 385 High Street. She'll share her latest works of art, which are based on the topography of communities in Northern Nevada. The free event includes music by Mylo McCormick, hors d'oeuvres made with local organic produce from Community Harvest CSA, and is sponsored by the Silver City Volunteer Library, Healthy Communities Coalition, and the Resident Artist Program.

Sophie, who graduated in 2011 with a BFA in painting from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, creates art that is concerned with the tension of the urban and rural. She works through a reductive process of stencilling, usually from black and white historic photos.

Of her unusual 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."

Both an artist and a shepherd: In addition to creating artwork that's acclaimed in both New Zealand and Australia, Sophie works as a shepherd on high country sheep and beef farms in the remarkably beautiful South Island of New Zealand.

Parallels between hometown and the Comstock: She grew up in Kingston, which was a main access way for the gold in the New Zealand gold rush, and is now a sleepy village at the bottom of Lake Wakatipu, never to regain the population of the gold mining days.  These parallels between her hometown and similar settlements on the Comstock attracted Sophie to the area and it's unique history.  

What is the Resident Artist Program in Silver City? A unique resident artist program has developed in Silver City, a vibrant small community on the Comstock which is 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 highly productive artists, musicians, photographers, writers, actors, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. Those creating in the performing, visual, media, design, or literary arts are being invited to reside in town for periods of up to 4 months, in exchange for offering public performances, exhibitions, workshops, art work, etc. in the community.

Contact: The "Resident Artist Program in Silver City" is privately funded and directed by Theo McCormick and Quest Lakes. Artists have been scheduled through Summer 2017, and additional applications are being accepted for later dates. Please contact Quest Lakes at P.O. Box 123, Silver City, Nevada 89428 for additional information.

More about the Resident Artist Program in Silver City can also be found here: https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram

Notes from Erich Obermayr's 2011 Speech About Silver City, Nevada

Notes from “State of the State of Silver City, Nevada” by Town Advisory Chair Erich Obermayr at the meeting of the regional nonprofit, Healthy Communities Coalition, in August of 2011, at the Silver City Volunteer Library

Good morning; thank you for the invitation.

When Quest invited me, she said I should give something like a “state of the state” talk—for Silver City. Since Quest is from Silver City, and you’re using our building—I guess you’re going to hear about Silver City.

And because you’re all obviously interested in community in a much wider sense I hope I can leave you with something—a picture--to compare your own communities with—or even your own ideas of community.

First of all Silver City is a very special and utterly unique community—we share that quality with Dayton, Silver Springs, Smith Valley, Moundhouse, Stagecoach—I guess you could say we have our uniqueness in common—if that makes any sense.

But there are a few important things to know about Silver City.

We’re a small community; 170 people in the 2000 census, perhaps 200 now; probably 50 households.

We’re in a clearly defined area—you can tell where Silver City begins and ends--marked politically by the town limits and geographically centered on our little stretch of Canyon, spreading out on the nearby hills and ridges.

We have one commercial establishment, and a number of home businesses—but we’re basically residential. Somehow the term “bedroom” community doesn’t quite fit—maybe it’s the car bodies.

But what about the community? People—in my opinion—make a community. And if there is one word which describes the community and people of Silver City, it would be “empowered.” Both in the way we see ourselves, and in the way others see us.

We do have a well earned reputation, and perhaps an influence in the county beyond what you might expect from a hundred or so registered voters. People in Silver City assume they have power over their lives—and they aren’t half bad at making it work for them. They assume that if they have an idea or see a problem—the next step is getting it done. Working together, or with governments, agencies, etc. We assume it’s up to us.

That’s a very different starting point than thinking you have no power—and having to spend time and energy figuring out how to get it—then trying to get something done.

Participation is the most obvious example. We have from Silver City the Chair of the Lyon County Planning Commission; a member of the Lyon County school board; the Parks advisory board, a member of the Comstock Historic District Commission; the Comstock Cemetery Foundation, not to mention the volunteer fire department, town advisory board, and of course Quest Lakes and others with various civic programs.

I have no idea what draws this kind of person to Silver City. But it’s really true. How does Joe McCarthy end up here? Or whether being here turns them into this kind of person. But it’s true—there are some extraordinary people here and consequently an extraordinary community.

Two examples of what this means.

Nevex
1986

In 1986, the town mounted a professional level response to the request [by Nevex Mining] for a change in land-use designation.[In 1986, Nevex Mining proposed master plan and zoning changes in an attempt to pit mine the same location as CMI now plans to pit mine. In 1986, Lyon County Commissioners listened to Silver City residents and denied the Nevex request, taking into account the devastating effects mining in Silver City would have on residents' lives, health, and property values, not to mention the historic landscape.]

The fire [that destroyed the original Silver City School House and the community's response], which it is safe to say simply never would have happened anywhere else in Nevada, probably not the country. ["In 2007, Silver City residents were rewarded for their hard work on an archaeological dig at the schoolhouse site with a historic preservation award. The Nevada Historic Preservation awards in 2007 included Silver City resident Ron Reno, PhD, and the town of Silver City, for the dedicated retrieval of thousands of artifacts associated with the remains of the historic schoolhouse."] http://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2007/04/27/southwest-archaeology-today-for-april-27-2007/

Salvage
Archaeology
Architecture, design
Lobbying—the Board of Commissioners, Bob Mills, did the right thing.

An important point. Even the strongest community does not exist in a political vacuum. Each of these community efforts only succeeded because they persuaded public officials to do act in our interest.

I’ve just scratched the surface of their accomplishments.

And so here we are, happily ever after in Silver City—all empowered---petting our empowered dogs and cats; sending our empowered kids off to school.

Not so fast. There is a third chapter to this—I’ll call it the empowered community meets the empowered mining company.

The facts about Comstock Mining Inc

The firm controls 6,000 acres between Highway 50 and Virginia City

I’m not here to say whether this is good or bad, time will tell.

I can speak to what it means to Silver City.

Silver City.

Exploratory drilling at the Dayton Consolidated

A planned open pit mine. For which they will need a master plan amendment. They have said this.

And I can safely say the community is opposing this. That’s just a matter of counting heads. Ask about pit mining in Silver City—90% against.

This talk is about community—different views and opinions. And most interesting, the mining company is making a conscious effort to make themselves part of the community; one principal has bought the mill and apparently has ideas of turning it into a museum; and they have hired several people who live in Silver City.

But—the guy on the couch—“I’m family.”

Where do we stand? I hate to just end in the middle of the story but it is the middle of the story. It’s not even the middle, actually. Much more toward the beginning. The guy on the couch tells us he’s family, but how long is he going to stay? Does he take showers? Does he play loud music in the middle of the night? Does he eat a lot? We don’t know.

But we do know—what we have to go forward assuming—is that we will face the third great challenge to Silver City. An open pit mine in Silver City would fundamentally alter the nature of the town and the community. We would become an appendage to an industrial operation, with all its incumbent noise, disturbance, activity, etc.—even its economic and political power. The empowerment which defines our community is at risk.

Let me explain—using just one example. You work at your job to buy a house, put in a yard, a place to have a beer, peace and quiet when you want it. And we have that now---it’s basically a very quiet place. But your power to control your own property—to use it in peace and quiet—would be taken away. The work schedule of the mine would dictate when you could or could not enjoy your own property. On a wider scale, the economic and political priorities of the mine would take precedence over the town. That would strike at the heart of our community.

I don’t know how this is going to end. The mining company is here to stay—we’re here to stay. I don’t even know if there will be a clear cut ending, with a winner and loser. I don’t even know how we get there.

I do know that times like these have always brought out the best in my community, and I don’t plan on being disappointed this time.

So, I hope I’ve left you with some understanding of the state of Silver City—or at least put a picture in your mind so when you hear about us you’ll have an idea of Silver City.

Silver City, Nevada Post Office Hosts Displays on Music, Books, Ironwork & Historic Cemeteries

Silver City, Nevada - The Silver City Post Office, established in 1860, has a new display case with a rotating series of collections that are designed to catch attention.

The September display - a sample of the publications by or about past and present Silver City residents - were provided by the Silver City Volunteer Library. Publications on a broad range of topics by Erich Obermayr, Peter Laufer, Jim McCormick, Karen Wright, David Toll, Henry Park, Shelia Swan, Robert Elston, and others were included.

October Display on Historic Cemeteries of the Comstock: The October display will highlight the Comstock Cemetery Foundation and the historic cemeteries of the Comstock, including Silver City's carefully preserved burial grounds. According to the Comstock Cemetery Foundation website, "In their glory days, the [Comstock] cemeteries were a collection of Victorian parks spilling across the desert landscape in a green patchwork of flowers and shrubbery and neatly painted fences... [Today] the cemeteries are memorials to the laboring classes that toiled behind the machinery of industrialized mining."

November Display of historic found iron objects: This collection of old, handmade iron from early miners is presented by long time Silver City resident Chris Brown, who knows quite a bit about ironwork himself. Chris got his start with welding in Portland. For many years, his primary work was with commercial construction of banks, stores, etc, but he had a sideline in ornamental ironwork, designing and fabricating gates, staircases, windows, etc. His ornamental ironwork can be found both in commercial buildings, and in private residences (for instance a local ornamental metal staircase). His work can also be found in public sites, such as the gates to the historic Silver City cemetery.

December Display Showcases Past and Present Musicians of Silver City: In December and January, the Silver City Arts group will display a collection of album and CD covers and instruments to celebrate the music of present or past Silver City residents. Covers feature musicians Lynne Hughes, Tal Morris, Jake Wise, Daniel Yuhasz, Hammerstone, American Phlats, Darius Javaher, Will and Sheree Rose, Ukalocos, Betty Kaplowitz, Tommy Thomsen,the "Leftovers" youth band, and others.

About Silver City: By 1861, Silver City had at least a dozen stores, 4 hotels, 3 blacksmith shops, 2 butcher shops, and a post office, serving a population of more than 1,000 people. An 1864 mercantile guide for the Comstock region described Silver City as a place where "citizens display a refined taste...by the numerous gardens and other external and substantial improvements that they are constantly making...Silver City is fully represented by societies, organizations and social institutions; which for numbers and unity, would be creditable to the reputation of larger cities." Today, the town of about 200 residents is part of the region's National Historic Landmark and is recognized as an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center." The community includes a surprising number of Nevada's highly productive artists, musicians, photographers, writers, actors, artisans, and academics, and its historic buildings and sites and crystal clear views of the Sierras attract visiting plein air painters and photographers from across the nation. With an unusually strong volunteerism ethos, the town boasts a voluteer-run library, an organic community garden, frequent public events at the community center, a busy arts group, a historic preservation group, a resident artist program, a volunteer fire department, and an arts and science summer program that is free to youngsters in the northwestern Nevada region.


See the links below for more information about Silver City:

Silver City Arts

https://www.facebook.com/Silver-City-Arts-618872294885649

Resident Artist Program in Silver City

https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram

Nevada 150 Exhibit Showcasing the work of Silver City artists, writers, researchers and artisans

https://www.facebook.com/Nevada-150-Art-Exhibit-of-Historic-Silver-City-Nevada-375973665900542

Silver City Resistance

http://www.sc-resistance.com/Site/Welcome.html

Silver City: An "Arts & Culture 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.

Definition

Silver City falls within the definition of a rural arts and cultural production center in that it has a concentration of residents actively producing work in relevant fields and 2)has many home studios, workshops and offices related to these endeavors and 3)has a well -established tradition of public and community programs related to arts and culture 4)has a center for arts and culture activities, i.e., the School House Community Center and public park 5) has a local arts group, a privately funded Resident Artist Program with public programming, and a volunteer library that all show dedication to local arts and culture 6)has an ongoing, long history of cross-sector community support for arts and culture production, events and programming and a record of collaboration amongst local, state, federal and regional groups to support the same.

Concentration of Residents Producing Arts and Culture Work

A 2014 Cultural Resources Inventory of the Comstock region funded by the Nevada Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts showed that fully 1/3 of Silver City adults are involved in producing work in the visual, theatre, literary, folk, or musical arts or are working in some aspect of archaeology, anthropology, or historic preservation, consulting or publishing, or are skilled craftspeople working with gemstones, metals, wood, etc. During an Arts Townhall meeting in Feb 2014 hosted by the Nevada Arts Council in Silver City, one resident quipped that, "Silver City has more artists than trees."

Production Spaces

In addition, Silver City has an unusually high number of private arts and culture production spaces (at least 28) including specialized workshops used for creating jewelry, leatherwork, basketry, photography, 3D printing, historic restoration, ornamental metal work, music, hand-crafted furniture, [historical preservation],and silverwork, as well as art studios and home offices for residents involved in writing, publishing, historical interpretation and consulting, website design, research, etc.

Collaboration

The term "arts and cultural resources production district" implies collaboration among the arts, individual artists, artisans and scholars, and the local community, and indeed, SIlver City shows a strong collaborative spirit in this regard. Below are just four examples:

1)Silver City Community Receives Nevada Historic Preservation Award: In 2007, the Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer presented the town of Silver City and local Dr. Ron Reno with a Nevada Historic Preservation Award. The award honored the entire town of Silver City, and the lead archaeologist for the project, Ron Reno, for their dedicated retrieval of thousands of artifacts associated with the remains of the historic 1860's schoolhouse, which had been used as a community center for many decades. “Ron has done such tremendous work on retrieving Schoolhouse artifacts,” State Historic Preservation Officer Ron James said. “And Silver City residents worked so hard in getting that rebuilt. The whole community pulled together on this,” he said. James said Ron Reno won the same award eight years before for his work with the Comstock Historic District, which usually disqualifies someone from being considered again, but this was such an important achievement that he was again honored for his contributions

2)Annual Children's Arts and Science Program: The free kids' summer program, begun in 2003, is open to any child in the Northern Nevada region and has included lessons in science, math, and engineering, as well as classes and/or workshops on dance, theater, opera, music, beading, painting, mask making, basketry, photography, Chinese language, folk dances, and calligraphy, lyric writing, sound ecology, poetry reading, Surrealistic painting techniques, drawing, mixed media art, found object/recycled art, cooking, Chinese language, folk dances, and calligraphy, plus field trips to art and history museums, Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe, and much more. The program is made possible through a collaboration with local volunteers, plus county, state and federal agencies and regional nonprofits like Healthy Communities Coalition to support the annual STEAM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).

3)The Silver City Volunteer Library, established in 2004, is a volunteer endeavor with periodic guest lectures, workshops and shows and a collection that includes thousands of books, many sets of reference works, a large film collection, magazines, etc. thanks to donors from all over the U.S., Silver City, and the county. Most of the collection is stored in the basement of the school house/community center so that plenty of room for other uses remains upstairs. The collection is rotated every 4 months, and new arrivals are added each month so there are always new things on the shelves. The collection includes something for most interests and for every age level. A few examples of library hosted events include an arts townhall with the Nevada Arts Council; an archaeology lecture by Ron Reno, PhD, on Windmill Wash and the Civilian Conservation Corp's attempt at a flood control project for Bunkerville, NV in the 1930's; a Chautauqua living history performance with scholar Doris Dwyer portraying the famous photographer, Margaret Bourke-White who married novelist Erskine Caldwell in Silver City in 1939 when the couple toured Nevada; "Fun with Science"and "Fun with Art"classes approved by the Nevada Registry for child care providers, preschool and elementary teachers, parents and grandparents, etc.

4)The Silver City Arts group has created a remarkable schedule of events in 2014-2015, partly by drawing on the community's own rich resource of artists, and partly by connecting with regional and statewide nonprofits to bring in programming by local, national and international artists. The group also maintains a "Poetry Corner" at the local post office, highlighting the literary work of current and former Silver City residents. The group's first exhibit in October 2014 was an official Signature event of the Nevada Sesquicentennial. The exhibit attracted more than 100 people from near and far, and included respected artists who are also long time Silver City residents, such as Jean LeGassick, Jeff Nicholson, Karen Kreyeski, Larry Kotik, and many others. Also in October, by partnering with St. Mary's Art Center and the Silver City Volunteer Library, the group brought internationally known artist Nes Lerpa of Denmark to Silver City to show his latest, large scale abstract paintings. During the holidays, the group hosted a sale of work by local artists and artisans. In May 2015, the group hosted a photo display showing the cultural repopulation of the town circa 1965-2005, along with a screening of "Rockin' at the Red Dog: The Dawn of Psychedelic Rock" with commentary by film maker Silver City native Mary Works Covington, whose father, Don Works, was one of the founders of the Red Dog saloon, which became key to the development of the 1960's psychedelic rock scene. Some of the principal subjects of her film are Silver City residents Don Works, Robert Elston, Travus T. Hipp, Lynne Hughes, etc. In July 2015, Silver City Arts hosted a unique art exhibit to coincide with Northern Nevada's July "Artown" events. The exhibit, designed by Michigan artist Brian Schorn, included work from Silver City residents' private collections by acclaimed artists such as Mick Sheldon; Joan Arrizabalaga; Dick Peitz; Edw Martinez; Gus Bundy; Lucy Nieder; Jim McCormick; Mimi Patrick; Walt McNamara; Estelle Peck Ishigo; Bob Adams; Francisco de Goya; Nolan Preece; Ray Obermayr; Lorna Obermayr; Patty Marshall; Barbara Stein; Molly Allander; Susan Stornetta; Brian Schorn; Jon Colin Roberts; Ron Victor; Larry Wahrenbrock; John Wise; Ron Moroni; Bill Germino; Linda Dufurrena; Afton Frederickand many others.

Small Sample of Awards, Research, Publications, Permanent Collections, Awards and Honors:

In the past decade, individual Silver City residents have received numerous awards and honors. A few examples include 1) a 2004 fellowship from the Fulbright Foundation for archaeology research 2)Nevada Archaeology Association's 2014 Silver Trowel Lifetime Achievement Award 3)2012 inductee to the Nevada Women's HIstory Project's Roll of Honor 4)2007 Nevada Library Association Award 5)Nevada Historic Preservation Award.

Artwork in Permanent Collections: Residents such as nationally known plein artist Jean LeGassick have art in the Permanent Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, while residents such as Cashion Callaway have work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. These are just two examples of many.

Publications: At least 2 dozen of the community's residents have produced technical reports, computer programs, academic research, and publications on various topics including Nevada history, anthropology, basketry, Nevada tourism, culinary arts, visual art, beads, etc., in addition to publishing fiction, poetry and newspaper columns and features. Some of these publications were on view at the U.S. Post Office in Silver City in September of 2015.

Theatre: Residents like Sheree and Will Rose have produced originial musicals that have been on the stage not only in Silver City, but on stages at Piper's Opera House in Virginia City, public schools in Nevada, hotels and resorts.

Music: The town is home to a number of musicians who frequently donate their time and talents to raise funds for various nonprofit groups in Silver City, Nevada and the West. Residents perform with the Carson City Symphony, a number of bands, and have served on committees with nonprofits such as the Nevada Opera.

Historic Preservation work: 9 residents of Silver City are or have been working professionals (6 with graduate degrees) in historic preservation and cultural resource management, variously employed by the University of Nevada, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Museum, and private cultural resource consulting firms. One previously served as the Chair of the Virginia City Historic District Commission. Other residents have served on the board of the Comstock Cemetery Foundation.