Silver City Nevada's 2017 Summer Arts and Science Program

Free Arts and Science Events For All Ages This Summer in Historic Silver City, Nevada

SILVER CITY, NEVADA— Each summer, the historic Comstock community of Silver City offers free, public programming in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM), with separate activities for all ages at the park and community center. The theme this year is “Making Our World Better With STEAM.”

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

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

Free, Public Events and Displays in Silver City, May-August 2017:

Acoustic music jam sessions, 4th 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 Silver City School House. Recommended age: adults and teens.

May Historic Preservation Display: Rare black and white photographs from the 1970s-80s of some of Silver City’s archaeologists, writers, musicians, photographers, etc from the Germino Archive, courtesy of Sam Toll. On display from May 1- May 31st at the U.S. Post Office in Silver City. Driving/walking tour maps of selected historic sites in Silver City will be available at the post office and online. Each year in May, communities across Nevada take up the State’s challenge to celebrate historic preservation and archaeology in order to capture the public’s interest and share insights about our collective heritage. The display will be promoted by the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office.

May Exhibition: Acclaimed local artist Larry Kotik will have an exhibition of his paintings at the Silver City School House on Saturday, May 6 from 1pm-5pm. You may be familiar with his well-known Comstock history mural on the wall of the Dayton Elementary School multi-purpose room. The free event is sponsored by the Silver City Arts group.

May Reading by Utah Poet Laureate David Lee: Saturday, May 27 at 1pm at the School House. Reading of new poems, including several about Silver City. Sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Recommended audience: adults and older teens.

June 6th Acoustic Concert by Mylo McCormick, 10am-noon, sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Bring a lawn chair and a picnic and enjoy a morning in the shaded park with acoustic music by emerging artist Mylo McCormick, who will be on the town’s new outdoor stage (the Silver Pavilion). Now living in Carson City, Mylo McCormick was born in Silver City, Nevada. Mylo has written his own music, and has also recorded guitar solos for original songs by award-winning musician Monique De Haviland. Mylo is also the lead guitarist with Mo'z Motley Blues, a Tahoe/ Carson Valley/Reno area "rockin' bluesy funky dance band" that performs everything from originals to covers of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Janice Joplin, Dwight Yoakam, James Brown, Rolling Stones, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, The Doors, Van Morrison, etc.

June 17th Ceremony to Add Names to Fire Department Memorial Plaque: The Silver City Volunteer Fire Department will be honoring both Roz Works and Jim McCormick for their membership in the Fire Department by adding their names to the memorial plaque located in front of the Silver City School House at 385 High Street. A ceremony, followed by light refreshments, takes place on Saturday, June 17 at 1pm.

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

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

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 (385 High Street, next to the School House). Kids will learn road rules and safety, participate in bike maneuvers and exercises. Parents are asked to sign a Safe Routes permission slip for this activity and participants will receive new bike helmets if they do not have one yet. Sponsored in partnership with Healthy Commmunities Coalition.

Saturday, July 22 Exhibition of Artworks by Molly Allander: Molly Brunhild's solo exhibition, titled "The Outsider Show: Molly Brunhild Paintings," is being sponsored by the Silver City Arts group this summer. A reception for the show takes place at the Silver City School House (community center) on Saturay, 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."

United Way's annual "Tune into Kids" Fun Fair for Preschoolers and Their Parents. Tuesday, August 22 from 10am to noon at the Silver City town park (next to the School House at 385 High Street). 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, and information about their program. Community Chest and Lyon County Human Services offer Nevada Families First free home visiting programs for families with children under 5 years old in Storey and Lyon communities, plus Carson City and Hawthorne. Home visitors offer information on topics such as nutrition, post-partum depression, health insurance, resources for smoking cessation, and breastfeeding, and they introduce activities that can stimulate a child’s mind and growth.

Fabrication Fun with Bruce Douglas, a fabricator and professional mechanical engineer based in Oakland, CA. Bruce meshes his values of building community and using recycled materials by creating functional, quirky human-powered vehicles. Dates and age range to be announced. Sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

Conversations with Sue Mark of Marksearch. Dates and age range to be announced. Sue Mark, with a BA in philosophy and linguistics and a Master of Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts, creates national and international projects with her partner Bruce Douglas about local history, culture and community challenges. Together, they have collaborated with non-profits, community groups, and municipalities worldwide to create unique projects. Some partners have included German archeologists; Norwegian fishermen; Bulgarian historians and architects; Oakland Chinatown elders; Japanese cultural organizations; Southern U.S. civil rights activists; Portugese farmers, etc. Sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

WEDNESDAY Aug. 2nd annual field trip to Shakespeare at Sand Harbor (Lake TahoeState Park). There's nothing like Shakespeare on the beach, followed by a tour of the Sand Harbor Visitor's Center, swimming and a picnic on this family-friendly Tahoe beach. WEDNESDAY Aug. 2nd at 10am. Recommended age: 6-13. This is an hour-long fun, interactive and music filled 1920’s version of William Shakespeare’s delightful comedy about young love, Love’s Labour’s Lost. The production is sponsored by D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program. It's a FREE event, with a suggested donation of $5 per adult and $1 per child.

Silver City Volunteer Library: While you're at the summer program, borrow books, music, periodicals, and more from the Volunteer Library, located within the Silver City School House (community center.) You'll find something to interest every age, from board books for babies to the latest fiction for adults.

The Silver City public park includes an outdoor stage called the Silver Pavilion, a lawn, basketball court, playground equipment, picnic tables and a unique slide.

Lecture and Meet and Greet with Danish Journalist Peter Krogh Andersen March 19, 2017

Silver City, Nevada - On Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 2pm, Danish journalist Peter Krogh Andersen will offer a talk at the Silver City School House titled, “The U.S. from an Outsider’s Perspective”, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. The event, which will include a bit of Danish music and traditional Danish refreshments, is being hosted by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

The public is cordially invited to attend this free event.

Peter is the spring 2017 Resident at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. He's traveled across the U.S. in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2017, interviewing people about the Presidential elections, American health care, and other issues and publishing articles based on those interviews in Danish newspapers such as Kristeligt Dagblad and on his own site, “A Dane Passed By.” Recently, he’s published articles about 1) his observation of a 3-day free dental, medical and vision clinic in Silver Springs, Nevada; 2)Emilio Parga’s work on grief and loss with Northern Nevada children; and 3) Trump voters’ assessments of the President’s actions since his election.

More about Peter Krogh Andersen: Peter has also lived in Lebanon and Turkey, has traveled in Syria, Egypt and Somalia, and has biked from Denmark to Greece. He has a Master’s degree from the University of Southern Denmark in International Politics, with a focus on the Middle East. His dissertation was on Turkish foreign policy. He also attended Bilkent Üniversitesi, with a focus on Turkey and International Politics, and the American University of Beirut with a focus in Middle Eastern Studies. His undergraduate degree in journalism is from the University of Southern Denmark.

PHOTO BY PETER KROGH ANDERSEN

While in Nevada this spring, Peter is also attending the Nevada Legislative session to observe, and is sharing his article, plus photos and videos of the 2016 free clinic in Silver Springs with Nevada Legislators to illuminate some of the challenges with access to dental care in rural Nevada.


Where is the Silver City School House? Located within the historic Comstock landmark about 3 miles from Virginia City and 12 miles from Carson City, the Silver City School House (community center) is adjacent to the town park at 385 High Street, Silver City, NV 89428. Silver City is home to a surprising number of Nevada’s artists, musicians, artisans, historians, teachers, and archaeologists. The Resident Artist Program in Silver City provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with the Northern Nevada community through the Arts. Visitors reside at the Resident Artist guest housing (McCormick House) in exchange for offering free public performances, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, etc. in Silver City and Northern Nevada.

Silver City Small Actions Committee Hosts Postcard Writing Event March 5th

Small Actions Postcard Social: Make Your Voice Heard

When: Sunday, March 5th from 2:00 – 4:00
Where: Silver City School House Community Center, 385 High Street, Silver City (on the Comstock about 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, 12 from Carson City)
What: Postcards with postage, issue summaries, dessert refreshments, coffee and tea provided

A group of citizens from Silver City, Nevada and nearby communities formed a citizen action committee called the Silver City Small Actions Committee (SCSAC) to address local, state and national issues precipitated by the November 2016 general election.

The group meets weekly in Silver City to discuss issues, share ideas and make and implement action plans. The SCSAC has been very active in letter writing campaigns on a state and national level and has participated in local and regional rallies and protest marches. The SCSAC is one of thousands of small groups (or huddles) across the country formed in the wake of the election to respond to the unreasonable agenda put forward by the Trump administration.

Issues of central concern for the SCSAC include: ensuring affordable health care for all Americans, fair and open immigration policy that does not target people based on religion or ethnicity, no border wall, preservation of climate science data, US commitment to policies that limit human impact on climate change, local communities empowered through democracy to self-determine policies that protect quality of life, retooling the democratic party to be more responsive and effective and many more.

The SCSAC is hosting a postcard writing social gathering on Sunday, March 5th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Silver City School House Community Center, 385 High Street, Silver City. The event is designed to give the wider communities of Dayton, Virginia City, Mound House and Carson City the opportunity to meet other concerned citizens and take action through letter writing.

Postcards with postage, issue summaries, dessert refreshments, coffee and tea provided.

Press contact: Evangeline Elston, Silver City Small Actions Committee, evangelineelston@yahoo.com.

Silver City Winter 2017 News

Silver City, Nevada - Silver City, a community located in Lyon County within the historic Comstock region near Virginia City, always has a busy schedule of unique arts and culture events for the public. Below are highlights of some upcoming winter events.

Cemetery News:

Photos, documents, maps, etc of Silver City's Historic Cemetery are being sought. If you’d like to contribute, contact Susan Stornetta 847-0738 or Cindy Etchegoin at 847-0430.

Silver City Arts group news:

Exhibition: Acclaimed local artist Larry Kotik will have an exhibition of his paintings at the Silver City School House on Saturday, May 6, 2017.

Monthly Acoustic Jam: Saturday, February 25 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Bring your instruments to the Silver City School House and jam. This event is usually held on the 4th Saturday of each month.

Evangeline Presents Concert News:

Gurf Morlix Concert: Evangeline Elston and Dr. Robert Elston are organizing another concert at the Silver City School House. Folk and blues legend Gurf Morlix will offer a show on April 13, as part of a CD release celebration for his new album The Soul & The Heal. Gurf is known for being Lucinda William’s guitar player as well as a musical director and producer. He’s a song writer who plays guitar and a dozen other instruments. In 2000 he began recording his own work and has since produced nine albums. He now lives in Texas and is identified with the Austin music scene. Proceeds support the school house and future music productions there.

Resident Artist Program in Silver City news:

Painting of Silver City at Nevada Legislature: Artwork by Sophie Scott of New Zealand is on display at the Nevada State Legislative Building in Carson City during the 2017 Legislative session through June 4th, 2017. Look for it on the third floor near Ways and Means. Sophie’s painting, based on an 1860s photograph of Silver City, was created while she was a resident artist in Silver City in 2015. It was previously displayed, along with about a dozen other paintings and stencils, during a well attended show at the Silver City School House sponsored by the Resident Artist Program. A painter and printmaker, Sophie has a BFA from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. In other good news, Sophie will be back at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City in Autumn of 2017.

Journalist from Denmark To Visit: In March the Resident Artist Program will have a visit from journalist Peter Krogh Andersen of Denmark. This is Peter’s 4th time crossing the U.S. Last year, he traveled across the U.S. interviewing people about the Presidential election, American health care, and other issues and publishing a number of features based on the interviews (find those articles in the Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad and on his own site, A Dane Passed By). Peter has also lived in Lebanon and Turkey, has traveled in Syria, Egypt and Somalia, and has biked from Copenhagen to Greece. He has a Master’s degree from the University of Southern Denmark in International Politics, with a focus on the Middle East. His dissertation was on Turkish foreign policy. He also attended Bilkent Üniversitesi, with a focus on Turkey and International Politics, and the American University of Beirut with a focus in Middle Eastern Studies. His undergraduate degree in journalism is from the University of Southern Denmark.

In late March he’ll offer a talk in Silver City with a slide show of photos from his trips, followed by questions and answers and discussion with the audience. The date of the event, which will be hosted by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, will be announced in March.

Display of Work by Visiting Artists: If you missed the December 3rd pop-up show and its sample of artwork, essays, poems, assemblages, and photographs created by residents at the Resident Artist Program, some of the pieces are on display at the Silver City Post Office during through March. The display includes poetry about Silver City by former Utah Poet Laureate David Lee; drawings and paintings by London-based artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully, Oakland-based artist Scott MacLeod and New Zealand-based artist Sophie Scott; photographs by Brian Schorn, Marielle Toll and Ava Covington; plus essays by author/ artist Scott Macleod and internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop.

Small Actions Committee News:

Post Card Writing Event March 5th: The Silver City Small Action Committee is hosting a postcard writing social gathering on Sunday, March 5th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Silver City School House Community Center, 385 High Street. The event is designed to give the wider communities of Dayton, Virginia City, Mound House and Carson City the opportunity to meet other concerned citizens and take action through letter writing. Postcards with postage, issue summaries, dessert refreshments, coffee and tea provided. More information: Evangeline Elston, Silver City Small Actions Committee, evangelineelston@yahoo.com.

Painting of Silver City at the Nevada Legislature During 2017 Session

Silver City, Nevada - Artwork by Sophie Scott of New Zealand will be on display at the Nevada State Legislative Building in Carson City during the 2017 Legislative session! Look for it on the third floor near Ways and Means. Her painting, based on an 1860s photograph of Silver City, was created while she was a resident artist in Silver City in 2015. It was previously displayed, along with about a dozen other paintings and stencils, during a well-attended show at the Silver City School House sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, the Silver City Arts group and Healthy Communities Coalition.

In other good news, Sophie will be back at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City in Autumn of 2017.

About Sophie Scott: A painter and printmaker, Sophie has a BFA from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury. In her artwork, images are "stripped back until the places are recognizable only through their landmarks, with just a suggestion of buildings and land form. She draws the viewer into a world which is familiar yet strange, challenging our notion of how we connect with place."

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 award winning artwork that’s been featured in cities such as Christchurch, Sophie is a shepherd on a high country sheep farm in the remarkably beautiful South Island of New Zealand.

Parallels between hometown and the Comstock: She grew up in Kingston, once a main access way for gold in the New Zealand gold rush; today it is a quiet village near Lake Wakatipu. These parallels between her hometown and similar settlements on the Comstock attracted Sophie to the region 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 located within one of the nation's largest federally designated historic districts. 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, artisans, archaeologists and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. Those creating in the performing, visual, 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 Northern Nevada region.

Past Residents have included multidisciplinary artist Brian Schorn of Michigan, New Zealand printmaker Sophie Scott, internationally known photographer Frances Melhop, Oakland- based writer and artist Scott MacLeod, London-based artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully, former Utah poet laureate David Lee, etc.

For the 2017 season, Residents will include poet David Lee, artist Sophie Scott, emerging musician Mylo McCormick, and cultural research team “Marksearch” ( includes Sue Mark, who has a MFA in art and a BA in linguistics and philosophy, and fabricator and mechanical engineer Bruce Mark).

Contact: The "Resident Artist Program in Silver City" is privately funded and directed by Theo McCormick and Quest Lakes. Artists have been scheduled through Autumn of 2017, and additional applications are being accepted for later dates. Please contact Quest Lakes at P.O. Box 123, Silver City, Nevada 89428 or 847-0742 for additional information.

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

See some of Sophie Scott's work at Rogue Nevada: http://roguenevada.com/portfolio_page/sophie-scott/

Cultural Researchers Come to Resident Artist Program in Silver City, Nevada

Silver City, Nevada- The summer 2017 resident artists at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City will be Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas of Marksearch, who describe their work as "cultural researchers, creator of conversations, locators of lost history." Currently in Japan working on a project at Sanki Bunko and the 21st Century Museum of Art to research architectural preservation, they're a wife-husband artist team who create interactive public projects that invite people to reflect upon their communities and increase their awareness of the natural environment.

Their methodology synthesizes their academic backgrounds: Bruce Douglas, a fabricator and professional mechanical engineer, meshes his values of building community and using recycled materials by creating 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.

Together, they have collaborated with non-profits, community groups, and municipalities worldwide to create projects. Some partners have included:

+ Bulgarian sociologists, historians, and architects

+ Czech anarchists

+ German tour guides & archeologists

+ Oakland Chinatown elders

+ Norwegian fishermen

+ Southern civil rights activists

+ Urban social geographers

For more information about their past projects, see http://www.marksearch.org/marksearch-cv.pdf

What is the Resident Artist Program in Silver City? The visiting artist program began in 2014. It provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with the community and the region through the arts. People creating in the performing, visual, or literary arts are invited to reside for up to 4 months at McCormick House, a geodesic dome designed in the 1970s by Nevada artist Jim McCormick. In exchange, the vistors offer public performances, exhibitions, readings, workshops, etc. in the community. Previous residents have included multidisciplinary Michigan-based artist Brian Schorn; New Zealand artist Sophie Scott; Oakland artist and writer Scott MacLeod; emerging musician Mylo Mccormick; dancer Jessica Sanford of Earlham College; London-based artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully; photographer Frances Melhop; and poet David Lee. Upcoming residents include cultural researchers Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas and New Zealand arist Sophie Scott. For more information, contact director Quest Lakes at P.O. Box 123, Silver City, Nevada 89428.

Reading by Acclaimed Poet David Lee on Dec 3rd

Silver City, Nevada - David Lee's 23rd book, Bluebonnets, Firewheels, and Brown-Eyed Susans, Or, Poems New and Used from the Bandera Rag and Bone Shop, was published recently, and so he's been on tour, reading poems and teaching workshops at the Cliff Notes Writing Conference in Utah, at poetry festivals in Ohio, and at the university in Reno. It is our great fortune that he'll also offer a reading here on the Comstock on Saturday, December 3rd at 2:30pm at the Silver City School House/Community Center (385 High Street). He’ll read several poems he’s written during the last few months while living in Silver City, as well as selections from his new book.

FREE EVENT: This free, public event sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, the Silver City Volunteer Library, Healthy Communities Coalition, and Silver City Arts group will include appetizers and pre- and post-event acoustic blues by Mylo McCormick, and a pop-up show with samples of work by 9 artists from Nevada, Michigan, California, New Zealand and England. Silver City is located within a National Historic District about 3 miles from Virginia City, and about 15 miles from Carson City.

ABOUT DAVID LEE’S POETRY: Lee's poetry is described as "the real deal when it comes to recording hilariously insightful (and linguistically accurate) observations of rural culture—and America at large—while using a host of astute literary allusions and techniques. Imagine Robert Frost simultaneously channeling Will Rogers and Ezra Pound. Imagine Chaucer with a twang."

Lee’s newest book of poetry is focused on "the women of mid-20th century rural Texas: frontier survivors and the daughters of frontier survivors, indomitable women with tastes that run from Baptist preaching to bourbon-and-branchwater. This is an authentic book of the mid-20th century based on actual characters, a paen to women who shaped and molded the poet's life."

ABOUT DAVID LEE: Utah's first and longest serving Poet Laureate and author of 23 books of poetry, David Lee has also been a boxer, pig farmer, seminary student, cotton mill worker, and baseball player. Lee earned a Ph.D. with a specialty in the poetry of John Milton, and served as the Chairman of the Department of Language and Literature at Southern Utah University where he taught for more than 3 decades. In 1999, his collection News From Down to the Café was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, a testament to the wide national interest in his work. Lee was named one of Utah’s top 12 writers of all time by the Utah Endowment for the Humanities, and has been honored with the Utah Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement in the arts. He has been honored with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and has received both the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award in Poetry and the Western States Book Award in Poetry. In 2001, he was chosen as a finalist for Poet Laureate of the United States.

WORK BY 9 ARTISTS ALSO ON DISPLAY: On the same day, attendees can also view a pop-up show at the School House with samples of work created at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City over the last two years. Pieces will include paintings, assemblages, drawings, essays, music, and photographs by Sophie Scott of New Zealand, Stewart Easton and Claire Scully of England, New Zealand born photographer Frances Melhop, Brian Schorn of Michigan, Silver City native Mylo McCormick, Marielle Toll of Gold Hill, Ava Covington of Carson City, and Scott MacLeod of Oakland.

For more information about the event, contact Quest Lakes at 847-0742.