Van Gogh and Other Tough Cats

During the nearly 25 years that I lived in Silver City, dozens of feral and abandoned cats found their way to our house. Some I only saw a time or two, darting under the house or shooting up a tree and onto the roof for safety. But others unpacked their little hobo sacks and stayed for good.

Our house is on the far northern edge of Silver City, at the end of a steep lane not far from the Storey County line. To the east and the north there are only a few houses, and they’re all homes to dogs. If a cat were to go on a walk about, ours would probably be the first house without a dog that he’d come upon. My husband says there’s something like a hobo sign on our house, but its for cats. In fact, the Depression era hobo sign for “kind lady lives here,” was a stick figure drawing of a cat.

One of the cats that came to our house over the years was a big, orange and white cat named Kato. He showed up one summer and tried to blend in with my own cats, who ignored him. I put food out for him and called “kitty, kitty” to him, which only seemed to alarm him. I posted photos of him at the local post office and soon got a call from a crying woman who said, “Oh thank goodness, I think it is my cat Kato. Can you go outside and call his name and see if he responds?” Outside I saw him sitting near the front door and asked, “Kato?” And this cat that had previously run away whenever he saw me looked at me quizzically and responded, “Meow?” as if to say, “how do you know my name?”

So then began a series of unfortunate events with Kato. His owner came to retrieve him – it turned out he’d come all the way from American Flat, a journey of several miles across coyote infested territory. However, when she tried to get him in her car, he bit her and struggled against being put in her car. By the next afternoon, he was back at our house. Next, the woman’s boyfriend came and put him in a cat carrier and took him back to their house at American Flat. By the next morning, he was at our house again, obviously determined to stay. At that point, his original owner stopped trying to convince him to come back.

However, my husband and I were at a loss for what to do with Kato. He was not neutered, and had odd behavior. He would beg to be petted, and then bite and scratch viciously whenever the petting stopped. Our kind neighbor Fred suggested Kato would be just fine if only he were neutered, and caught him in a live trap and took him to the vet for the operation. Sure enough, Kato was a sweet animal after that and spent his last many years cuddled up with my blue-eyed cat Widdershins, who became his best buddy.

This year we’ve had a number of feral or abandoned cat visitors, including one I’m calling Van Gogh. Van Gogh is one of the largest cats I’ve ever seen. He has long, dark gray hair and enormous, terrified yellow eyes and a neck wound that never seems to quite heal. He appeared last April and has been coming and going from under our house since then, but has obviously had either very bad experiences with people or none at all. He can’t be lured into a live trap, but will dart out and grab some food when he thinks no one is looking. After I’d seen him on and off for a few months last spring, I noticed that he had also lost most of one ear, in addition to having the stubborn neck wound. Thus, the moniker Van Gogh...Today I’m still trying to lure him into a live trap so he can get the care he needs.

Silver City is as tough as Kato and Van Gogh. No matter what adversity this community faces, whether its Comstock Mining Inc’s proposed huge pit mine in the southwest part of the community, or Art Wilson’s mining operations near homes in the east and north parts of town, or officials tasked with protecting Silver City’s best interests who do quite the opposite, Silver City perseveres.

Read about Silver City's victory in the Nevada Supreme Court below. It's a real David vs. Goliath situation:
https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/04/12/one-less-hiding-place-government-communications-thanks-state-supreme-court-obermayr/512262002/

Comstock Residents Ass’n v. Lyon County Board of Commissioners (Summary):
https://law.justia.com/cases/nevada/supreme-court/2018/70738.html

Nevada Supreme Court Rules for Open Records in Comstock Mine Case by Susan Juetten
https://gbrw.org/2018/04/03/nevada-supreme-court-rules-for-open-records-in-comstock-mine-case/

Silver City’s Spring and Summer Public Programming

Where is Silver City, Nevada? Silver City is located within a federally designated historic landmark, just 3 miles from Virginia City, 12 miles from Carson City, and 30 miles from Reno and Lake Tahoe. Throughout the year the community partners with various local and regional groups to bring public programming in arts, science and more to the town’s community center (known as the School House) and adjacent town park and outdoor performance space (the Silver Pavilion). From State Route 342, turn onto 2nd Street near the U.S. Post Office in Silver City and then right onto High Street where you’ll find the School House, Park and outdoor stage. Parking can be found on the south side of the School House at 385 High Street, Silver City, Nevada 89428.

April-May Visiting Artist: The Resident Artist Program's April and May 2018 Resident will be Megan Berner, who has also experienced an art residency in the Arctic Circle. Megan explains , "One thing I was struck by while in the Arctic was how similar the geology is to Nevada...In some ways, they are both extreme environments...[Both Nevada and the Arctic are] dramatic, awesome, stark, vast, I would even use sublime in the true sense of the word for both, stunningly beautiful and maybe a bit harsh." Megan creates site-specific installations that incorporate video and sound and constructs performative scenes that ultimately exist as photographs. She has a Masters in Fine Arts in Intermedia with a minor in drawing, and is the public art program coordinator with the City of Reno's Arts, Culture and Events department where she works to further the City's public art goals and maintain its public art collection. See her website for more about her work, and listen to her May 2018 interview with Deana Hoover on KNVC 95.1FM (https://www.meganberner.com/news/2018/5/12/interview-on-knvc ) For more information about the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, contact director Quest at quest@theodata.com

Acoustic Jam, Sat. April 21 from 3pm-5pm at the School House. The jam is a week early this month. Normally, it takes place on the last Saturday of each month.

Mike Beck Concert, Sunday, April 29 at 7pm at the Silver City School House. Sponsored by Yellow Truck Productions and Evangeline Presents. Mike Beck is an acoustic solo artist who performs across the US and Europe. He is a regularly featured performer at The National Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering and has 7 acclaimed albums. Ticket Donation: $15-$25. To reserve Seats: Email SilverCityLive@gmail.com with number of seats and a phone number for confirmation.

Historic Preservation and Archaeology Awareness Month Display, "Progress On A Multi-year Archaeological Project," May 1-31 2018, at the Post Office in Silver City. In 2016 long time Silver City, Nevada resident Robert Elston (University of Nevada Reno), Dave Zeanah (Sacramento State), Brian Codding (University of Utah), and Craig Young (Far Western Anthropological Group) received a National Science Foundation grant for a multi-year archaeological project in Grass Valley, Nevada. They’ve been working to accomplish the field work by running a field school in 2017 and 2018 through Sacramento State, which is also administering the grant. Learn about their progress in this display at the Post Office.

Introduction to Cyanotype Process, and Meet and Greet with Megan Berner, Sunday May 6th at the School House, 2:30pm-4:30pm, intended for an older teen and adult audience. Megan is the spring Artist in Residence in Silver City (see first entry in this list of events for more details).

Chase the Blues Away Spring Potluck and Music Party, Saturday, May 26 at the Silver City School House. Silver City Arts group’s usual monthly Acoustic Jam will take place from from 3:00 – 5:00 pm – anyone who’d like to participate is welcome. The potluck begins at 5:00 pm.

Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop With Gary Short, June 2 at 2pm. One of the most remarkable narrative poets to emerge from the U.S., Gary Short, has a June Residency with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. He'll offer a poetry reading, followed by an optional poetry writing workshop, on Saturday June 2 at the Silver City School House at 2pm. Short is the only Nevada writer in the history of the state to win the Western States Book Award. He's been on the faculty at UC Davis; University of Alaska, Fairbanks; Old Dominion University; and University of Mississippi and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Tirana in Albania. At one time Short lived at American Flat near Silver City. Today he makes his home in Guatemala. For more information, contact Quest Lakes, director of the Resident Artist Program, at 847-0742.

Thai Food Cooking Lesson for adults, Saturday, June 9 at 1pm the Silver City School House. Local Sean Laughlin will teach how to cook dishes and those attending will enjoy a delicious meal together. Donations to cover the cost of ingredients will be $20 to $25, depending on the number attending. Sean will teach about basic Thai ingredients, their use, and give a brief history of the dishes. Menu includes: Pad Thai - a fragrant traditional rice noodle dish with shrimp and egg, garnished with green onion, cilantro, and sprouts; Pad Krapow - Thai basil and chili base brilliantly balanced with sweet soy and served over steaming rice; and Pannang – vibrant red Thais curry with coconut cream, lemon grass ginger and Galanga served over steaming rice

Suggested Donation $20 - $25 depending on how many sign up
RSVP jugglegeek@aol.com; 310 739-0098 cell; 775 847-0148 home after 7:00 or sign up on the post office bulletin board

Basement Rummage Sale, Saturday,June 16, time TBD. Proceeds from the sale of miscellaneous items goes to the nonprofit Silver City Historic Preservation Society.

Bicycle Safety Rodeo for ages 5-12, Tues June 26 from 10am-noon at the Silver City basketball court with Cortney Bloomer of HCC. Bring your own bike and helmet, please. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Science for ages 8-12 with UNCE, Tues July 3 from 10am-noon at the School House. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Science fun for ages 8-12 on Tues July 10 from 10am-noon with Jim Barcellos of University Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) at the Silver City School House. Questions? Contact Quest Lakes of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties (HCC) at quest@theodata.com

United Way’s annual preschool fun fair at the School House and park, Tues July 17 from 10am-noon. Join United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra for a morning filled with summer fun for parents their 0-6 year olds. Crafts, healthy snacks, free children’s books, hands-on educational activities, and more. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Floral Design for adults and teens, Tuesday, July 24 from 10am-noon at the School House, space limited, RSVP required. Create beautiful floral arrangements with wildflowers you’ve collected, or flowers from your own garden, with Floral Designer Lynnette Edmondson of Community Roots & Shoots (a nonprofit). No flowers? Lynnette can bring some for you. RSVP at quest@theodata.com.

Summer Art Show and Sale, sponsored by Silver City Arts group, will be rescheduled. Contact Carol Godwin of SCA group for more information: godwinsilvercity@aol.com

Blues concert in the park, Sunday, July 29, 6:30pm-8:30pm with Mylo McCormick and other Nevada musicians. Bring a lawn chair and a picnic and enjoy this family-friendly blues and pop concert on the Silver Pavilion stage. Donations appreciated. Sponsored by Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Questions? Contact Quest at quest@theodata.com

Clinical Somatics for adults, Tuesday, August 7 from 10am-noon at the School House with Lisa Godenick. Clinical Somatics movement techniques include slow, gentle exercises to relieve chronic muscle and joint pain, restore natural posture, retrain muscular patterns, and prevent recurring injuries. Limited space. RSVP to Quest at quest@theodata.com

Hands on engineering fun for boys and girls ages 7-12 on Tues Aug 14 from 10am-noon at the School House with guest teachers from Society of Women Engineers. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Carpool to Shakespeare at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe. July 31st, 10am, Sand Harbor, $5 donation and $10 parking.

Summer 2018 American Flat Historic Site Lecture, Film, Photo Show, Sat. Aug. 4th, time TBD, at the School House. The event will feature a screening of a new film about the site with an intro by BLM, and a lecture by longtime Silver City resident Dr. Ron Reno, plus a show with locals’ photos of American Flat. Dr. Ron Reno is a consulting architectural historian and industrial archaeologist who also serves on the research faculty at Desert Research Institute. Co-sponsored through Silver City Arts group and Bureau of Land Management.

Regularly Scheduled Meetings:

The Silver City Town Advisory Board normally meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the School House. Agendas are posted at the local Post Office, at the School House (at north door), etc.

The Silver City Arts (SCA) group hosts music, visual arts, theater and poetry events and programs. The group draws on the community's own rich resource of artists, artisans and musicians, and also connects with regional and statewide groups to bring programming by national and international artists, poets and musicians. The group of volunteers’ mission is "to encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events." The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the School House.

Silver City Cemetery Advisory Board MeetsApril 21 at 11:00 am, Silver City Schoolhouse. April agenda: where to get dirt and stabilizing blocks for the drainage slope on the east perimeter. Seeking all ideas and persons. Preservation of the historic section of the cemetery.

Silver City Small Actions Committee meets at the Silver City School House.

Monthly Events:

Acoustic Jam, last Saturday of each month from 3pm-5pm, Silver City School House (or the outdoor stage if the weather is good). Bring your instrument or your voice and join in.

David Lee's Poem About the Day After the 2016 Election

Aubade
a love poem
9 November 2016

Jan transfixed in dawnflay after the longest night of her life in the swollen eyed kitchen, lost between thought and next somewhere spanning mesmerization and death meditation. Beyond the window a figure, hunched into the cold and shuffling, made its way uphill toward our dome on the rock. Somebody’s coming, and Jax barked, and Jan said What? Look and she looked through the barest orange wisp of an insipid harbinger of sunrise and said Hush Jax, it’s Carol and she went to the door and out and our birdfeeding neighbor with the yard of glorious flowers of all colors, now gone with the season, opened her black coat in the gravel driveway to a bottle of white wine and both women stood bleary and looked at each other and then fell into embrace with Jax just aside looking up at them in wonderment beneath a daylight almost translucent half moon above the sleeping woman horizon, lost and frail in the empty Sierra sky as the ghost of an almost forgotten terror, they clutched one another and wept and wept.

-David Lee

David Lee's Aubade, A Love Poem, 9 November 2016 was conceived while he and his wife Jan were living at McCormick House in Silver City, Nevada in 2016. Utah's first and longest serving Poet Laureate and a Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet, Lee has been back to McCormick House in 2017 and 2018 as well and plans to publish a book next year full of poems inspired by Silver City. To hear him read Aubade, A Love Poem, 9 November 2016 and to hear more about how he came to write the poem, follow this link to his February 2018 interview with community radio station KNVC:

https://www.knvc.org/featured/poet-david-lee-reads-unpublished-work-from-his-new-collection-mine-tailings/

Reception for Allison Rasmussen March 3

Silver City, Nevada – A public reception for emerging Carson City artist Allison Rasmussen is being hosted by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City on Saturday, March 3 from 2:30pm -5:30pm at 142 High Street at McCormick House, the housing for visiting artists with the Program. Rasmussen's new artwork will be unveiled during the reception, which will include refreshments plus live music by Mylo McCormick.

About the Artist: Allison Rasmussen is an honors student at Argent Preparatory Academy, studying art at Western Nevada College through their early college entry program, "Jump Start College". She will complete an Associate degree this year at age 18.

As the Resident Artist Program’s winter visiting artist, Rasmussen has created a number of paintings, as well as a new permanent artwork for the Program, using one of Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet David Lee's poems as its inspiration.

During his 2016 visit, Lee wrote “Silver City Dawn Psalm,” a poem about watching the sun rise in Silver City. It was later nominated for a Pushcart Prize and will be included in his new book of poetry, scheduled for release in 2018.
UTAH POET LAUREATE DAVID LEE VIEWS ALLISON RASMUSSEN'S PAINTING INSPIRED BY ONE OF HIS POEMS ABOUT SILVER CITY NEVADA

Each year, the Resident Artist Program in Silver City hosts at least one young emerging artist, as well as established artists.

Previous Artists in Residence: During the reception, work by previous visiting artists such as internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop, Oakland-based artist/writer Scott MacLeod, New Zealand artist Sophie Scott, and British artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully will also be on display.

Painting and drawing of the art studio at McCormick House by British artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully.

About Silver City and the Resident Artist Program: Silver City is located within one of the nation's federally designated historic landmarks, three miles from Virginia City and 29 miles from both Reno and Lake Tahoe. The town's irreplaceable historic buildings and sites, and its crystal clear views of the Sierras and the Comstock, attract visiting plein air painters and photographers from across the country. Recently declared an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center," Silver City is already home to a surprising number of Nevada's highly productive artists, musicians, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. The Resident Artist Program provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with the town and the Northern Nevada region through the arts. Visiting artists reside at the unique Resident Artist guest housing, a geodesic dome designed by artist Jim McCormick in 1972, in exchange for offering free public performances, exhibitions, workshops, etc.

More about the Resident Artist Program:
https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/

Harry Bruce: Comstock King of Dixieland Piano

Silver City, Nevada - Harry Bruce, a Ragtime Dixieland pianist, lived in Silver City with his wife, poet Irene Bruce, for many years. He was a popular performer in Virginia City saloons during the later 1950s and 1960s, but before that, he played night clubs in Los Angeles and Hollywood, and was with Fred Nagel, Jr., and his Dixieland Band, playing Northern California shows. Earlier still, Harry Bruce was accompanist for David Brinkley’s NBC Television show Marriage Mills of Nevada, where his gift for turning tunes such as Mendelssohn’s Wedding March into ragtime was ballyhooed.

According to 1950s newspaper articles, Harry Bruce began playing piano when he was 10 years old. As a young man he was on a number of radio shows, including The Voice of Oklahoma on KVOO in Tulsa. Over the years he made recordings for stations such as KOLO in Reno and KPTL in Carson City.

By 1958, he had mastered hundreds of songs and was playing at the Great Western Bar and Cafe in Virginia City six days a week, “playing nostalgic melodies, happy melodies, devil-may-care melodies.” According to a 1958 Reno Gazette Journal article, “the stirring notes of a rag time piano reach out...and pull you...off the board sidewalk to listen to Harry Bruce, known on the Comstock as the King of Dixieland Piano.”

Swami Pooja of the Silver City Ashram recalls seeing Harry Bruce playing piano in Virginia City in the 1960s, when she and her aunt were there as tourists. She asked him to play the song “Red Wing” and he did, perfectly. Coincidently, years later, she bought the Silver City house where Harry Bruce once lived. The house, and a number of homes nearby, later became the Silver City Ashram. More about the Ashram, and Swami Pooja, later...

I haven’t been able to find information about exactly when Harry Bruce moved to Silver City, or precisely when or where he was born. If anyone knows and would like to share, please contact me.

HARRY BRUCE AT A NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY, 1949 or 1950. DETAIL FROM A PHOTO BY GUS BUNDY, FROM UNR'S SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.

Winter and Spring 2018 News With the Silver City Citizen in Mind

Silver City has many of its own arts and culture events, and our community is also located near the many arts and culture events of our sister city, Carson City, as well as Tahoe, Reno, Virginia City, etc. Following are a few winter/spring 2018 events and programs in Silver City and our surrounding region that may be of interest:

Mementi Mori Exhibition: A free reception and artist talk by UNR’s Paul Baker Prindle will be held Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 at the Nevada Arts Council’s OXS Gallery in Carson City. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and the artist talk at 6:15 p.m. For nearly a decade, Baker Prindle has documented sites from California to New York that look extraordinarily ordinary, downright banal. Yet each of these places and their everyday landscapes has an important story to tell. His Mementi Mori series documents locations across the country where hate crimes against gay and lesbian individuals occurred. His images build on the traditions of portraiture, but quickly confound those traditions by using index, vernacular conventions, and the landscape to evoke impressions of the body that go beyond what is visually represented. The OXS Gallery is located at 716 N. Carson St., Suite A, in Carson City. The photographs will be on view until March 9th, 2018. More details: http://artscarsoncity.com/event/mementi-mori-paul-baker-prindle-nac-osx-gallery/

UNR Exhibition Reflexions: Artist Jim McCormick, who designed the unique home now used to house visiting artists with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, has artwork in Joan Arrizabalaga’s new University Nevada, Reno exhibition. UNR galleries curator Paul Baker-Prindle asked Joan to choose pieces from the university’s permanent collection and create responses to them. She selected a few pieces from about 5,000 pieces owned by UNR, “including...a couple of lithographs of architectural interiors by the late Jim McCormick, who was a long-time UNR professor and a friend. ..She contemplated her selections for a while, then made a fresh body of work. Now, the pieces from the gallery’s collection and Arrizabalaga’s new works hang together in UNR’s Sheppard Gallery. Interior drawings of her own living room hang next to McCormick’s lithos..." Her exhibition, Reflexions, is on view at the Sheppard Contemporary Gallery in UNR’s Church Fine Arts building through February 23, 2018.

Abstractions is a new exhibition in Reno at the Sierra Arts Foundation gallery featuring the work of internationally exhibited artists Susan Watson and Nes Lerpa. Stop by Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Feb 24 2018. Danish artist Nes Lerpa brought a pop-up show of his large scale abstract paintings to the Silver City School House in 2014, and donated copies of his book Nes Nevada to the local volunteer library, and donated a number of his smaller paintings to help fight the encroachment of open pit mining on Silver City.

Silver City Historic Cemetery Advisory Committee Meets Saturday, February 24, 2018 - 11:00 am at the School House. On the agenda: discuss preservation of the historic section of the cemetery and construction of a new section.

Monthly Acoustic Jam at the Silver City School House, Saturday, February 24, 2018 from 3pm-5pm and Saturday March 24 from 3pm-5pm. Bring your instruments and play along with everyone. All are welcome.

Symphony: Diane Kotik of Silver City will perform with the Carson City Symphony Concert on Sunday, February 25 at 4:00 pm at the Carson City Community Center. Cellist Stephen Framil will be performing American composer Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2.

Culinary Arts: The public is warmly invited to join dietitian Kim Mason and chef Cynthia Kroon for a free healthy cooking demonstration, followed by dinner, on Monday Feb 26th at 5:30pm at the Dayton Valley Community Center at 170 Pike Street. Bring a friend or meet news ones at the free class. There’s no need to register, and everyone is welcome. On the menu this month: Asian noodles with peanut sauce, Crunchy Pea and Turkey Salad, and Warm Blueberry Crisp. Questions? Call Healthy Communities at 246-7550 or see healthycomm.org

Artist Reception at McCormick House: There will be a reception on Saturday, March 3 from 2:30pm -5:30pm for the Resident Artist Program in Silver City’s winter visiting artist, Allison Rasmussen.Stop by for light refreshments, plus live music by Mylo McCormick, and see what she's created during her Residency this winter. (McCormick House is the housing for visiting artists with the Resident Artist Program). Allison is an honors student at Argent Preparatory Academy studying art at Western Nevada College through their early college entry program which will allow her to complete an Associate degree by age 18. Each year, the Resident Artist Program in Silver City hosts at least one young emerging artist.

Meet and Greet with Sarah [McCormick] Peters at McCormick House: There will be a meet and greet with Assembly District 24 candidate Sarah Peters on Saturday, March 10th at 2:30pm at McCormick House. The event includes appetizers, an opportunity to see some of the artwork in the permanent collection of the Resident Artist Program, and time to discuss issues with Sarah. At heart, Sarah is a problem-solver who has dedicated her career to strengthening Nevada. With over a decade of experience in Environmental Engineering, she has been part of a team that provides technical support for complex site cleanups such as the Yerington Anaconda Mine CERCLA Site in Northern Nevada and the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin. She understands federal and state regulations and how those affect Nevada families’ quality of life. Sarah will spend her time in the Assembly advocating for everyday Nevadans, prioritizing clean air, safe water, good schools, and jobs with living wages. As a homegrown candidate who was born and raised in Nevada and attended its public schools, Sarah has a deep understanding of the region, and she’s equipped to fight for Nevadans. Sarah is the granddaughter of artist Jim McCormick and businesswoman Sandy McCormick, who built McCormick House in Silver City in 1972.
Photo: SARAH PETERS

New Book of Poetry and More: This winter emerging artist Allison Rasmussen is creating a permanent artwork for the Resident Artist Program in Silver City using Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet David Lee's poem "Silver City Dawn Psalm" as its focus. His poem about a sunrise in Silver City, which has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, will be published in a new collection of poetry next year, along with other poems he wrote during Residencies in Silver City in 2016 and 2017. In more good news, he’s visiting Silver City again this February 2018 and is being interviewed by KNVC (where Silver City’s Joe McCarthy is General Manager). David Lee is Utah’s first and longest serving poet laureate. He was named one of the 12 greatest writers to ever emerge from the state by the Utah Endowment for the Humanities. He was previously considered as a candidate for Poet Laureate of the United States, and his books Last Call and Bluebonnets, Firewheels, and Brown-Eyed Susans were both nominated for a Pulitizer Prize.

DAVID LEE AT THE SILVER CITY SCHOOL HOUSE

The exhibition Mountain Picassos:Basque Arborglyphs of the Great Basin will be at St. Mary's Art Center in Virginia City from March 12—May 4, 2018. http://nvculture.org/nevadaartscouncil/exhibitions/nti-traveling-exhibition/nti-schedule/

Silver City Arts group meets at the Silver City School House on Wed March 14th at 7pm. Contact Dr. Carol Godwin for more details: godwinsilvercity@aol.com

Spring Visiting Artist in Silver City: The Resident Artist Program’s Spring 2018 Resident will be Megan Berner of Reno, who has also experienced an art residency in the Arctic Circle. Megan explains , "One thing I was struck by while in the Arctic was how similar the geology is to Nevada...In some ways, they are both extreme environments...[Both Nevada and the Arctic are] dramatic, awesome, stark, vast, I would even use sublime in the true sense of the word for both, stunningly beautiful and maybe a bit harsh." Megan creates site-specific installations that incorporate video and sound and constructs performative scenes that ultimately exist as photographs. She has a Masters in Fine Arts in Intermedia with a minor in drawing, and is the public art program coordinator with the City of Reno's Arts, Culture and Events department where she works to further the City's public art goals and maintain its public art collection.

MEGAN BERNER

International Collaboration: Two of the Resident Artist Program in Silver City’s previous Residents, Danish writer Peter Krogh Andersen and emerging Nevada artist Marielle Toll, are collaborating. When Peter met Marielle in 2017, he asked her if she'd be interested in illustrating his short story, "The Beast". Now the two are collaborating to publish the illustrated allegory. Peter writes, "It was actually written with Europe in mind but the presidential campaign suddenly made it fit the US. The kinds of animals have been changed after my stay in the dome [McCormick House] - and now with Marielle’s drawings the cross-continent circle is complete."

PETER KROGH ANDERSEN, MARIELLE TOLL, SAM TOLL, CHRISTINA BALSVARDE, THEO MCCORMICK AT MCCORMICK HOUSE 2017

True Grit: In May and June, Carson City will host a series of events funded by the National Endowment of the Arts. The Big Read is centered around True Grit, the Charles Portis novel that tells the story of a young girl, Mattie Ross, who seeks to avenge her father's murder with the help of Rooster Cogburn, a man she thinks has true grit. There will be about 30 separate events, according to Mark Salinas, director of Carson City Arts and Culture. Silver City native Mylo McCormick will perform during a reception for an art show and the NEA True Grit kickoff event at the Western Nevada College gallery on May 3 at 5pm. Photo: MYLO MCCORMICK

At the Nevada State Museum, Carson City in February:

Frances Humphrey Lecture Series: Victorian Fashions and Dress Reform by Jan Loverin.Thursday, February 22, 2018 – 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City. This lecture is an engaging look at women’s 19th century fashions. Reservations needed. Contact Mary Works Covington at 689-4810 ex. 224 or mcovington@nevadaculture.org

Plants and animals of Nevada by George Baumgardner, Ph.D. Friday, February 23, 2018, 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Contact Holly Payson 687-4810 ext. 222 for reservations.

Basketry Collection by Gene Hattori, Ph.D. 10:00 am and 1:00 pm – Basketry Collection by Gene Hattori, Ph.D. Contact Holly Payson 687-4810 ext. 222 for reservations.
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For purpose of brevity: School House = Silver City School House/community center at 385 High Street, Silver City, Nevada 89428.

Fred Swanson and the Resident Artist Program

Silver City, Nevada - When he heard of the passing of long time Silver City denizen Fred Swanson, Utah's Poet Laureate David Lee wrote, "Alas, alas: I loved that man." David Lee was one of many visiting authors and artists with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City who Fred befriended.

Like so many others, I’ll always miss and fondly remember Fred, who passed away on Dec. 24, 2017. He was a supporter of all things creative and an extraordinarily kind, thoughtful, generous, intelligent, skilled, and talented human being, a lover of good -natured fun, and a secret doer of unsung good deeds.

Fred at McCormick House, attaching a nameplate he created for the USS Silver Clipper, which was made collaboratively by Silver City folks and Oakland artist Scott MacLeod, 2016.

His earth-sheltered, energy efficient home, which he carefully designed and built himself in the 1980s, sits just south of McCormick House where visiting artists with the Resident Artist Program stay during their Residencies, which last anywhere from two weeks to several months.

Fred was key to the success of the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. In my role as Director of the Program, I witnessed Fred’s neighborliness and enthusiastic involvement with the Residents, who come from across the U.S. and the world. As a man with an extraordinary range of skills and talents and endless curiosity, Fred appreciated the particular skills, talents and interests of each visitor. He welcomed them with challenging, high desert walking tours of Silver City's "outback", useful tips on local history and culture, use of his well-appointed workshop, help with transporting their artwork, gifts of rare found objects, and much more.

Fred giving a mountain hiking tour of Silver City to writer Peter Krogh Andersen and Christina Balsvarde, both of Denmark, 2017. Photo courtesy of Peter Krogh Anderson.
Fred’s connection with the artists began through his love of all living creatures. Michigan artist Brian Schorn arrived at the Resident Artist Program in 2015 just after a feral cat gave birth to four kittens under McCormick House. He helped Brian tame the mother cat and the kittens. Good homes were found for all of the kittens, but not for the tiny but fierce and not-quite-tame mother cat. Fred adopted her, giving her the life of a cat princess with her own room, saying, “She’s suffered enough.” Later, this cat, who he named Sweetie Pie, was immortalized as "Fred's rattlesnake killing cat" in Pulitizer-Prize nominated poet David Lee's 2016 poem, "Silver City Dawn Psalm." Althought she became a pampered indoor cat, she still ventured outside now and then to kill some of the town’s enormous rattlesnakes, sometimes leaving them at the door of McCormick House as a gift (or warning?) to our visiting artists.

In addition to helping Brian tame the kittens, Fred took him on long hikes around the Comstock, showing him where to find the fascinating historical detritus – bits of old bottles, dishes, toys, and medicine bottles from the 1800s – that Brian incorporated into more than 20 artworks that became his “Comstock Wabi Sabi” series. The exhibition has since been shown at St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City, and three locations in Reno, including Truckee Meadows Community College. Brian dedicated his January 2018 newsletter to Fred, describing him as “my dear friend,” and noting that “the work I created while a Resident Artist in Silver City would not have been possible without the kindness of Fred. I am so grateful for our friendship and the good times we shared."

After Brian left, Fred had a burst of creative energy, creating dozens of assemblages from Comstock found objects that he left along a popular local walking trail in the hills surrounding Silver City. One of the most photographed is his kinetic trailside artwork, made with pieces of green desert glass ingeniously woven into the remains of a 19th Century ore shoot. Fred’s assemblages have inspired local artists, and visiting artists, who have added their own pieces to the trail over the last few years.

PHOTO BY EVANGELINE ELSTON

Fred also shared friendship with Oakland-based artist and writer Scott MacLeod. He helped Scott install a tribute to Comstock legend Bob McKinney high in the hills above Silver City. Startled hikers sometimes happen upon the beautiful ship model art piece and post their find on Instagram. Scott created the ship with found objects in 2016 while he was at the Resident Artist Program. Fred also created the unique name plate for another ship, the USS Silver Clipper, a collabortively made artwork created by Scott and Silver City locals in 2016 that was later on display at St. Mary’s Art Center.

PHOTO BY JONATHAN BYRNSIDE

The artists and writers who’ve visited were equally smitten with Fred, and they photographed him and his artistic creations, recorded his stories and wrote about him. For instance, some of Fred’s stories about Silver City and why he chose to make it his home, and a large scale portrait of Fred, are preserved in Frances Melhop's Comstock Portrait Project which was presented as a solo show at UNR and at the Haldan Gallery at Lake Tahoe Community College in 2017. Fred's portrait was taken, and his stories were captured, at the Silver City School House in 2016 while Frances was a Resident Artist in Silver City.

PHOTO BY FRANCES MELHOP OF HER COMSTOCK PORTRAIT PROJECT EXHIBITION AT UNR 2017.

Over his lifetime, Fred expressed his own artistic skills through the creation of unique homes, vehicles, jewelry, woodworking, glasswork and more. When he graciously gave tours of his home to our visiting artists, they photographed the astounding range of beautiful things he built, such as a reclining Morris chair with clawfeet, a bright orange Ford Model A truck with wood paneling, an imitation Victorian Cottage he built for his daughter next to his own unusual earth sheltered home, jewelry made with things such as bits of broken dishes left by the Chinese men who built rock walls in Silver City in the 1800s, etc.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER KROGH ANDERSEN

Today we keep photos and a number of mementos of Fred at McCormick House - one of his beloved Christmas cacti, a colored bottle, a tiny glass Buddha. We’re working on a spring garden in memory of Fred; it’s on the west side of McCormick House and includes a purple lilac, honeysuckle bushes, and an ever-expanding number of tulips. Thank you, Fred, for the beauty you brought to the world.

Memorial: Fred’s daughter Las writes that “a service will be held to honor the memory of Fred Swanson’s life, his humor, his contribution as a whole and to each of us individually, to comfort each other in our loss and say our good byes. Dessert and coffee will be served. All whom he had the good fortune to know or were touched by him are invited to attend. Please feel free to dress casual, burning man or formal; whatever suits you. The colors purple and orange were his favorites! Please bring an interesting, inspirational or funny story or memory if you would like to share. No flowers please. If you wish to make a financial remembrance, please donate to the NEVADA HUMANE SOCIETY-Spay/Neuter Program, 549 Airport Rd, Carson City, NV 89701.” The memorial takes place on

Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 1 p.m.
at the Carson Plaza Hotel Event Center
211 E. 9th Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN SCHORN, 2015.