Architect Finn Kappe discusses the style and aesthetic of his own architectural practice, and that of his modernist father Ray Kappe, in this edition of the Black Rock Design Institute (BRDI) lecture series.  

*Doors open at 5 pm with hosted beer. Program begins at 6 pm.

Join Perry as he traces the life of Charlotte Skinner shining light on the places, people and events that informed her work.  

Stay after the talk for an in-depth tour of the exhibition starting at 5pm. 

This exhibition features original paintings and drawings of the Eastern Sierra by Charlotte B. Skinner. It also includes works by artist-friends including Dorothea Lange, Maynard Dixon, Roi Partridge, Sonya Noskowiak, Ralph Stackpole, and William Wendt, along with Panamint Shoshone baskets from her own personal collection.

Admission includes access to First Thursday and the tour following the talk.

Join Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer, authors of Neon Nevada, for a discussion surrounding the influence of neon signage on the development of Nevada’s unique culture. Stay for a book signing of their expanded edition after the talk.

About Neon Nevada:

First published in 1994, Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer take readers on a journey across the state of Nevada on a quest to discover and illuminate Nevada’s neon. Full-color photographs and historical commentary bring the state’s hues of neon to life through the year 2022 in the newly updated and expanded edition of Neon Nevada.

Praise for Neon Nevada:

“This is not merely a coffee table book; it’s an immersive journey through time, a celebration of art, culture, and nostalgia.” —Nick Vedros, president, the LUMI Neon Museum

“The book is a testament to the largely unknown sign designers and tube benders who have made and continue to make Nevada’s magnificent commercial landscape all aglitter!” — Alan Goldman, Blue Plate Productions, producer of the documentary film “Glowing in the Dark”

Artist Guillermo Bert and guest curator Vivian Zavataro come together to discuss art, process, the exhibition Guillermo Bert: The Journey, and life. The duo met back in 2021 when they started planning Bert’s mid-career retrospective and connected over a shared passion for art, activism, and decolonialization. Join us to learn more about Bert’s practice, Zavataro’s curatorial approach, and the conceptual development of The Journey.

Biernoff shares details of her artistic practice and insights into the memories and discarded personal histories imbued in found images. 

Elisheva Biernoff: Reservoirs of Time features the small-format paintings by the San Francisco-based artist Elisheva Biernoff, which are inspired by enigmatic photographs she encounters and collects that impact her in one way or another. 

Presented as part of the Debra and Dennis Scholl Distinguished Speaker Series

Join Apsara DiQuinzio, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, for the closing program associated with Adaline Kent: The Click of Authenticity, the first major retrospective of Kent’s work in more than sixty years. DiQuinzio will discuss Kent’s life and work, rooted in modernism and the natural world.   

Sydney Cain (aka sage stargate) (she/them), is a visual artist born and raised in San Francisco, CA. Their work reflects encounters with unseen realities. Cain’s work draws on their ancestry at the confluence of landscape, afterlives, and spiritual well-being of Black people. Join us as Cain discusses their practice and current artist residency in Nevada. Cain’s work, And They Are Not Afraid of the Night Because They Are the Color of It, 2021 is part of the Museum’s permanent collections and was on view in the 2022 exhibition In Frequencies. 

The Second World War was the dominant force impacting fashion of the 1940s. Civilian clothing was impacted by the rationing of materials as the need for uniforms took precedence. Join us for a discussion with Megan Bellister, Curator of Learning and Engagement, on ways in which necessity and limitations led to innovation in fashion in the U.S. and abroad.