Third spaces are vital to building and sustaining community connections. Listen to a conversation with Lilley Museum of Art’s Stephanie Gibson and Nevada Museum of Art’s Colin Robertson to learn more about the museum’s role as crucial open-toall spaces that engage everyone. Register for the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl here. 

Artists have long been change makers who draw attention to the world’s most pressing issues through creative expression. Tristan Duke and Colin Robertson discuss Duke’s recent work developing glacial lenses to capture the turmoil of the changing climate in Glacial Optics. Register here for the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl. 

How does a Bristlecone Pine tree observe the passage of time? Artist and experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats joins William L. Fox, Founding Director of the Center for Art + Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art, for a conversation about Keats’ new installation—the monumental clock called “Centuries of the Bristlecone,” newly installed at the Nevada Museum of Art. Register here at the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl site.  

Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi have spent their lives learning about, collecting, and supporting Indigenous Australian art and artists. Hear from the collectors firsthand about their passion for the diverse Indigenous Australian artists and artwork in their collection–now part of a transformative gift of art generously donated to the Nevada Museum of Art. 

Two of the most influential voices in contemporary art—Edgar Arceneaux and Charles Gaines—come together for a rare public conversation in this compelling program. Known for pushing the boundaries of conceptual and political art, these celebrated artists will explore the role of material, history, and philosophy in shaping their groundbreaking practices. 

Join us for a compelling conversation featuring William L. Fox, Peter E. Pool Director of the Institute for Art + Environment and Aspara DiQuinzio, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art and the curator of Eternal Signs: Indigenous Australian Art from the Kaplan and Levi Collection. This program explores the deep connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork, ancestral knowledge, and the environment. Together, our speakers will discuss how these works communicated timeless cultural narratives, cosmologies, and relationships to land – offering powerful insights into art’s role in sustaining identity, memory, and ecological understanding. Audiences will gain a richer appreciation for how Indigenous artists express ancestral wisdom through symbol, gesture, and tradition in ways that resonate across generations and continents. 

Image: 

Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Limen Bight River During the Wet, 1995-96. Acrylic on canvas, 53 1/8 x 95 3/8 in. (135 x 242 cm). Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, gift of Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi. © Estate of Ginger Riley. Courtesy of Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne. Photo: Zocalo Studios

Every plant in the surrounding landscape has fought, migrated, and evolved to survive. In the Great Basin, plant communities are diverse and resilient, and Elizabeth Leger’s research lab is focused on understanding what enables individual plants to thrive despite drought, invasion, fire, and grazing pressure. Join Dr. Leger as she shares some of the most surprising discoveries from her work, including moments when her assumptions were challenged.

Due to an emergency as of 12:30 pm, this program is canceled.

Caitlin Bell, Artistic Director of local, contemporary dance company, Collateral & Co., discusses the ways in which dance and visual art have influenced and complemented each other, shaping cultural expression and artistic innovation from classical to contemporary periods. 

The 1930s marked a pivotal period in the history of fashion. The Great Depression left a lasting impact on society and the fashion industry, alike. It was during this period that popular Hollywood stars became a major influence on fashion trends. Join us for a discussion with Megan Bellister, Nell J. Redfield Curator of Learning and Engagement at the Nevada Museum of Art, on why the Great Depression reshaped 1930s American fashion through practical necessity and Hollywood glamour.

Join Jean-Paul Perrotte, Associate Professor of Composition and Director of the Electro-Acoustic Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno, as he discusses the creation of an immersive soundscape for the exhibition Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada. Drawing from the ancient, mysterious world of prehistoric sea reptiles, Perrotte will discuss how sound can help bring the deep history and vast scale of Nevada’s prehistoric past to life.