OLLI Art at the Museum: Tradition and Innovation in Ceramics

Discover the transformative potential of ceramics with Brittany Sundheim, a local artist and Museum School instructor. In this talk, Sundheim explores how Indigenous traditions, Jewish cultural influences, and modern chemistry shape her contemporary ceramic practice. 

This program is presented in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and is hosted every third Wednesday of the month. 

OLLI Art at the Museum: Stewart Indian School and Cultural Center

Josh Bonde, Executive Director of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum, explores the cultural and historical legacy of the Stewart Boarding School, from its founding in 1890 to its closure in 1980. Now a site of remembrance and education, Stewart honors the first students from Great Basin Tribes, as well as all students and families impacted by the boarding school experience. 

This program is in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and is hosted every third Wednesday of the month. Support for the 2026 series provided by CJ Christenson.

Opening Curator Talk: ‘Into the Time Horizon’ with Apsara DiQuinzio

Immerse yourself in the vision behind the Into the Time Horizon, the Museum’s largest and most ambitious exhibition to-date, with Apsara DiQuinzio, the Museum’s Andrea and John C. Deane Family Chief Curator. 
 
From contemporary literature to innovative media and what sustainability looks like for a contemporary art museum, Apsara will introduce the narrative and highlight significant works from the exhibition as the final section opens.

Ecopoetry with Jared Stanley

Poet and UNR creative writing professor Jared Stanley hosts a poetry reading and discussion about the intersection of ecopoetry and environmental art. Stanley’s poetry explores the way language heightens our relationship with the world, taking cues from installation art, fine press printing, informational signage design, and the lava writing along Eight Mile Flat east of Fallon.
 
Jared Stanley is the author of four collections of poetry, So Tough, EARS, The Weeds, and Book Made of Forest. He teaches creative writing in the MFA Program at the University of Nevada, Reno and lives in Reno, Nevada with an historian and their daughter.

Discovering Flora with the Nevada Native Plant Society

Learn about the incredibly diverse flora in our region with Emma Wynn, President of the Nevada Native Plant Society. She shares how the nonprofit organization started and ways to engage with Nevada’s 2800+ wild plant species.
 
 
This is part of an Art Bite series featuring local conservation and sustainability organizations, which complements Into the Time Horizon.  

Branches of Life: Forest Resilience and Collaboration on the Truckee River

When we protect our forests, we protect life. Healthy, resilient forests along the Truckee River reduce wildfire risk, safeguard water quality, and preserve the beauty and biodiversity that define Northern Nevada. 

Learn how the Nevada Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is working to improve forest health – before catastrophic wildfires occur – by restoring the natural role of fire, strengthening forest ecosystems, enhancing community safety, and honoring Indigenous knowledge. 

This is part of an Art Bite series featuring local conservation and sustainability organizations, which complements Into the Time Horizon.  

Artist Talk: Myth, Mycology, and Symbiosis with Xiaojing Yan

Debra and Dennis Scholl Distinguished Speaker Series

Enjoy an evening exploring the open-ended experimentation of artist Xiaojing Yan. A Chinese immigrant living in Canada, Yan investigates how nature, an inherent force within traditional Chinese art, transcends sculpture. Yan’s sculpture Lingzhi Girl is featured in Into the Time Horizon, and part of the Museum’s permanent collection.

This program is free to UNR, TMCC, and WNC students.

Fly Fishing, Water Protectors, and River Justice with Autumn Harry

Autumn Harry (Paiute), an artist and a leader of River Justice, discusses how the Indigenous-led project advocates for the just stewardship and riparian health of the Truckee River. River Justice prioritizes river stewardship in consideration of Numu (Northern Paiute) communities downstream who are impacted by policy decisions, planning, and developmental threats to surface water. 
 
Harry is from Kooyooe Pa’a Panunadu, also known as Pyramid Lake, and is the first Numu woman fly-fishing guide at Pyramid Lake’s famed Lahontan Cutthroat Trout fishery.

SOLD OUT: Opening Talk with Artist and Writer Jonathon Keats

Traverse the expanse of time and consider the environmental complexities that led to the concept and creation of Centuries of the Bristlecone with Jonathon Keats, artist, writer, and experimental philosopher. Keats’ conceptually driven transdisciplinary projects explore all aspects of society, adapting methods from the sciences and the humanities. Following the talk, enjoy a ceremonial etching on the clock.
 
Centuries of the Bristlecone is now on-view and was created in collaboration with Phil Abernethy, Brittany Cox, Jason Iceman, and The Long Now Foundation.
 
This public talk is a complementary program to the 2026 NV STEAM Conference.

OLLI Art at the Museum: Caring for Contemporary Native American Baskets

Explore the Museum’s collection of contemporary Native American baskets from a conservation and educational lens with Cienna WindRiver, Native American archive collections and library coordinator. 

This program is in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and is hosted every third Wednesday of the month. Support for the 2026 series provided by CJ Christenson.