Thought on Tap: Insure Domestic Tranquility

Thought on Tap is a public engagement series that brings together diverse panelists from the University of Nevada, Reno, and the larger Nevada community for important conversations around timely topics. The 2022-2023 season of Thought on Tap explores the American Experience, while examining concepts from the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States such as “a more perfect Union,” “the general Welfare,” and “the Blessings of Liberty.” This event will delve into the phrase “insure domestic Tranquility.”

Join Erica Roth (Deputy General Counsel to Governor Sisolak), Ignacio Montoya (Assistant Professor of English and Linguistics, UNR), and Katie Wolf (Ph.D. Student, UNR English) in a lively discussion moderated by Nasia Anam (Assistant Professor of English, UNR) on the various ways “insure domestic Tranquility” can be interpreted today.

Some questions that will be addressed are: How did the framers imagine “tranquility” would look in the new nation of the United States? How are we as a people tasked to “insure” the tranquility of our fellow Americans now? How do we interpret the term “domestic,” both in terms of our nation-state and our individual homes and families? How does our modern government “insure” domestic tranquility through legislation? How is the concept of the “domestic” complicated by questions of gender, race, and indigeneity?

*Cash bar open from 5 – 7:30 pm

Thought on Tap is presented by Core Humanities at the University of Nevada, Reno. Click here to learn more about upcoming programs.

Through the Lens: Honoring the Architectural Legacy of Paul Revere Williams

Paul Revere Williams was the first licensed African American architect to work in the western region of the United States. His work in Nevada spans from the 1930s through the 1970s and his architectural contributions collectively helped to define the built environment of the region. Contemporary photographer Janna Ireland has spent the past year documenting Williams’ structures throughout the state of Nevada and her images are featured in the exhibition Janna Ireland on the Architectural Legacy of Paul Revere Williams.

Williams’ architectural body of work in Nevada includes churches, commercial properties, residential homes for the state’s wealthiest residents, and planned communities for working-class citizens. His most notable designs in Nevada include the La Concha Motel (now The Neon Museum) in Las Vegas, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist (also known as the Lear Theater) in Reno.

Join us for a special program at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, where we will hear from contemporary photographer Janna Ireland, independent curator and former Director of Architecture and Design at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Brooke Hodge, and Nevada historians Dr. Alicia Barber and Claytee White.

Special guests include exhibition curator, Carmen Beals, Associate Curator and Outreach Manager, Nevada Museum of Art, Aaron Berger, Executive Director of The Neon Museum and Hollis J. Gillespie, Director of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.

NOTE: This event will be held at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas located at 309 S Valley View Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89107

FREE, Advanced registration recommended.

BRDI Presents: Bucking the Industrial City

Join us in examining the tensions between designed placemaking and bottom-up cultural meaning making in our built environments. Using Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center as a regional case study presenters will share findings from a multiyear interdisciplinary place-based research project that contextualizes tales of the wild west, booming industry, and a radical envisioned future. Together we will discuss human-centered approaches to community creation.

Presenters include: Dr. Jan English-Lueck, Dr. Kerry Rohrmeier and Tracy Fish, MFA.

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

Presented in partnership with Black Rock Design Institute.

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

Guided Tour