Welcome to the RN&R’s new Art Notes column! I’ll be here to get you up to speed on the latest art news in Reno, Sparks, Carson City and the environs every other week. On the weeks in between, get ready for Mark Earnest’s new Music Notes column.
To submit your news for consideration, please email krisv@renonr.com. (Please note that Art Notes does not include event announcements. You can list those here on our self-serve calendar, and email them for coverage consideration to 11days@renonr.com.)
New art coming to the airport
The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority announced in a December press release that it has selected San Francisco Bay Area artist Sean Orlando as the artist for the next major art piece at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
His installation, “Reno-Tahoe Textures,” will consist of five illuminated sculptural panels with maps and/or images of local landscapes—Truckee Meadows roadways, Mount Rose, Lake Tahoe, Black Rock City and the airport’s runways. Orlando is the founder of Engineered Artworks fabrication studio in Richmond, Calif., a board member of The Crucible industrial arts facility in Oakland, Calif., and a co-founder of Five Ton Crane, the ambitious Oakland arts collective.
Artist invites people to submit Truckee River reflections
Seattle-area artist John Fleming and the city of Reno are asking members of the community to share stories, memories and poems about the Truckee River for a new art installation at the Public Safety Center (the new Reno Police Department headquarters that opened in August in the former Reno Gazette-Journal building at 911 Kuenzli St.).
The writings are slated to be inlaid into paver tiles that will make up a representation of the river in the plaza leading to the building’s entrance. The project is funded by the city of Reno’s 2% for Art Program. Fleming also designed the two sculptures that were installed at the corner Oddie and Silverada boulevards in 2025.
This call for participation lists the due date for submitting stories as Jan. 2, but a city of Reno representative said that the deadline has been extended through at least mid-January.
The Generator announces sculpture park plans
The Generator makerspace has announced plans to construct a 20,000-square-foot art park in the lot on the east side of its building at 2450 Oddie Blvd., in Sparks.
The facility is intended for large-scale artwork displays and events. The team is currently working on getting permitting to build a fence and seeking donations to fund the project.
IMLS grants restored
The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced in December that its 2025 grants that were terminated in March via a Trump executive order will be reinstated, per a November legal ruling in a Rhode Island District Court.
A list of awardees had not yet been posted publicly as of this writing, so the question of which Nevada organizations may be affected is still open. In recent years, several organizations in Reno, Carson City, Las Vegas and rural areas have been awarded IMLS grants.
Reno art grants awarded
The Reno City Council approved the 2026 Arts and Culture Grants at its Dec. 10 meeting. The funding was awarded in two categories—$91,484 for events and $88,591 for other projects. The money comes from the city’s room tax fund.
Arts and Culture Event Grants
- Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts ($6,323)
- Latino Arte and Culture ($6,253)
- The Holland Project ($6,113)
- Nevada Humanities ($6,113)
- Asian Community Development Council ($5,763)
- Artown ($5,693)
- Wickedwayz ($5,343)
- Reno Jazz Orchestra ($5,203)
- Arts for All Nevada ($4,383)
- Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival ($4,465)
- Nevada Museum of Art Inc. ($5,063)
- High Desert Radio Project (KWNK) ($5,063)
- Laika Press ($2,351)
- Sierra Nevada Ballet ($4,783)
- Northern Nevada Rural Concert Initiative ($4,783)
- Reno Philharmonic Association Inc. ($4,713)
- Holy Cross Lutheran Church ($4,643)
- Sweet Adelines International (High Desert Harmony) ($4,433)
Arts and Culture Project Grants
- Arts for All Nevada ($5,623)
- Build Our Center ($5,553)
- Asian Community Development Council ($5,483)
- Latino Arte and Culture ($5,413)
- Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival ($5,413)
- Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts ($5,413)
- High Desert Radio Project (KWNK) ($5,413)
- Reno Philharmonic Association Inc. ($5,343)
- Laika Press ($5,343)
- David J. Drakulich Art Foundation for Freedom of Expression ($5,343)
- Nevada Museum of Art Inc. ($5,133)
- The Holland Project ($5,133)
- Sierra Nevada Ballet ($5,063)
- Reno Jazz Orchestra ($4,923)
- A.V.A. Ballet Theatre ($4,853)
- Reno Little Theater ($4,643)
- Brüka Theatre ($4,503)