Curating a artistic motion: The Reno Tahoe Worldwide Artwork Present is doubling in measurement and including new options in its second yr
6 min read
As we’re reminded each July, Reno is an artwork city. However mockingly, it has traditionally lacked venues the place artists can present their work en masse and probably promote it—and the place collectors can accumulate new works in a variety of genres.
Enter the Reno Tahoe Worldwide Artwork Present (RTIA), which debuted in September 2022 with a lot reward from artists, gallerists, arts organizations and attendees alike for its sheer amount, selection and distinctive high quality of labor on show.
The 2022 occasion introduced greater than 200 regional artists and furnishings designers, greater than 40 galleries and options, 80-plus musicians, film-festival programming, a sculpture stroll and a First Nations, Indigenous Peoples artwork pavilion, all underneath one roof for 3 days, surpassing expectations for a first-of-its-kind occasion.
As if all that weren’t sufficient, this yr’s occasion, going down Sept. 14-17 on the Reno-Sparks Conference Middle, will double in measurement.
The present is the brainchild of father-daughter duo Kevin O’Keefe, a longtime tradeshow organizer, and Briana Dolan, a former advertising and marketing government with a hospitality-design model that specialised in cruise ships. In 2020, as tradeshows, cruise strains and your entire hospitality trade have been upended because of COVID-19, the household relocated from the northeastern U.S. to Reno, which Dolan’s relations known as house. (Her husband is a part of the Dolan Auto household.)
O’Keefe and Dolan are additionally pastime artists—O’Keefe a painter, Dolan a collage artist. With the relocation and O’Keefe’s retirement, he reached out to his daughter for assist in creating an internet site for his work. That concept quickly spurred a good greater one: a web-based gallery the place different Reno-Tahoe artists might show their work and join with potential consumers. That grew to become the Reno High quality Arts Collective.
They rapidly realized that they had tapped into one thing important.
“There was positively a palpable want for extra arts, extra occasions and extra locations to go see artwork,” Dolan stated. “After we received the collective began, the No. 1 factor that we stored listening to folks say was, ‘Reno is nice for the humanities. There are such a lot of artists right here; we’ve received Burning Man … however individuals who have cash don’t purchase from native artists. They’ll go to San Francisco, or they go to L.A.’ That was sort of the mantra. So we felt it was the correct time to convey a world artwork present to the realm.”
The overarching imaginative and prescient driving Dolan and O’Keefe within the improvement of the RTIA has been what they name the Reno Artistic Motion, just like what exhibits like South by Southwest and Artwork Basel did for Austin and Miami, respectively.
“Anchoring a major, annual arts and tradition extravaganza can change the way in which a spot is seen and the way it develops,” Dolan stated. “Our purpose is to proceed rising this factor, and already this yr, it’s going to have doubled in measurement from final yr. We’re sort of rising it in the way in which that makes probably the most sense for the area and for what we’d love to do, which may be very totally different from the way in which most artwork gala’s run, that are mainly all galleries. That’s not what we’re doing.”
In fact, the RTIA boasts an abundance of visible artwork, from galleries, arts organizations and unbiased artists, with genres encompassing paint, images, sculpture, ceramics, furnishings, jewellery, music, movie and extra.
However what distinguishes the present is its mix of artwork and hospitality, placing the area’s defining options on show and showcasing what makes Reno-Tahoe particular. Partnerships with native accommodations, together with the Peppermill Resort Spa On line casino, and several other meals/drink institutions present ticketholders with hotel-room and eating strategies and reductions, whereas the present organizers showcase space sights and close by occasions going down throughout September.
What’s in retailer for 2023
This yr’s occasion will occupy the 60,000-square-foot Reno-Sparks Conference Middle Corridor—plus an extra 40,000 sq. ft within the type of a welcome foyer highlighting each sculptures and uncommon vehicles. The present will embrace main parts, which the founders name “pillars”: unbiased artists; galleries and options; sculpture; and leisure and hospitalities. Almost 200 exhibitors shall be featured at this yr’s present.
The unbiased artists space is house to unbiased artists and humanities organizations from across the area. One new addition for 2023 is Foundations, an exhibit of labor by Reno-Tahoe expats now dwelling and dealing exterior the realm. All genres of labor proven final yr will return, with this yr’s present bringing AI-generated artwork to the combination.
One other new function on this a part of the present is the Artwork Metropolis Invitationals.
“Anchoring a major, annual arts and tradition extravaganza can change the way in which a spot is seen and the way it develops. Our purpose is to proceed rising this factor.”
Reno Tahoe Worldwide Artwork Present co-founder briana dolan
“On this idea, we have been approaching recognized artwork cities in the way in which we would like Reno-Tahoe to be ultimately seen … locations which are recognized to be very wealthy within the arts, with galleries and artists, however locations that may not essentially take part within the circuit of artwork gala’s,” Dolan defined. “We’ve invited them to participate within the present and current collectively as a pavilion from their metropolis.” Artists from Las Vegas, San Francisco, Park Metropolis, Laguna Seaside/La Jolla, Sedona and Carmel-by-the-Sea shall be represented.
At galleries and options, the First Nations, Indigenous Peoples Pavilion will return, in a single pavilion this yr; further house will embrace jewellery and sculpture work. Additionally returning is the Neon Exhibit, which is increasing to incorporate collectible museum items, in addition to the Bespoke Furnishings exhibit. The Cordillera Worldwide Movie Pageant will current a 90-minute short-film program, and “RTIA Talks” will current a mixture of panel discussions, interviews and audio system.
Final yr’s fashionable indoor/outside Sculpture Stroll will return, with its large- and small-scale works. A brand new part, a Publish Playa Artwork Characteristic, will current large-scale items that made their debuts at Burning Man this yr.
At leisure and hospitalities, native breweries shall be available to supply tastings in the course of the present; this yr’s occasion will function a brand new VIP lounge and low lounge. Greater than 20 space musicians will take the stage on website, in addition to at satellite tv for pc occasions and the RTA Awards Gala.
The Reno Tahoe Artist Awards—a separate nonprofit entity—works in live performance with the present to acknowledge regional artists for excellence in six genres. Winners are chosen by a panel of jurors. Money prizes shall be awarded in six classes, and a $5,000 grand-prize winner shall be chosen from amongst these six.
Additionally new this yr is the Better of Present Awards, which is a voter-based, jury-assisted program that invitations attendees and exhibitors to pick out their favorites in every of these six inventive classes, in addition to a pupil class. The winners every obtain a $1,500 credit score towards the 2024 RTIA.
Awards shall be distributed on the gala, which is a individually ticketed occasion, from 7 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16.
The Reno Tahoe Worldwide Artwork Present will happen from Thursday, Sept. 14, by way of Sunday, Sept. 17, on the Reno-Sparks Conference Middle, 4590 S. Virginia St., in Reno. Tickets are $25 to $95 upfront. For extra info, go to rtiashow.com.
This text was initially printed by Double Scoop.
