By Kylie Masznicz
With the opening of the new University Arts Building comes the only global museum in the state of Nevada – the Lilley Museum. It’s split into two levels: the top, which will house the permanent collection, and the bottom, which will display featured exhibits.
The permanent collection, called “To Have and To Hold,” carries an impressive 5,500-plus objects covering human history and culture throughout time. While it does feature Nevadan art, it isn’t exclusive to the Silver State, allowing for a broader collection to be enjoyed by all.
With a collection this large, pieces will be swapped out from time to time in order to ensure all the art will be displayed at some point and to keep the museum fresh. If you happened to miss out, though, don’t worry. The gallery has a unique glass storage room for visitors to peer into what is not necessarily on display.
Unlike most museums, this collection is sorted by categories, such as courtship, community, ritual, politics, etc. This layout is interesting because it allows for old and new art to be displayed together, which showcases the contrast of time.
The intention of this gallery is to break from the “classic dead white guy mold,” in the words of curator Paul Baker Prindle, and to show art from other groups. It is due to this that the Lilley Museum holds the largest collection of indigenous art in Nevada, the largest collection of female surrealism art in Nevada, and showcases art from self-taught artists.
However, there is still a piece from Picasso within the gallery to satisfy classic art-lovers. Truly there is something for everyone to appreciate and discover.
Moving downstairs, the current exhibit is “Terma, Images from the Ear or Groin or Somewhere” curated by Stephanie Gibson and created by Sameer Farooq and Jared Stanley. The focus for the exhibit was to challenge the way art is shown within a museum. Gibson joked she didn’t have much to do as a curator since the two artists had a clear vision for how they wanted everything to be presented.
Another large focus of this exhibit was to utilize written art with visual art. There are sculptures located in the back end of the room with hidden poems placed within the larger pieces. This invites each viewer to spend some time discovering the written art.
Sameer Farooq explained the intention behind this was to provide the general public with an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the experience of the art. He explains his method for inspiration is meditation, so this was something he was excited to bring to Reno.
“Terma, Images from the Ear or Groin or Somewhere” will be up from January 25, 2019 through March 7, 2019. It’s a lovely way to spend an evening and I promise all will leave feeling uplifted and inspired.
The Details
Hours
Tuesday and Thursday from 12-4
Hours will expand once University Arts Building officially opens on February 22, 2019
Price — FREE (The only free museum in Northern Nevada)
[foogallery id=”148760″]
