By Maria Palma
On Saturday, June 26, and after more than a year of event closures, the Sierra Arts Festival was held at downtown’s City Plaza. Attendees were able to freely browse the offerings of more than 40 local artists as they enjoyed live music, art cars, food and performers from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Throughout the day, the event had a variety of local food trucks, wine and beer concessions, and a “Cre8tive Zone” run by the Nevada Museum of Art, featuring interactive art projects for attendees of all ages. The Sierra Arts Festival featured a hula hoop jam and music for participants. Northern Nevada’s premier fire performance group, Controlled Burn, closed the event for the last hour of the evening.
“Even just planning the Sierra Arts Festival has given our team and the participating artists a sense of normalcy,” said Tracey Oliver, executive director of Sierra Arts Foundation. “After a year of supporting these talented artists through atypical means, we’re very excited to be able to welcome the broader community for an entire day and hope attendees celebrate the many artists who were helped throughout the pandemic.”
Sierra Arts Foundation, in collaboration with the City of Reno and Artech, a non-profit development space for creativity, took steps to ensure COVID-19 mitigation procedures were followed for the festival, offering the community a chance to connect over artistic endeavors and those who created them.
“Now that we’re vaccinated against COVID-19, it feels safe to enjoy in-person activities,” said Noel, a visitor from San Francisco, California, who was exploring Reno. “Seeing things like this is awesome. Not only do you have gambling, but the heart of this city is very beautiful.”
Angelina from The Helping Moon, a local business that offers healing crystals and handmade wire wrapped jewelry, was part of the festival. “It’s amazing to see so many new faces after the pandemic and getting to connect with everyone in the community,” she said.
Check out photos from Saturday’s event:
