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Changing the face of art.
The face of art in Reno, is changing at what seems a to be a surgical rate. The Nevada Museum of Art is the hand holding the scalpel, the brain behind it is CEO, David Walker.
Walker, 50, a graduate of the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of design, has been involved with many forms of art over the years. A painter in high school, he later went on to be the Dean of public programs at the Art Center College of Design for 11 years. He created non-degree public programs for high school students, executives , and continued education for teachers. He also owned an art gallery in Santa Monica, Ca. He published his own art magazine called Element. During the 80’s and early 90’s he was part of a few bands, alongside his wife, they opened for big name bands such as Janes Addiction and Social Distortion. On top of that, Walker also worked for an investment-banking firm for five years.
Having been a part of bands that went on to sign record deals, Walker and his wife left the music scene. They knew that life on the road as musicians was not something that they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. Later on, Walker would leave southern California for mountainous northern Nevada.
Since 2007, Walker has become the man in charge of the now 80-year old institution that is the art museum. 2007 also marked the end of the total renovation the museum undertook on the outside. Walker admits that one of the initial attractions to Reno was the new building.
As a whole the Museum was going through a rebirth, Walker was recruited to focus his effort on developing the art collection, and what happens inside the building. He began by bringing new and better exhibitions, strengthening the staff as well as the board of trustees. Walker brought a vision to the museum.
Through peer-to-peer connections Walker and his staff have been able to bring Reno, world-class exhibits. Artists such as Raphael, and Fernando Botero, have graced the walls of the museum. Walker is also bringing contemporary artists such as Leo Villareal, who does sight specific installments involving l.e.d. lights, and Jacob Hashimoto a famous New York artist.
While Walker has been bringing works of fine art to Reno, he also likes to balance it out by showing other exhibits, like the Wrong Side of Reno. The show centers on the punk rock movement in Reno and the graphic communication of posters and album covers of the genre.
” I think art is often almost always a reflection of the time.” Walker said. “I think right now we see a lot of things that are written about as art that in the past never would have.”
On average Walker said the museum goes through about 40 exhibits a year. Last year marked one of their best years yet. They had high membership, and attendance was at its highest. Walker said that Reno has responded well to the new direction of the museum.
Although Walkers job may seem like a desk job, he actually spends a lot of time away from it. His job requires he spend time building relationships that will benefit the museum. This may entail dinners with donors to visiting exhibits around the country. This past year he spent Thanksgiving with donors. From National Cowboy Poetry gathering, to fine art exhibits in New York, Walker has to cultivate resources.
“My free life and my professional life are co-mingled for better or for worse,” Walker said. “Sometimes it’s a strain on my wife sometimes it’s a strain on our weekly schedule because so much of my time is spent doing these things.”
With a hectic schedule, Walker is always busy. He said that when he does get time off he likes to watch football, he does take time to spend with his family and even go camping. Something Walker enjoys the most are the seasons in Reno.
For the most part Walker said, that even if he did not have a job traveling and visiting exhibits, he would do it anyway. He managed to find something that allows him to do what he feels passionate about for a living.
Walker’s vision means an exciting future for the museum. In the near future, he plans on bringing Egyptian Sarcophagi and over 125 artifacts. Another big exhibit Called Altered Landscape that will also be published as a coffee table book. The book is a collection of photographs from the new topographic artists. It deals with mans interaction with the landscape.
Right now, the museum has two goals; contining to bring new and exciting exhibits, as well as public programs. The museum offers a wide range of classes open to the public. They also have scholastic art awards to recognize talent amongst student in high school and middle schools.
The second goal is to begin to originate content such as exhibition and publications. In addition they also collect archives while becoming a part of a larger art and environment conversation. In doing so they create stronger peer-to-peer relations not only nationally, but internationally. By doing this they create new funding sources.
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Reno City Council vote affects homeless people downtown.
Homeless men and women will be affected during winter months by new Reno City Council vote.
As of Dec. 6 homeless people found sitting or lying on the street will be charged with a misdemeanor. On Dec. 1 the Reno City Council met to vote on the expansion of the area that defines downtown boundaries. The vote made it a misdemeanor to sit or lie on the sidewalks that lie within the downtown boundaries. Many people without homes can find refuge in tent city, but tent city can only hold so many people, and in the cold winter months exposure to the elements can be deadly.
Homeless people in Reno will be forced to seek new refuge during the dangerously cold winter months that lay ahead. Since the vote passed, the homeless people of downtown will be forced to travel from a farther distance to get to the Reno Gospel Mission. Pat Jones, case worker at the Reno gospel mission, said that these cold months are dangerous for people on the street. Reno Gospel Mission has helped many people get off the streets and get stability in their lives again with help from people like Jones, as well as staff member Pete Sanchez.
“We provide warming shelters for men and women when the temperatures reach below the freezing marks,” Jones said. “If the facilities get too full we do have overflow shelters that we can send them to.”
“It’s the luck of the draw,” Sanchez said. “I seen people been here a few weeks they get cleaned up and they go out and they get a job, within a month or two they got their own place. Some people they come here and stay for months and no job, it’s really tough for some. There are people who really do want to get clean and get better.” Sanchez said that they are open but at the same time they can only house so many people and during the winter they get an increase of people coming to the shelters.
“One thing about these people is, some of them want help,” Sanchez said. “But not everyone wants to be helped, you know.”
Yet for some, the shelters aren’t much of an option. Bill George, former Fitzgeralds employee, has now been on the streets for over 5 years. George claims that he had been wrongly accused of violating the rules of the shelter and was no longer allowed back.
“Out here it’s about survival.” George said. “At night you gotta worry about stayin warm, makin sure you don’t get jumped, it’s hard out here. I’m constantly on the move; sometimes like in the winter blankets are hard to come by, I seen a guy freeze to death sittin up. Food gets harder in the winter too.”
Food stamps and food from shelters last the homeless for a week at a time but most people said that pan handling and “canning” (recycling cans and bottles)is what gets them by from day to day.
With the law forcing them to relocate away from the gospel mission many homeless people don’t know where they will go. The future if many of these people is uncertain. In the coming months will prove a greater test for homeless people in Reno.
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4th Street station opens with seamless transition.
"Jackson" by Donald Lopski. The flying bus has quickly become the iconic centerpiece of the new 4th Street bus station.
A smooth transition marked the opening of the 4th street bus station opened at Midnight Oct 30th.
The Regional Transportation Commission opened new bust station on the corner of 4thStreet and Evans Street. The bus station is almost twice as big as the previous station. It will continue to run the same routes but it will now have an additional 8 new articulated buses which will be able to hold a maximum of 100 passengers.
The Citi Center station closed after 24years, it was purchased by the city of Reno. As of 1:04 a.m. Sunday the 4th Street will be the main bus terminal in the down town area.
The new station was created to be more efficient and with some added improvements. The station will have free Wi-Fi. The building was built with recycled materials and was designed to be green, it abides by LEED standards. the roof has solar panels and was created using recycled materials such as cement from local plants. The loading areas were built a few inches taller so the buses no longer have to kneel to load or unload passengers. New features also include flat screens TV’s all around the station which display routes times and information, areas available for possible retail or restaurant use. The expanded area will allow room for the RTC project to grow in the future. Juan Casterjon, bus driver, felt it was a positive change for RTC and Reno.
“It’s a lot more functional,” Casterjon said. “Even if we do get more people it doesn’t look so crowded because there are a lot more open areas.”
The new RTC station also marked the debut of the new accordion-style buses. The articulated buses were purchased in an effort to reduce emissions while being efficient and eco-friendly. They run on hybrid engines which use both diesel and electric motors. The accordion-style buses will run between the 4th Street station and Meadowood Mall.
The While the opening day kicked off to what seemed to be a smooth transition there were still minor challenges along the way. A bus was delayed because it was in need of minor repair, the previous driver had grazed a telephone pole while picking up passengers and did damage to the passenger side mirror. Casterjon had his route delayed because of the damage to the bus. Shirley Bessey, road supervisor, was quick to get maintenance to fix the bus. Bessey along with Carol Perry, trip reduction specialist, managed to put Casterjon back on the road shortly after the bus was fixed.
“Many times the stop along a route may not be bus friendly and the drivers run into problems maneuvering,” Perry said.
The delay was brief and before long the bus was on route again. While the transition at midnight may have been smooth, adjusting passengers to the new lay out proved to be more difficult. RTC employees were out handing out maps and routes to people adjusting to the new station.
“It’s been a long day,” Bessey said.
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"Jackson" by Donald Lopski. The iconic centerpiece of the new 4th Street bus station draws attention and recognition.
A smooth transition marked the opening of the 4th street bus station opened at Midnight Oct 30th.
The city of Reno opened new bust station on the corner of 4thStreet and Evans Street. The bus station is almost twice as big as the previous station. It will continue to run the same routes but it will now have an additional 8 new articulated buses which will be able to hold a maximum of 100 passengers. The new buses are also eco friendly. They are hybrid diesel and electric.
The new station also was created to be more efficient and with some added improvements. The loading docks at the new station were built to accommodate the addition of the 8 new buses as well as room for future expansion. The building was built with recycled materials and was designed to be green. The loading areas were built a few inches taller so the buses no longer have to kneel to load or unload passengers. New features flat screens all around the station which display routes times and information, areas available for possible retail or restaurant use. The expanded area will allow room for the RTC project to grow in the future.
“It’s a lot more functional,” said Juan Castrejon bus driver. “Even if we do get more people, it wont look so crowded because we have a lot more open areas.”
While the opening day kicked off to what seemed to be a smooth transition there were still minor hiccups along the way. A bus was in need of minor repair, the previous driver had grazed a telephone pole while picking up passengers and did damage to the passenger side mirror. Shirley Bessey, road supervisor was quick to get maintenance to fix the bus.
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Rainy afternoon
John Helgerson,20, English education major "Fantastic weather."
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