Footy’s Garden
A DIY backyard shed gallery located in Reno, Nevada. Named after our pal Foot Foot.After the Gold Rush
We were pleased to present a solo exhibition by Casey Conrad (Atlanta, GA) as the inaugural exhibition at Footy’s Garden. A genius object, zine, and printmaker, Conrad presented fifteen new mosaics and new zine (Nuggets Vol. 2) reflecting and celebrating the aesthetic/culture of this old gambling town.
Life is Delicious
Anny Ayala Ortega, Devin Balara, Madison East, M Jiang, Kelci McIntosh, Summer Orr, Dom Rabalais, D Stevens, Tummy+Curated by Alana-lynn Berglund
March 26 - May 11, 2024
Reception: April 6, 5-8pm
Curve Line Space, Reno, Nevada
For Life is Delicious, friends and acquaintances gather at a dinner table. Most don’t know each other, but I think they should. I know them as artist types that are good at almost anything they try their hand at, which is both admirable and enviable in the best way. Tinkerers, DIY-ers, inspirational experimental types. All of them love play, camp, and folly, helping me tap into what I know as the “salad days” when I see their work. They’re the kind of friends and artists that would go to your gig at the weird venue, stand in front, and let the touring band sleep on their floor too. They’re up to sharing a snack with human and animal friends in the garden, they’re down for living in a smaller city and totally off-center, making an art and music scene that’s arguably not even possible in a big city anymore. I am down for that too. I like what these artists bring to their approach to community and art, to how this work can be sustainable in heart and mind, and both serious and playful. That’s why I thought we’d all come to this table.
Artists were asked to think about food or sharing a meal when submitting to this show. In this time where joy is often matched equally by grief, I’m grateful for the moments to gather and in the words of Tummy+ for whom this exhibition is named (RIP), “Life is delicious, shoutout to god”.
Photos by Miwah Lee
DUNGEON CRAWLER
Devra Freelander + Jessica Gatlin + Cassie McQuaterCurated by Alana-lynn Berglund
August 3 - August 29, 2018
Reception: Aug 3, 7PM-9PM
The Holland Project, Reno, Nevada
This exhibition began by considering the premise of the classic “dungeon crawl” video game genre; a protagonist is forced into a decaying planet and proceeds to make their way through a labyrinthine world by battling various enemies, while occasionally they pick up some loot along the way. Crawl games are often characterized by an elusive plot or lack of a foreseeable or logical end, and in this way, the genre is often referenced pejoratively. Interpreting this as a fitting description of how we navigate everyday life—without any literal hack-and-slash—these artists were invited for the way they engage in topical issues such as battling against gender normativity and fighting for the changing environment. Earth is the planet, the artist/viewer is the “crawler”, and our seemingless endless battles are with ourselves and the political/social systems at play. Each of these artists has an approach which involves a lot of ongoing research and a bit of magic. Through their work, we are transported to esoteric locales/planes where a new spell book for causing change is revealed.
Update 2019: I’d to acknowledge what an incredible honor it was to exhibit the work of Devra Freelander. Her untimely passing was a tragedy, yet the work continues to move us, to inspire us, and is a reminder to burn bright with a passion for life and this rock we live on. In the days following her passing, it was clear what a tremendous impact Devra had on a global arts community as an individual and an artist. I will be forever grateful to Devra for sharing her vision & work with my community. Rest easy.
The Side-Eye: Visions of Periphery
Work by Alex Coxen, Jean Nagai, S.E. Nash, Jonathan Purtill, Jing Qin, Jared Stanley, Oakley Tapola, and Christian Vargas {Click here to see the collection}Curated by Alana-lynn Berglund + Austin Pratt + Tom Wixo
March 6 - March 12, 2018
Booth 2324, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, New York City, New York
Statement:
The searing glance of the side-eye invokes contempt or disapproval of the subject; an immediate gesture distancing self from other. But sometimes in that stinging gesture, a softer, fuzzier signal of curiosity or concern is projected. Philosopher George Santayana wrote that “skepticism is the chastity of the intellect,” proffering the idea that one can finally drop their guard once the right suitor is discovered. Transforming negative to critical, or skepticism into curiosity through the relationships between strange and familiar, The Side-Eye: Visions of Periphery considers the relationship between edges and centers.
In response to the SPRING/BREAK Art Show theme "Stranger Comes to Town", this exhibition highlights artists from or living generally outside global art centers, often alternative centers. Some of these artists directly consider their own relationships to place, or to the natural world. Further peripheries are explored in work with slippery categorical definitions, difficult to pin down to familiar medium, process, or function. And at the peripheries of painting, sculpture, music, or food there are unnamable strangers.
Slideshow:
Photographs courtesy of Samuel Morgan Photography
Selected Works:
Photographs courtesy of the artists
MESHES
Meshes is a somewhat monthly meet-up in Reno, NV providing free screenings of time based works by contemporary artists. Original pieces are shown alongside additional video material selected by the artist from anywhere in the internet/film/video universe that provides context or served as inspiration for their own work.See the archive for past programming.
