WNC News & Notes: ‘Panorama’ showcases award winning Nevada artists

Enjoy the range of artwork from Nevada artists in the Main Gallery of Western Nevada College’s Carson City campus.

Through Friday, Feb. 12, WNC presents “Panorama: Selections from the Nevada Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship Program,” a traveling exhibit displaying the work of the agency’s Artist Fellowship Award winners in visual arts.

The collection showcases 12 Nevada artists who have demonstrated mastery of process and medium in producing a significant body of work. Their work ranges from street photography, to stitched textiles, to cast bronze sculptures.

“We’re pleased to be hosting the Nevada Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship exhibition,” said WNC Gallery Director Gil Martin. “It’s a fine representation of the quality work being done by Nevada artists.”

The pieces in “Panorama” are essentially focused on object making, as well as deliberate demonstrations of aesthetic investigation that challenges the boundaries of familiar and discrete art forms. The contributing artists, half of whom are photographers, continue to push the margins of technique, materiality and content.

Participating artists include Catherine Borg, formerly of Las Vegas, photography; Dean Burton of Reno, photography; Shan Michael Evans of Las Vegas, digital media and animation; Stephen Hendee, formerly of Las Vegas, textiles; Zoltan Janvary of Reno, print making and drawing; Robert Morrison of Reno, sculpture; Candace Nicol of Reno, print making; Nolan Preece of Reno, chemigram printing; Heather Protz of Las Vegas, photography; Tamara Scronce of Reno, mixed media and sculpture; Christine Siemens, formerly of Las Vegas, photography; and Mary Warner, formerly of Las Vegas, painting.

“Panorama” is curated by Richard Hooker and coordinated by the Nevada Arts Council. It’s part of the Nevada Touring Initiative Traveling Exhibition Program, with funding provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nevada State Legislature.

The Main Gallery is located in the Bristlecone Building at 2201 W. College Parkway in Carson City. The gallery is open during school hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WNC student merits Coca-Cola Scholarship

WNC student Samantha Hoover made the grade to become a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. That membership enabled her to compete for and win a $1,000 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship to further her education.

“I was beyond elated and surprised that I had been chosen,” she said. “How thankful I am to have been selected for such an incredible scholarship as the Coca-Cola Scholarship of Promise.”

Hoover, however, is postponing using the scholarship in order to serve her religious faith, helping guide children to become respectable and responsible adults. She planned to start the New Year doing volunteer work with kindergarten through eighth-grade children at her church in Carson City.

“By taking care of the children through this free after-school kids program, the children will be able to grow in a fun, loving and learning environment where they are safe from too much idle time without supervision,” Hoover said.

Hoover has five years to use the $1,000 scholarship.

“Samantha is a deserving recipient with admirable qualities,” said Lauren Stevens, an adviser for WNC’s PTK Honor Society. “Samantha is intelligent, genuine, strong and big-hearted. I’m so pleased she was selected.”

The Coca-Cola Foundation awards 200 scholarships annually from an applicant pool of 1,100 students. Independent judges evaluate students’ applications and determine scholarship recipients based on scholastic achievement, community service and leadership potential.

“We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals,” said J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “Phi Theta Kappa members are proven scholars, engaged students who want to use their abilities to make a difference. In designating $200,000 for Leaders of Promise, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is supporting tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”

“Research shows that Phi Theta Kappa members are four times more likely to complete a college degree than their peers,” said Dr. Nancy Rieves, CEO of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. “The Leaders of Promise Scholarships recognize students for what they have achieved already and assure that financial need isn’t an obstacle to achieving their academic goals.”