ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS

Nevada History through the Eyes of Women

Two historical exhibits represent and celebrate the culmination of the Nevada Women’s Legacy — 150 Years of Excellence project, in celebration of the Sesquicentennial that included interviews of more than 200 Nevada women in every county of the state, video clips of the interviews on its website, and publishing the Nevada Women’s Legacy book to share the roles and contributions of Nevada Women in shaping the first 150 years of statehood.

These books will be given to libraries, school districts and museums throughout the state. Get involved and be part of the second exhibit by submitting your form for the Community Art Quilts display, details below.

Current Exhibit available through April 1 in the lobby of the Nevada State Library and Archives Building at 100 N. Stewart St., Carson City.

This exhibit consists of banners, images of the six living First Ladies of Nevada, 200 plus interviewed women depicted as bookcase visuals and one page histories of each county through the eyes of women.

Second Exhibit is available March 16-April 2 in the Atrium second floor of the Legislative Building located at 401 S. Carson St.

Displays relative to women mayors of Nevada, the First Ladies, Women of Diversity Productions mission and the Nevada Women’s Legacy — 150 Years of Excellence project will be part of the exhibit. There will be a looping video with quotations of Nevada women and events of the sesquicentennial year regarding women of Nevada.

A soft sculpture by Denise R. Duarte, builds on Women of Diversity Productions’ mission. This artistic expression explores an alternative to objectification of women by focusing on valuing women’s intellectual capacity using material (pantyhose) that has historically been used to cosmetically enhance women’s appearance.

This exhibit will also include Community Art Quilts consisting of names of women who have been influential in the lives of Nevadans. Persons may participate in this community quilt process until Feb. 23 by visiting the website, and completing a nomination form: www.nevadawomensvirtualcenter.org

CCHS PRESENTS COMEDY

The Churchill County High School Advanced Theatre Class will present “Romeo and Juliet—Together (and Alive!) at Last” on March 12, 13 & 16 at 7 p.m. in the CCHS Theatre.

The road to farce is paved with good intentions. Freshmen Pete Saltz (William Copley) and Anabell Stackpoole (Brynne Christie) are in love, but terribly shy, so shy they can’t even look at each other, let alone speak. To bring the two together, classmates Ed Sitrow (Andrew Pettit), Lucy Neblet (Ellie O’Flaherty), Priscilla Black (Emma Bake), and others decide to stage a performance of Romeo and Juliet, with the reluctant Pete and Anabell voted into the title roles.

Ed and Priscilla pen the abridged script, including passages their English teacher has encouraged them to underline, leaving out everything they don’t understand and imagining dream players speaking the lines to perfection. Lucy gamefully tackles the direction of the real-life cast. But lack of expertise, only two weeks of rehearsal, a set left over from the community production of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, and a classmate’s villainy threaten the well-meaning endeavor every step of the way.

When the big day finally arrives, lines are dropped, costumes rip, scenery tumbles, potions spill, and Juliet’s bier nearly blows up. Yet, in spite of everything—or maybe because of it—true love triumphs in the end.

This comedy by Sandra Fenichel Asher is based on the book by Avi and is directed by junior Valarie Hennessy as her senior play project. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for CCHS Students and $2 for younger students and senior citizens.

NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY

In 2015, Night in the Country Music Festival, with the renewed support of Northern Nevada Toyota Dealers as title sponsors, will again be the second largest rural event in Nevada behind Burning Man.

Northern Nevada Toyota Dealers have been crucial in helping the non-profit event, which will be held in Yerington July 23-25, achieve this milestone. With their renewed support they are allowing Night in the Country to again to grow and improve the festival venue that was built from the ground up two years ago.

This year’s event will feature a 64x40 square-foot stage, two state-of-the-art 11-foot by x14-foot digital video walls, 12-foot thrust extending out from center stage allowing the artists closer to their fans and an expanded camping area of over 50 acres.

The total acreage now used for the festival is 164.23 acres.

VIRGINIA CITY CELEBRATION

Each year the historic mining town of Virginia City, Nev. celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a ballsy festival.

The Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry brings thousands of daring oyster-eaters to sample tasty testes, partake in the Ball Breaker Saloon Crawl and the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The event is set for Saturday on C Street, the town’s main drag.

More than 20 cooks compete in the 24-year event and serve up fried, chopped, grilled or sautéed cow testicles for a variety of flavorful combinations. Cooks compete for Best Overall Taste, Best Presentation, Best Booth and Best Team Name, as well as bragging rights as the best Rocky Mountain Oyster Cook in the west.

Tasting tickets start at $5 for three samples or 10 samples for $10. Advance tasting tickets are available online. A costume contest and live Irish music enhances the celebratory atmosphere.

The Ball Breaker Saloon Crawl takes place at Virginia City’s saloons offering samples and discounted beer and specialty drinks throughout the day. Purchase a cup for $10 at the event or in advance online.

The Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry is brought to you in part by New West Distributing and Coors Light.

For more information on Virginia City, Nev. or the Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry visit VisitVirginiaCityNV.com or call the Virginia City Tourism Commission (VCTC) at 775-847-7500.

STREMMEL GALLERY

Stremmel Gallery presents works by prominent California artist Charles Arnoldi.

The exhibition captures his work over a 30-year period, ranging from his iconic Chainsaw series to his current paintings. Known for his brightly-colored, abstract works that incorporate the use of wood as an expressive medium, his pieces are held in the collections of the Chicago Art Institute, New York’s Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among many other significant collections.

“Arnoldi” runs from today through April 18. The opening reception will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., today and is free to the public.

Inspired by his close friendships with esteemed architect Frank Gehry and distinguished artist Richard Serra, Arnoldi’s latest work touches on architectural themes with a limited color palette, focusing on deep blues and subtle industrial hues. The paintings range in size from 20” x 16” to 100” x 92”.

“Arnoldi is ‘a natural,’ has always been ‘a natural,’ has always been told that he was, in fact, ‘a natural,’” famed art critic Dave Hickey once wrote. “As Robert Rauschenberg (who should know) once explained to him, once you are regarded as ‘a natural,’ no matter how hard you work, no matter how much you struggle and sacrifice, people will always think it’s easy for you. And, in a sense it is, since work is not labor.”

Wilbur D. Day Museum exhibit

The Wilbur D. May Museum is proud to present the upcoming exhibit — “Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body” through April 26.

Kids of all ages will love discovering the answers to all the questions they have about the mushy, oozy, crusty, scaly, and smelly biology of the body.

This science-in-disguise exhibition features dozens of animatronics, imaginative games, and interactive elements to take visitors on an up close tour of the body functions that most people don’t like to talk about!

Take aim and launch dirt balls into a larger-than-life nose to discover how boogers are formed.

Play the “Gas Attack” pinball game with bumpers dressed up as food items that cause gas.

Mimic the build-up of acid indigestion by causing the “Burp Machine” to release a giant belch.

Visit the “Vomit Center” to learn the many reasons humans vomit.

Take a ride on the GI slide to discover how food becomes waste.

Scale a skin climbing wall where the hand and foot holds are pimples, warts, and scabs.

Discover other mysterious ways the body’s biology does what it needs to do to keep us healthy!

Cost is $9 adults, $8 for children snd seniors. For information, call 775-785-5961.

NEVADA VISITORS GUIDE

The 2015 Nevada Visitors Guide, now available for free online and at area visitors’ centers, is designed with the road warrior in mind.

More than 29 million vehicles entered the state in fiscal year 2014, prompting the Nevada Division of Tourism to restructure the Visitors Guide to meet travelers’ needs.

“Personal auto is the top mode of transportation in Nevada, and this new guide is designed for those travelers,” Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Director Claudia Vecchio said. “We designed this to be user-ready, complete with hotel contact information and distance guides so travelers can stash it in their glove box and use it throughout their trip.”

Road trip itineraries along the Loneliest Road in America, the Extraterrestrial Highway, and the Las Vegas Strip are just a few of the routes mapped out in the new guide.

The state’s Scenic Byways and popular motorcycle routes also are included.

New this year are note pages interspersed throughout the book, making it easy to jot notes while planning a trip or on the road, as well as a savings card for discounted admission to state museums.

The Visitors Guide also includes sections on ghost towns, railroads and cultural sites — all big draws to the state’s rural areas. The 120-page guide includes a suggested road trip play list, photo opportunity recommendations, event listings, and information on what’s new in Nevada.

The Nevada Visitors Guide is available free of charge at area visitors’ centers or by ordering through TravelNevada.com.

The Nevada Division of Tourism is part of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and is responsible for promoting and marketing Nevada as a travel destination to domestic and international travelers. For more, visit www.TravelNevada.biz.

NAT GEO MUSEUM EXHIBIT

A new National Geographic Museum exhibition, Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants, features the work of the University of Nevada, Reno’s research professor and host of the television show Monster Fish, Zeb Hogan. It opens March 26 at National Geographic’s Washington D.C. headquarters and runs through Oct. 12.

For more information about Zeb visit www.unr.edu/science/zeb-hogan and for more information on the exhibition visit http://events.nationalgeographic.com/exhibits/2015/03/25/monster-fish-search-last-river-giants/.

“This fascinating exhibition is a trip around the world with one of Nat Geo’s favorite explorers in search of bizarre and extraordinary species of freshwater fish,” said National Geographic’s vice president of Exhibitions, Kathryn Keane. “Zeb Hogan shows us that despite their size, these fish are an increasingly fragile link in some of the most important freshwater ecosystems on Earth.”

Hogan is a National Geographic Fellow and faculty member of the University’s biology department in the College of Science. He travels the globe finding, studying and protecting the world’s largest freshwater fish - megafish like six-foot trout in Mongolia, rare spear-tooth freshwater sharks, huge wolf fish and electric eels or 14-foot-long stingrays in Thailand. He chronicles his travels on the Nat Geo WILD television show Monster Fish.

Nearly 20 of the fish he studies and profiles on the show will be featured in the 6,000-square-foot interactive exhibition.

“The University’s College of Science values scientific curiosity, discovery and ambition, and we encourage our students to see themselves as global citizens and our faculty to contribute solutions with global impact. Our educational partnership with the National Geographic Society for this exhibit is an ideal fit with these values,” said Jeff Thompson, dean of the College of Science.

“This endeavor will inspire young people to pursue interests, degrees and careers in the environmental sciences and contribute to a better understanding of the fragile health of fresh-water ecosystems around the world.”

The museum exhibition, which will travel over the next five years to other museums around the United States, aims to educate visitors through the use of photos, videos, animations, interactives, sculpture, and text.