Carson City arts and culture coordinator seeking grants

The Carson City arts and culture coordinator is working on three grants to help fund projects in the city.

One grant would engage art classes at Pioneer High School and is called the VANS Custom Culture grant, Mark Salinas told the Carson City Cultural Commission Tuesday.

According to its website, the $2,000 grant is awarded to 10 recipients who receive the funds in January 2017.

Salinas is also working with Western Nevada College to apply for a grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture to create a mural for Hispanic Heritage month starting in September next year.

A third grant is the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, which he said challenges communities to build programs around a single novel.

Carson City plans to read Charles Portis’ “True Grit” and develop a month-long roster of events.

The grant ranges from $5,000 to $20,000, according to the NEA.

Salinas said he’s working with the District Attorney’s office on developing policies and procedures for public art and hopes to have a draft ready for the commission’s meeting in March.

Joel Dunn, executive director of the Carson City Visitors Bureau, said a public arts project in the works — the commissioning of 30 artistic bike racks in partnership with Muscle Powered — will help define those policies.

The project calls for artists and welders and contracts with each.

Dunn said he hoped to have a few racks installed before Epic Rides, the bike race June 16-18, and that he would update the commission at its March meeting.