Spots in Nevada That Art Lovers Won't Want To Miss

Capital City Arts Initiative (CCAI) is an arts organization committed to providing support to artists and encouraging the culture sector of not only Carson City but also its surrounding area. The organization hosts many events throughout the year, including literary events, public talks and art exhibitions. Tucked inside the Carson City Courthouse, the CCAI Courthouse Gallery features exhibitions by local, national and international artists who work in a variety of media.

Guests visiting the Bellagio in Las Vegas will find incredible art all over the hotel, from the Dale Chihuly sculpture – 2,000 glass flowers – in the lobby to masterpieces by Picasso in the eponymous Picasso restaurant, to top-notch exhibitions inside the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Established in 1998, this gallery is open everyday to the public who want to see exhibitions drawn from national and international museums, as well as private collections. Artists shown since its inception have included Monet, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder and Vincent Van Gogh.

Located in a building inspired by the Black Rock Desert, the Nevada Museum of Art, which is the only accredited art museum within the state, shouldn’t be missed when in Reno. Hosting several exhibitions each year and highlighting national and international artists, the museum also boasts a permanent collection from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, with an emphasis on art and the environment. Bringing as much diversity to its space as possible, the museum’s traveling exhibitions have included works by Old Masters such as Raphael, contemporary photography by William Eggleston, and a site-specific installation by Andrea Borsuk.

Art aficionados looking for art on the east side of Nevada can visit the Northeastern Nevada Museum. Located in the community of Elko, this venue features both art and history exhibitions plus galleries that display wildlife in natural settings. In addition to the wildlife displays, the museum’s permanent collection also includes art by contemporary western artists, including Micqaela Jones, David Stoecklein, and Marti Miller Hubble, as well as a photography collection by the legendary Ansel Adams and regional historical artefacts. They also have a 54-piece collection of original Will James art and 10 pieces of Edward Borein art, both of whom are extremely significant western artists of the last century.

Sierra Arts Gallery is part of the Sierra Arts Foundation, a local agency based in Reno founded to teach, encourage and support the area’s arts community. Located on the ground floor of the Riverside Hotel – a Late Gothic Revival building that is now affordable housing for artists – this art space features several solo and group exhibitions, which represent a variety of media, each year. Past exhibitions have featured architecture photography by Arthur Domagala, three-dimensional art pieces exploring the experiences of 19th-century Chinese immigrants in the American West by Joan Giannecchini, and black-and-white erotic dance photographs by Will Rogers Peterson.

Housed in a National Historical Landmark that was once a hospital for Comstock miners, St. Mary’s Art and Retreat Center is a wonderful venue in Virginia City that will delight art lovers. Featuring six galleries, there are many unique spaces to explore a wide range of work by artists in various stages of their careers. The center also offers workshops, has an artist-in-residence program, and features creative spaces, including a studio, photographic darkroom, and a printmaker’s room.

Established in 1969 by Peter and Turkey Stremmel, the eponymous Stremmel Gallery specializes in contemporary art with an emphasis on abstract and figurative paintings, drawings and sculptures. Located in Reno’s Midtown District, the gallery is housed in a 6,500 square-foot building, which garnered an award for its design, perfect for showcasing a wide range of American and European talent in varying stages of their careers, from emerging talent to established names. Some of the talent represented at this well-respected art venue includes landscape painter Phyllis Shafer, sculptor Woods Davy and watercolorist Sharon Maczko.

The Neon Museum is a non-profit organization that collects Las Vegas signs for research, preservation and exhibitions purposes. Founded in 1996, the museum has approximately 150 signs, all of which tell a story from Las Vegas’ history, from the 1930s to the present day. The main gallery is an outdoor space known as the Neon Boneyard, which is open to the public through guided tours only. One hour long, the tours can be booked online in advance, which is highly recommended as they sell out quickly. Guests may choose to visit during the day or night, when the signs are beautifully lit, creating a completely different experience.