About2023-11-08T11:21:07-08:00

arts for all nevada

Arts for All Nevada is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Reno, seeking to integrate the exploration of arts and culture into the lives of all, starting with our own community. We offer a variety of quality fine art classes to the public, implement art programs in the school systems, and steward  the historic Lake Mansion responsibly as a community center for exploration of arts and culture. While our emphasis is on those who have a disability, are disadvantaged, at-risk, or underserved by the arts, we recognize that every individual in our community has a role to play in the arts. People of all ages, skill levels, backgrounds, and experience can find their place at Arts for All Nevada, as our classes and programs focus on a variety of different art movements and media including visual art, creative movement, drama, and literary expression. We envision a world unified by the arts, where communities engage, create, and grow together.

OUR VALUES

ACCESSIBILITY

The freedom to make and appreciate art, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance, should be given to all. Arts for All Nevada prioritizes making art accessible to anyone, no matter what obstacles they might face.

EXPRESSION

Artists should have the freedom to express themselves authentically through imagination, creation, and exhibition. Art has the power to give everyone a voice, a means of self-expression, and the power to grow themselves and the world around them.

Empowerment

The arts can give individuals the opportunity to grow their skills, self-esteem, and creativity – a chance to focus on ability rather than disability. Not only do we value acceptance here at Arts for All Nevada, but we take it a step further and intentionally encourage those involved in our programs.

DIVERSITY

We understand that a complete appreciation of the arts requires a complete appreciation of diversity in histories, cultures, and experiences. Arts for All Nevada seeks diversity in our staff, board, art educators and students alike, recognizing that our art forms, expressions, and artistic interpretations are stronger when we acknowledge many perspectives.

OUR VALUES

ACCESSIBILITY

The freedom to make and appreciate art, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance, should be given to all. Arts for All Nevada prioritizes making art accessible to anyone, no matter what obstacles they might face.

EXPRESSION

Artists should have the freedom to express themselves authentically through imagination, creation, and exhibition. Art has the power to give everyone a voice, a means of self-expression, and the power to grow themselves and the world around them.

Empowerment

The arts can give individuals the opportunity to grow their skills, self-esteem, and creativity – a chance to focus on ability rather than disability. Not only do we value acceptance here at Arts for All Nevada, but we take it a step further and intentionally encourage those involved in our programs.

DIVERSITY

We understand that a complete appreciation of the arts requires a complete appreciation of diversity in histories, cultures, and experiences. Arts for All Nevada seeks diversity in our staff, board, art educators and students alike, recognizing that our art forms, expressions, and artistic interpretations are stronger when we acknowledge many perspectives.

OUR VALUES

ACCESSIBILITY

The freedom to make and appreciate art, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance, should be given to all. Arts for All Nevada prioritizes making art accessible to anyone, no matter what obstacles they might face.

EXPRESSION

Artists should have the freedom to express themselves authentically through imagination, creation, and exhibition. Art has the power to give everyone a voice, a means of self-expression, and the power to grow themselves and the world around them.

Empowerment

The arts can give individuals the opportunity to grow their skills, self-esteem, and creativity – a chance to focus on ability rather than disability. Not only do we value acceptance here at Arts for All Nevada, but we take it a step further and intentionally encourage those involved in our programs.

DIVERSITY

We understand that a complete appreciation of the arts requires a complete appreciation of diversity in histories, cultures, and experiences. Arts for All Nevada seeks diversity in our staff, board, art educators and students alike, recognizing that our art forms, expressions, and artistic interpretations are stronger when we acknowledge many perspectives.

HISTORY

Arts for All Nevada was founded in 1986 under the name of Very Special Arts Nevada. Our goal was to coordinate with the community’s art organizations to produce art festivals that involved day-long artistic activities, hands-on art experiences, and live performances. Over the years, our involvement with the community grew, and our mission expanded into preserving the historic Lake Mansion as a community center for the exploration of arts and culture. In 2015 we renamed ourselves Arts for All Nevada to better represent our core mission, and we now facilitate the integration of art and culture into the lives of all people in Nevada by offering a variety of quality fine art classes to the public, and implementing art programs into the school systems.

vision

We envision a world unified by the arts, where communities engage, create, and grow together.

We envision a world unified by the arts. Participation and appreciation of the arts would be encouraged in every community, and art would be prioritized in every individual’s daily experience and education.
Quality art learning experiences that are specifically designed for students with disabilities would be just as accessible as art learning experiences designed for those without disabilities.
Every art educator would be prepared and equipped to not only include students who have disabilities in their instruction, but to serve them well through specialized curriculum.
Accessibility gaps in the arts would be completely bridged. Thoughtful and effective art curriculums and programs would be available, funded, and initiated in every school district in every community, reaching those of all ability levels and income levels.

OUR PROGRAMS

People of all ages, skill levels, backgrounds, and experience can find their place at Arts for All Nevada, as our classes and programs focus on a variety of different art movements and media including visual art, creative movement, drama, and literary expression.
See our list of programs offered below. Many of our programs are free of charge for the participant. For questions regarding programs, call 826-6100 ext. 3#, [email protected]

American Sign Language in the Arts
Artist in Residency
Art Adventures After-School Program
Art Classes for Youth and Adults
Family Arts and Cultural Festival Series
Renown Pediatrics Program
Artown’s Summer Arts Festival, Discover the Arts Series
Creativity Camps for Kids

Early Childhood Education
Holiday Party for Youth in Transition
Kononia Family Services
Lake Mansion Preservation
Lake Mansion Tours
Little Library
Lovelock Arts Festival
Arts Education in General Education Classrooms

Monday Art Makers
Renown Behavioral Services
Renown Rehabilitation Hospital
Scholarships
Sierra Nevada Journeys
Team Up/21st Century
Weekly Wonders/Leisure without Limits

LEARN MORE
VOLUNTEER

TEACHERS

Arts for All Nevada‘s Teaching Artists are professionals with expertise in one or more art disciplines. They are skilled in working with children, youth, adults and classroom teachers in both educational and recreational settings. They are familiar and comfortable working with various abilities and ages, and are experienced in adapting their instruction and techniques to reach all learners.

GET TO KNOW OUR TEACHERS

jenna ammerman

Read Bio2023-06-27T11:04:37-07:00

Jenna has a deep-rooted passion for art, travel and storytelling.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design from the University of Duluth, MN.  For the past seven years, Jenna has worked in the visual arts as a photographer and photo retoucher.

While photography remains her primary focus, Jenna’s artistic endeavors extend beyond.  She spends her free time in the world of pottery and enjoys experimenting with watercolors and collage in her sketchbook.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Jenna has a strong connection with youth, spending many years nurturing their creativity and helping them discover their own artistic potential.  First as a mentor and photography instructor and then later as a kindergarten and first grade teacher; where she found the perfect outlet for her own creativity and silliness.  Jenna derives immense satisfaction from sharing her love for art with her students, encouraging them to explore their own artistic passions and express themselves freely.

hanna avalos

Read Bio2023-09-25T12:35:25-07:00

As a Nevada native and nature enthusiast, I’ve dedicated the past 12 years to honing my skills as a fine artist.  My passion lies in acrylic fine art and mixed media, with a particular focus on crafting captivating floral and landscape paintings.  In addition to my studio work, I’m an accomplished mural artist, adding vibrant colors and creativity to various spaces.  Currently, I share my artistic expertise as a teaching artist with Arts for All Nevada, nurturing the next generation of creative minds through the power of art.

desi barrett

Read Bio2021-12-08T11:37:52-08:00

Desi studied at Truckee Meadows Community College before moving on to Portland Community College and Portland State University. She has extensive experience teaching art at a variety of schools, art museums, and community arts organizations.

heather boni

Read Bio2022-02-25T10:00:37-08:00

Heather Boni has over 13 years of experience teaching, directing, and leading inclusive education workshops, arts integration strategies, and community engagement practices. As an accomplished Arts and STEAM Educator, Boni enjoys building “community” through arts, education, and sharing her love of learning. Boni was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance Choreography and Performance, with specialized studies in Community Arts Engagement at Florida State University. Boni earned her Bachelor of Science Degrees in Dance and Psychology from the University of Idaho. Currently, Boni serves as the Family Placement and Tutor Services Director at College Nannies + Sitters +  Tutors | Reno. Previously, Boni served as the 21st Century Project Director for the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida providing over 180 students (K-5) with and without disabilities with hands-on, engaging academic enrichment, personal wellness, and performing arts opportunities. Prior to this Boni worked as an Art Integration Specialist in Orlando, Florida and as a Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Camp Broadway Lead with The Smith Center. Boni has collaborated with professional integrated dance companies (AXIS Dance Company), international multidisciplinary artists, and produced inclusive art events and festivals including IMMERSE Arts Festival in Orlando, Florida and the 1st Annual A New Definition of Dance in Tampa, Florida. Boni continues to provide professional development workshops and inclusive arts programming and serves as an active member in the Reno community as a Teaching Artist for Arts for All Nevada, a volunteer at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Remote Teaching Artist for The Smith Center of the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Service Chairman Board Member for KAO Alumnae Group, DAR Member, Mayflower Society Committee Member, and other volunteer endeavors.

carol brown

Read Bio2023-06-06T06:22:37-07:00

Carol has a Certificate in Printmaking from the Glassell School of Art,
Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, and a B.S. degree in Clothing
& Textiles from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. She
was accepted in an intensive, three week, graphic art workshop, ‘Back
to Basics’, during the summer of 2008, in Basel, Switzerland. Ms.
Brown works from her studio in Reno, Nevada, and has received
several grants from the Nevada Arts Council.

Carol describes her passion about art, printmaking and paper.
“Art is a journey that takes me down many paths. My art journey
began as a printmaker and has evolved into creating hand-made
paper, hand-made books, and collage from hand-printed papers.”

lorna denton

Read Bio2021-12-08T11:38:48-08:00

Lorna has taught art for over 16 years in the USA and in England. She has worked with Arts for All Nevada since 2001 teaching all ages. In the UK, she ran a school’s Art Department, teaching 11- 16-year-old students a varied arts curriculum. Lorna strongly believes that the arts are an essential part of an individual’s development encouraging self-expression, confidence, and a sense of personal achievement. Lorna completed a Textiles Degree at West Surrey College of Art & Design in the UK, followed by a teaching certificate. She has continued her studies mainly focusing on photography and printmaking.

miles hall

Read Bio2023-06-27T10:46:13-07:00

Miles Hall grew up running around in the woods around Lake Tahoe. He is a painter, art educator and sometimes, an art journalist. He has taught drawing, painting, and concept design for the last ten years. He has an MFA in Studio Art and and MA in Art History.

karen hayes

Read Bio2021-12-08T11:39:26-08:00

Karen earned an Advanced Placement Art Scholarship and received her B.A. and M.A. in the metropolitan Los Angeles area. She taught K12 through University-level Fine Arts classes. She enjoys recreational painting instruction, creating custom graphics, and especially unique projects like Trompe L’oeil murals.

cheryl johnson

Read Bio2023-04-06T13:58:47-07:00

*I have a BA degree in Biology and Physical Ed. from Univ of Nevada

* MA degree in Elementary Education from the Univ of Nevada

* I am a consultant for the Northern Nevada Writing Project

* I am a National Board Certified Teacher

* I have been teaching in WCSD for over 35 years

* I enjoy exploring and using a variety of art mediums personally and also with my students

* My goal is to engage students of all ages in projects that are stimulating, educational, inspiring, self-satisfying, and joyful to them

* I enjoy exploring the Nevada outdoors in all seasons with skis, bikes, or hiking boots, growing flowers, singing barbershop, playing musical instruments, traveling, and always looking for new art inspirations.

Anastassia Manoussova

Read Bio2023-10-17T06:13:07-07:00

I am originally from Moscow, Russia where I received my Master’s degree in Fine Arts and Education at The Teachers University of Moscow. I have been living in the Bay Area California for more than fifteen years, then in 2018 moved to Nevada. I also hold a Teaching Credential for single subject (Art Education) for the State of California.

Through my multi-age classroom and private instruction experience over the past 20 years, I realized that art and art history are two of my favorite subjects to teach. Learning about the beauty of art creates an unforgettable experience for any age audience. Learning art can forever change young students’ perspectives and how they view the world around them. Art history brings so much depth of understanding to the artistic process by learning how and why art techniques developed around the world through the ages. This is also very connected with other history studies because it adds the element of emotion to social changes through history. I strongly believe that learning these subjects can be a big asset for any age of student because they can gain skills of creativity and worldly understanding through the artistic process.

My curriculum offers practical instruction in drawing and painting specifically created for different skill level students. Classes will help to explore new materials, techniques, develop creativity and artistic vision by combining elements of art history with a structured project system. This teaches students about basic perspective, proportions and color theory without being overwhelming. I have found that this approach helps significantly to achieve better results from students while keeping the learning process interesting and fun.

alejandro marin-sarria

Read Bio2023-04-06T13:49:02-07:00

Alejandro was born in Colombia in the city of Cali (the salsa capital of Colombia). From a young age Alejandro showed interest in drawing and his parents encouraged him to read books and learn from them. As a young man he decided to pursue a Business and Marketing degree, but art was always a passion of his. His main interest has always been the human figure and portrait. Representing human traits and expressions through drawing is a challenge he’s always ready to take on with passion. Mainly a self taught artist, Alejandro is willing to share his passion about art and will, perhaps, also be willing to teach you Spanish and how to dance salsa music. Cheers!

galina milton

Read Bio2023-03-30T13:05:40-07:00

I have painted for the last 25 years, teaching privately and in college for the last seven years. The blank canvas makes me believe I can create the world I dream of after finishing the painting.  I try to encourage my students to think the same. I was born in Lugansk, Ukraine, at the time of the Soviet Union in its prime. I had no formal Art education in Ukraine.  Russian Art History was part of my education in History at the University of Ukraine.  I grew up in an artist’s family, my grandfather was a good sculptor, but I did not get to provincial art until I was older.  I began the study of visual art at the Academy of Art University in the fall of 2004, for my Master’s degree.  In the summer of 2006, I went to Russia, to the most famous Academy of Art, by Repin, in Saint Petersburg.  I studied with Ivan Vituk and Konstantin Grachev in Saint Petersburg.  The possibility to see the work of many Masters in the Academy’s Museum and studying with young and talented Russian teachers improved my ideas about art.  I graduated with a Master’s in Fine Art from the Academy of Art, San Francisco. The subject of my work is people.  Most of my paintings are done from life.  At the present time, the style of my work is a mix of impressionism and realism. Maybe my approach to painting will change in a couple of days or a couple of years, but the major principles of painting: drawing, composition, values, temperature, light in color, and edges would go with my brush.

vivian olds

Read Bio2021-12-08T11:10:28-08:00

Vivian has a BA in Theater and a Masters in Arts in Education and holds a NV Teaching Credential. Vivian is an advocate for the arts, incorporating the arts into all curricular activities. She loves bringing painting, poetry, and storytelling into the classroom inspiring a students’ creative spirit. She was a runner-up two years in a row for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math & Science, NV Social Studies Teacher of the Year, and a Fulbright recipient, which allowed her to travel to Japan to study the education system. She is the owner of a gallery, Desert Light Arts, which is housed in a yurt in Wadsworth, NV.

sophie ralston

Read Bio2023-04-06T10:08:47-07:00

Sophie Ralston is a visual artist and musician/singer-songwriter inspired by human quirks, nature, and all things whimsical. Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Ralston spent many free-time hours of her youth drawing and was awarded the Muriel Goodwin Corbett Art Scholarship. After obtaining a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in Art from UNR, she self-released two original music CDs and performed in the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia. Current mediums of interest include upcycled plastic, watercolor, and photography.

shannon shaffer

Read Bio2023-09-19T12:41:36-07:00

Hello, I’m Shannon, an avid art enthusiast, on a lifelong journey of turning imagination into tangible beauty. From a young age, I’ve been captivated by the enchanting world of music, dance, and art.

Throughout my journey, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and passion with others as an instructor of acrylic painting, arts and crafts, floral design, and dance. Witnessing the joy of others as they embark on their own creative path is an incredibly rewarding aspect of my career.

Whether you’re an aspiring artist or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of handmade creations, I hope to inspire you to embrace your creativity and embark on your unique artistic journey. Together, we can harness the joy and power that lies within creating!

skye snyder

Read Bio2022-01-31T10:39:11-08:00

For the past two decades, Skye has put her BA in Art History and Masters in Education to use as a K-12 Art Educator and as a commercial and fine art photographer. She has coached many students of all ages in ways to expand their creativity and visual communication skills through painting, drawing, photography, and jewelry design. She loves cooking, gardening, and traveling with her family. The desertscapes of Nevada and Baja, Mexico often find their way into Skye’s conceptual designs and photographs.  In 2021, Skye began to exhibit her works globally in Australia, Greece, India, and the United States.

mark tyler

Read Bio2021-12-08T11:41:02-08:00

Art has always been an important interest to Mark and has been an active part of his life. Mark took classes in high school, college, and as an adult. His main focus is watercolor, but he has worked with several other mediums. Mark’s career in teaching has given him a good background and knowledge that the arts are important to children’s development. He believes our students need to be given other means of expressing themselves; art is certainly a good way, as well as a legitimate excuse for messiness.

jason williams

Read Bio2023-04-12T12:48:05-07:00

Jason has 30 plus years of illustration and design experience. From story boarding, Magazine
illustration, T shirt design, comic strips and comic books, and caricatures. He has also been
teaching illustration and cartooning for the last 15 years. Art has always been in his life, and he loves to
help people find and explore their artistic side. His goal is to keep art fun and exciting for his students.

STAFF

GET TO KNOW OUR STAFF AND BOARD

JACKIE CLAY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

KAYLA LINDEMAN

PROGRAMS MANAGER

eva lerud

During the school year K-12
“arts in education” coordinator

Fen Kacin

Communications & Community Outreach Coordinator

VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORs

Jean Nichols, President

Joyce Thompson, Vice President

Glennis Bishop, Secretary

Daniel Maffett, Treasurer

Mara Langer

Kendall Nolan

Leah Whittler

If you are interested in joining the Arts for All Nevada Board of Directors please send a letter of inquiry to [email protected]

PARTNERS

marshall r. matley foundation
robert z. hawkins foundation
bretzlaff foundation

SUPPORT US

As a community-based organization, Arts for All Nevada depends on support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations across Nevada. Our partners make it possible to provide arts opportunities to all and to preserve and maintain the historic Lake Mansion.

Title

Contact

[email protected]

250 Court St. Reno, NV 89501

775-826-6100

refunds + cancellations

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