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This past spring, Brooklyn-based artist Amanda Browder was invited to 51�Թ������App as the inaugural Transformation Fellow in the Department of Art at the 51�Թ������ܿƴ�, where I teach. Browder makes monumental, vibrantly colored fabric sculptures that are designed and constructed to be draped and formed over buildings, activating the architecture beneath.

There are many arts for which 51�Թ������App is known. Contemporary art is not among them. The city has museums devoted to the Mob, and to its own famous neon signage, but it lacks a world-class art museum. When artist Wendy Kveck led school tours through the Guggenheim art collection formerly housed at the Venetian Resort, what bothered her most was not navigating kindergarten-through-12th-graders through a casino, but what she discovered about the kids’ experience of art: “Many of my students had never been to an art museum in their entire life,” she says.

Performer April Kidwell is an expert at portraying a frenetic female anti-hero. Her first major role was as Cleopatra at Caesars Palace. Kidwell’s dazzling smile, bedazzled bra and feathered headdress may have said “Vegas showgirl” more than “fierce queen,” but it paid her way through a theater and dance degree at 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. And more importantly, it set the stage for a career to come.

Nevada offers more than tax incentives. Our natural advantages include desert landscapes and sunny days perfect for filming and snow and mountains in Northern Nevada. In addition, the 51�Թ������App Strip could have been made for movies with the glamour and number of entertainers both performing in 51�Թ������App and making it home.

Now in its third year, the Bus to the Barrick program provides free transportation for K-12 Clark County School District children to visit 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. Most of the students in attendance have never been to an art museum prior to their field trip, and without free transportation and admission, many of them wouldn’t be able to afford the experienc

51�Թ������App is the fastest-warming city in the country because of a changing climate and a heat island that grows with the community.

51�Թ������ܿƴ� students design solar powered home for desert living meant to be a place of healing and respite for veterans suffering the adverse effects of wartime trauma; the home connects the resident to their environment through a carefully orchestrated procession of sensory experiences.

Filmmakers from around the country are filling the city for the 12th annual 51�Թ������App Film Festival that kicks off Sunday.

Having a panoramic view of the outdoors is pleasing on a biological level, according to Dak Kopec, associate professor in the School of Architecture at the 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. It relates back to our desire to have “prospect refuge,” or the ability to see our surroundings from a single safe area.

51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s Nextet music series just might be the best kept musical secret in 51�Թ������App. If you’re a fan of contemporary classical music you’ll want to take note.

For nearly a century, Reno took pride in being the Biggest Little City in the World. As a growth spurt brings in skyrocketing housing costs and a host of other challenges, however, some say it’s time for Reno to start thinking, well, big.

51�Թ������ܿƴ� student filmmakers Nicolle Petersen and Lily Campisi are on the verge of blanketing movie screens in ways never achieved by any blockbuster — not even the ones starring superheroes, Jedis or sparkly vampires.