Arts and Culture

2020 is almost here and that means a new decade is underway. Before we welcome in the New Year, KUNR’s Bree Zender and Stephanie Serrano traveled around Reno to see how the last decade went for people here in Northern Nevada. 

Around this time of year, it’s not too hard to find a holiday train ride in the Mountain West, from the North Pole Express in Heber City, Utah to the Santa Express in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho.

To get a sense of how it all works, I visit Carson City, Nev. to take a look at the different options.

The Latino and Hispanic population is the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. But many of their stories are left out of the historical record.

Across the country, a number of academic institutions are trying to change that, one oral history at a time. One of the latest is in Nevada.

Reno is celebrating its first Indigenous Peoples' Day today, after the City Council unanimously voted to drop Columbus Day in favor of a holiday that celebrates Native American peoples, rather than honor a figure that for many represents a violent history of colonization in North America. 

KUNR’s Wyatt Daane sat down with Robin Holabird, a film reviewer for KUNR, to discuss the noticeable correlation between the Cal Neva Lodge at Lake Tahoe and the El Royale Lodge in the film Bad Times at the El Royale. The movie was released to home audiences earlier this year and is about 7 strangers who are harboring dark secrets when they each arrive at a mysterious hotel on the California/Nevada border. 

Every day, Reno's busking community is out on the sidewalks using a menagerie of musical instruments to provide a soundtrack for the city. KUNR's Wyatt Daane shares the story of one local street musician.

Reno native and award-winning author and musician Willy Vlautin is taking his talents on tour across Northern Nevada this month. He’s one of three featured writers in this year's Nevada Reads, a book club from Nevada Humanities. Vlautin will give readings and even play a little music at various statewide events in September. KUNR’s Holly Hutchings sat down with him to talk about his latest novel Don’t Skip Out on Me, which is set in the Silver State.

The late 1800s brought thousands of Chinese immigrants to the West in search of better lives. Many participated in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. For the 150th anniversary of that engineering feat, artists have memorialized the contributions of those often forgotten Chinese immigrants. KUNR’s Paul Boger spoke with Holly Hutchings about the exhibit. 

The annual Burning Man festival is underway this week; however, the process of getting the artwork ready has been going on for months. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck spoke with one artist before he set out for the playa.

The Space Whale, which is currently located by the BELIEVE sign on Reno’s city plaza, may need to find a new home soon. The sculpture's lease is up at the end of this month. ThisisReno’s Bob Conrad, who has been following this story, met with KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck to discuss what the possible next steps are.

1983 was a tough year for Reno’s LGBTQ+ community.

The AIDS epidemic had reached Nevada. And the Gay Rodeo was facing a stronger threat of violence than in years past. An article from the Reno Evening Gazette said that anonymous telephone calls to Reno’s three main television stations warned that snipers were poised to shoot attendees.

Despite threats on multiple fronts, the event was one of the few times that being openly gay was generally accepted in the Biggest Little City. 

Reno is home to a collection of quirky, mid-century motels. Some have fallen into disrepair, some serve as low-income housing and some are being torn down for new developments. But if you were to drive through Reno during the middle of the 20th century, you would have seen a booming motel landscape, when motels were icons of the vibrant tourism industry.

Many mural-painting events let the public gaze upon artists decorating a wall. However, this July during Artown, a community workshop in Spanish Springs allowed anyone to stop by and pick up a paintbrush to add color and life to a dull white wall. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck has more.