The First Lady Presents…

The First Lady Presents… is an arts education program in partnership with the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.

Join us every month for a fun and insightful comparison of an artifact in the museum collection with the artwork of a contemporary Nevadan artist.

Art inspired by history. Each month First Lady Katherine Sisolak invites a Nevada artist to share their inspiration based on the Nevada State Museum’s Curator’s Corner artifact selection. Mark Salinas is our ambassador to this connection between Nevada artist and museum curator.

Curator's Corner

June Curator’s Corner

Did you know that the 1977 Nevada Legislature designated the official State Fossil to be an ichthyosaur? In 1989 this statute was amended to specify this state symbol as Shonisaurus popularis. There are two well-known examples of fossil marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs from Nevada. Specimens of one type have been found in the Humboldt Mountains […]

Featured Artists

June 2021: Carol Brown

This June, our Curator’s Corner examines two spectacular ichthyosaur fossils recovered here in Nevada, that invite us to consider the enormous depth – literally and figuratively speaking – of our geological history. Thanks to the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, our Nevada State Museum in Carson City is able to preserve, document, and share these fossilized moments […]

May 2021: Jackie Pias Carlin

In May our nation recognizes the numerous contributions that generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed to the diversity and vibrancy of our history, society and culture. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month started as a concept in 1978 when the House and Senate presented joint resolutions to President Carter proposing that […]

April 2021: Resident Artist Program in Silver City

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” With the transition of seasons, and Spring in the air, this quote by architect Buckminster Fuller comes to mind poetically referencing the nature of change. In Carson City, trees have begun to bloom, people are slowly embracing the warmer weather, […]

March 2021: Wild Women Artists

During March, it is my pleasure to share Women’s History Month with you in celebrating and honoring generations of brave, thought pioneers whose advocacy for women’s rights have justly shaped our lives and values. The long march towards women’s equality stretches back as far as the New York Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which advanced […]

February 2021: Gwaylon Leaf

The arts and culture industry has been massively impacted by the pandemic, yet despite this struggle artists and organizations in Nevada are holding fast to innovation and reinvention, responding to unprecedented and uncharted challenges. This creative commitment continues to innovate and inspire us. I believe arts and culture can lead us out of crisis through […]