Reno Public Market to launch new art collective with Bay Area inspiration

RENO, Nev. — Reno Public Market announced on June 30 a partnership with the founders of Firehouse Art Collective and the nonpprofit Makers Paradise in Oakland and Berkeley, Calif., to introduce the “Reno Public Market Art Collective.”

According to a June 30 press release, the collective “aims to expand the visual arts in Reno and provide local artists with the resources they need to be successful.”

Tom Franco (who is the brother of actors James and Dave Franco) and Larry Silva are directors at Firehouse and Makers Paradise, as well as a host of other creative outlets across Northern California.

The pair will work with Nettie Oliverio, the Arts & Culture Director for Reno Public Market, to create and develop programs that will launch in late summer 2021.

Reno Public Market is currently under construction at the former Shoppers Square development at the corner of Plumb and Virginia south of downtown Reno.

“This new art collective will engage the Reno arts community at Reno Public Market, pushing creators to the forefront,” Franco said in a statement. “It will be a cultural center for artists in Reno, and we hope to engage all the senses at Reno Public Market when it comes to art, food, retail, and events.”

Oliverio has deep roots in the Reno arts community, serving on the Public Art Committee for the City of Reno for six years and the Reno Arts & Culture Commission for over a decade, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Reno Little Theater and Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. She also recently received EDAWN’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to growing the arts in Reno.

“Our community is incredibly arts-rich and our dynamic creative spaces at Reno Public Market will bring working artists together with shoppers and diners for delightful unexpected new experiences and discoveries,” Oliverio stated.

The art collective will include open studio space, event and office space, galleries, classrooms and workshops, and private studio space on the upper level for production.

“The goal of this new venture is to help these businesses at Reno Public Market become successful through art, and to share arts and culture with the community as a whole,” Rick Casazza of Reno Public Market said in a statement.

Visit renopublicmarket.com to learn more.