Nonprofit Spotlight: Giving Back to the Artists Who Give Us So Much

For more than 50 years, Sierra Arts Foundation has been advocating on behalf of the arts, and the artists, in our region and beyond. A small but mighty nonprofit (fitting in the Biggest Little City), we set our sights on a horizon brimming with an abundance of art. We work towards our vision of a community that gives artists the platform they need to be more active in problem solving and to continue creating the art that adds richness to our lives.

We know art can solve any problem. And because we know this, we seek to implement it in as many ways as we can.

Sierra Arts Foundation enables the creation of art, opens doors to opportunities for artists, and builds ways for those artists to share their work to the world. If you ask an artist, of which there are hundreds in our big little region, they’ll likely know our nonprofit. But you need only look out your windows to Sierra Arts Foundations’ influence and discover why it is worth supporting, not only for the betterment of our neighbors and friends, but for ourselves as well.

We Work to Reintegrate Art into Educational Environments
Parents with children in public schools likely understand that options for art instruction, be they fine arts or music, are not as prevalent as they used to be. Sierra Arts and its teaching artists work directly with Washoe County School District to integrate art programs in school rooms, giving children the chance to discover the thrill of learning something new, the pride of creation, and the catharsis of expression. Many incorporate these skills into their life. Some find the courage to pursue art as a career. The arts have been proven to allow children healthy ways to reduce stress, better understand concepts unrelated to art, and develop cognitive functions in the brain. Exploration of the arts in our schools is beyond a positive, it should be a priority.

We Support Programs that Nurture and Improve Mental Health

Sierra Arts Foundation has created multiple programs to pair those groups who can directly improve their mental health status by exposure to or participation with the arts. One such program is our Elder Care Concert Series, wherein we send musicians and performers into assisted living environments, offering entertainment and musical connection. Our Elder Care Concert Series is enjoyed by many facilities and their residents around town.

We Offer Development Programs for Artists Themselves
We often hear stories of artists being asked to provide their work in return for exposure, or access to particular brands or names. But we know these are individuals who have either trained classically, apprenticed, or put sweat equity into thousands of hours refining their craft. They care about their work and about their ability to improve. We host workshops for artists to introduce them to grants and improve their grant writing capabilities, offer skill building sessions for artists wanting to dive deeper into a particular practice, medium or format, and provide training that allows them to better market their work.

We Enable Artists With Resources To Create
Through our Grants to Artists, we fund multiple artists annually in four categories: literary arts, performing arts, and visual arts. Our fourth category is reserved for students. For each category we award four individuals with a $1000 grant for work or living expenses, giving them a small financial breath so they can continue creating.

We Bring the Artwork Directly to Patrons 

Multiple times a year Sierra Arts Foundations works with partners to bring art sales to easily accessible, high-traffic locations. We believe purchasing art local artists holds greater sentimental value than what’s found at big box retail stores. And we know that dollars spent on local art go directly back into our local economies.

We Find Ways to Financially Support our Artists
We fundraise dollars from the community, from foundations, and grantors, and from state and federal entities alike. When the state shuttered from the first weeks of the pandemic, artists were impacted greatly. Performances were some of the first things to halt and some of the last things to resume. We rallied stakeholders and, within weeks, sent thousands of dollars to artists needing help with the unrelenting costs in an uncertain world. Our Artist Relief Fund continues to raise dollars for those artists needing extra support. We also serve as fiscal agents for many art organizations in town you no doubt love and cherish.

Just recently, we launched a healthcare program for artist members, wherein they can participate in a group healthcare plan. We are immensely proud to finally bring such a critical resource to this group, as healthcare can be challenging to procure when you are considered a solopreneur.

We Find and Open Doors for Artists to Walk Through 

Sierra Arts Foundation has its ear to the ground for artists. We are alerted when partners need murals. We hear when schools want to develop programs. We work with state agencies throwing their shoulders at the wheel on behalf of Nevada arts. We identify companies that want to hang local art through our Galleries at Work program. Every opportunity we learn of we issue back to our artist members, so they have foresight into what work is available to them. If the doors seem closed, we do what we can to cast them wide open.

We Offer Events for You to Enjoy
Whether it’s our January Brew HaHa, a celebration of the artistry of beer, our Fore the Love of Art event, performances on golf courses, or Reno Open Studios, a chance for locals to directly tour the working space of our local artists, we bring chances for you to get close to those who create.