NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL
Be Social
Local arts leaders, meet your new advocacy tool: the Arts Impact Explorer! 🎨✨
Use this @Americans4arts tool to showcase the social, cultural, educational, and economic impact of arts and culture in building healthy, vibrant communities. Explore how the arts intersect with 30 sectors, gather resources, and make your case to local decision-makers for stronger arts-supportive policies.
🎡 Spin the Explorer wheel for snapshots of arts + sector impact
📂 Search and add local projects to the database
📊 Build a Fact Sheet featuring your organization’s projects and national resources
📚 Access publications and studies from the National Arts Publication Database
Explore the Arts Impact Explorer today 👉 Link in our bio.
Lyon County shines in the 2026 Poetry Out Loud competition! 🎤✨
We’re excited to recognize this year’s winners:
🥇 Mari Basaca Fuentes (First Place)
🥈 Saleen Felan (Second Place)
🥉 Daniel Mercado (Third Place)
These talented students recited their poems with clarity, emotion, and stage confidence, showcasing their voices in this year’s America250-focused competition. Lyon County’s young students were truly impressive. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success!
📅 Next stop: See Mari again at the state finals on March 7, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Joe Crowley Student Union from 1–3 p.m. Admission is free, and live streaming will be available for those who can’t attend in person.
Learn more and join us through the link in our bio.
Thank you to our sponsor, the @UNevadaReno, for making this event possible!
Congratulations to our 2026 Poetry Out Loud Douglas County semi-finalist! 🎤✨
We proudly honor this year’s winners:
🥇 Cash Bourquin (First Place)
🥈 Violet Pierson (Second Place)
🥉 Nathan Bertucci (Third Place)
Douglas County students impressed everyone with their recitations, delivering each poem with confidence, energy, and thoughtful expression in this America250 focused competition. A heartfelt thank you to all the students, educators, and community members who supported these young students!
Catch Cash at the state finals on March 7, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Joe Crowley Student Union from 1–3 p.m. Admission is free, and live streaming will be available for those who can’t attend in person.
Mark your calendars and get all the details through the link in our bio.
Thank you to our sponsor, the @UNevadaReno, for making this event possible!
Applying for a Nevada Arts Council grant? Start strong. ✨
Our grants are competitive and designed to support the creation of and access to the arts across Nevada. The strongest applications reflect thoughtful planning, a clear understanding of the community you aim to serve, a defined need, and a well-designed, well-funded project plan.
Before you begin:
✔ Read the Grant Guidelines thoroughly
✔ Prepare a clear and concise project description
✔ Ensure you understand your project budget and funding sources
Set yourself up for success by reviewing our Grant Applicant Resources page for tools, guidance, and helpful information.
Learn more and access resources through the link in our bio.
A big round of applause for our 2026 Poetry Out Loud Clark County semi-finalist! 🎤✨
We’re proud to honor this year’s winners:
🥇 Sara Wang (First Place)
🥈 Ai Kang (Second Place)
🥉 Khloe Ohnstad (Third Place)
These talented students recited poems with heart, skill, and remarkable stage presence, showcasing inspiring performances as they advance in this America250-themed competition. Thank you to all the students, teachers, and supporters who made this year’s event possible!
📅 Don’t miss Sara at the state finals on March 7, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Joe Crowley Student Union from 1–3 p.m. Admission is free, and live streaming will be available for those who can’t attend in-person.
Find more information through the link in our bio.
Thank you to our sponsor, the @UNevadaReno, for making this event possible!
This Presidents Day, make history in Nevada! 🎨
We’re seeking proposals for the official portrait of Governor Joe Lombardo. This commissioned oil painting will hang alongside past governors’ portraits in the Nevada State Capitol.
🖌 Requirements: Professional portrait experience, ability to work from a photo, and adherence to size/style specifications (34–38” W x 48–51⅜” H, oil paint, framed).
Open to U.S.-based professional portrait artists with a Nevada state business license.
📌 Learn more and submit your proposal through the link in our bio.
No matter how you show love, the arts speak your language. 💖
This Valentine’s Day, celebrate the creativity that connects us all, from handmade hearts to shared stories, every expression counts.
#CreativeLove #ValentinesDay #NevadaArts
Congratulations to our 2026 Poetry Out Loud Carson City semi-finalist! 🎤✨
We’re especially proud to recognize this year’s winners:
🥇 Makala Heyder (First Place)
🥈 Claire Dillon (Second Place)
🥉 Clark Hoffman (Third Place)
These talented students recited their chosen poems with confidence, passion, and powerful voices, proudly representing Carson City in this America250 focused competition. A big thank you to everyone who participated with us this year!
📅 Next up: catch Makala at the Poetry Out Loud state finals on March 7, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Joe Crowley Student Union, from 1–3 p.m. This free event is open to the public, and live streaming will be available for those who can’t attend in person.
Learn more about the program and join us for the state finals through the link in our bio.
Thank you to our sponsor, @UNevadaReno, for making this event possible!
📢 Upcoming Grants Event
Join us for a Las Vegas Grant Workshop to learn about Nevada Arts Council grant opportunities, application tips, and resources available to artists and organizations. This workshop is open to all and designed to support access and understanding. Spanish translation will be provided on-site. ✨ We can’t wait to see you there!
📅 Feb. 18, 2026
🕠 5:30 p.m. PST
📍 East Las Vegas Community Center
250 N. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89101
Poetry Out Loud 2026 is almost here! Will you be joining us? 🎤
More than 3,000 high schoolers across Nevada are competing for a chance to represent the state in the National Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. Show your support for local student poets.
Join us in celebrating Nevada’s young voices as they recite poems honoring America250 and the stories that helped shape our nation. A big thank you to our sponsor, the @UNevadaReno, for making this event possible!
✨ State Finals:
📅 March 7, 2026
🕐 1–3 p.m.
📍 Joe Crowley Student Union, University of Nevada, Reno
Can’t make it in person? Watch the state finals live from our YouTube Channel.
👉Learn more through the link in our bio.
Have you secured your tickets to the @ArtistsThrive1 Summit in Las Vegas? 🎟️
Las Vegas is one of six cities nationwide hosting this year’s Artists Thrive Summit, with a local focus on Third Spaces: Community and Connection—the gathering places that help build belonging in a fast-moving city.
Join fellow creatives in Las Vegas and connect with participants across Lowell, Nashville, Kansas City, San Antonio, and Billings during shared national sessions.
✨ Be part of the conversation shaping creative communities.
👉 Register now through the link in our bio.
⏰ Sales end March 7, 2026, at 9:59 p.m.
From tall tales and everyday moments to ghost stories and unforgettable encounters, the stories we tell shape how we understand our communities and ourselves.
In the latest Follow the Folklorist blog, Nevada State Folklorist Brad McMullen explores personal experience narratives—the folklore genre that captures stories told from lived experience and passed from voice to voice across Nevada.
Dive into how these stories evolve, why they matter, and how your own experiences are part of our state’s living heritage.
👉 Read the blog through the link in our bio.
RECENT NEWS
FOLKLIFE IN FOCUS – Personal Experience Narratives: Tall Tales, Memorates, and More
Welcome to the Follow the Folklorist blog! Founded by Rebecca Snetlesaar and currently led by Nevada State Folklorist Brad McMullen, our blog is dedicated to exploring the rich tapestry of […]
Read MoreRelease: Regan Margetts Joins Nevada Arts Council as Arts Learning Specialist
Regan Margetts joins the Nevada Arts Council as the arts learning specialist serving the southern Nevada region. She will coordinate and execute K-12 and lifelong learning arts education programs, including […]
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BUY AN ARTS LICENSE PLATE
supporting k-12 arts learning
Nevada’s first Arts License Plate is available at DMV field offices statewide. The plate, designated by DMV as the “Children in the Arts” license plate, is available in a standard or personalized format. If you are interested in a standard format, the initial cost will be $51 dollars with an annual renewal fee of $20 in addition to all other registration fees.
NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL VIDEOS
sharing Nevada stories on art and heritage
NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE PARTNERS
