Georgia O’Keeffe famously painted the flowers that grew in her gardens, so how did the tropical and exotic hibiscus and plumeria find their way into her work? Join Theresa Papanikolas, Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art at the Seattle Art Museum, as she traces the genesis and development of O’Keeffe’s floral paintings, follows in the footsteps of her 1939 journey to Hawaii, and reveals how she interpreted nature in modernist terms to reflect her intense—even spiritual—reverence for the American landscape.

Theresa Papanikolas, Ph.D. joined the Seattle Art Museum in 2019 as its Ann M. Barwick Curator of American Art. Prior to that, she was Deputy Director of Art and Programs and Curator of European and American Art at the Honolulu Museum of Art, where she led the reinstallation of its galleries and organized the exhibitions From Whistler to Warhol: Modernism on Paper (2010), Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawai?i Pictures (2013), Art Deco Hawai?i (2014), and Abstract Expressionism: Looking East from the Far West (2017). She was also the curator of the New York Botanical Garden’s 2018 exhibition, Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawaii. At SAM, she is curator of Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstract Variations, forthcoming in 2020.

Dr. Papanikolas has worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Rice University; holds degrees from USC (BA) and the University of Delaware (MA, Ph.D.); and completed a Fellowship at the Center for Curatorial Leadership (2016).

The Art Bite lecture series is supported by Nevada Humanities with additional sponsorship and free admission for students supported by the Core Humanities Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

This program will be held in the Wayne L. Prim Theater.

A specialist in firearms preservation, Richard Moll, Chief Conservator at the Autry Museum of the American West, will discuss preservation for both museums and the private collector. Presentation will include an overview of the methods, materials, and ethical considerations when preserving historic objects.

The mythos of the Wild West has long inspired the nation.  During the 30s and 40s, America’s appetite for films about the West seemed insatiable.   In answer, the big studios created a steady stream of big budget Western films with established stars.  Meanwhile, on the back lots of mini studios like Republic and on ranches in the Simi Valley, a sub genre was putting out hundreds of smaller films a year. These were the B Westerns and they would launch the careers of cowboy stars like Hopalong Cassidy, Tim McCoy, Hoot Gibson and The Durango Kid himself, Charles Starrett. This genre of Western film, vastly popular in its time, is nearly forgotten now. Screenwriter, producer and film buff, Tim Kirk, will discuss the careers of Hollywood’s gunslingers and the changing attitudes towards the West.

The Art Bite lecture series is supported by Nevada Humanities with additional sponsorship and free admission for students supported by the Core Humanities Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Jack Malotte makes artworks that celebrate the landscapes of the Great Basin, with a unique focus on contemporary political issues faced by Native people seeking to protect and preserve access to their lands. Join us for informal conversation in the gallery before the exhibition The Art of Jack Malotte closes later this month. Coffee, book signing and short film will be offered in the adjacent Founders’ Room. 

NOTE: This is an informal opportunity to connect with the artist Jack Malotte. The book “Jack Malotte” is available for purchase in the Founders’ Room or in the Museum store.

Drawing inspiration from Georgia O’Keeffe’s floral paintings, dramatic gestures and inspired lines, choreographer Eve Allen Garza presents Flower, Magnified a contemporary ballet. This short six minute ballet will be performed live followed by a presentation by Allen Garza that traces her creative process in drawing inspiration for movement from O’Keeffe’s artwork, persona and fashion. Following the presentation, visitors are invited to view the exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern. 

Eve Allen Garza is a dancer, dance educator and choreographer based in Reno.  She received her MFA in ballet from the University of Utah and BS in business administration with a dance minor from the University of Nevada, Reno. Allen Garza is the founder and director of the Downtown Dance Collective, a collaborative dance organization that aims to bring together local talent and present accessible performances to our community. Allen Garza performs locally with A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, Belle Contemporary Dance Company, and Rosie Trump | With or Without Dance. She has choreographed for Municipal Ballet Co. in Salt Lake City, the Nevada Opera, Sierra Nevada Ballet, and the University of Nevada, Reno.  Allen Garza is a lecturer for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Community-made murals elevate neighbor pride and revitalize public spaces. Join Mark Salinas, Arts & Culture Coordinator of Carson City, as he discusses his New York based non-profit 7Train Murals and how volunteerism can bring art and community together. 

Sponsor: The Art Bite series is supported by Nevada Humanities.

Virtual reality is most commonly known for the role it plays in the gaming industry. However, virtual technologies are changing the way many of us explore and engage in the world. Join us for a discussion with Virtual Reality Specialist, Luka Starmer, and Digital Humanities Specialist, Laura Rocke, both from the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries’ Digital Media Technology department, and learn about ways in which virtual technologies can be applied in library and museum settings to engage patrons, make objects and places more accessible and aide in cultural preservation. Following the discussion, attendees are invited to experience virtual reality applications developed by the Digital Media Technology team.

Sponsor: The Art Bite series is supported by Nevada Humanities.

In 2017 artist Kellee Morgado along with a group of interdisciplinary graphic designers presented an exhibition “SEAM” designed to challenge and modify consumer behavior by altering unwanted clothing. Through screen printing, repairing and re-purposing clothing the group worked to transformed undesirable articles of clothing to pieces of value in a gallery setting. Join us as Morgado shares the observations on waste and consumption in the fashion industry as formed by the project “SEAM.” 

Following the talk, visitors are invited to view the exhibition “Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern.” O’Keeffe’s signature style of dress embodies modernism through form, function and sustainability and features re-purposed, repaired and interchangeable articles of clothing.

Kellee Morgado is an interdisciplinary designer and artist. She received her BFA in graphic design at Appalachian State University (2017) and currently resides in Reno, Nevada as the Redfield Fellow at the Black Rock Press (2018-2020). She has a particular attraction to artist books, typography, printed matter, and letterpress and enjoys exploring this intersection of books, print, and design.

The Art Bite series is supported by Nevada Humanities.

Georgia O’Keeffe saw the modern world in unique ways, including the way in which she perceived the sky. Blue tones, clouds, and unusual perspectives of the horizon characterize much of her work. This talk will focus on O’Keeffe’s representation of the southwest sky in her paintings and fashion as well as in photographs of the artist.

Dr. Brett M. Van Hoesen is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The Art Bite series is supported by Nevada Humanities.

The period when Georgia O’Keeffe crafted her signature style of dress was also one of great development and change in American fashion at large. Against the background of war in Europe, a worldwide Depression, and the rise of Hollywood, America’s nascent fashion design industry sought to develop a distinctly American style to break free from the perceived dominance of French fashion.  This talk will look at the elements and sources of O’Keeffe’s signature wardrobe and locate them within the larger story of American fashion of her era.

Melissa Leventon, a founding partner of Curatrix Group museum consultants, is a specialist in European and American fashion and textiles.  Formerly Curator-in-Charge of Textiles at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco she has organized exhibitions involving art media ranging from contemporary glass to the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Melissa has been a consultant to museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, The Textile Museum, and the Chicago History Museum. Since 2006 she has also served as a senior consultant to the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Bangkok.  

Melissa has authored or contributed to numerous publications and was recently featured as an on-screen expert in the “California” episode of PBS’s Craft in America series.  In addition to her curatorial and appraisal work, Melissa teaches fashion history and theory at California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

The Art Bite series is supported by Nevada Humanities.