Mariah Vargas, "Bodies 3", MDF, Acrylic Paint 64"x 15" x 14", 2020

Sogand Tabatabaei, "Enchanting," Collage,11"x14", 2022

"Contrasts" exhibition flier

Art brings contrasts along with connections. In the Capital City Arts Initiative’s "Contrasts" exhibition, Mariah Vargas’ minimalist sculptures interact with Sogand Tabatabaei’s intricately-patterned collages.

The free exhibit is open to the public May 16 — September 15, 2022, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Western Nevada College's Bristlecone Building, 2201 West College Parkway, Carson City. Join CCAI for the opening reception, Monday, May 16, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The exhibition video tour will be online soon at ccainv.org.

Vargas built highly-crafted large box shapes that she painted white on the outside and then gave them an almost startling hot pink interior. As a feminist, Vargas states, “My work begins as a personal, feminist response to the hyper-masculinity inherent to minimalist art and ends with my dialogue concerned with the space between masculine and feminine social ideals. I use abstraction to contort realism and literalism and to challenge viewers’ ability to apply gender to an object. Through abstraction and body reference, I challenge the viewer to be comfortable with the things they do not immediately understand. My use of abstraction is not intended to be vague and esoteric. My intention is to challenge the split-second moment in which we assume, define, and understand the world.”

Tabatabaei uses her work to collage the fragments of memories, expectations, and experiences together and to create a new aesthetic to tie those feelings together. She aims for her highly-patterned collages to perform as a documentary movie made from real scenes of life. She said, “As an Iranian, I explore the traumatic experiences, observations, stereotypes, beauties, hopes, and fears within Middle East’s contemporary socio-political climate in my art. Inspired by my cultural background, I often employ folk crafts and patterns and conceptualize them in my artistic practice. In my collage pieces, beautiful heavy patterns decorating a horrific moment speaks to my understanding of politics, prejudices, and contradictions in my homeland.”

Mariah Vargas is a sculptor interested in light as a medium and the reductive simplicity of the minimalist aesthetic. Her obsession with clean, hard-edge lines, feels like a controlled response to contemporary chaos. She was born and raised in Reno, attended the University of Nevada, Reno, and earned a BFA degree in 2020. She remains fascinated in a lifelong relationship being an object maker. She lives in Reno with her wife.

Sogand Tabatabaei was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. When she was six years old, she found herself in awe at the printed version of the Mona Lisa on the wall of her grandparent’s house. Later, she completed her B.A. thesis paper inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s thoughts. Tabatabaei finished her B.A. with an emphasis on painting from the Tehran University of Art in 2017. She was awarded the Exceptional Talents grant to join the M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts) program at the Tehran University of Art. But, she moved to the US and earned her M.F.A. degree at the University of Nevada, Reno, 2018. She is primarily a collage/installation artist, and most of her works have an interdisciplinary approach, including drawing, installation, printmaking, etc. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Josie Glassberg wrote the essay for the exhibition — available online and in the gallery. Glassberg is a freelance writer whose work has regularly appeared in Double Scoop Art News, the Reno News & Review, and Fibonacci magazine. She attended St. Olaf College for printmaking and enjoys writing about art in the West when she’s not busy with her main gig as a garden teacher. During her free time, Josie likes to swim and hang out with her 9-year-old.

Carlos Ramirez, a Western Nevada College Latino Leadership Academy student, provided a Spanish translation of the show’s wall text.

Western Nevada College is a component of the Nevada System of Higher Education, with campuses in Carson City, Douglas County, and Fallon. CCAI is an artist-centered nonprofit organization committed to community engagement in contemporary visual arts through exhibitions, illustrated talks, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online activities.

The Initiative is funded by the Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, John and Grace Nauman Foundation, Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Carson City Cultural Commission, Kaplan Family Charitable Fund, U.S. Bank Foundation, Southwest Gas Corporation Foundation, Steele & Associates LLC, and CCAI sponsors and members.

For additional information, please visit CCAI’s website at www.ccainv.org.

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Nonprofit Clean Up The Lake (CUTL) has launched an expansive underwater clean up in Fallen Leaf Lake revealing the Tahoe Basin’s dirtiest mile yet.

In the history of this small but mighty and often overlooked lake, there has never been an underwater cleanup of this scale.

The Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada board of directors announced Friday the hire of Rebecca Hall as its new director.

The previous director was fired following an incident in July involving a weapons cache, drugs, and a family who was potentially living inside of the Children's Museum.

The 4th Annual Silver State Art Festival is happening Friday, Sept. 9, 5:00-8:00pm; Saturday, Sept. 10, 9:00am-5:00pm; Sunday, 9:00am-3:00pm at Fuji Exhibit Hall, Carson City (across from Costco).

There is free admission to this event! The holidays are coming and handmade pieces of art make great gifts.

Stop by this "Pop-Up Gallery" and meet over 40 award-winning photographers, painters, gourd, wood, glass artists, and many more who will be sharing their art.

MidTown Marketplace will be having a one day only Pop-up Flea Market this Sunday Sept. 11 from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. in their parking lot.

Items vary from vintage furniture, home decor, collectables, and much more.

An uncirculated 1884 Carson City Morgan silver dollar will highlight a raffle during the Friends of the Nevada State Museum fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 22. The coin, donated by Northern Nevada Coin, will be raffled off during the Silver State Speakeasy event in the Nevada Room of the Governor’s Mansion.

Carson City Fire Department quickly knocked down a structure fire at a home Thursday evening in the 600 block of Wialaki Street on Washoe Tribe land in southwest Carson City.

The annual 911 Memorial at Mills Park will be held this Sunday in Carson City.

Each year, attendees gather at the memorial site in Mills Park, which contains a piece of the steel beam donated to the city from the World Trade Center’s fallen North Tower

Hello fellow anglers. I usually start off with, this time of year, how pleasant the weather has been and how things have cooled off. But there was no escaping the heat during the past week, no matter where you were.

Happy Thursday Carson City. We're getting into Fall (in theory, at least) and it'll be time soon enough for hay rides, pumpkin carving, family photos and more.

But something is missing form all these family moments: a furry friend!

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas sheriff’s office said Thursday that an arrested public official’s DNA was found at the site of an investigative reporter’s slaying.

On Wednesday, a fire exploded sometime after 4 p.m. in a railroad tie yard in the area of Hazen, approximately 12 miles outside Fernley.

The fire has continued to burn, with efforts made by first responders to keep the fire from jumping outside its current perimeter.

The Carson City School District is pleased to announce Rachel Croft, fourth grade educator and coordinator for Northwest Regional Professional Development Program, as the National Education Association Global Learning Fellow from the state of Nevada.

UPDATE 10:52AM: Northern Nevada air quality is expected to reach “very unhealthy” to “hazardous” levels Thursday afternoon due to smoke from the Mosquito Fire burning in Northern California, according to an alert Thursday morning from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office is searching for a male suspect in an armed robbery that happened Wednesday morning at the Valero gas station in Dayton.

UPDATE 10:18 PM: Churchill County officials have asked that all residences within a half mile of the fire evacuate, and for all other residents to remain indoors.

The smoke plume from the fire is currently moving east towards the north of Fallon.

Many nearby residents have raised concerns regarding the toxicity of the smoke. Railroad ties are generally treated with chemical carcinogens, such as creosote and chromated copper arsenate, both of which carry potential toxic affects for humans and animals.

The fire is expected to continue burning through the night and potentially into tomorrow.

UPDATE 7:45PM: North Lyon County Fire stated there are fixed wing aircraft dropping retardant on the perimeter to help keep the fire from spreading or damaging the train tracks.

Highway 50 is closed near the flames, and responders are asking the public to keep away from the incident site until further notice.

Just after 4 p.m., Wednesday the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 calls stating that large stacks of railroad ties in the community of Hazen were on fire.

The Mosquito Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, Calif., is 4,223 acres in size with no containment as of Wednesday evening. The National Weather Service said westerly winds developing Wednesday afternoon have pushed smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin and into western Nevada valleys.

There will be a Public Utilities Commission consumer session Tuesday, Sept. 13 for a proposed 8.12 percent rate hike for northern Nevada NV Energy electricity customers.

The 2022 Levitt AMP Carson City concert series may be over but the Brewery Arts Center is still the place to be every weekend as they expand the hours for the popular new exhibition, Part of the Machine — A curated exhibition from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

A suspect in a residential burglary who also had a court order violation led Carson City Sheriff's Office deputies in a vehicle and foot pursuit Wednesday afternoon, which ended with the suspect in custody.

While the summer heat rages on, Roper’s Heating and Air Conditioning continues to deliver. Dropping an additional 56 fans to the Carson City Senior Center as part of Roper’s continued participation in the KOLOCares Fan Drive, this latest donation brings Roper’s total contribution to 189 fans donated this summer.

Three were arrested early Wednesday morning for suspicion of felony drug offenses including conspiracy after an investigation led to methamphetamine, heroin, scales and packaging material, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.

We are looking for a few great volunteers! CASA of Carson City helped change the stories of more than 100 abused and neglected children last year. As a CASA volunteer, you aren’t just an important piece of that work, you are the heart and soul of what we do!

The mail ballot opt-out deadline is fast approaching. Nevada voters have until Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. to request to opt-out of receiving a mail ballot.

“I’m the beer butler.”

Pat Duncan, owner of the Beer Studio, Carson City’s newest craft beer location, grew up in Carson City and since that time has become something of a craft beer enthusiast.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is hosting its 19th Annual Motor Officer Training Challenge this Thursday through Saturday at Mills Park.

While some opted to spend Labor Day at the beach, or in a backyard barbecue, union enthusiasts gathered together at Idlewild Park in Reno to host the first ever Reno LaborFest. Go here for the full story.

The Nevada State Police Highway Patrol division seized 56 pounds of suspected Fentanyl with a street value of $3.6 million following a traffic stop Monday north of Ely.

UPDATE 4:38PM Forward fire progress stopped on the fire east of Johnson Lane. Crews mopping up. Final size revised to under one acre. *** Firefighters are responding Tuesday afternoon to a brush fire in the Pine Nut Mountain range approximately 3 to 5 miles east of Johnson Lane.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford on Tuesday announced a $438.5 million agreement in principle between JUUL Labs and 34 states and territories resolving a two-year bipartisan investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices.

Across the country, mass teacher shortages have been felt in seemingly every district, and the capital city is not immune.

A 38-year-old woman was arrested Sunday for suspicion of felony grand larceny of an auto and other offenses, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.

A woman was arrested for suspected arson following an incident that happened on April 24 in Fernley and the subsequent state fire marshal investigation, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

With Tuesday expected to be the hottest day, the late summer heat wave gripping the Silver State and western U.S. has prompted NV Energy to ask customers to continue to conserve energy daily during the heat wave between 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday to help reduce strain on the western U.S. electric grid.

UPDATE: This event has been canceled, according to an email received Thursday from the Carson City Historical Society. *** The Carson City Historical Society is hosting a lecture and dinner on Friday, September 9, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on "Victorian Fashions and Dress Reform" by Jan Loverin of the Marjorie Russell Textile Museum.

The Carson City School District and Carson High School are pleased to announce CHS Junior Alexandra Llamas-Cruz has earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs.

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties’ September meeting is Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 at 9am, with an option to attend either in-person or via Zoom.

Two crows swooped and dived bombed a great horned owl on my neighbors’s roof Friday near Carriage Square Park in Carson City.

UPDATE 5:08PM: The fire is contained to the Carson City landfill and there isn't spread potential outside the landfill, meaning there's no threat to structures, according to a Carson City Fire Department battalion chief. *** Carson City Fire Department and sheriff's deputies responded late Monday afternoon to a brush fire in the 3600 block of Flint Drive, near the Carson City landfill.

Time to get moonstruck! Grab your gang and join us on a 90 minute train ride in Virginia City this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10, the evenings of the September Harvest Moon.

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