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Past exhibitions

Grid-Body-Place

June 25–August 3, 2024

Photo from painting in exhibit

Image: Candace Garlock, ORNAinpink, viscosity linocut print, 2012

Candace Nicol Garlock relies on an array of mediums in her work. The coalescence of printmaking techniques, painting, photography, and sculpture demonstrate the artist’s appreciation of the interconnectedness of everything. This retrospective exhibition will address Garlock’s early work and her experiments with grids in her practice. It will demonstrate the multitude of ways that the artist depicts the body in her work, either figuratively or conceptually, and will ultimately highlight the artist’s expansive practice and impact, foreground relationships, interconnectedness, and an artist’s urgent need to create in community.

The Counter/Self

February 29-June 1, 2024

Photo from exhibit of person standing above a mountainous landscape looking out

Image: Meryl McMaster, My Destiny is Entwined With Yours, from the series As Immense as the Sky, 2019, chromogenic print. Courtesy of the artist, Stephen Bulger Gallery, and Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain.

To a certain extent, every self is performative—a cast of characters we can summon or mold to serve our needs as we face the world. We each contain potential multitudes that can express or withhold different sides of ourselves, adapt to specific contexts, determine or respond to a boundless range of human interactions. Both individual and collective identities are formed by inner drives and outside pressures, relationships and constraints, nurture and oppression, dreams and fears.

Navigating the complexities of selfhood, agency, and representation, THE COUNTER/SELF brings together a group of artists who create and embody imaginative alter egos to examine, perform and subvert identity constructs and politics. Through the use of make-up and elaborate costumes, 2Fik, Adriana Chavez, Helio Eudoro, Julius Poncelet Manapul, Meryl McMaster, Sasha Shevchenko, Adrian Stimson, Stacey Tyrell, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Jamie Griffiths transform their own appearance and stage layered photographic, video, mixed media, and sculptural scenes that destabilize viewers’ presumed realities and points of reference to expose prejudices with regards to gender, race, ethnicity, and nationhood.

Shaped by personal and communal histories entwined within the artists’ life experiences, their counter/selves bring forward irreverent perspectives that disrupt enshrined national narratives, cultural legacies and social expectations. Sometimes flamboyant, sometimes enigmatic, these characters reveal the fallacies of dominant discourses and counteract their harmful sways. Probing power structures, asserting belonging, or obscuring presence, the counter/selves are invoked to reclaim space or to protect the vulnerable. In all their incarnations, they epitomize resilience, resistance and renewal.

Curated by Mona Filip. The circulation of this exhibition is organized by the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Layer Upon Layer

September 5, 2023 through January 7, 2024

Image of a newspaper in the background with cut out people in the foreground.William Weege, All American, Serigraph, 1976, Collection of the Lilley Museum of Art.

Artists throughout history have often used found objects, scraps, and even garbage, to tell stories in their work. This use of non-traditional media may have come from material necessity, or as a critique of traditional methodologies in art making. This display of works from the Lilley Museum of Art permanent collection traces the lineage from the Surrealists to contemporary art practices, where artists use collage in creative, political, and sometimes subversive ways. View this exhibition in the back section of the main floor exhibition space. 

Guillermo Bert: Groundwork

September 5, 2023 – January 7, 2024

Image of two sumo wrestlers wrestling overlapped with a collage of torn magazinesGuillermo Bert makes artworks that explore the endurance of immigrants who have left their home countries behind. In his multi-media and conceptually layered works, Bert addresses the ways in which colonization and capitalistic systems contribute to cultural displacement and the loss of Indigenous identities, traditions, and religions. Bert was born in 1959, raised in Santiago, Chile, and left his home country in the early 1980s before immigrating to Los Angeles in 1981.

A companion exhibition featuring Guillermo Bert’s work will be on view at Nevada Museum of Art from August 26, 2023 - January 14, 2024.

The Lilley Co-Lab

A yellow, blue and red sign inside the arts building that reads The Lilley Co-LabThe Lilley Co-Lab is an audience-centered curatorial experiment where we encourage visitors to the Lilley Museum of Art to share their thoughts, feelings, and responses to our permanent collection. We are entering phase two of this participatory exhibit: curators and staff are analyzing and interpreting all the audience feedback from the Lilley Co-Lab, and the permanent collection will be reinstalled in fall 2024. Stay tuned and keep participating as we work to revitalize the museum space, and share the Lilley Museum of Art’s collection in a new, expansive way.

Birthed from the soil at the Front Door Gallery

Iyana Esters
October 23, 2023 through January 1, 2024

A summer squash held by two hands resting in a lap draped with a colorful and patterned fabric."Birthed from the soil" is a new project by artist Iyana Esters. The exhibition presents a multidimensional portrait of Yawah Awolowo, known as Mama Yawah, an organic farmer, natural food chef, and midwife from the Black Belt of Alabama. This exhibition highlights the functionality of Mama Yawah’s life, demonstrating the beauty of ancestral knowledge of caring and working with the earth for generations, while living and tending to the community.

Iyana Esters combines art with her background in folk herbalism and environmental health, using photography as a lens of storytelling to capture human’s connection with nature. Esters experiments with a multitude of media including natural plant materials, herb dye, and anthrotype photography in her archival mural project, with an emphasis on highlighting stories about gender, sexuality, and ancestry in the Black and Afrodiaspora.

Oh, Joy! | The Collection of Margo Piscevich

June 5 – August 12, 2023

Collection of Margo Piscevich
Tom Everhart, Undercover in Beverly Hills, no date

This exhibition traces the collecting history of local collector, Margo Piscevich, featuring remarkable works from regional, national, and international artists.

Linda Alterwitz | Injection Site @ Front Door Gallery

March 27 through June 25, 2023

Black and white image of a person to the side, with the sleeve rolled up to show the shoulder.Injection Site: Making the Vaccine Visible, an ongoing series by Linda Alterwitz, invites viewers into the inner workings of the body, in a series of illustrations about how the COVID-19 vaccine reacts in peoples arms at the site of injection. In this remarkable photographic study, the artist uses a high-resolution thermal camera to document and track the body’s reaction to the vaccine. The resulting photographs reveal unique immunological responses, and provide an entry point into a dialogue about public health, personal choice, and our responsibility to one another.

Linda Alterwitz | Self Without Interpretation

March 1 through May 13, 2023

Cattail plants wrapped with colorful fabric.Linda Alterwitz (b. 1960, Indiana) is a Las Vegas-based visual artist utilizing photography, collage, and interactive methods. Her practice focuses on envisioning the unseen rhythms of the human body and our relationship to the natural world. An informative fifteen-year exploration within the fields of science and technology led her toward an in-depth investigation of the nexus between nature, society, and the individual. Her current work integrates the authenticity of science and the communicative power of art, sparking dialogue on the intended and unintended consequences of humankind when we separate ourselves from our natural environment. Final works take the form of large format photographs, constructed images using non-traditional materials and woven tapestries presented in both traditional exhibition and immersive public installation experiences.

Phyllis Shafer | The Nature of Time

October 13, 2022 - January 27, 2023

Oil painting of river with fall leaves and bushesThe sun’s movement across the sky and around the planet affects not only connection between brightness and shadow but also the emotional atmosphere of an environment. As a plein air painter, Phyllis Shafer captures the fleeting quality of light present in a landscape. Phyllis Shafer | The Nature of Time focuses on Shafer’s personal bond with nature and the reveling cycle of growth and death.

Following the Box

July 15 – September 16, 2022
Guest curator: Jerri Zbiral and Alan Teller

Old photograph from World War II era in Bengal, India of two children smiling outside straw hut

ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ 70 years ago, towards the end of World War II, a U.S. soldier stationed in rural West Bengal grabbed his Speed Graphic 4x4” press camera, hopped into a jeep and went off into the countryside to photograph. Who was he? Why did he leave his airbase to do that? We have no idea. What we do know is that he created remarkable images — sensitive portraits of villagers, respectful views of temples, documents of everyday life, a few military scenes. And how did a shoebox full of 127 of his beautiful negatives and prints made in India end up at an estate sale in Chicago many years later? Curators Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral made a serendipitous find and have been "following the box" ever since.

Following the Box, initially funded through a Fulbright award, is a mystery story, explored through an art exhibit and a documentary film. The film features interviews with 12 contemporary artists, 10 Indian and two American, who created work specifically inspired by this chance purchase of old photographs half a world away. Their artistic response can be seen in the exhibit form of this project. The exhibit and film illustrate the point that photographs are both windows to another time and place and mirrors of ourselves and our culture.

Each artist included in this project interpreted these images in their own unique way, shaped by their personal artistic vision and by the cultural net that envelops us all. This exhibit is an aesthetic and cross-cultural exploration of historic imagery, a celebration of universal power of photography to elicit memory and spark conversation. Following the Box is both a mystery story and a visual dialogue between Americans and Indians over time, ultimately a celebration of the power of art.

Following the Box

July 15 – September 16, 2022
Guest curator: Jerri Zbiral and Alan Teller

Old photograph from World War II era in Bengal, India of two children smiling outside straw hut

ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ 70 years ago, towards the end of World War II, a U.S. soldier stationed in rural West Bengal grabbed his Speed Graphic 4x4” press camera, hopped into a jeep and went off into the countryside to photograph. Who was he? Why did he leave his airbase to do that? We have no idea. What we do know is that he created remarkable images — sensitive portraits of villagers, respectful views of temples, documents of everyday life, a few military scenes. And how did a shoebox full of 127 of his beautiful negatives and prints made in India end up at an estate sale in Chicago many years later? Curators Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral made a serendipitous find and have been "following the box" ever since.

Following the Box, initially funded through a Fulbright award, is a mystery story, explored through an art exhibit and a documentary film. The film features interviews with 12 contemporary artists, 10 Indian and two American, who created work specifically inspired by this chance purchase of old photographs half a world away. Their artistic response can be seen in the exhibit form of this project. The exhibit and film illustrate the point that photographs are both windows to another time and place and mirrors of ourselves and our culture.

Each artist included in this project interpreted these images in their own unique way, shaped by their personal artistic vision and by the cultural net that envelops us all. This exhibit is an aesthetic and cross-cultural exploration of historic imagery, a celebration of universal power of photography to elicit memory and spark conversation. Following the Box is both a mystery story and a visual dialogue between Americans and Indians over time, ultimately a celebration of the power of art.

Thirty-Six Views of Japanese Art

March 15 - May 27, 2022

EN MEDIO | Senses of Migrations

July 9, 2021 – January 15, 2022

En Medio | Senses of Migrations installation photos

  • Painting of Hispanic person with flowers and plants covering face and body
  • Two paintings hang on museum wall showcasing Hispanic people and culture
  • Painting on museum wall next to directional sign for Interstate 10 Juarez, Mexico
  • Digital display hangs on museum wall with image of a staircase
  • Painting of Hispanic man hangs on museum wall
  • Artifacts from immigrants displayed in a glass case inside museum
  • Museum wall with text describing paintings
  • Text on museum wall describes the letters that incarcerated immigrants wrote
  • Front of museum glass walls details En Medio exhibition
  • En Medio | Senses of Migration written on glass window looking into museum

This exhibit was sponsored by the following:

Nevada Humanities logo
National Endowment for the Humanities logo

Leonor Fini | Not A Muse, An Artist

January 29 – May 15 2021

The intent of the show is to bring the spotlight to one of the most talented artists who created an incredibly valuable array of art pieces within the Surrealist canon. We hope to expose our visitors to the life and oeuvre of an overlooked artist, while inviting the viewer to ponder on the unequal representation of women in artistic movements throughout time.

Leonor Fini installation photos

  • Leonor Fini art on wall with exhibition introduction
  • Leonor Fini art on gallery wall with display case in front
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition walls
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall
  • Leonor Fini exhibition shelf with handouts stacked on it
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall with seating in front
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition wall with seating in front
  • Leonor Fini art on exhibition walls with seating in front

This exhibit was sponsored by the following:

City of Reno logo

David R. Harper: My Own Personal Ghost

September - December, 2020

Installation photos

  • David Harper's name on the glass doors of The Lilley art museum
  • Arm sculptures outstretched on a wall holding yarn and birds
  • Glass display cases with bird sculptures
  • Display cases with bird sculptures and bones and sculptures on tables
  • Human anatomy painting on canvas on museum wall in the middle of display cases and tables
  • Human face and neck made of thread pop off of museum wall
  • Bird sculptures on sticks hang from ceiling and reflect shadows on museum wall
  • Human skull and arm with hand raised sit on table in pile of pedals
  • Side view of display cases with bird sculptures and art of humans outside on museum wall
  • View of David Harper exhibit installation from above

This exhibit was sponsored by the following:

Nevada Humanities logo
National Endowment for the Humanities logo
City of Reno logo

Shane Pickett: Djinong Djina Boodja | Look at the Land that I Have Traveled

January – September, 2020

Shane Pickett Installation Photos

  • Pickett Installation Perspective 1
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 2
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 3
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 4
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 5
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 6
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 7
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 8
  • Pickett Installation Perspective 9

Nolan Preece

October – December, 2019

Nolan Preece Installation Photos

  • Nolan Preece written on glass door to museum exhibit
  • Preece Installation Perspective 1
  • Preece Installation Perspective 2
  • Preece Installation Perspective 3
  • Preece Installation Perspective 4
  • Preece Installation Perspective 5
  • Preece Installation Perspective 6
  • Preece Installation Perspective 7
  • Preece Installation Perspective 8
  • Preece Installation Perspective 9

Piranesi and the Eternal City

June – September, 2019

Piranesi Installation Photos

  • Piranesi written on glass door of museum exhibit
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 1
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 2
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 3
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 4
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 5
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 6
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 7
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 8
  • Piranesi Installation Perspective 9

See Her

April – May, 2019

See Her Installation Photos

  • See Her written on glass door to museum exhibition
  • See Her Installation Perspective 2
  • See Her Installation Perspective 3
  • See Her Installation Perspective 3
  • See Her Installation Perspective 4
  • See Her Installation Perspective 5
  • See Her Installation Perspective 6
  • See Her Installation Perspective 7
  • See Her Installation Perspective 8
  • See Her Installation Perspective 9

Terma: Images from the Ear or Groin or Somewhere

January – March, 2019