Nevada at 150: The 36th Star
Written by Kristin Close
A collection of 36-star flags, such as this one from Nevada’s Ft. Ruby, will be on display through early November at Reno’s Nevada Museum of Art to commemorate Nevada’s 150th birthday.
Celebrate Nevada’s 150th year with a walk through the Nevada Museum of Art’s newest exhibit, “The 36th-Star: Nevada’s Journey from Territory to State.”
From August 2 to November 2, three of the Reno museum’s galleries display artifacts and photographs from the Civil War, to highlight how Nevada became a state in just three short years.
Amanda Horn, Director of Communications at Nevada Museum of Art, took me on a private tour of the exhibit – although a small crowd gathered around us as Horn explained artifact details in depth.
The first room is filled with photos from Timothy O’Sullivan, a Civil War photographer–a greatcoat and, Horn’s favorite, muster rolls–which have never been publicly displayed. The second room is the (temporary) home to the Proclamation of Statehood, 1864, multiple 36-star flags, documents from the National Archives from the Library of Congress, such as the Nevada State Constitution, and a replica of the Emancipation Proclamation.
For the first time since World War II, the original copy of the Proclamation will make a rare appearance in Nevada, and more specifically, in the Nevada Museum of Art. From October 30 to November 2, you will be able to see the Proclamation first-hand. Viewing dates and times are here.
The third room contains a short video clip, a California-Nevada Survey Map circa 1863, and Timothy O’Sullivan’s “King Survey photos.” The King Survey covered an 800-mile-long area of land along the 40th parallel from southern Wyoming to the California line. His photographs of bare landscapes, geological formations and mining operations represent a raw vision of this little-understood territory. Horn particularly likes the old photos of Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River.
“The 36th-Star: Nevada’s Journey from Territory to State” offers people of all-ages the chance to enjoy a diversity of art and learn about their state history.
The Museum, 160 W. Liberty St. in downtown Reno, is open 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors and $1 for children 6-12.
Category: Arts & Culture
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