Art in Public Spaces
About the Program
Art in Public Spaces is a new program of Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with the County of Nevada. Together, we present quarterly displays at the Rood Center, 950 Maidu Avenue, Nevada City.
Art in Public Spaces is a pilot program through which we are developing a process of engagement and selection in tandem with the County and our community.
Why Art in Public Spaces?
Public art must always strive to be physically and freely accessible. It can be for simple enjoyment or carry many meanings. It can be set in stone, span a wall, be ephemeral or permanent. It can be fantastic or representational; tell a story, lend civic pride, and remind us that though we may be unique in our identities, we are one.
Our program is about providing a thoughtful space of belonging for all residents of Nevada County, expressing community values, heightening our awareness, and helping us question our assumptions. Art in Public Spaces acknowledges both our California Cultural Districts, and communities that populate our diverse landscapes. It is for everyone, a form of collective community expression, reflecting our society and opening our civic spaces.
CURRENT EXHIBITION
We Are Not Strangers Here : African American Histories in Rural California
January 31 - April 18, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 6th at 4:30pm
Eric Rood Administration Center, 950 Maidu Avenue, Nevada City
About the Exhibition
While it is widely recognized that many Black people who migrated to California moved into booming cities, African Americans are not strangers to rural California. Rural Black residents opened schools, worked the land, and exercised vigilance about the equal rights of citizens. Over successive migrations in the 19th and 20th-centuries, generations settled in agricultural and rural areas from as far north as Siskiyou County, to the Central Valley, to the Imperial Valley in the South. The traveling exhibition by Exhibit Envoy features these stories and Nevada County Arts Council has collaborated with the Historical Society and the Historical Commission to shine a light on figures from the local community.
We Are Not Strangers Here is a collaboration between the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies; Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum; the California Historical Society; Exhibit Envoy; and Dr. Caroline Collins from UC San Diego. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation. It is presented by Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with the County of Nevada and Nevada County Historical Society.
In March, we assembled a panel of experts to discuss the historical renaming of Johnson Canyon—
in case you missed it, check out this video produced by Bitesize Media.
