Through December 31, 2027 » Reno, NV

Of the Earth

A special exhibition at the Nevada Art Museum features pottery and basketry from private collections.

The Nevada Museum of Art’s new permanent exhibition, Of the Earth, focuses on Pueblo pottery and baskets stemming from two significant donated collections. The exhibition places around 280 collection pieces among contemporary, commissioned works, helping to “highlight how the stories of Indigenous communities are shaped by—and respond to—the land,” says Melissa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute), museum co-curator and community advisor, alongside Ann M. Wolfe, museum chief curator and associate director.

Elizabeth Sherman (1901-1991, Western Mono), Gathering Basket, 1987, twined (open work); redbud, sumac, 14 x 11 in. Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, Gift of Larry Dalrymple and Steve Moreno.

“Approximately 250 baskets are on view from among the more than 500 baskets donated to the museum by Larry Dalrymple and Steve Moreno, who dedicated more than 40 years to collecting and documenting the stories of the weavers and the individuality of their work,” says Melero-Moose. “There are 30 pieces of pottery (on display) donated by Brenda Blom and the late John Blom, who have been collecting in the Southwest region for more than 30 years. The Blom pottery donation has approximately 500-plus pieces. Both collectors have publications about their collections, and there will be more information about the art and artists on the Bloomberg Connection app you can download to access the collection from anywhere.”

Joseph and Nona Latoma (San Felipe), Polychrome Bowl, ca. 2013, natural clay and pigments, 19¾ x 12¼ in. Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, Gift of John and Brenda Blom.

To honor the living traditions of Native American basketweaving, the exhibition also features newly commissioned baskets by Native American weavers from the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada, including Leah Brady (Western Shoshone), Loretta Burden (Northern Paiute), Sue Coleman (Washo), Norma Darrough (Western Shoshone) and Julia Parker (Coast Miwok/Kashaya Pomo), among many others.

Additional features include a newly created mural by Jack Malotte (Western Shoshone/Washoe) developed in collaboration with Lena Tseabbe Wright (Northern Paiute/Yurok). “This is a major highlight of the exhibition and underscores the spiritual and physical ties between Native peoples and the land,” says Melero-Moose, who adds that, “In addition to the baskets and pottery on view, we have incorporated the connection and importance of appreciating basketry from plant, to the painstaking processing of the plants, and creation of the basketry by having our own Indigenous plant gardens.”

Jacqueline Rickard (Walker River Paiute), All That Is (detail), 2023-24, coiled; #11 beads, willow, thread, 45/8 x 12 in. Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Orchard House Foundation.

Pottery highlights from the Blom collection to watch for are the Joseph and Nona Latoma (San Felipe) Polychrome Bowl, circa 2013, and Arthur and Hilda Coriz’s (San Felipe), Polychrome Jar, 1992; while basketry gems from the Dalrymple and Moreno collection includes Elizabeth Sherman’s (1901-1991, Western Mono), Gathering Basket, 1987. Newly commissioned baskets that are attracting attention includes Jacqueline Rickard’s (Walker River Paiute) piece All That Is, and Norma Darrough’s (Western Shoshone) My Sunburnt Willow Water Jug, 2024-25.

Arthur and Hilda Coriz (San Felipe), Polychrome Jar, 1992, natural clay and pigments, 2¾ x 10½ in. Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art. Gift of John and Brenda Blom.

“What is so special about the entire basketry collection is that each basket was bought directly from the artists and their information documented,” Melero-Moose shares. “So many of the basket collections throughout the country do not have a provenance to their works and it is so important to know who created these works, their tribal region and personal stories. It is this connection that makes these works of art so special and an important part of our American art history.”

The exhibition in its entirety will remain on view through December 31, 2027. —

Through December 31, 2027
Of the Earth: Native American Baskets and Pueblo Pottery
Nevada Museum of Art
160 W. Liberty Street, Reno, NV 89501, (775) 329-3333 www.nevadaart.org