Sophie Scott of New Zealand is Silver City’s Fall Visiting Artist

SILVER CITY, Nev. — Sophie Scott of New Zealand is the visiting artist at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City this Autumn. Her latest artwork will be showcased in an exhibition on the 4th Floor Gallery of nearby St. Mary’s Art Center, 55 North R Street, Virginia City, from Oct. 14 through Oct. 21. The public is invited to the catered opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 1 to 4 p.m.

While in Nevada, Scott is creating new artwork based on historical photographs of St. Mary’s Art Center in Storey County, Devil’s Gate in Lyon County, and of other historic sites in the region. A. Perry, St. Mary’s Executive Director, writes that Scott’s “work is complex and absolutely intriguing.”

A painter and printmaker, Scott has a BFA from the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. In her artwork, images are “stripped back until the places are recognizable only through their landmarks, with just a suggestion of buildings and land form. She draws the viewer into a world which is familiar yet strange, challenging our notion of how we connect with place.”

In addition to creating award winning artwork that’s been seen in a number of New Zealand galleries and the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nevada, Scott is a shepherd on a high country sheep farm on the beautiful South Island of New Zealand.

Sophie Scott grew up in Kingston, which was once a main access way for gold in the New Zealand gold rush, and is now a quiet village near Lake Wakatipu. These parallels between her hometown and similar settlements on the Comstock attracted her to the region and it’s unique history.

Four Shows at St. Mary’s Art Center in October: Scott’s exhibition will be one of four at St. Mary’s Art Center this Fall. From October 14-21, Carol Brown will also share her new show, "Ossified," in the Art Center's Post Gallery. On the Art Center's 2nd floor, there will be an exhibition of work by Chris England, who "captures the strength and wild beauty of a particular band of horses close to his heart." And on the Art Center's third floor galleries, visitors will find photographs by Will Barber, whose work is informed by his Ph.D in ecology and Masters in zoology. The Art Center's artisan gallery will be open as well, showing the work of many of the region's artisans, such as Mimi Patrick, Casey Clark, Anna Smith, JoAnn Pinnock, and others. The exhibitions are funded, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nevada Arts Council.

What is the Resident Artist Program in Silver City? The privately funded resident artist program exists within the small but vibrant Comstock community of Silver City, located within one of the nation's largest federally designated historic landmarks. Recently designated an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center," the town is already home to a surprising number of Nevada’s artists, musicians, writers, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. Those creating in the performing, visual, or literary arts reside at McCormick House during their Residency, engaging with the Northern Nevada region through public performances, exhibitions, workshops, poetry readings, etc. The Program has hosted some extraordinary people since it began in 2014, such as Pulitizer-Prize nominated poet David Lee, internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop, and London-based artist Stewart Easton, whose work has recently been on view at both the Tate Modern and the Ashmolean in London. For additional information about the Program, contact director Quest Lakes at 847-0742.