Nevada County artists launch DANK Inaugural to showcase local contemporary art

Local artists are announcing a new collaborative effort highlighting the contemporary art scene in Nevada County. Featuring 2-D and sculpture by some of the best local talent and moving into a highly visible, temporary space, The DANK Inaugural begins a new chapter in the thriving Nevada County art scene.

The list of participating artists include: 
Celine Adrianna Negrete, 
Roseanne Burke
, Sheila Cameron, 
Kathy Frey,
 Cynthia Levesque, 
Moira McLaughlin, 
Joseph Meade
, Nancy Nelson, 
Dylan Sherwood McConnell and Reinette Senum.

The opening and closing artists’ receptions take place during two of Nevada City’s First Friday Art Walks.

The DANK Inaugural is essentially a pop-up art happening in an otherwise unoccupied space. Additional gallery hours will be posted on the group’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/dankmovement where people can also learn more about the artists and follow some work in progress.

“Water” is the theme of both The DANK Inaugural show as well as the July 11 Art Walk.

“We are exploring what works and using available resources to make things happen locally. Occupying an empty space and filling it with art for Art Walk just makes sense and it has been exciting to watch this come together,” says participating artist Sheila Cameron.

“DANK was inspired by the many successful business and farm co-ops in the area.  It seemed appropriate that fellow artists and friends experiment with a cooperative model in order to similarly thrive.

“The name DANK comes from the ubiquitous wet wood smell that permeates Nevada City, which is situated on the banks of gold-rich Deer Creek.  It is also a nod to one of our county’s premier exports, cannabis, and it’s an acronym for Do Art Now Kids.  Like all art movements we are operating on several levels and ever evolving,” says artist Moira McLaughlin.

Kathy Frey, a nationally recognized jeweler, has been working on sculptural works for the show and feels she wouldn’t be doing this without the support of the newly formed group.

“The electrical energy that vibrates through our conversations when we come together at The Curly Wolf results in more vibrant studio lives for us individually,” says Frey. “I personally feel more alive and relevant just for having a community who is supporting and even pushing me to generate new work for a beautifully curated space.”

About DANK
DANK was founded in Nevada City, California on August 20, 2013 as an off-shoot of Nevada County Yarn Bombers that oversaw two successful public art installations and sought to go beyond fiber arts.

The group is interested in collaboration, the rural ideal, contemporary social issues, and a post-Great Recession, anti-urban aesthetic grounded in the legacy of California’s Gold Rush. Founding members: Roseanne Burke, Sheila Cameron, Kathy Frey, Cynthia Levesque, Moira McLaughlin, Joe Meade and Nancy J. Nelson.

Tuesday morning weekly meetings, at music producer and designer Joshua Henry’s The Curly Wolf, proved to be the perfect, creative incubator for the group that began to evolve as new thought leaders and artists joined the ranks.

Subsequent members include Dylan Sherwood McConnell, Celine Adrianna Negrete and Reinette Senum.

The DANK Inaugural Showcases Nevada County Cotemporary Art
Artists’ Receptions

Friday, July 11

Friday, August 1

5 – 9 p.m.
300 Spring Street 
Nevada City, CA 95959

For gallery hours please follow Facebook.com/dankmovement



-DANK Inaugural

(Artwork: “Water and Gold” by Sheila Cameron)

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