Art of the State

Room with a view

NadaDada Motel

An artist walks a fine line between work and life. Many artists seek to eliminate that line altoby Ashley Hennefer gether, and make their life their work, and live right smack in the middle of it. Such is the philosophy of NadaDada Motel, an annual art show celebrating its eighth anniversary. NadaDada Motel consists of artists taking up residency in downtown motels and using their room to stage an art exhibit. It’s a fitting concept for Reno, where motels are in abundance, and the city’s legacy is entwined with tourism and lodging. As the NadaDada Motel website reads, “Art and absurdity live in Reno.” For more information, Since NadaDada’s inception, more than visit www.nadadada 400 artists have participated. The name, motel.weebly.com. references the philosophies of Dadaism but has come to refer specifically to the Reno-based collaborative art group. (There’s even a Wikipedia page about it.) The concept for the show arose as a response to Artown, when several artists wanted a more informal, communal way to showcase art without restriction. In true Dada fashion, the movement is essentially leaderless but organized by a dedicated group of artists.

NadaDada was held at the El Cortez Hotel on West Second Street until one particularly rowdy year several years ago that involved underage drinking and general debauchery, according to artist Cindy Gunn.

After that, the event was no longer permitted there, and instead occurs in several downtown motels including the Town House Motor Lodge, El Ray Motel, Keno Motel, City Center Motel, Wildflower Village and the Morris Burner Hotel. This year, there are more than 30 artists participating, and more than 50 rooms will be filled with art around the theme “Less Art Sprawl.” This can be interpreted however the artist sees fit.

Attendees can come and tour the rooms from June 19 to June 22. The rooms are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and “Dadamayor” Erik Holland—who recently ran for the real mayorial seat in Reno—will speak at the kickoff event at the Town House Motor on the evening of June 19. A full map can be viewed on the website, and locations participating in the event will have the colorful NadaDada Motel banners mounted visibly.

For Gunn, who's an illustrator, the theme has an environmental meaning, where “sprawl” pertains to the waste and energy consumed by humans. She has participated in “all but the very first NadaDada,” she says. Her room this year—room 214 at the Town House Motor Lodge—is a statement about an individual’s carbon footprint. The idea came to her last year.

“I had people answer a questionnaire about how much carbon they use,” she says. “I calculated that we’re using two and a half times what we should be using. It would take two and a half planets to get our resources done.” Her exhibit will feature hand-made footprints to demonstrate these facts.

This builds upon work she’s done previously, including photographing gas stations and adding footprints as overlay. In past years, she’s tackled environmental topics, including a 2010 exhibit on overfishing, in which she turned her room into a beach. In the years she’s been involved,

Gunn says “not much has changed” other than the location. “It’s a really fun event. We hope to get a good crowd.”

For artists interested in exhibiting, the process is fairly straightforward—just contact the organizers and reserve a space. There’s a reason the motto of NadaDada is, “Get a room, make a show.” The openness is intended to break down the expectations of what an art show should entail.

“There are no rules about what you can show,” says Gunn. “That’s the NadaDada way.” Ω

Photo/Eric Marks Cindy Gunn is one of the many artists participating in this year's NadaDada Motel art festival.

CRIMES AGAINST NATURE at the CA STATE FAIR

July 11 - 27, 2014

THE GOOD NEWS - No brutal farrowing crates this year (due to the porcine virus sweeping the country), and no hermit crabs sold as pets (but only because no one applied for a booth). Both are still possible in 2015 and beyond.

THE BAD NEWS - Despite major public outcry, the 2014 Fair again plans to allow vendors to give away goldfi sh as “prizes” -- a reported 15,000 of these unfortunate creatures at the 2013 Fair. There’s still time to stop the mayhem.

Many fi sh will suffocate in those tiny plastic bags, be illegally dumped into local waters, or simply fl ushed down the toilet, treated as mere “expendables”. A terrible message to send to impressionable young children.

State law (Penal Code 599) prohibits the awarding of poultry and rabbits as prizes. Why not ALL animals?

CalEXPO needs to adopt a permanent, written policy banning all these abuses. Failing that, state legislation is in order.

HOW YOU CAN HELP - Contact Rick Pickering, CEO, and the Board of Directors, at CalEXPO & State Fair, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815; email - calexpoboard@calexpo.com; tel. 916-263-3010.

Senator Darrell Steinberg and Assemblymember Roger Dickinson are both ex-offi cio Fair Board members. They need to hear from us, too: All legislators may be written c/o The State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814.

INFO: COMMITTEE FOR A MORE HUMANE STATE FAIR - Sacramento SPCA, Oakland/East Bay SPCA, SPCA of Monterey County, Peninsula Humane Society, Marin Humane Society, Ohlone Humane Society (Fremont), Humane Society Silicon Valley, Humane Farming Association, In Defense of Animals, Animal Place. P.E.A.C.E., Animal Legal Defense Fund, and many individuals, c/o ACTION FOR ANIMALS, P.O. Box 20184, Oakland, CA 94620; email - afa@mcn.org

WIN TICKETS T o SEE KELLIE PICKLER

AT ThE PEPPERMILL REsoRT sPA & CAsINo ThuRsDAY, JuLY 3 AT 8PM!

TO ENTER:

· You must be at least 21 · E-mail your entry to contest@newsreview.com · Put "PEPPERMILL" in the subject line · Include your full name, birth date and day phone · DEADLINE for entries is Tuesday, June 24, 2014 · Winner will be notified by e-mail and phone on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 WIN TICKETs