Sierra Arts Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for arts and artists in the region, is unveiling a creation born from the Black Lives Matter protests from late May. The art installation is a compilation of protest posters, signs and original works of art.

The installation will be on display from July 22 through July 31. A private reception will be hosted for racial justice organizers of the community. The Gallery is available for walk-throughs Tuesday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Masks are required inside the gallery. Sierra Arts Foundation is located at 17 S. Virginia Street.

Kaitlin and Kyle Young approached Sierra Arts Foundation to see if the nonprofit would be willing to house the project. The two work contractually to supplement the nonprofit’s marketing efforts through a relationship between the Gattuso Coalition, a public relations firm, and their own strategic communications company, Electrikk Digital. 

The Young’s drew inspiration for this project from the Washington DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, after she helped orchestrate the painting of “Black Lives Matter” across the road leading to the White House.

The Young’s said they wondered how they could contribute to a piece of community-driven art that condemned police brutality and racial injustice.

“These signs and posters are physical representations of the voices of our community,” said Kyle Young. “It’s our goal to elevate melanated voices and the voices of our community at large, not to speak for them. As such, we did not censor any of the materials donated to us. Our only stipulation was that donated materials did not incite violence. We wish to preserve these voices and capture this critical moment in human history. We didn’t like the idea of people’s voices, captured in material form, to end up in our landfills. We wish for these materials to stimulate difficult conversations about police brutality and racial injustice in our community. Further, we hope this community-driven exhibit emboldens locals to publicly stand in solidarity with Black people, Indigenous people and People of Color in our community. The BIPOC community is under siege from police – a group that should be protecting us all and applying the law equally. We, the whole community, the sea, must rally behind melanated voices and change our community for the better.”

Jamey Ellis, activist, donated many of the signs and posters to the project. He offered free art supplies and chalk to the public, so that they could produce protest materials and messages of solidarity with the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community. In an act of civil disobedience, Ellis used painters tape to hang the signs and posters at the Believe monument.

He diligently put up these materials and took them down each day and night for three weeks.

When Ellis and the Young’s learned of one another’s efforts, they joined forces to stimulate community dialogues about social injustice. Together, alongside other locals, they formed the activist organization, Believe in Nevada.

Upon Ellis’s return home, he donated the community’s signs and posters to the Young’s community project. Between Ellis’s donation and grassroots organizing, the Youngs collected more than 100 different signs and posters. They used this collection to create a large, three-window collage and additional works in the space. Natalie Combs, Sierra Arts Foundation staff member, staged and hung the finer art pieces donated to this project.

“We’re honored Sierra Arts Foundation can provide a location for this installation to be displayed,” said Tracey Oliver, executive director at Sierra Arts Foundation. “Our gallery is so close to Reno City Hall, the Believe sculpture and the City Plaza. We’re used to being in the middle of protests. But hosting an exhibit like this heightens what we believe to be our responsibility to use art as a lens through which we can examine current struggles.”