Nevada Museum of Art

For an immersive cultural experience unlike any other in the Silver State, visit the Nevada Museum of Art in downtown Reno, NV. It is the only museum in the state of Nevada that is an accredited art museum, with a permanent collection and rotating exhibits underscoring Nevada’s excellence in arts and distinctive cultural vibrance. One of Nevada’s most renowned cultural centers, the Nevada Museum of Art (NMA) teems with more than 1,500 paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings, and prints across three floors, with five focus areas centered around land and environment, deconstructing and reimagining the boundary between the arts and environment.

To reflect growing interest in the protection of the surrounding landscape, the NMA has incorporated many stunning exhibits that speak to both the natural world and the impact of humanity, including Altered Landscape Collection, Contemporary Collection, Sierra Nevada | Great Basin Collection, Historical Collection, and Work Ethic Collection. The Altered Landscape exhibit is the museum’s largest focus collection with nearly 800 contemporary landscape photographs by well-known artists, which focuses the evolution of the 1970s New Topographics tradition over the last 40 years. In addition to its world-class exhibitions—including works by big name artists such as Rembrandt, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, and more—the NMA gives visitors a chance to meet visiting and local artists as well as to attend film screenings, lectures, classes, kid-friendly workshops, and other special events.

Reno Art Museum Classes and Tours

There’s no better Reno venue to brush up on your own painting and photography skills than the Nevada Museum of Art. Besides all the astonishing exhibitions and art galleries, this Northern Nevada museum offers classes for aspiring artists and hobby crafters. When it comes to pottery, work on developing your hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques in open-studio ceramics classes or master the elements of landscape painting. From glass art to drawing techniques—and plenty in between—you’ll find classes offered at the NMA to level-up your artistic chops. The museum also offers sensory play in paint for babies and art camps for children during winter and summer breaks. 

Best yet, this Nevada art museum offers educational tours where visitors can experience an in-person guided tour with a museum volunteer who offers insights and historical context of the pieces. You can also participate in a virtual art conversation led by a docent—fully interactive virtual tours of the art collections hosted on Zoom. For Spanish-speaking visitors, the museum offers in-person and virtual tours in Spanish, upon request.