This is a picture I drew of a flamingo.
Needless to say, I’m not the greatest artist in the world. But hey, that’s ok! Elko is blessed to have some other people in its midst with the ability to produce artistic beauty.
I was able to experience this first hand when I went to a dress rehearsal for “Poe and Pints.” This event, held at Ducan Littlecreek Wine
and Art Gallery, was three nights of tasting some delicious craft beers while taking in some performances of selected, dramatized works of Edger Allen Poe. And when I arrived, I could tell I was around some very gifted people as soon as I came up to the sidewalk.
Toril Tapia, chalk and production artist, was hard at work turning something as mundane as concrete into something pleasing to the eye. Later that evening, when I asked her about her involvement with the production, she really wanted to encourage the good people of our community to come out and support the local arts because “The arts make us so much more than just a small town.”
I could tell that she, and the people she was working with the put on Poe and Pints, really had a passion for their craft and what they were bringing to their audience. This was even true when I got to speak with Kyle Ashley, tech and props. After I was finished observing Toril’s chalk skills, Kyle told me his thoughts on local art and why people should be excited about it. “I think the arts are something that’s neglected all over, but neglected here in Elko. But in more recent years, it’s popping here in Elko and I think that’s awesome the more people who show up, the more shows there are, the more people who get excited, the more people who can join in and participate.”
Yup, all this enthusiasm before I even walked into the building! Eventually, I did make it inside. It was about forty minutes until the start of rehearsal and the room was a buzz. People were reading over scripts, adjusting the lighting, checking the sound quality. Things were moving! However, the director of the production, Frank Sawyer, still made time to chat for a few minutes about his heart for local art. “One of the things I noticed was that the Downtown Bussiness association does their wine walks and their other pub crawl type activities, but I thought it would be interesting to marry up performance art with Edger Allen Poe and pair it with a craft beer tasting. So back in 2014, we ran a pilot version of it and it was received well. Subsequently, this is our 4th addition here in 2017 and I’m blessed that people have found it fun to do. All the project people and I are just trying to do our little part to help bring some more of the arts to Elko. We’re blessed to live in a city that has a tremendous amount of arts, whether it’s visual art or fine art. We’re just trying to do our part.”
After our talk, Mr. Sawyer had to dismiss himself to make sure one of his actors had his script, so I decided to keep hanging around Ducan Little Creek and wait for the rehearsal to start. Ducan Little Creek (The DLC) is traditionally filled with a variety of stunning pieces from local artists. So, it was no surprise to me that they would choose to host such an event as Poe and Pints. In fact, with a few minutes before rehearsal, one of the owners of The DLC, Jennifer Anderson, spoke with me about why The DLC was so on board with holding such a gathering. “We want the community to experience different kinds of art, and Poe and Pints is one of them. All of us owners of The DLC are artist ourselves and we live for it. So, we want other people to be able to experience it for themselves but not in a way that intimidating but in an easy way where people can discover what they like and what they don’t like. We don’t do this for profit, we don’t do this for gain, the gain is we love the arts and we get to experience art and share those experiences with a lot of other people.” She spoke on the topic with such love.
“The owners started the DLC to create something a lot different than what was going on in Elko. Whether it’s events like Poe and Pints or bringing in musicians from out of town, they wanted to bring some more culture to Elko,” added one of Jennifer’s own employees, Jessie De Leon as the room began to fill up.
Seven o’clock struck which meant it was time for the show. I hurried to take my seat and mostly wondered…how do they memorize all those lines?
The arts are very important. They bring community, culture, and a sense of openmindedness to a community. I’m thankful for people, like those involved with Ghost Light Productions and The DLC, who have a desire to see this aspect of life cultivated in our city. Thank you, local artist!
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