Let there be art

It's about to be July again, and that means it's time for Artown. For the entirety of the month of July—and actually the first day of August this year, too—there will be arts events each and every day as the annual festival takes over the town. Artown has become a huge celebration since the first festival in 1996, and about 300,000 people attend its events throughout the month each year. With so many days and events in various categories to choose from, it can get a bit overwhelming, so we've put together our annual Artown guide to help get you into the Artown mood and navigate through the 32 days of art all over town.

Each Friday of the month of July, the RN&R puts on the Rollin' On the River concert series with a different headliner each week. This year they include: Los Pinguos, Brad Wilson and The System: The Bob Seger Tribute Band. On the Fourth, the Reno Municipal Band and DG Kicks big band will be putting on an Independence Day performance. We've included stories on each of these performances and also a rundown of who's opening for each. To get more acquainted with the premise behind Artown, turn to our Q&A with Christine Fey, who has been involved with the festival since it began. There are also stories about the 24-hour mural marathon at Circus Circus, a literary walk hosted by Nevada Humanities, a local artist doing portraits of cats drinking wine, and a public art project aimed to help transform the stigma around substance abuse. And to help get your started on choosing what events to go to, we've included a day-by-day picks calendar for your reference.

Have a great month and get out to as many events as you can.

Thanks,

Sage Leehey