Nevada State Library and Archives

Nevada Executive Branch Agencies
Arts, Nevada State Council on the

Administrative History
Grant Sawyer was the first Nevada governor to express an interest in an arts program for the state when he created  the Advisory Committee on the Arts in Nevada by executive order in 1963. The Nevada Arts Council was founded in 1967, deriving its statutory authority from NRS 233C. The 1993 Legislature created the Department of Museums, Library and Arts through NRS 378.008, which included the State Arts Council. The name of the Council was changed by the 1997 Legislature to the Nevada State Council on the Arts (NSCA).

The Council's mission is to "enrich the cultural life of the state through leadership that preserves, supports, strengthens and makes accessible excellence in the arts to all Nevadans." The goals are to 1) enhance the environment in which the artist's work is valued and supported; 2) to encourage and support diverse organizations which produce, present, and promote excellence in the arts; and 3) to increase access to excellence and diversity in the arts.

The Council consists of nine members appointed by the governor. Members are chosen for their knowledge of and experience in the arts and serve rotating terms of four years. The Council elects a chair, vice chair, and a secretary-treasurer who each serve two-year terms. The Council is required to submit a report to the governor and legislature by September 1st of even-numbered years. The Council is the sole agency authorized to receive and disburse any money available to the state from the National Endowment for the Arts. The executive director is selected by the director of the Department of Museums, Library and Arts and must have a degree in the arts or a related field or public administration with coursework and experience in at least one of the arts.

The NSCA has seven programs: 1) grants to provide funds to artists and arts organizations; 2) Artists-in-Residence which places professional artists in a wide variety of community and educational settings to share their disciplines; 3) Folk Arts which identifies, presents, and helps preserve traditional arts; 4) Community Development which includes agency-supported project initiatives, Art-in-Public-Places, and assistance to communities in establishing ongoing arts events; 5) Governor's Arts Awards presented annually since 1980 for outstanding service to the arts by citizens and organizations; 6) Information Services which includes the publications neon and Nevada Arts News, and networking development and support among artists and arts organizations; and 7) annual state-wide meetings.

NSCA's grant programs have varied over the NSCA's existence but now include 1) mini grants, 2) artists' fellowships, 3) folk art apprenticeships, 4) grants to organizations, 5) grants to presenters, and 6) Artists-in-Residence. Grants are made to individuals and to non-profit, tax-exempt arts organizations. Projects must be directly related to Nevada. The Council favors new programs of wide impact and programs in rural areas.