Sierra Nevada College is presenting the exhibit “Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada” through Jan. 1. The exhibit highlights the lifelong work of Robert Cole Caples and his deep connection to the landscape and its original inhabitants.

Curated by Nevada Museum of Art, the exhibit is part of the Nevada Arts Council’s Nevada Touring Initiative, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative.

“Robert Cole Caples: Rooted in Nevada” will be on display in the college’s Prim Library and features works from the Nevada Museum of Art’s permanent collection. In addition to newly acquired drawings, paintings, pastels, notes, and studio materials, this exhibition reveals the interests, inspiration, and character of Robert Caples, whose creative spirit was rooted in Nevada.

Caples is best known for his legendary Indian charcoal drawings from the late 1920s and early 1930s. In these drawings, he portrayed distinct individuals performing everyday tasks. The drawings were reproduced years later in two portfolios published by the University of Nevada Press. However, for Caples, true inspiration stemmed from the landscape that had awed him since 1924 when he arrived in Nevada. He briefly studied at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League of New York, and the Santa Barbara Community School of Art. It wasn’t until his involvement with the 1930s Federal Arts Project, which brought him into contact with a diverse range of painters and printmakers, that Caples began to evolve and expand his work in new directions. Soon after, his work in Nevada’s rural towns and vanishing mining camps was said to reflect stylistic elements of Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood.

A program of the Nevada Arts Council, the Nevada Touring Initiative supports the work of artists and increases access to cultural events and experiences at the local level, particularly in communities that have typically been underserved. The Nevada Arts Council is a division of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs.

Library Hours:

Monday-Thursday – 8am to 10pm

Friday – 9am to 5pm

Saturday – 10am to 4pm

Sunday – 2pm to 10pm

Library hours during the winter semester break will vary; check the website for open hours: http://www.sierranevada.edu.

For more information or to schedule a group visit, contact Library Director Betts Markle at emarkle@sierranevada.edu or (775) 881.7511.