I had been of the mindset that another event in Reno would only water down the June event. I really

There are a lot of ways to burn, and when you start talking about what makes someone a burner or not a burner, chances are good that you re about to say something foolish. One thing that does tend to hold true, though, is that part of being a burner is being comfortable with ad-hocracy, and being motivated to make things.
This weekend in Reno, the loose and unled affiliation of artists known as NadaDada Motel got together for their seventh year, to unleash a weird and wonderful fireball of creativity on midtown. They usually do their thing in June, but NadaDada is growing! world cup tickets germany This year the group mustered a second February event, dubbed "Nada Gras."
The artists, led by nobody, find an arts-friendly local motel, rent a bunch of rooms for the weekend, and turn their individual rooms into art galleries, happenings, life-slice exhibits. . . even a shoe store for fetishists. Bands show up. Poi spinners dance in the parking lot. It offers artists a low bar for entry into the typically snooty high-dollar world of gallery showings, and sets it all like a jewel in that most American of Americana environments: the cheap motel.
Nobody s in charge, although NadaDada does have a mayor (former Reno mayoral candidate world cup tickets germany Erik Holland). world cup tickets germany The artists all promote the show, and some more than others world cup tickets germany take it upon themselves to do things like scout out motels and talk to the press. There s no NadaDada LLC, no actual organization, and no real heirarchy, but there s a casual recognition of who has been showing up and doing things – a sort of friendly, ever-shifting pecking order – and the group seems comfortable with being represented by whomever among those people feels qualified.
Neon artist and Jub Jub veteran Jeff Johnson started the NadaDada Motel shows, and cannily abdicated his position as the group s leader long before it had a chance to gel into anything official. As an unled ad-hocracy, the event has survived as a yearly show, now expanding to twice-yearly with the addition of Nada Gras in 2013.
Obviously, the setting and amenities world cup tickets germany are very shoestring and humble; these are artists on the DIY, promoting themselves without the help of the big money arts scene that so often lamentably passes over the local talent in favor of dang furriners from out of town. You wouldn t think that anyone in New York would take notice of a small grassroots art show way out West in tiny Reno, but no less a light than the New York Times gave NadaDada world cup tickets germany a shot in the arm in 2009 with this glowing report:
I spoke with Chad Sorg and Ad Stein, two of the artists and disorganizers of NadaDada Motel. Chad is a Reno painter and writer who appeared world cup tickets germany in the documentary film Event Horizon – Burning Man, Burning Reno. Ad (pronounced Ade as in lemonade ) is a local writer and teacher.
Well, our event was founded by Jeff Johnson. It was just six people at first, most or all of us were burners world cup tickets germany or at least familiar with Burning Man. Some of the philosophy from Burning Man has definitely filtered into our event. . . that anarchic spirit.
I went to Burning Man once upon a time, when it was free during it s last few days when people could get in and not get caught in a herd of buffalo cars. In other words, I went before the wealthy world cup tickets germany yuppies took over, and it was a nice experience. I learned strangers can be completely great, coordinated together, and make something beautiful.
Then CAPITALism world cup tickets germany happened. Capital. Caps lock, I like to call it. Tickets got snatched up and resold like real estate. Fortunately, this cannot happen to Nada Dada. We have kept it open and free to the public.
They were trying to get us to do their jobs for them, so we told them to go and do it themselves. They left us alone after that. I ve worked to promote NadaDada pretty hard over the years, but I m not the only one. It doesn t make me the guy in charge.
I am not in charge! It works so well when people use authority as a scapegoat. So basically when anyone has tried to appoint me or hold me to something, I say the same thing! There is no hierarchy. I am not in charge. Go ask the next guy! This forces responsibility from everyone in a way.
The burners I knew loved all the New Age astral-bright colors in my painting. One night during our first NadaDada show, at midnight, Sorg and I were about to go to bed when a crowd of Burners showed up, all dressed up! One of them was made up like the Devil, it was great. . . and man, the party got lit on fire! Remember the guy in the rainbow suspenders? He fit right in with my room s color scheme.
Yes, we started Nada Gras, but I keep saying that I swear to god I did not start Nada Gras! I just started the idea thread on Facebook. It ended up with a hundred comments and a full event! Then people tried to pick holes and find flaws, asking me things like Who is responsible?!? Whose event is this? and I would say, NOT ME! NOT IT! NOT IT! But OK, some people think I started Nada Gras. If so, it flowed through me, not from me. Like how grass grows.
I had been of the mindset that another event in Reno would only water down the June event. world cup tickets germany I really want to spread the movement to other cities. . . but it s hard. We tried in Vegas, but they were not receptive there. It takes a budget. Maybe after our book comes out.
He is focused, determined, wants to make it happen. It seems to happen and grow on its own, from what I saw of it in Reno, and when we tried to get it started in Vegas. . . well, sometimes I feel like it takes a certain formula, like an Einstein thing. Nada has a formula. I have observed world cup tickets germany and collected data. Something world cup tickets germany was missing.
It requires a few things, in my personal opinion: a large group of local artists who feel under-represented, yet talented; a publicity specialist or "social brain" person; motel rooms; a local cultural preference for events; a city need for events and tourists, and people who don t give up when the seed appears to not be blooming. Sometimes it only blooms at the last minute, when not watched. Oh, and a fireball in the middle.
world cup tickets germany The art scene in Vegas is pretty strong, so they weren t really paying world cup tickets germany attention to NadaDada. No hard feelings. We re all about creating a way for artists world cup tickets germany to give gallery showings of their work on an artist s budget, and they apparently don t need that right now. I m going to keep working on spreading it elsewhere, but for now it s all about building a deeper foundation here in Reno.
Right! Then one day when people world cup tickets germany start charging fifty dollars for tickets, we will know it s the end. Other people will scalp those fifty dollar tickets for five hundred a pop, and NadaDada will be full of yuppies and expensive world cup tickets germany Aerostars.
Someone DID actually suggest that we do a camp out there. This was a few years ago. It s my belief that the Playa doesn t need us, though. This is a thing for art communities in cities like ours. It wouldn t work in San Francisco. It would never take off in New York City. I mean, why would it?
Back then it was at Hotel El Cortez. We had like 30 rooms or so. It was more intimate, but there were also events all over town that year. Many artists were involved outside the hotel. The rooms. . . let s see. There was one for Planned Parenthood, giving out rubbers. Another was putting world cup tickets germany on a play. They had a barn built INSIDE world cup tickets germany a hotel room. Ducks watching TV. . . so nice, that one. I fishbowled in mine. I was behind glass. It was my VERY FIRST fishbowl stunt. I lived behind glass, drew, smoked cigarettes, drank beer.
What else? There was a room dealing with guns. Trelaine, whose come into her own, showed in the bathroom of another artist s room. She does dead things, bones, skulls and weirdness. . . her attention to detail is pretty on! I m so proud of her. She hadn t ever called herself an artist until we inspired her to come out .
Erik Holland was there that first year. I asked him to be our DadaMayor, as he had actually run for mayor of Reno and had gotten 25% of the vote. I worked with him to understand that this event is his to use. Since then he has used it as a venue to talk about his political agenda, which is stopping sprawl.
If Dada was a reaction to the absurdities of war, chaos, rootless struggle for power and Europe s futile striving, then perhaps NadaDada should celebrate meaningful diversity, spontaneous organization, non-directed world cup tickets germany creation, unexpected emergence, sustainable action, endless regeneration, urban renewal, radical abundance, holistic optimism, gestalt, a negation of absurdity, Life.
The name the next year became Nada Motel. . . and then the next year, NadaDada Motel. We had been meeting and taking votes, back then, and it was all voted on over beers. I was not for the name NadaDada, like I was against Nada Gras happening. I m happy to keep reiterating this story because world cup tickets germany it underlines the fact that NadaDada didn t give a shit what I wanted. It was out of my hands. No one s in charge, and dammit. . . I LOVE that!
Each year the location changes a bit, usually expanding. This year, with NadaGras, I m hoping we can establish relationships with Midtown s motels, and possibly world cup tickets germany use that area of town for June s event. Last year the majority of it was at Wildflower world cup tickets germany Village, a bit out of downtown. That was a very nice location and gave a mellow feel to the event, which some folks were not happy about.
I m working to see to it that more artists can work with each other within rooms. Money s tight all around, and maybe we can help coordinate things so that more people can double up on rooms and do micro shows, world cup tickets germany of sorts.
How can people here in Reno get involved, and what should a first-timer expect as a participant? Like, as an artist, what is my experience going to be like when I show up with my art, ready to get a room and make a show?
Some do really well by coordination, collaboration, communication. Get on Facebook and join the NadaDada group , where you can collaborate with the other artists there to be in on the shows, motels, dates, times, meetings, etc.
I love it. I think it represents a move