CCAI Nevada Neighbors Talk set from John Spiak

On Wednesday, the Capital City Arts Initiative will present a talk by curator John Spiak. His illustrated talk, Listening, Assisting, Connecting: Institutions as Support, is part of CCAI’s ongoing Nevada Neighbors speaker series and will take place at 6 p.m. at the Union, 302 N Curry St. There will be an informal reception for Spiak preceding the event at 5:30 p.m. No tickets needed; the public is cordially invited.

Spiak, Grand Central Art Center (GCAC) chief curator, will share highlights of projects and talk about process of being a curator working in community-engaged practices in Santa Ana, Calif. The center’s projects provide support to artists-in-residence for the creation of new and innovative works. In a recent residency performance, Carmen Papalia exchanged his white cane, one he started using when he began to lose his vision over 10 years ago, for a marching band to lead a walking tour through downtown Santa Ana. In his talk, Spiak will elaborate on artists’ projects that extended the reach of the arts into the community.

Spiak was appointed at GCAC in September 2011. He places his curatorial emphasis on contemporary art and society, with focus on works in socially engaged practices and video. Prior to his appointment at GCAC, he was curator at Arizona State University’s Art Museum, 1994-2011. He has curated more than 100 solo and group exhibitions and his projects have received support from The British Council, Metabolic Studio, Polish Cultural Institute, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He lives in Southern California with his family.

While at ASU, Spiak gave a Nevada Neighbor talk in 2005. As part of his Nevada Neighbors activities, Spiak will speak to art students and faculty at Douglas High School, Sierra Nevada College, and University of Nevada, Reno.

For information, visit CCAI’s website at arts-initiative.org.