Ranch Lines ­- Moving Rural Verse

Western Folklife Center (WFC)

Funding Received: 2015
Elko, NV
$125,000
Funding Period: 1 year and 5 months

Once home to a lively and bustling downtown corridor in earlier decades, with a town center adjacent to a now demolished railroad depot, the city of Elko, in rural Nevada, is moving forward on an ambitious revitalization project. The vision for the project is to creatively transform a central six-block long parking lot into pedestrian-friendly green space with commercial storefront renovation and public amenities. The Western Folklife Center (WFC), located in the center of the project zone in the historic Pioneer Hotel and home to the renowned National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, will anchor this first phase of the civic improvement agenda. WFC will produce new cultural programming resulting in increased foot traffic to the area and expand its presenting season with exhibits, workshops and installations that connect the interior of the gallery, saloon, and theatre to the street. Central to the project is the creation of ranch-and-reservation-relevant videos based on first-hand stories and poetry from the rural West rooted in the values of life on the land. The Western Folklife Center will help attract Elko citizens and visitors back to this downtown cultural hub while encouraging developers to reinvest and continue renovating in an improving historical downtown area.

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See below for recent updates, press, and events from this project

press
Sep 26, 2018
As a sellout crowd jostled its way into the first big show of the 34th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering on a late-January night in... Read More
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Oct 17, 2017
The Western Folklife Center and host Matt Downs of Elko band Muddy Boots and the Porch Pounders will present a workshop Saturday on how to... Read More
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Jun 8, 2017
C ome to the Western Folklife Center’s G Three Bar Theater from 6-9 p.m. June 8 for an evening of dancing and fun. Read More
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Feb 27, 2017
Tourism is Nevada’s largest industry, making up nearly 30 percent of total state employment and bringing in more than $3 billion in tax revenue. But... Read More
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Dec 21, 2016
The installation of several photographic murals in the downtown area has already impacted the community. Read More
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Nov 11, 2016
When the Western Folklife Center was awarded an art “placemaking” grant from ArtPlace America in the fall of 2015, it initiated a creative process already... Read More
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Oct 18, 2016
The 33rd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will celebrate the art and tradition of storytelling in the rural West, presenting first-hand narratives wrought from personal experience... Read More
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Sep 30, 2016
The 33rd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will celebrate the art and tradition of storytelling in the rural West, presenting first-hand narratives wrought from personal experience... Read More
press
Jan 23, 2016
For the first time, the Western Folklife Center’s annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is working with a TED Prize winning app to tell the stories... Read More
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Sep 23, 2015
The Western Folklife Center and Matt Downs of the band Stinging Nettle will present a workshop in which participants learn how to build and play... Read More
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Aug 8, 2015
The Western Folklife Center announced Friday that it is among 38 recipients of funding from ArtPlace America’s 2015 National Grants Program. Read More