Artists are special people. They create works that you and I, mere mortals, can only wonder at and admire.Mike Williams poses with one of his duck decoyds. Photo by Jay Aldrich

With that in mind, I felt especially honored to attend the 28th Annual Governor’s Arts Awards in Las Vegas March 27 when Mike Williams, a Walker River Paiute from Fallon, was given the Excellence in Folk and Traditional Arts award. Mike was profiled in Nevada Magazine in 2004, and the story I wrote was used as supporting information for his nomination. I represented the magazine at the event, as it was the publication that gave me the opportunity to introduce this remarkable artist to readers.

Mike makes tule duck decoys as his ancestors did on the shores of ancient Lake Lahontan thousands of years ago. He harvests the tules (also known as bulrushes)...

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If you’re in Reno and looking for a good place to hang out and enjoy a display of art, Ceol is having a show featuring Ben Hoffman’s Cartesian Medium art exposition. A little more information is available at the link, and details are below:

What: Ben Hoffman’s Cartesian Medium
When: January 31, 2008, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Where: Ceol Irish Pub, Downtown Reno – 538 S. Virginia Street (Map)