Layers of Re-iteration: The Long Conversation OPENS TONIGHT!
curated by Frances Melhop & Candace Garlock
with many thanks to Western Nevada College
and gallery coordinator Francine Burge
24 Sept - 16 Dec 2026
Reception 24 September 5.30pm
Bristlecone Gallery
Western Nevada College
2201 W College Pkwy,
Carson City, NV 89703
Layers of Re-iteration: The Long Conversation is the second chapter of an evolving exhibition inspired by the enduring legacy of Galen Brown and Jim McCormick. Moving beyond tribute, it follows the quiet passage of ideas across our community, revealing how artistic lives continue through shared conversations, generous mentorship, and the countless creative exchanges that ripple outward long after the maker has left the room.
At the heart of that legacy was the Printmakers' Conspiracy, a loosely organized collective founded by Candace Garlock, Jim McCormick and Nolan Preece that brought artists together through exhibitions, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to one another's practices. More than a printmaking group, it became a creative ecosystem where friendships were forged, ideas were tested, and artistic voices found encouragement. The Long Conversation extends that spirit, celebrating not only the work of two remarkable artists but the living and extended community they helped create, one that continues to inspire new generations of makers.
Some artists leave behind more than a body of work. They leave ways of thinking, ways of looking, and ways of gathering. Layers of Re-iteration: The Long Conversation continues the dialogue begun by the original exhibition, celebrating the enduring influence of Nevada artists Galen Brown and Jim McCormick through the artists, friendships, and creative communities they helped shape. Rather than looking back in remembrance alone, this exhibition looks outward, tracing how artistic ideas are carried forward through conversation, mentorship, collaboration, and shared practice.
Brown and McCormick understood that art is rarely made in isolation. Through decades of teaching, exhibiting, organizing, and participating in the Printmakers' Conspiracy, they fostered a culture in which artists challenged, encouraged, and inspired one another. As writer Chris Lanier observed, artists become collaborators, sounding boards, fellow travelers, and co-conspirators, creating networks of exchange that continue long after individual works are completed. Their greatest legacy may not simply be the artworks they produced, but the artistic community they cultivated.
Featuring original works by Galen Brown and Jim McCormick alongside new works by artists whose practices have been shaped by their influence, The Long Conversation reveals artistic inheritance not as imitation, but as transformation. Repetition becomes reiteration; ideas are revisited, reimagined, and extended into new forms. Across drawing, printmaking, sculpture, painting, photography, and installation, each work contributes another voice to an ongoing exchange between generations of artists.
More than an exhibition about memory, Layers of Re-iteration: The Long Conversation is an affirmation that creative communities endure through generosity, curiosity, and the continual sharing of ideas. It invites viewers to consider art not as a series of isolated achievements, but as a living conversation, where every mark, every gesture, and every act of making carries echoes of those who came before while opening new possibilities for those yet to come.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Printmakers Conspiracy and their extended community
Galen Brown & Jim McCormick
Anne M. Hoff
Bobbie Ann Howell
Candace Garlock
Jayna Conkey
Joan Arrizabalaga
Frances Melhop
Lynn Schmidt
Marti Bein
Nolan Preece
Rachel Stiff
PRINT MAKERS’ CONSPIRACY - HISTORY
The Printmakers’ Conspiracy group, established in 2006, is a collective of printmakers from Nevada dedicated to broadening the audience for fine art printmaking. Their mission is to enhance public understanding of both traditional and contemporary techniques through shared knowledge, exhibitions and educational initiatives. Artists in this group practice a diverse array of fine art printmaking methods, including lithography, intaglio, relief, photography, monotype, collage and hybrid assemblages.
Current and former members of Printmakers’ Conspiracy still find inspiration in Jim and Galen’s dedication to their craft and their unwavering commitment to the community. Both men exemplified integrity in their artistic practices, earning respect not only for their technical proficiency, and community spirit, but also for their sensitivity to the Nevada landscape and culture.