History of Arts and Entertainment in the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada (1846-1976)

A Lively Slideshow with Cultural Commentary by Hank Meals

Historian, folk artist and experimental geographer, Hank Meals has discovered an unbelievably rich story of our neighborhood’s ongoing engagement in the arts. He will share the wealth by presenting, Rowdy & Reverent, a spirited slideshow with cultural commentary at the Nevada Theatre, no stranger to art itself, on Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2025.

Before the gold rush, which made the Yuba and Bear Rivers international destinations overnight, the indigenous Nisenan and their predecessors were creating what we now call art. Obviously, a rich vein of art and entertainment is still present here.

Among the arts and entertainment addressed are sketching, dancing, photography, recitations, painting, cartooning and caricature, writing, drama/theater, trapeze and acrobatics, sculpture, fandangos, stand-up comedy, magicians, circuses and music, ranging from a cappella, chorales, fiddles, banjos, accordions, hurdy-gurdies, guitars, ukeleles, classical music, trumpets, tubas, operas, Chinese operas, songs in many languages, and more.

All life forms have a simple trajectory: to find food, grow strong and reproduce the next generation. Humans alone seem to have an inner glow that radiates beyond our physical boundaries and seeks an audience. This capacity is a desire to share insight, inspiration and entertain. We’ve learned to nurture the art impulse, thereby thickening the plot.

Hank Meals was a photojournalist before moving to Nevada County in 1973. In 1975 he was hired as an archaeologist for the Tahoe National Forest where he worked for 13 years. That was the beginning of his immersion in the landscape and culture of the Yuba-Bear River watersheds. His subsequent writings, photographs, slideshows, interpretive hikes and his enthusiasm for this region are well-known and popular. Passionately provincial, he maintains that there are still layers of learning to experience in this, his chosen habitat. Hank creates at the nexus of natural history, human history, geography and art.

Tickets:
- $20 General Admission
- $30 Reserved Seating
Buy Tickets