08/13/2026
Hey Everyone!
Come enjoy this tomorrow! We would love to see you there!
The mural is taking shape at the Carson Valley Cinemas!
Join us on August 14th from 1-2pm for the mural unveiling and ribbon cutting celebration, celebrating art, community, and the exciting future of this beloved space.
This celebration will also include free treats including pizza from Pizza Factory Minden, root beer floats from Dairy Queen and Shoe Tree Brewery, and popsicles from Fridas Market.
This mural represents more than a new look. It marks a visible first step as the Carson Valley Cinemas begins its transition into the future Community Arts Center, creating new opportunities for movies, performing arts, creativity, and community connection in Douglas County. While this art piece might feel out of place for some, it is a small glimpse of what this building will soon showcase. The artists in Douglas County. Music and dance, visual and performing arts.
As the mural has come to life, it has also sparked plenty of conversation and that’s part of public art. Art can make us stop, look, talk and sometimes see things differently. We may not all connect with the same style or subject, but this mural is being created in a shared community space, and its story belongs to all of us.
There have been quite a few questions about the project, so we wanted to share a little more about how it came to be.
Who is funding the mural?
The mural is funded through a Travel Nevada grant supporting The Dust & Wonder Trail, a cultural corridor connecting Carson Valley, Carson City, Virginia City, Silver City and Gold Hill through art, history and culture. The trail looks beyond the lines on a map to celebrate the stories, creativity and heritage that connect these neighboring communities. No County funds were used to pay for this mural.
Why Carson Valley?
When Douglas County acquired the Carson Valley Cinemas with the goal of creating a Community Arts Center, the building presented an opportunity to bring public art into the vision for the space.
The mural’s creation will also be documented as part of WALLS, a docuseries exploring large-scale public art and the stories behind it.
Who is the artist?
Rafael Blanco is a classically trained painter originally from Spain and now based in San Antonio, Texas. After a powerful encounter with public art shifted the direction of his work, Rafael moved beyond the studio and began creating site-specific, large-scale murals in communities around the world.
He also has a Nevada connection: Rafael earned his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2013 and has completed eight murals across Northern Nevada.
Whether this mural becomes a favorite piece of art or simply something that makes you stop and think, we hope you’ll follow along as it takes shape. Public art doesn’t ask us all to see the same thing; it gives us something to experience, talk about and share.
And this one is unfolding right here in Carson Valley.
We hope you will join us in celebrating!
