It was a perfect day for a drive, so after a leisurely morning, we headed to Reno. Before doing so however, I had referred to my trusty Atlas Obscura and found The Generator.

We knew, just driving up, that this place was something special.
The Generator is an inclusive art space, makerspace and community space in greater Reno/Sparks for anyone who wants to make things and be part of a creative community.
"We dream. We convene. We create. We make. We’re inspired by the magic and inspiration we see in all its enormity at Burning Man each summer, and we want to keep it alive all year. We combine forces and share resources in the name of creative growth and community involvement for all. Never been to Burning Man? No worries. Burner status is not required."
This enormous cavern was built to be a collection of people, talents and tools. They share their skills, knowledge and resources to help each other build their ideas.  Artists teach carpenters how to paint. Carpenters teach makers how to build. And makers teach artist how to tinker. What is totally cool is that they welcome 'tourists'. You do have to sign a waiver which, in addition to obvious safety issues, asks you to follow the creative community ethics as outlined in Burning Man’s Ten Principles (radical inclusion, share and share alike, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leave no trace, participation and lastly immediacy.
I think I like #10 Immediacy best. The principle states, "Stay with us; we’re going to get a little philosophical here. You know how sometimes while you’re going about your everyday life you can lose track of yourself, of what you really value? We’re not going to tell you what you should value, but we will tell you this is a place where you can hold onto your dreams, cultivate the heck out of them, and let them loose. We want to see you flourish creatively. We think that’s good for everyone."


And what's really cool is that this place is fluid. Projects get completed and another one begins, so each visit reveals a new creation. I was intrigued by Bee Dance by Andrea Greenlees. I love bees so this totally grabbed me. I read all about it on London-based Andrea's go fund me page.
As a climbable and interactive art installation its primary purpose is to provide pleasure and stimulation and a sense of wonder to participants but it also serves to remind us of the crucial role that honeybees play in our own survival at a time when the bee population is under threat. When completed, it will be 20 feet high and 25 feet wide. It is made of hand-formed tubular steel that will be welded and invisibly bolted together. The Bees will have huge protruding eyes, illuminated from within. The hooped bodies and myriad projections from thorax and head provide robust handholds and footholds for people to clamber over and cling to, just as pollen clings to a bee. As well as clambering over the outside participants can crawl inside the bodies like insects themselves and explore. I hope, after Burning Man, it will be installed somewhere so I, too, can be a bee.


Eclectic indeed. Each artist has defined his space in his own unique way adding an exciting element which provided us with numerous occasions of delighted discovery as we wandered about.


When in Reno, with time to explore, The Generator, will be on our must visit again list of amazing things to experience. Wow.