Experience Playa-Bound Art Before It Leaves for Black Rock City
Join us for Playa Art Preview 2026, an exclusive, one-night-only experience inside The Reno Generator where you’ll experience large-scale art installations before their perilous journey to the playa.
Click here for the event page!
Participate in a night of big art, good food, and silly, wonderful company. The annual Playa Art Preview gala will be held on August 1st, 2026 to benefit our spectacular makerspace, The Generator, and stellar community attached. Making big art is magic. We want to bring you into our buildspace so you can see the magic in progress and meet the creators behind these larger than life sculptures. Let us feed you some incredible Paella while we talk about what goes into making big art: the process, the people, and our place in all of this beauty. We’ll follow dinner with desserts and drinks at the artists’ build spaces, so you can really see the process of creating such huge work.
Each summer, The Reno Generator becomes a hub for ambitious art projects created by local and international artists preparing for Burning Man. Playa Art Preview is your opportunity to step inside that process.
This is more than an event—it’s a rare chance to step inside the creative energy that defines our community.
Event Highlights
An opportunity to meet local and international artists that create these huge pieces of culture
Presentations from lead artists about their concepts and creative process
A spectacular Paella dinner, made by our very own Board President, Jerry Snyder
Special raffle prizes donated by local businesses. Local artists and businesses come together each year to donate exclusive goods, curated packages, and one-of-a-kind experiences, creating a raffle that’s offers something for everyone!
An opportunity to participate in The Generator’s culture and support our local non-profit organization
If you love art, the Black Rock Desert, delicious food, or events that make you feel like you’re part of something bigger, Playa Art Preview is for you!
Playa Art Preview is The Generator’s annual fundraising gala. Every ticket purchased directly supports artists, creative education, and access to tools that empower creativity and self-ownership across Northern Nevada. Your attendance helps keep our community makerspace thriving.
The Venue
Playa Art Preview takes place at The Generator, a 60,000-square-foot non-profit makerspace in Sparks, Nevada, where many of the large-scale artworks destined for the playa are designed, built, and brought to life. The Generator also hosts year round studio spaces and creative activity.
Join us at 2450 Oddie Boulevard, Sparks, NV 89431 for this one-of-a-kind annual fundraiser supporting art, artists, education, and creative opportunity in Northern Nevada.
Tickets
Get Tickets for Playa Art Preview 2026 Here