Old Geiger Grade by Jaime Lynn Shafer

$265.00
Old Geiger Grade was inspired by Geiger Grade Road and the history of the Comstock. It places readers in the steep, dangerous terrain of the 1860s settlers as they travel to Virginia City by stagecoach where they hope their fortunes might be found. One of the most important mining discoveries in American History, the Comstock Lode was the first major silver discovery in the United States and virtually ended the California Gold Rush. From the Nevada Land Trust web site: "Next time you’re headed up to Virginia City from Reno on Geiger Grade, NV 341, check out the Nevada State Historical Marker just before the road flattens out in the Highlands. The sign tells of the Old Geiger Grade, constructed by Davison Geiger and John Tilton in 1862 to link Virginia City’s Comstock Lode to the Truckee Meadows. Old Geiger Grade (‘In Canyon Below’) Dead man's point and robber's roost, two of the most famous features of the road, can be see from the historical marker. " Created as part of my experience as the Black Rock Press Redfield Fellow in Book Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno, Old Geiger Grade is the first book produced by the Black Rock Press for the Parley Project. The Parley Project is a biannual interdisciplinary book art project that engages other entities within the university in conversation with the Black Rock Press. It was influenced by the W.M. Keck Museum at the University of Nevada, Reno-the second oldest museum in the state. Special thanks to the staff and students at UNR who assisted with production: Inge Bruggeman, Amy Thompson, Amaris Martin, Judith Rodby, and Su Tran.

Artist Bio

Jaime Lynn Shafer is a 2014 Corcoran College of Art + Design MA Art & the Book graduate. A native of Pennsylvania, Shafer graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1999 with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts/Ceramics and a certification in art education. She spent thirteen years teaching art in the Pennsylvania public school system and traveled internationally with her students, offering them an opportunity to experience the global community. She is currently a member of the board of directors of the College Book Art Association. Shafer's work has been exhibited in the US and abroad and is a part of the permanent collections of Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, George Washington University's Gelman Library, and UCLA Biomedical Library among others. Shafer was the 2014-2016 recipient of the Nell J. Redfield Fellowship in Book Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno.