The City of Reno is pleased to announce Joanna Drakos as Reno City Artist for 2026. Drakos was appointed by the Reno Arts & Culture Advisory Board and will serve from January to December 2026. 

“A big congratulations to Joanna for being selected as our City Artist for this year,” said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. “Art plays an important role in our community, and I look forward to seeing Joanna’s creativity shine throughout the year as she shares her amazing talent with all of us.”  

During her tenure as city artist, Drakos will present a City Artist solo show from June 29 to Aug. 21, 2026, at the Metro Gallery on the first floor of Reno City Hall. The exhibition will feature her iconic nonrepresentational abstract work. 

Nonrepresentational abstract work is art that doesn’t show recognizable objects, persons, places or things. This art focuses on elements like color, line, shape, and texture to showcase feelings or ideas.     

Drakos will also curate a group exhibition featuring various artists from Aug. 31 to Oct. 23, 2026, at the Metro Gallery. The exhibit will showcase abstract works by artists selected by Drakos, highlighting a range of styles, color palettes, artistic expressions and interpretations of nonrepresentational abstract art. 

“Being selected as the 2026 Reno City Artist is the highlight of my artistic career, and I’m deeply grateful to live in a city that values and celebrates the arts,” said Drakos. “I look forward to building on Reno’s artistic legacy by bringing engaging abstract art exhibitions to the Metro Gallery and demonstrating how powerful art can be in expressing what words and representational imagery cannot.” 

Joanna Drakos is an abstract artist living and working in Reno, Nevada, who has conducted a full-time professional art practice since 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and previously worked in nonprofit arts organizations and magazine publishing. Joanna is a three-time recipient of Nevada Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist Grants and a founding member of Downtown Modernists, a northern Nevada collective promoting abstract art.  

She has exhibited widely in the Reno and Lake Tahoe region, including multiple solo shows, group exhibitions, and the Reno Tahoe International Art Show since 2022. Joanna is represented online at Artsy.net and locally in Carson City, and her work can be explored on her website and on Instagram @joannadrakos.art.