The Reno Tahoe International Art Show was created by former EVP of Emerald Expositions Kevin O’Keefe and his daughter-turned-partner Briana Dolan as the platform to position Reno as a nationally recognized arts and cultural center. It is the anchoring event to the newly launched Peaks Art Fairs, which will welcome the inaugural Salt Lake Art Show in May 2026.

 

After decades spent on both coasts in Orange County and then in New York and Connecticut, Kevin and Bri moved to Reno, hometown of the Dolan in-laws, in the summer and fall of 2020. They were not the only ones…

 

During the pandemic and ongoing in its aftermath, Reno Tahoe’s population doubled and over $8 billion in luxury real estate was acquired, built or redesigned. This is just the beginning.

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Geographically stunning, Reno Tahoe is home to hundreds of talented fine artists and many thousands of art collectors and buyers- with thousands of new affluent residents arriving every month.

 

Having launched 36 major events in 10 countries (all have substantially grown) Kevin wanted to design a better way to show and sell fine art. Engaged with the art world for years as a result of building the largest design event in the Americas, International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in Manhattan and NYCxDesign, the 400,000-person citywide, the goal was to create an elegant but welcoming and inclusive fine art fair. 

 

Bri, at the time a successful marketing executive for NYC-based Tihany Design, a leading luxury space designer in the world, aimed to launch a fun, community facing regional art fair that would be unique to the area and a place that collectors, art buyers and art lovers of all ages could enjoy and look forward to every year. Memorable hospitality, audience engagement and diversity of art mediums, style and tastes have remained defining factors in the development of the event.

 

Key in the planning was avoiding the redundancy in galleries and artists exhibited in the handful of fine art shows running in the US and Europe. Bri and Kevin wanted the exhibition they built to be major, unique and diverse. Thousands of artworks in all mediums could be purchased from $500 to $500,000. Buyers would find better selected galleries from around the nation and the world, the best in Native American art, sculptors, studios and independents from everywhere and significant curated pieces from Burning Man, the world’s largest event for cultural expression. 

 

To make the show even more engaging and audience friendly, panel discussions, keynote speakers, film, music, dance and drama were added to the show floor and on stage.​​​​

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The new model is working.

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The RTIA Show has doubled in size and continues to develop a consistent audience of collectors and enthusiasts - and art sold every year. The fourth edition drew over 4,500 with strong sales and overwhelmingly positive feedback from both exhibitors and attendees.

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Since its launch in 2022, the event has expanded to be the fastest growing fine art fair in North America and the largest indoor sculptural event in the nation.

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We look forward to seeing you for the fifth edition, September 17-20, 2026. 

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Thank you for being part of the RTIA story,

Kevin & Bri