Jester’s Gambit was a multi-stop, interactive, and immersive arts & music event produced by Holland Project in collaboration with dozens of local musicians and visual artists on July 26, 2025. The theme of the event was “Renaissance Faire with a touch of Chess,” which served as a throughline between the interactive and immersive art and music at each location. A group bike ride began at McKinley Arts & Culture Center, leading participants to all the stops, and ended at Holland Project.
Three workshops preceded this event, including Cyanotype Printing and Pennant Flag Making in partnership with Laika Press, and “Turn Your Bike Into a Horse” hosted by local artists David Delfin and Cesar Piedra.
Jester’s Gambit is part of a series of “Summer Events” hosted by the Holland Project since 2011. The event went on hiatus from 2020-2023, and returned with “Cosmic Puzzle” in 2024. Summer Events are interdisciplinary art and music festivals that bring together community partners and local artists for a truly one-of-a-kind event that cannot and will not be replicated.
LINKS: Photo Album | Gallery Archive: “House of Fools” | Gallery Archive: “The Cards You’re Dealt” | Jester Lore (Art by Emily Pender)
STOP #1 – “HUFFY-TUFFY HORSEBACK” AT OXBOW NATURE STUDY AREA
This stop included a nature walk through the trails with a hand-drawn map by Carrie Sparkle, a native plant demonstration and tasting with Trash Panda Permaculture, and live performances on the trail by Ben Jennings, Bahar Jazani, J Vineyard, Freyja Edwards, and Deficit Space (a.k.a Deficit Dragonborn). The stop ended with a “Stallion Competition,” where participants who turned their bikes into horses vied for a crown and title. (Documentation by Aden Oster and HP Staff)
STOP #2 – “BELLYTIMBER FAIR” AT West Street Market
West Street Market became a Renaissance Faire-style festival with artist-made games, the “Shame Booth”, knights in shining armor, fencing demos, and a live film score by local musician Pen Burke. Bardcore played through the courtyard while participants ate, drank, and tried their luck on the giant 20-sided die or traded trinkets with odd characters. (Documentation by Aden Oster, Ellyn Pillers, and HP Staff)
STOP #3 – “THE KNIGHT CLUB AT CASTILLO DE HOLLAND” AT HOLLAND PROJECT
The group bike ride ended at Holland Project for the grand finale including a Human Chess Game performed by artists/attendees with an introduction by @LARGE and a live score by lukewarm, followed by a live performance from Dragon Dragon (members of Frank Futility, Roy Mustang, Brusher, and thiscouldneverwork), DJ sets by ClownClubVIP, Mariode, and g0dfath4, liquid light show by Zac Arroyo during performances, two exhibitions in the HP Gallery and Serva Pool curated by Camryn Maher and Ray Frost, photobooths, hands-on artmaking and crafts in Holland Project and with Laika Press, tarot reading, face painting, live portraits, and a small artist market. (Documentation by Tatum Hanshew, Aden Oster, and Ellyn Pillers)
Programming for Jester’s Gambit was supported in part by an event grant from the City of Reno Arts & Culture Commission.
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