Hearts on Fire. Show Your Love – Be Wildfire Ready!

Show Your Love for Your Community – Join us on Feb. 13th

Community members from Nevada City and across Nevada County are invited to  a first-of-its-kind, art-centered event celebrating love for place, community, and wildfire resilience. The event brings together residents, artists, Firewise leaders, and partners to celebrate community connection while advancing local wildfire preparedness.

The evening is a free immersive experience of visual art, music, storytelling, and interactive engagement. The event invites participants to reflect on a simple but powerful idea: if you love it, protect it.

Show Your Love Through Art

Artists from the region have been invited to contribute works to a gallery-style exhibit responding to the theme “Show Your Love”—depicting what a fire-resilient, fire-adapted community looks like, feels like, or inspires.

More than 50 works will be displayed in a gallery-style exhibit inspired by five wildfire-resilience themes:

• Love as a Verb: Protecting What We Cherish

• Living With Fire: Honesty, Adaptation, Acceptance

• Do the Work: Preparedness, Action, Responsibility

• Stronger Together: Fire-Adapted Communities

• Renewal & Resilience: What Comes After Fire

Artists in alphabetical order by first name include Ameera Godwin, artjoy.org, Celia Tate, Chloe Young, Hillary Hulteen, Inge Ivens, Jaspen Amodeo, Jaccqui Bellon, Jane Welles, Jerry Franklin, Jennifer Rain Crosby, Jill-e Poole, Karle deProsse, Katie Wolff, Lauren Fogiel, Lorena (Rose) Davis, Marna Duncan, Martin Ciciliani, Melissa English, Mira Clark, Penny Rodrick, Radha Devi, Richard Codding, Robyn Martin, Ronnie Hart, Sam Gitchel, Steve Danner, Toni “Tone” Mikulka Chang, and Valerie Birkhoff.

There will also be live glass blowing demonstrations.

This will be a one-evening display of the art.

Inspirational Stories and Showcases

A highlight of the evening will be two inspirational talks. Shelly Covert and Saxon Thomas of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan will speak about the importance of fire to their culture.  Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman – fire scientist, ecologist, and prescribed fire practitioner – will tell us “Why I Love Fire,” and why learning to live with fire is essential for Sierra Nevada communities.

There will be a special showcase devoted to fire and culture by  California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP) and the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan, original fire tenders and stewards of fire resilient landscapes in the area.

Live Music, Food, Drink

The event also includes live music by Three Times Through.

An Italian buffet and beverages for sale. Food tickets $25 in advance, Limited Tickets, get them before sales end on Feb. 9th at 8 am.  Vegan/gluten free option available. Buy tickets here.

Support Your Community Wildfire Readiness

Hearts on Fire! is co-sponsored by the Nevada City Office of Emergency Services and the Wildfire Ready Coalition of Nevada County, and supported by a Neighbors to Neighbors grant.

Hearts on Fire! is a fundraiser for the Wildfire Ready Coalition of Nevada County, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping communities become wildfire ready—built to withstand the blaze. Be an event sponsor.