Friday, Dec. 21, 2001 | 9:56 a.m.
Glittering white ornaments in the shape of barns, buildings and homes adorn an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree in the Blue Room of the White House this year.
Among the 200 handmade ornaments twinkle two created by artists from the Silver State.
Local artists Steven Liguori and Dolores Nast were two of the four Nevada artists chosen by the Nevada Arts Council to construct up to 8-inch replicas of historical Nevada buildings -- Little Church of the West and the Giles/Barcus 1905 home at the Clark County Museum -- to decorate the tree.
The tree is part of first lady Laura Bush's "At Home for the Holidays" nationwide tree-decorating project. In June Bush requested that each state choose four artists to create an ornament of a historic building for the tree.
The wood, metal and ceramic ornaments that pepper the fir tree are a tribute to the country at a time when the idea of home is a bit more meaningful, Bush recently told the Associated Press.
"Especially this Christmas season, when we'll be dealing with issues that none of us expected to be dealing with, being with our families around the Christmas tree -- all the different traditions and rituals that families have for the holiday season -- are more important than ever," Bush said.
Nevada's first lady, Dema Guinn, attended the tree-lighting earlier this month at the White House.
Standing beneath the towering Christmas tree, with the ornaments from each state gleaming, was a moving experience, Guinn said.
"I loved the magic of just looking at this tree," Guinn said. "I felt very patriotic."
Guinn was inspired to decorate a tree at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City next year with ornaments by artists from each county in Nevada.
"I'm always trying to get the north and south (Nevada) to be more familiar with each other," Guinn said. "This would be a great way to show and represent what's happening around the state."
Northern Nevada artists Jill Atkins, from Reno, and Carol Folvary-Anderson, from Carson City, were also asked by NAC to create an ornament for the tree.
Atkins sewed a miniature purse in the form of the regal Park Mansion in Reno. Folvary-Anderson recreated the Governor's Mansion in Carson City.
Fran Morrow, arts services coordinator for NAC, said the four artists were chosen quickly during the summer because of their contributions to art in Nevada -- and their willingness to participate.
NAC chose two artists from the north and south in order to represent the entire state, Morrow said.
"There wasn't much time from the time we got the letter in June to the deadline in (September)," Morrow said. "And there were a lot of rules."
The White House was strict, Morrow said. Each ornament could be no taller than 8 inches, weigh no more than 8 ounces and had to be white in color.
"It was very restrictive, but each artist did a lot of research and put a lot of creativity into the project," Morrow said. "They stretched what they could do. It's impressive."
The ornaments are part of a permanent collection at the White House, a fact that was not lost on the artists as they constructed their ornaments, they said.
"We knew it was going to be looked at for years and people would see our work and a Nevada (landmark)," Liguori said.
Liguori chose the Little Church of the West for its architecture. The one-story chapel was built in 1942 and claims a celebrity roster of marriages including Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Cindy Crawford and Angelina Jolie, who wed Billy Bob Thornton.
Fastened underneath the balsa-wood ornament is a thin silver plate in the shape of Nevada with a brief description of the church's history.
"I wanted people to know it was from Nevada," Liguori said. "When they look up at the tree, they'll see that silver state."
The cottage-style of the Giles/Barcus house, which was donated to the Clark County Museum in 1992, immediately appealed to Nast because of its old-fashioned charm.
Although, it wasn't hard to narrow her choices, she said. "There aren't a lot of historic buildings to choose from in Las Vegas."
Nast also chose balsa wood for its lightness so that she could include the home's porch and window overhangs without going over the 8-ounce limit.
"It wasn't hard, but it made it interesting," Nast said of the White House's restrictions.
At first Liguori and Nast said they were touched to be asked to contribute to the White House tree. But as the project moved forward they realized they were recreating a piece of history that would become history itself.
"The more you think about this, it is quite an honor," Nast said. "I hope every year, regardless of who's president, these (ornaments) will be brought out and represent each state."
After Liguori wrapped the light-wood ornament in tissue paper and sent it to the White House, the enormity of the situation hit him, he said.
"You realize this is going into White House history," Liguori said. "This is something that 100 years from now might be pulled out and looked at. It's a small piece of history that also shows our pride in our state."
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