A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Artown’s Little Book

Published March 6, 2026

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Artown’s Little Book

by Beth Macmillan

The 2026 Artown festival is approaching fast! Beginning July 1 and running through July 31, Artown will feature over 550 events at more than 100 locations and with over 100 arts partners. From music, theater, dance, events for young people, hands-on workshops, historic walking tours and classes that cover just about every art topic imaginable, there’s something for everyone. Artown is our community arts festival; it’s designed to highlight the very best our creative community has to offer, and it primarily showcases local arts experiences at accessible and well-known locations and neighborhoods throughout the northern Nevada region.

Filer image element — 2025 Artown's Little Book Cover

One the most frequently asked question we receive at Artown is, “When is the Artown Little Book going to be available?” It’s a great question, and each year we work hard to make sure that you, our audience, are given an up-to-date and informative Little Book.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the Little Book, it is our annual printed, full-color guide that chronologically lists all July Artown events. There’s even a section for workshops and ongoing events that are held throughout the month of July. Packed with photos, descriptions and lots of other helpful information, we publish 55,000 Little Books each year. During last year’s 2025 festival, the Artown schedule had so many events that we were almost at the point during the printing process that the Little Book could not be folded and stapled. The progression of how the Little Book is set up and designed is truly fascinating, and I’m excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at how this very detailed and useful publication is put together.

Creating the Artown’s Little Book

The process starts with the opening of the Artown Presenter Portal. The Artown Presenter Portal is a one-stop online website where Artown participants can enter the details about their Artown event. Information such as the event name, location and if the event is ticketed or admission free. Participants putting on events also enter both a long description, which will be displayed on the Artown website beginning May 1, 2026, and a short description, which gets published in the Little Book and listed on the day of their event. Once the portal is closed and events can no longer be submitted, Artown staff print out a first-stage, preliminary version of the Little Book which goes through an extensive process of manual editing. After all these edits are checked, re-checked and completed, a large and comprehensive digital file is downloaded and delivered to our graphic designer, Ivette Valenzuela. Once in her very skilled hands, Ivette completes the layout of the entire Little Book to include all events, descriptions, photos, sponsor advertisements and information related pages. Once that step is finished, the Little Book will go through an additional proof-reading and once-over, just to make sure the content flows, that it is readable and that no events, photos or descriptions are cut off or missing.

Once these last steps are wrapped up, the final digital version is sent to print. Then, during the first week of June, we’ll receive the printed Little Books and begin the distribution process. This entire process begins on January 1 of each year and ends around the first week of June. It takes over 150 days to get this schedule into the hands of those who want it. We will have most of the 55,000 copies out on the streets within about 10 days and during the month of June and July, the Artown office will meet a steady stream of visitors who like to pick up their Little Book in-person and ask any questions they may have.

Each year, we’re always pleased to see how well the Little Book is received. And although we undeniably live in a digital age, The Little Book is alive and well, flourishing in the universe of print. We believe this is the case because the Little Book is the perfect, pocket-sized publication which has just the right amount of information to be used, appreciated and easily referenced. In addition, the Little Book is free; it costs nothing to get yourself a copy or several copies, to share with your family and friends.

This year we have a very special Little Book cover; it’s something we’ve never done before and we’re sure you’re going to love it! Be on the lookout for the 2026 Artown Little Book during the first week of June and if you have any questions, please feel free to call the Artown office at 775-322-1538.

See you in July!

Beth Macmillan is the Executive Director of Artown, one of the largest arts and culture festivals in the western United States, offering over 500 events with a wide range of artistic disciplines, including music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, and more.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Artown’s Little Book

Published March 6, 2026