
Artist in Residence: Kristen Holden
About the ArtistKristen Holden Residency from September 3 – October 23 Kristen Holden is the
Support Great Basin Institute in Serving Public Lands in the West
In Partnership with the US Forest Service, The Great Basin Institute offers interpretive programs and special events from May to October. Availability depends on staffing, and schedules may vary from year to year. Learn more about some of our popular programs below! All proceeds directly support historic interpretation and preservation. Visit our ticketing website to reserve a spot on one of our tours, programs or at a special event!
Built in 1894, the Pope House is among the oldest standing structures in the Tahoe Basin. Once a private residence for the most affluent of San Francisco’s elite, today the house is part of our national public lands heritage.
This docent-guided tour traverses the entire 5,000sq ft. house, plus the servant’s kitchen and dining area. Learn about the people behind the opulence, about Lake Tahoe’s history and development, and about the oral legends of the Tallac Historic Site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and construction methods, there is only one house like it.
Join us for a 45-minute interpretative tour through the Pope Estate boathouse! See how the affluent arrived in style to Tallac, and perhaps get a glimpse inside the Tahoe-infamous Quic Chakidn.
Step back to the 1920s, and join the Pope Estate servants on a tour of the less visited cabins, and across the estates. From the Tallac Museum. the head maid and butler guide visitors through the first floor of the Pope House, the Pacheco and Honeymoon Cabins, as well as a visit to the laundry.
In addition to public tours, the Great Basin Institute welcomes private groups. Group tours have the flexibility to be specially designed according to the group’s interests and size. If you would like to make a group tour reservation, please notify us at least two days in advance. Call the museum at 530-541-5227 or book online!
Launched in 2022, Tallac After Dark is an interpretative “spooky” program. Visitors tour the grounds and Pope House at night, discovering the significance of the spiritualism movement and its impacts during the 1920s. You’ll also hear stories of Tallac Historic Site’s unexplained tales… This program is offered in October.
The Great Basin Institute is pleased to announce the return of artists-in-residence at the Tallac Historic Site! Art programs are an integral part of the site’s history, and GBI is honored to keep the tradition alive.
This program aims to serve dual purposes: to open a doorway to the artistic process and access to learning, while fostering appreciation and interest for cultural programs; and to support individual artists and the preservation of historic programming.
Our 2023 Artists in Residence will display their work on site, with certain pieces available for sale in the Tallac Gift Shop.
View our featured artists and classes in the Upcoming Events section at the bottom of this page.
This annual fundraiser includes 1920s music, drinks, costumes, and finger foods. Held outdoors at the Pope Estate, the event can accommodate a large audience with limited reserved seating. Guests can participate in a silent auction, try out the Charleston, or watch a live demonstration. (Just don’t forget the password for entry…)
A 35-year tradition at Tallac, the Gatsby Festival is fun for all ages. The festival takes place over the second weekend in August and is operated in partnership with Valhalla Tahoe.
To reserve seats at the Gatsby Tea & Fashion Show, visit Valhalla’s ticketing site, linked below!
About the ArtistKristen Holden Residency from September 3 – October 23 Kristen Holden is the
About the ArtistPam McKnight Residency from July 13 – September 3 Pam McKnight is a
About the ArtistJulia Schwadron Marianelli Residency from May 20 – July 8 Julia Schwadron Marianelli
Friday, October 21, 2022 at 7pm – 8:30pmTallac Historic Site This night tour is sure
Saturday, August 27th, 2022 from 10am – 3pmTallac Historic Site Stop by the Tallac Historic
© The Great Basin Institute. All Rights Reserved.
Website designed by The Factory
Since the early 1920s, the Artist Cabin at the Pope Estate has welcomed painters, sculptors, photographers and many more creatives. As art enthusiasts, the Pope family often invited accomplished artists to their summer retreat, to draw inspiration from the alpine landscape. Now, a century later, the custom continues.
Today, The Great Basin Institute is pleased to announce the return of artists-in-residence at the Tallac Historic Site! Art programs are an integral part of the site’s history, and GBI is honored to keep the tradition alive. In 2023, three artists will work from the Artist Cabin and Tallac grounds from May through October, providing public studio hours and classes.