Major exhibits are mounted by the Las Vegas Arts League and the Sierra Arts Foundation in Reno. The Nevada Opera, Reno Chamber Orchestra, and the Nevada Festival Ballet are all based in Reno. The Las Vegas Philharmonic, founded in 1998, has quickly become one of the largest arts organizations in the state. The Western Folklife Center in Elko presents an annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in the last week of January.
In 2003, the Nevada State Council on the Arts and other Nevada arts organizations received grants totaling $642,400 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The state also gave substantial funding to the Arts Council. There are approximately 200 arts associations in Nevada and 15 local arts associations. The Nevada Humanities council sponsors annual programs that include a Chautauqua in Reno, Boulder City and Lake Tahoe, and the Vegas Valley Book Festival. In 2000, the National Endowment for the Humanities contributed $687,097 to 17 state programs.