Churchill Arts Council Settles Lawsuit After 2023 Art Heist

More than a year after discovering that over 100 pieces of art had been quietly removed from its permanent collection, the Churchill Arts Council (CAC) has reached a settlement with former Executive Director Michael Scott. The agreement closes a legal dispute that began when staff arrived at the Oats Park Art Center on the morning of May 30, 2023, and found walls bare, records missing, and decades’ worth of curated work gone without explanation.

The works, curated over three decades, represented the efforts of dozens of artists and years of community support. What began as confusion quickly turned to concern—and later, a lawsuit filed in Churchill County’s Tenth Judicial District Court, which has now been adjudicated.

Scott was hired as executive director following the death of longtime leader Valerie Serpa, who had been instrumental in establishing the Churchill Arts Council and its subsequent success. In October 2022, Scott notified the board that he intended to terminate his tenure as of June 30, 2023. Instead, Scott emailed his resignation on Memorial Day weekend, a month in advance, noting he was leaving “effective immediately.”

When staff arrived at the Oats Park Art Center that Tuesday following the holiday, they discovered more than 250 pieces of art from the permanent collection were gone. The Churchill Arts Council website had also been stripped of most of its content. In the two months leading up to his departure, Scott had initiated 33 “loan agreements,” most of which involved multiple works being returned to the respective artist or collector who had loaned them, without board approval.

At the time of the incident, the CAC board and community responded with outrage. “We are shocked and devastated that this collection has been gutted by the actions of one man,” said then Board Chair Theresa Guillen. “This is a complete betrayal of the memory and hard work done by Valerie to build this collection and was completely unauthorized by the board. We are exploring all of our legal options to remedy the situation.”

And so, they did. While the financial terms of the settlement remain confidential, one provision requires the return of four pieces of artwork still in Scott’s possession. Additionally, Scott must provide a signed statement of apology and a written acknowledgment of his actions to the board.

“When somebody does something the board doesn’t know about, didn’t give permission for, under the cloak of night on a holiday weekend, and transported that art across state borders—our feeling was yeah, it was theft,” said CAC Board Chairman Ted McDonald. “Sadly, the artists were brought into it. They didn’t know that we (the board) didn’t know. They were told the arts center was going to be shutting down.”

McDonald said a total of 260 pieces of art were removed. The Desert Cross sculpture, created by Fallon native and internationally known artist John Mason, was returned to the Oats Park Art Center in June 2024. Scott had previously returned the sculpture to the University of Nevada, Reno, as part of the dismantling of the collection.

The Oats Park Art Center’s security system has since been upgraded to include interior and exterior cameras, motion detectors, and an alarm system, according to McDonald. Operational procedures have also been updated and modernized.

McDonald expressed gratitude for the support the Churchill Arts Council has received from the City of Fallon, Churchill County, and arts council members following the incident. Board members and community supporters loaned pieces from their personal collections to the center to fill the empty gallery walls until new works could be obtained.

The Churchill Arts Council was founded in 1986 by local couple Valerie Serpa and Kirk Robertson. The Oats Park Art Center opened in 2003 following an extensive remodel, and the couple served as co-directors. When Robertson died in 2017, Serpa continued leading the organization until she died in a plane crash in December 2021.