Nevada is an inspiration to many artists in many different ways.
The beauty of the desert, and the quirkiness of Las Vegas and Reno, are the jumping off points for many of the works on display at “Recent Acquisitions,” a show now at the Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas.
The featured artists have ties to the greater Las Vegas Valley. Many live or work here, or once did. Thirty-two artists are represented. The majority of works are on display for the first time, and all have become part of the museum’s permanent collection.
One of the featured artists is Marshall Scheuttle. He moved to Las Vegas specifically to photograph the city. “To me it was always the mecca of hidden secrets. And I found that infinitely appealing.”
Scheuttle has taken photographs throughout the state. One his images is “Wonder Lodge.” To photograph the downtown Reno hotel, he arrived early one morning.
“I hung outside of it for a couple of hours just watching what was going on,” Scheuttle told KNPR’s State of Nevada. “As I did, more and more people started to wake up.”
Marshall Scheuttle, "Wonder Lodge", 2015. Digital C Print
Patricia Burns, "Unbalanced", 2014. Digital Archival Print
Gradually, these hotel guests started to open their windows and look out at Scheuttle taking photographs. You can see at least one or two of them in the photograph.
“As that happened I found myself in a beautiful situation,” says Scheuttle. ”You get something that’s so interesting from an architectural standpoint, from an esthetic standpoint.”
He saw the little stories that are going on in each little room, playing out right in front of him. “From a photographer’s standpoint,” says Scheuttle, “It’s almost like putting a kid in a candy store as far as what you’re able to produce from that.”
“There’s a wide range of work” in the show,” says Jerry Schefcik, director of UNLV Galleries, which includes the Barrick Museum.
“Sister” is a vibrant, eye-catching acrylic by Wendy Kveck, whose work will be featured in an upcoming gallery show at the Barrick Museum.
“Her work is figurative,” says Schefcik. “What it’s based on is excess and indulgence and how we can be trapped by it - how women can be trapped by excess. If you look at her body of work you’ll see a wide range of use of media. Collage work or paint or combinations.”
“Recent Acquisitions” is at the Marjorie Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada Las Vegas through October 10, 2015.
From Desert Companion: High Contrast
Marshall Scheuttle, Las Vegas-based photographer; Jerry Schefcik, Director, UNLV Galleries, Las Vegas.
