Entertainment
Plan to Celebrate Goldwell Open Air Museum’s 40th Anniversary!
All is in preparation to celebrate the 40 years that The Goldwell Open Air Museum has been contributing to Art and Culture in the Nevada Landscape.
Rhyolite, NV, April 9, 2024-The Goldwell Open Air Museum, the 15-acre outdoor
sculpture park near the ghost town of Rhyolite, NV, is preparing to celebrate its 40th
Anniversary the weekend of October 18-20, 2024. Began in 1984 with the creation of
“The Last Supper” in Rhyolite by noted Belgian artist Albert Szukalski, the Museum has
grown over the years with the addition of several sculptures by other well-known
Belgian artists, as well as a variety of new pieces by contemporary American and
international artists.
The Museum is also celebrating its Artist-in-Residency program, one of the first in Nevada, with several past residents who will be part of the event. Suzanne Hackett-Morgan, Goldwell’s Executive Director, states,“This celebration marks the milestone of reaching 40 years since its creation, to honor its artists and to excite the public about ensuring its future.”
Plans for the celebration include a musical performance of “Ghost Town Miners,” written
by Nolan Stolz while in residence at Goldwell, performed by Stolz and the UNLV Percussion Ensemble. There will also be an Immersive Theatrical Performance of “Albert Szukalski’s America” by the Rhyolite Players, a play written by Emily Anderson of Ghost Light productions in Elko, NV. Celebrants will also enjoy video screenings of “Shiny Things,” a film that chronicles Goldwell’s Artist-in-Residency program, and “Death Valley Project,” which documents Szukalski’s original creation of “The Last Supper” sculpture in 1984.
A parade starting at the old Rail Depot in the Rhyolite Ghost Town and ending at the
Sculpture Park is also in production, and there will be several art installations and
exhibits created specifically for the 40th Anniversary Celebration, by artists Maryann
Bonjorni, Raymond Ghirardo and Megan Roberts, also past residents.
In addition to several other “Ghost Sculptures” by Albert Szukalski, event participants
will encounter “The Venus of Nevada,” a 25-foot-tall pink woman made of painted cinder
blocks, “Tribute to Shorty Harris,” a 24-foot-high steel prospector accompanied by a
penguin, and “Icara,” an exquisitely carved winged woman reaching for the sun from
high atop a wooden pillar, all by the original Belgian artists. New pieces by contemporary American and international artists will also be celebrated, such as “Keep
Going,” by Michelle Graves and “Diptown,” by Irina and Stansislav Shminkee, two of the
Museum’s newest acquisitions.
The Mission of The Goldwell Open Air Museum is to preserve, present, and encourage
artistic exploration in and of the Amargosa Desert, an evocative landscape along the
eastern edge of Death Valley National Park, in Nevada. This mission is achieved
through the committed care of the outdoor sculpture park near the ghost town of
Rhyolite and through the Artist-in-Residency program in and around the Museum’s Red
Barn Art center.
The Goldwell Open Air Museum is supported, in part, by grants from the Nevada Arts
Council, a Nevada state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal
agency, the Nevada Humanities Committee, the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and
the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Goldwell is also supported, in part, by
Stimulus Funding through the Nevada Arts Council CARES Program.
The Goldwell Open Air Museum is located near the ghost town of Rhyolite in the state
of Nevada. The site is located at the northern end of the Amargosa Valley, about 120
miles northwest of Las Vegas, up US 95, and about 4 miles west of Beatty, NV off State
Route 374.
The Museum is open to all to enjoy, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a
Visitor’s Center that is staffed at times by dedicated volunteers where visitors can learn
more about the museum’s legacy. Anyone may support and contribute to the museum’s
programs, both in person and online. To plan your visit, learn more, and submit event inquiries, please visit www.goldwellmuseum.org or call (702) 449-8688.
You may also email the museum by sending a message to: [email protected]. Current members, supporters, and fans of the museum may also follow and see 40th Anniversary updates on FaceBook at: https://www.facebook.com/people/Goldwell-Open-Air-Museum.
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