Current Exhibition Venue:

Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion
Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, California Sep. 26-Dec. 1, 2022
Preview reception: Thursday, Sep. 29, 5-7PM
Exhibition tour and opening reception: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2-4PM
Lunchtime Curator’s Talk: Tuesday, October 25, 12:15-1pm

Local, regional and national artists honor the history, culture, and natural wonders of the Mojave desert landscape south of Las Vegas, in light of the recent proposal to permanently protect the area as Nevada’s fourth National Monument. Through painting, photography, sculpture, video, and more, these exhibitions offers glimpses of the complex beauty of this unique desert terrain, and give viewers an opportunity to investigate the current land issues of this region. Postcard-sized artwork from the community will be included in all three exhibitions.

Curated by Kim Garrison, Checko Salgado and Mikayla Whitmore.

Contributing Artists and Musicians Include:
Angie Alvarado, Fred Bell, Druscilla Burns, Adriana Chavez, Griffin Collins & Courtney Lewis, Jym Davis, Sam Davis, Natalie Delgado, Fawn Douglas, Justin Favela, Chris Gibson, Nancy Good, Bertha Gutierrez, Ashley Hemmers, Johnny Ray Hemmers, Sherry Hemmers, Mike Hill, Paul Jackson, Paula Jacoby-Garrett, Marla Jenkins, Jewel Jenkins, Julian Kilker, Kyle Larson, Elvis Lederer, Weaver Loera, Jacob Luna, Douglas McCulloh, Leland Means, Quindo Miller, Chelsea Mosher, Alan O’Neill, Naida Osline, Christopher Reitmaier, Sofie Restrepo, Checko Salgado, Uretta Sanchez, Sharon Schaefer, Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder, Sierra Slentz, Lance L. Smith, United Catalysts, Maria Volborth, Mikayla Whitmore, René West, and Jim Woody

More info about the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument proposal at:
avikwaame.com and honorspiritmountain.org

PREVIOUS EXHIBITION VENUES:

MARJORIE BARRICK MUSEUM OF ART
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, March 25 to July 23, 2022
Closing Reception: Friday, July 22 5:30PM-8PM. To explore artwork from this exhibition, explore the artwork archive here.

SEARCHLIGHT COMMUNITY CENTER
Searchlight, Nevada, March 25 to July 23, 2022

LAUGHLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Laughlin, NV, April 10 to June 25, 2022

Land Acknowledgement: Spirit of the Land refers to the name of the major geological feature of this region and the name of the proposed new National Monument -- Avi Kwa Ame -- Spirit Mountain in the Mojave language. This mountain and the lands surrounding it are considered sacred to at least twelve different local tribes, including the Mojave, Hualapai, Yavapai, Havasupai, Quechan, Maricopa, Pai Pai, Halchidhoma, Cocopah and Kumeyaay, Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) and Hopi. For the ten Yuman-speaking tribes, Spirit Mountain is considered their origin place.

The organizers of this exhibition wish to acknowledge and honor the Indigenous communities of the Avi Kwa Ame region and the exhibition sites: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Searchlight Community Center, and the Laughlin Library. We offer our gratitude for the land itself, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community with this land.

Avi Kwa Ame Perspectives:

This multimedia storytelling presentation at the Barrick Museum of Art shares cultural, historical, ecological and philosophical experiences in the Avi Kwa Ame landscape.

Our Featured Storytellers are:

Paul Jackson -- AhaMacav Cultural Artist, Fort Mojave Tribal Elder, (Neolge Clan).
Kim Garrison Means -- Artist, curator, and Searchlight Resident.
Angela Brommel, Clark County Poet Laureate and author of Mojave in July.
Todd Esque, research ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Boulder City Resident.
Bertha Gutierrez, Artist, Nevada Associate Program Director with the Conservation Lands Foundation, and Mojave desert transplant.

community workshops:

Community Workshops were held at the Searchlight Community Center in Spring, 2022, to help generate imagery for the community postcard exhibition. For more details about these workshops, visit the Spirit of the Land workshop page.