Between Two ghost towns
In the southern reaches of Nevada, about five miles southwest of Beatty, exist the stone ruins of two ghost towns. Indeed, the tales of both of these mining towns are legendary. However, in more modern times, it is what has sprung up between the two sites that has sparked new interest. Here, the new gold and silver is art.
The Goldwell Open Air Museum, comprising nearly eight acres, offers an interesting spectacle in the Amargosa Valley. Only a few miles from Death Valley, a glimpse of ghostly figures, a block stone statue and a red barn will steer you in the right direction. Much more awaits the eye when you arrive. Founded by the late Belgian artist, Albert Szukalski who, seeking more freedom of expression, was drawn to this desert. Contrasting the goliath cement walls of Rhyolite to the north and the stone ruins of Bullfrog to the south, the outdoor exhibit displays its very own portrayal of abandonment and isolation.
Trish and I explored this artistic playground on our last foray through the area. Upon parking, we were met by a life-size ghost holding up an old rusted bicycle. The “Ghost Rider” piece was both photo worthy and interesting, but we were soon off to explore the other exhibits. Rather than a cluster of displays and pieces crammed into a small place, The Goldwell Open Air Museum is a sculpture park of only a handful of attractions, with swaths of openness between and plenty of room to grow.
Lady Desert
Before venturing to the next sculpture, Trish had the mandatory self-assigned task of entering the rock labyrinth for meditative purposes. As she dawdled on with this, I studied iron and tin artwork, which serve as part of the porch on a nearby shanty. At some point, Trish found her way back out and we ventured on to Lady Desert.
Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada, is a 24 ft, nude Lego looking woman, actually made from cinder blocks. Now, I don’t profess to be any kind of interpreter or appraiser of art, especially that of a giant pink block lady with yellow hair and questionable body parts, however, this piece most definitely provides a stark contrast to the desert environment around it. Other than that, I believe one would have to be well-skilled in Cubism or Pixel Art to achieve a deeper meaning, if there is one.
We briefly skirted by a giant colorful couch. Upon closer inspection this chunk of art turned out to be mosaic creation; probably not too comfortable, but it is eye catching and tasks the mind to envision the work that went into it.
The Last Supper: Nevada Style
I couldn’t wait any longer. I had no choice but to gravitate to the exhibit that had been calling me since we had arrived. Trish concurred. We went to “The Last Supper,” or “The da Vinci in The Desert,” or the “Genesis Piece” of the place. This is a re-creation of da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, only in the form of sculptures. Thirteen hooded ghostly figures, much like the one holding the bicycle, depict a life-size “Last Supper,” without the table. It is said Albert Szukalski chose this area of the desert for this display in 1984 in order to have it in an environment that closely resembles the Middle East. Sprawled along a leveled wooden platform, this faceless spectacle of ghosts maintains, more or less, the same poses as Jesus and the Apostles in the famous fresco.
The Last Supper
Szukalski was able to achieve this effect by using live models, in which he draped burlap soaked with plaster. The model would maintain the desired pose until the plaster dried. Interestingly enough, these were not professionals brought in from Hollywood or Belgium. Rather, the models used were locals from nearby Beatty. Szukalski enjoyed working, living and partying with his new-found town folk.
The aforementioned red barn serves as a workshop for artists in residence, whom apparently, live in that same structure. I can’t imagine being productive, or even sleeping in such a building when the temperature boils over 110 in the summer months. But, perhaps experiences like this spawned ghosts with bicycles and giant pink ladies in the desert.
The exhibits at The Goldwell Open Air Museum are not interactive. They are to be observed and admired. You can pose next to sculptures for a photo, but please don’t try to get on the bicycle or spoon yourself within the shell of a ghost. Other attractions include a tribute to Shorty Harris, the prospector who first discovered gold here in 1904, which gave birth to the cities now in ruin. The tribute includes a metal silhouette of a miner with a pickaxe and a nearby penguin. I’m not sure why the penguin is there, or if Shorty even knew what a penguin was. It does add conversation though. Then there is Icarus, the winged boy of Greek Mythology who flew too close to the sun. Here, he is portrayed as a wooden figure high atop a pole. For some reason this small and unreachable piece of art was my favorite, next to the Last Supper. As for Trish, she was content with her meditative meanderings about the labyrinth.
Necessity, as well as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Different people will have varying degrees of compassion for this collection of modern art. One thing that cannot be disputed is Nevada is one of the few places on earth, if not the only one, where one can see something like this protruding from the desert floor between two ghost towns. Art lovers, history enthusiasts and travelers who love to go off the beaten path, all have a reason to visit The Goldwell Open Air Museum.
This has been the third of three posts about roadside oddities in Nevada. You can access the car forest post at https://outerrealmz.com/goldfields-car-forest and the Thunder Mountain post at https://outerrealmz.com/thunder-mountain-monument-one-mans-desert-utopia/
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