Spirit of the Land: Honoring Southern Nevada’s Avi Kwa Ame through Art and Connection
Searchlight Water Tank and Crescent Peak. Photo by Searchlight business owner Rod Hemken.
By Kim Garrison Means
Once in a while, if we are lucky, we find an opportunity to be part of something wonderful – something that leaves a positive imprint on the world and in the hearts of all involved, something that transcends its stated goals and becomes a form of magic, weaving together individual stories and histories and perspectives into a tapestry of connections. Spirit of the Land has been like that for me.
Inspired by the landscape of Avi Kwa Ame (pronounced Avee-Kwah-Ahmay), the sacred mountain and its surroundings south of Las Vegas that a dozen tribes revere, and born from the vision of my co-curator, Checko Salgado, who has explored the landscape in past exhibitions such as Home Means Nevada, the Spirit of the Land exhibition is a love letter to the public lands at the extreme southern tip of our state. The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is the main exhibition space, featuring the work of over 40 artists and musicians, and there are two satellite venues: the Searchlight Community Center and the Laughlin Library.
All three venues, and an online exhibition, also display postcard art created by local community members, from an open invitation to share what people love in the Avi Kwa Ame landscape. And this has been the most amazing part of the journey. As curators, Mikayla Whitmore, Checko Salgado, and I have reached out to our creative colleagues and hand-picked professional local and national artists to participate in the exhibition. They have come through with a variety of powerful and meaningful work—but seeing the submissions of strangers and friends from local rural communities, of children and elders, visitors, and long-time residents (many of whom have never participated in an art show), all displaying together what they love about this area, has been truly moving.
It’s especially moving for me because I am a third-generation Searchlight resident myself. My home, Mystery Ranch, has been a private art and science research station since 2005, and it is surrounded by the Avi Kwa Ame landscape, which is currently proposed to become Nevada’s fourth National Monument. The concerns of these public lands – industrial development, illegal dumping, off-trail destruction -- are my concerns. Its beauty – with scenic vistas, lush Joshua trees, rolling grasslands and granite mountains – is embedded in my heart.
Gila Monster by Nelson resident Maria Volborth. Digital painting over photograph.
Just over a year ago, my co-curator, Mikayla Whitmore, bought the property next door to ours, becoming part of the Searchlight community, and jumping on board with Spirit of the Land and Mystery Ranch. Seeing the love for this land through Mikayla’s fresh eyes is a lot like seeing it through the eyes of the many residents, visitors, and artists participating in the show. In a world where it is so hard for our society to come together, it is uplifting to see hundreds of people, from city and country, from all points on the political spectrum, and from so many cultural backgrounds, joining forces to care for and celebrate the spirit of Avi Kwa Ame.
Spirit of the Land exhibition is curated by Kim Garrison Means, Checko Salgado, and Mikayla Whitmore. You can see this exhibition at:
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, March 25 to June 23, 2022
Opening Reception, 5 - 8 pm, Friday, March 25, 2022.
Searchlight Community Center
Searchlight, Nevada, March 25 to June 23, 2022
Laughlin Public Library
Laughlin, Nevada, April 10 to June 25, 2022
Opening Reception, 1-3 pm, Sunday, April 10, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Kim Garrison Means.
Kim Garrison Means is a conceptual artist, curator, and educator. Through sculpture, performance, and storytelling, her work explores the connections between action, environment, community, and self. Since 2001, she has been part of the artist team United Catalysts, and she is a founder and co-director of the art and science research station, Searchlight Mystery Ranch. You can learn more about Kim and her work at: unitedcatalystsart.com, mysteryranch.org, and spiritoftheland.org.