Dear Vegas
By Harrison Nuzzo
Photograph by Norma Jean Ortega, Sky Ranch Motel.
My name is Harrison Bernard Nuzzo, I am a poet, visual artist, and climber who calls Las Vegas home. I moved here 16 years ago with my family when I was still a teenager and have spent so many formative years in this city. In my time here, there has always been one thing I’ve noticed that goes overlooked, and that is the locals. There are so many wonderful and talented artists and writers in this valley and the purpose of this project was to highlight some of them. Specifically, I wanted to create an amalgam of artists from different areas of the city who all have different relations and meanings as to what Las Vegas is to them. There are pieces of skate culture, photographs of the local Live Action Role Play or LARP group, photography that highlights very specific aspects of place, there are stories involving nature and climbing; this diverse representation of Las Vegas is what I was looking for. I have spent a great deal of time walking the gritty streets of this city, being a flaneur, as Baudelaire would say, observing constantly my surroundings and have come to find beauty in it. Not just the city itself, but the nature around it creates a striking contrast to the constant chaos which is Las Vegas’ transient nature. Something that has always been important to me as an artist is the idea of space, and the idea of creating a space for people to participate together in, and I feel this exhibit does this in its diverse representation of not only what is Las Vegas, but what is art in general. When proposing this project, I described it as “a love letter to Vegas,” not just for one aspect, but for all of these aspects represented in the exhibition, and for the people whom call this place home and make it so much more than just the strip.
Images from Dear Vegas exhibit left to right: Artwork by Montaysia Yuneek, photograph by Norma Jean Ortega, and photograph courtesy of Harrison Nuzzo, Dear Vegas exhibition talk.
Harrison Bernard Nuzzo is a poet, visual artist, and climber who received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and currently calls Las Vegas home.
Double Down blogger photo courtesy of Harrison Nuzzo.