Join us as we celebrate the opening of Mirage. The exhibition considers the Great Basin, defined by its closed watershed system, as a uniquely dynamic landscape and source of regenerative power—a place for resource extraction, renewable energy, and creativity. Immediately following the opening celebration, guests are invited to enjoy a lively panel discussion about landscape as a subject for artists in 21st-century America, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Defined geographically by the fact that it is a closed system, its rivers draining internally rather than to the sea, the Great Basin is a vast expanse of land covering much of the American West. The exhibition uses the idea of a closed watershed system as a metaphor for thinking about this uniquely dynamic landscape as a source of regenerative power: a place of resource extraction and renewable energy, a place that has long generated creativity (including Land Art works), and a place of shifting boundaries. The Great Basin is also a place of contradictions, of mystery and obscurity. It is a place that has long inspired artists drawn to its paradoxes. Each of the participating artists presents work that considers the Great Basin from a different point of view.
Exhibition on view Jun 12-Aug 23, 2019.
Mirage: Energy, Water and Creativity in the Great Basin is supported in part by grants from the Robert Lehman Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.