Goldwell Open Air Museum facts for kids
The Red Barn sits amid the Bullfrog ruins at the base of Bonanza Mountain
|
|
| Established | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Location | near Rhyolite, Nevada |
| Type | Outdoor sculpture park and artists' workspace |
The Goldwell Open Air Museum is a unique outdoor art park in Nevada. It's located near Rhyolite, a famous ghost town. This special place covers about 7.8 acres (3.2 hectares). It's found at the top of the Amargosa Valley.
The museum is about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Las Vegas. It's also about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Beatty. You can find it just off State Route 374. Death Valley National Park is only about 5 miles (8 km) further west.
Besides the outdoor sculptures, the site has the Red Barn Art Center. This is a large studio and exhibit space. Artists can use it to create and show their work. Near the art center, you can see old ruins. These are from a historic mining town called Bullfrog.
Contents
The Story of Goldwell Museum
The Goldwell Open Air Museum became an official nonprofit group in 2000. This happened after the death of Albert Szukalski. He was a Belgian artist. Szukalski created the very first sculptures here in 1984. He placed them near an old railway station in Rhyolite.
Famous Sculptures
One of Szukalski's most famous works is The Last Supper. It shows ghostly, life-sized figures. They are arranged like the people in the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Szukalski made these shapes in a cool way. He draped plaster-soaked burlap over real people. He waited until the plaster was dry enough to stand on its own.
In the same year, 1984, Szukalski made another sculpture. It's called Ghost Rider. This plaster figure looks like it's about to get on a bicycle. In 1989, Szukalski also created Desert Flower. This art piece is made from shiny chrome car parts. He found these parts in the desert.
Other Amazing Artworks
Many other artists have added their creations to the museum. Between 1984 and 2007, new works appeared. Some of these artists were also from Belgium.
In the 1990s, Hugo Heyrman created Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada. This sculpture is made from cinder blocks. It's partly based on the idea of a pixel, which are tiny dots that make up digital images.
Fred Bervoets made Tribute to Shorty Harris. This artwork celebrates one of the prospectors. His discovery of gold in 1904 led to a big gold rush in the area.
Dre Peters created Icara. This is a hand-carved female version of Icarus. Icarus is a boy from Greek mythology. He flew too close to the sun.
David Spicer made Chained to the Earth. He used rhyolite rock from a nearby quarry. Rhyolite is a type of volcanic rock.
Sofie Siegmann's Sit Here! is another interesting piece. It's a couch created in 2000. It was first made for a children's museum in Las Vegas. In 2007, it was fixed up and moved to Goldwell.
In 2006, Eames Demetrios added a special plaque. It's called Rhyolite's District of Shadows.
Events at the Museum
The Goldwell Open Air Museum is part of the Alliance of Artists Communities. This is a group that supports artists. The Red Barn is also home to a fun arts festival. It's called Albert's Tarantella. This festival happens every year in October.
Gallery
-
Lady Desert The Venus of Nevada by Dr.Hugo Heyrman
-
Tribute to Shorty Harris (1994) by Fred Bervoets
-
Ghost Rider (1984) by Charles Albert Szukalski
-
The Last Supper (1984) by Charles Albert Szukalski
