UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
Las Vegas, Nevada
We believe everyone deserves access to art that challenges our understanding of the present and inspires us to create a future that makes space for us all.
MessageAmiel Bravo, Tammy Martinez
"Las Vegas 3D Piece"
2023
"Las Vegas Piece" was made by Walter De Maria in 1969. It is a large etching on the barren desert valley consisting of four shallow cuts, two one mile long and two one half mile long. These cuts on the desert floor were made from a six foot blade of bulldozer and formed a square with half mile lines extending from it. Left alone in the desert sun and wind, "Las Vegas Piece" is no longer visible, but with the right light, you can see it today on this map.
Unlike Walter De Maria, our approach to this piece was to work with the map instead of desecrating our medium the way he disturbed the desert. Similar to De Maria's work's title, every piece on this map is made in a literal sense to every label. It was important to us to make every art piece removable as a way to show our respect for mother nature, and in a sense this made our art nomadic: moving, and adopting to every environment, not just one.
Las Vegas Piece (1969)
USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map
BLUE NOSE PEAK, NV