The Donna Beam Gallery host a slate of  UNLV MFA Thesis Art Exhibitions. First up is Elizabeth Johnson with "Erotic Sovereignty," her photographic installation that "explores individuals who live beyond the static binary of heterocentric and homocentric labeling."  Look for the postcards. Johnson's sovereignty runs through Feb. .19.  An artist reception will be Feb. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m..

Incoming Thesis Art Exhibitions: Maureen Halligan "Temporary Fix" is Feb. 22 through March 4. Her reception is Friday, Feb. 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. Also coming in will be works from Wendy Chambers from ​March 7 through March 18, and a reception March 11; Audrey Barcio  is next on March 29 through April 8 with her reception on April 1.

Ellsworth Kelly is the exhibition of the late master of color and shape organized by Michele C. Quinn for the Marjorie Barrick Museum’s INNER GALLERY. That runs from Feb. 12 through May 14. The works are on loan from Gemini G.E.L and several private Las Vegas collections. In the main gallery,  "Unseen Selections: Las Vegas Art Museum Collection" will be seen during the same dates of Feb. 12 through May 14.

Robert Irwin was an original member of the “Light and Space” movement that began back in 1960s California,  and the 87-year-old artist is still exploring optics and interpreting space at a prolific pace. Over the summer he opened a new installation using scrims and natural light at Dia:Beacon. Next year, a new installation will be a highlight of “Robert Irwin: All the Rules Will Change,” a retrospective of his work that runs April 7 through September 5, 2016, at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC.  

In between, Irwin makes a stop at UNLV to talk about his Central Garden at the Getty Center. That will be this Thursday, December 10, at 6 p.m.  (The talk was scheduled for earlier in the Arts Lecture Series but delayed). 

More on Irwin from the Wall Street Journal. April 10, 2015.

Robert Irwin
Thursday
November 5, 2015
​6 p.m.  
Admission to the lecture series is free.
Donations are appreciated
The Barrick Museum / UNLV

The Artist Lecture Series has a site ready for next year's programming I UNLVArtistLectureSeries

FIELD NOTES: A brief detour from the Paint This Desert  tour of “Recent Acquisitions” at the Barrick gives a chance to look at a Monday pop-up installation on campus from the summer Design Fundamentals II-3D. Under David Rowe, this was the week students used Saran Wrap to shape life-sized sculpture that responded to the campus. Here Luis Henriquez talks about his work that had a spirit of street art. His figure is armed with a giant Q-tip cleaning out a sculpted ear. The ear was first installed as a student assignment  some years ago and now maintained by campus services. Without critiquing the undergrads, I can still say these pop up people were a clever use of space and easily the lesson and process could lead to interesting works in the 18B Arts District streets during First Friday. Next Monday afternoon there will be another one day installation with the students using different materials.