Spectacular sculptures in the desert

Five miles west of Beatty near the ghost town of Rhyolite sits the Goldwell Open Air Museum, an outdoor sculpture park filled with an assortment of artwork that draws visitors from around the world.

Started in the 1980s by Belgian artist Albert Szukalski, the museum recently reached a momentous milestone and it was certainly a celebration for the ages.

Hosted Oct. 18 through Oct. 20, the Goldwell Museum 40th Anniversary Celebration invited art-lovers from all walks of life out for a weekend of creative diversion. Beginning with a casual meet-and-greet at the Happy Burro in Beatty on Friday, the event continued on into Saturday and Sunday with a series of activities both fun and inspiring. All in all, event organizers said they were extremely pleased with the anniversary celebration and are looking forward to many more years of representing incredible art in the stark Nevada desert.

“The event went wonderfully,” Goldwell Open Air Museum board member Jack Hamm told the Pahrump Valley Times. “On Saturday, we kicked off the festivities with a parade from the old Rhyolite Depot down to the museum visitor center. The Nye County Sheriff’s Office provided two auxiliary units to help with traffic control and to lead the parade. Chief Harmon from the Beatty Fire Service came down and brought two trucks to lead us as well. And Miss Rhyolite was in attendance too.”

Following the procession to the visitor center, Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony offered remarks, along with former Goldwell resident-artist Nolan Stolz, current board president Michelle Graves and the museum founder and executive director, Suzanne Hackett-Morgan.

“Other highlights were an amazing performance by the UNLV Percussion Ensemble, led by Kyle Bissantz, playing the arrangement ‘Ghost Town Miners’ by Nolan Stolz, along with some great ragtime music. A script reading of ‘Albert Szukalski’s America’ by playwright Emily Anderson and directed by Martin Hackett and musical performances by Toasters ‘n Moose and Vincent Gargiulo National Park,” Hamm detailed. “On Sunday, we had poetry readings by Vogue Robinson, Clark County Poet Laureate, and Ruth Nolan, Mojave Desert Literary Laureate. Finally, we closed out the event with a mini ghost statue workshop, led by Michelle, which resulted in many good ghosts.”

The Goldwell Open Air Museum is located at 1 Golden St., Beatty, 89003. The museum is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The visitor center and gift shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information visit GoldwellMuseum.org or email GoldwellMuseum@gmail.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com