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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 24, 2011 Contact: Darcy Minter, 775.340.4240 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
Stop the Car, Dad!
Photographs of Nevada's Roadside Attractions
at Wiegand Gallery
Exhibit opening reception September 8 will feature Elko-area photographers
Elko, NV —The Western Folklife Center is pleased to present “Stop the Car, Dad!” a series of photographs by artist Erik Lauritzen, now on exhibit in the Wiegand Gallery. While traveling the often deserted roads of Nevada, photographer Lauritzen was captivated by the evidence of human presence affecting the western landscape. From abandoned military installations to roadside vernacular architecture, the sites Lauritzen photographed reveal a certain irony often underlying everyday encounters in the Nevada desert.“Stop the Car, Dad!” is on display from August 15 to October 17 in the Wiegand Gallery at the Western Folklife Center.
To celebrate the opening of this new exhibit, the public is invited to a reception and slideshow Thursday, September 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Western Folklife Center. The slideshow features photographs of roadside attractions by Elko-area photographers. Photographers Cynthia Delaney, Steve Green, Deon Reynolds, Charlie Ekburg, Susan Summer Elliott and others have been invited to participate. The historic Pioneer Saloon will be serving cold drinks hroughout the evening.
The series “Stop the Car, Dad!”takes its name from the moment of curiosity that often accompanies the discovery of a roadside attraction. Whether bizarre, beautiful or disturbing, these unexpected sites are strangely alluring. Lauritzen’s images in particular record places where development has given way to dilapidation. Now abandoned, these way-stations are evidence of the “boom and bust” lifestyle accompanying the mining industry of Nevada. Solitary signs and deserted buildings emerge as intriguing records of history.
Lauritzen’s own history was artistic from the beginning. Raised by a painter and a ceramicist, he lived among artists his entire childhood. He received his B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute, and later earned his M.F.A. from California State University, Northridge. A respected member of the regional arts community, Lauritzen founded the photography department at Truckee Meadows Community College and was founding Director and Curator of the Red Mountain Gallery.
Organized by the Nevada Arts Council, “Stop the Car, Dad!” is part of the Nevada Touring Initiative – Traveling Exhibition Program, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nevada State Legislature.The Nevada Arts Council is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. This exhibit is also supported by the Union Pacific Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
The Western Folklife Center's Wiegand Gallery is located at 501 Railroad Street in the Pioneer Building. The Gallery also features interactive displays including our popular Deep West Videos installation, Cowboy Music Jukebox,Why the Cowboy Singshigh definition video, and Cowboy Poetry Listening Station. The Gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is $5.00 for adults; $3.00 for students and seniors; and $1.00 for children ages 6-12 (Free for children under age 5). Western Folklife Center members get in free; there is a $3.00 charge for each adult guest of a member. The first Saturday of every month is free.
For more information, contact Meg Glaser at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 775-738-7508 ext. 225.
