Black Rock
November 12, 2005 - February 12, 2006
Robert Z. Hawkins Contemporary Gallery
Black Rock is an exhibition of photographs and maps by Peter Goin, Professor of Art and Paul F. Starrs, Professor of Geography, both from the University of Nevada, Reno. The works featured in this exhibit are from the book Black Rock, published by the University of Nevada Press and co-authored by Goin and Starrs. Goin's photographs boldly detail the subtle atmosphere of the region and are complemented by Starrs numerous original and historical maps and text. Goin and Starrs present a Black Rock that goes beyond the desert and the annual Burning Man event.
Nevada's mysterious Black Rock country is a haunting landscape that has been the focus of study and contemplation by scientists, explorers, outdoors aficionados and artists. The Black Rock, a desert realm almost the size of Delaware, embraces the mile-high vertical mountains of the Granite Range as well as the playa, one of the earth's flattest, most barren salt pans. The area's diverse environment ranges from boiling hot springs and plants that have evolved to survive the severest drought to freezing winters and lush pockets of rich grasses. Black Rock presents the viewer with a range of images focusing on the geology and the effects of human presence on the area; from ancient Native Americans to nineteenth-century explorers, ranchers and miners as well as the congregants of the Burning Man event.
Peter Goin is the author of numerous books including Nuclear Landscapes (1991) and A Doubtful River (2000). In 1994 he received an Emmy nomination for his film In Search of Ritual: The Burning Man. Goin has been photographing the Black Rock desert throughout his career. Paul Starrs has been studying the geography of the Black Rock for nearly 12 years. He is the author of Let the Cowboy Ride - Cattle Ranching in the American West (1998) and has won numerous awards for his teaching of cultural and historical geography.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Black Rock, by Peter Goin and Paul F. Starrs,
Black Rock, scheduled for release on September 1, 2005, is 296 page, four-color book published by the University of Nevada Press. The publication uses photography, maps and text to give a visual and literary interpretation of this diverse and mysterious piece of Nevada desert. Black Rock will be available for purchase in the NMA Store.
