“Desert Night & Day” is a vibrant display of fabric prints emblazoned with JK Russ’s collages of desert landscapes and reclining Las Vegas locals; their heads collaged with cactus flowers and desert plants, suggesting the human subjects have assimilated with their desert environment in order to survive.
The artist’s photographs feature the diverse Las Vegas community who either answered her call for photographic subjects, or who participated while visiting a 2017 First Friday Photography Community Open House at the downtown Photo Bang Bang studios.
Originally from Nelson, New Zealand, JK Russ received a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Auckland’s MIT in 2001. The relationship of humans with the environment is an ongoing theme in her work and concerns with the impact of climate change and the destruction of natural resources are evident.
Based in Las Vegas, NV, since 2010, Russ has developed large-scale collage installations where visitors contribute to the completed work. As a residency artist with Art Production Fund, she worked with visitors to P3Studio at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and created an installation for the Delano Hotel Art Series.
Represented by PAULNACHE gallery, her collage work has been shown at the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt, the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, NV, and Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art in Las Vegas, NV. Russ worked with the City of Las Vegas to collate cards and notes for the touring Hearts4Vegas installation, taught drawing at UNLV College of Fine Arts, and is currently the Arts Programs Manager at the Las Vegas Neon Museum.
On exhibit at Windmill Library from February 9 through April 20, 2021.
Monday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Tuesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Wednesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Thursday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Sunday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
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