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LEGACY IN THE DESERT GOLDWELL OPEN AIR MUSEUM
The mission statement of Goldwell Open Air Museum, is to preserve and encourage artistic exploration and inspiration. And that is exactly what they do. Based near the ghost town of Rhyolite in the Amargosa Desert at the top of Death Valley National Park, the Museum cares for an 8-acre outdoor sculpture park. The collection was started in 1984 when Albert Szukalski, a Belgian artist produced his life-sized reproduction of "the Last Supper" with ghostly figures grouped as Jesus and His apostles. Six years ago, under the direction of Charles Morgan and his wife, Suzanne Hackett-Morgan, the museum became a non-profit organization and is working hard to build a program based on the founder's vision. Hackett-Morgan states "this is not just another roadside attraction. Szukalski wanted to enrich the creative environment. The challenge is to create something extremely unique for the area."

Also located in the Museum is "Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada" created in 1992 by Hugh Heyrman, another Belgian artist. Other artists later added their own creations including a 24 foot tall, rusted steel rendering of a prospector and a penguin by Fred Bervoets.
The foundation not only provides ongoing maintenance for the existing sculptures but they are also developing educational and cultural programs to enhance the experience of visiting the site.
One project is the Red Barn Artist's community. Barrick Gold Corporation, a mining company in the area donated the barn and land for the project. The initial plan was to turn the barn into work space for visual artists. But that turned out to not be a big enough vision. Now they have 15 acres that link with the red barn and they are in the process of creating a re-envisioned place that will have two or three studios. The artists will live there while they work. "The most inspirational thing you can do is to give artists a chance to do their art" says Hackett-Morgan.
Also offered are the "Lost Weekend Workshops". These seminars give non professional artists the opportunity to explore the artist community experience. They provide social time with other artists and the participants learn tools to extend their own creativity. Multimedia artist MaryAnn Bonjorni, will lead the next workshop scheduled for the fall. Bonjorni will present individual and group site-specific constructions, writing and sketching, and assemblage applications.
In February, Eames Demetrios conducted a public dedication

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