Curriculum Vitæ

 

EDUCATION

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque: PhD ABD, Art History.
Doctoral Dissertation Topic: "Pilgrimage and Ruin in Contemporary American Photography."

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque: M.A., Art History.
Master’s Thesis Topic: "The Religious Component in the Painting of Wassily Kandinsky. 1910-1914."

University of Nevada, Las Vegas: B.A., Art History with minor Continental Philosophy.

 

TEACHING AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

1997 to 2010                           COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA. Las Vegas.
                                                            Professor, Global Art History

1991 to 1996                           UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS.
                                                            Art Historian

1989 - 1991                             UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, ALBUQUERQUE
                                                            Lecturer

1985 - 1989                             UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS.
                                                            Adjunct Faculty in Art History and Art Studio.

1985 to 1988                           COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA.

 

EXHIBITIONS (select)

2011

“Contact Zones.” Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, UNLV, Las Vegas, Nevada.

2009

“Clash of Cultures.” Invitational exhibition organized by Cultural Arts, City of Las Vegas.
“Bottomlands: Photographs of the Las Vegas Wash.” The Water Street Gallery, Henderson, Nevada.

2007

“CCSN & UNLV.” Las Vegas City Hall.

2006

“Songlines: Photographs by a Globetrotter.” College of Southern Nevada, Fine Arts

2005

“The Promise of Power.” University of Nevada Las Vegas, Barrick Museum

2004

“Wanderers, Travelers & Adventurers.” The Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego.

2002

“Movers and Shakers.” Contemporary Art Collective, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Goldwell: Photographs of a Sculpture Park.” Enterprise Library, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Casinos and Desert Landscapes: Two Views.” CHAC, Las Vegas, Nevada.

2000

“Night,” Traveling group exhibition sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council.

1999

“Loving Las Vegas,” French Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland.
“Casino Landscapes,” Lost Vegas Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Motel Vegas,” State of Nevada Legislative Building Gallery, Carson City, Nevada.

1998

“Motel Vegas,” Small Works Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada.

1997

“Motel Vegas,” O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, New York.

1996

"Melancholy Cure," Västerbottens Museum, Umeå, Sweden. Curated by Jeffrey Vallance.

1995

"Casino Landscapes," University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"The First Twenty-Five Years,”  Barrick Museum, University of Nevada.

1993

"Art and Guardianship," Cafe Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"The Chair Show," Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, Nevada.
"The 'Y' Chromosome: Images of Men," Temporary Contemporary Art Gallery,
            Las Vegas, Nevada.

1992

"Las Vegas Photographers Invitational," University of Nevada Alumni Center, Curated by Art Critic Libby Lumpkin.

1991 "The Barbizon Tradition," University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

1989

"Journey Without End," ArtSpace, Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Photographs of the Forest of Fontainebleau," Clark County Community College,
            Las Vegas, Nevada.

1987

"Observed Realities: Images in the Southwest," Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"Recent Landscapes," Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada.

1986

"Landscapes: Vantage Points," Allied Arts Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Hoover Dam: the 50th Anniversary," co-curator of traveling exhibition.

1985

"Work from the Permanent Collection," Clark County Library, Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Paisajes Mexicanos," Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.

1983

"Deserted Landscapes," Boulder City, Nevada.
"New Work," Gallery Gemini, Palm Beach, Florida.

1982

"Wildlife Portraits," Upstairs Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Three Photographers, Three Styles," The Plazas Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada.

1977

"Gentle Wildlife: Four Artists," James Hunt Barker Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida.
"Gallery Artists," James Hunt Barker Galleries, New York and Palm Beach.

 

MEDIA PROJECTS

Loss of the Wild.  Written, Directed, Filmed documentary about an imperiled landscape and watershed in Southern Nevada. Will be used by the Desert Wetland Conservancy. Filming near completion.

The Goldwell Project. Film documentary about Goldwell, Nevada and European artists who make art in the Mojave Desert. Director, videographer and writer for project. In production. Completion date 2010.

Bagan. Film documentary about village life around the temples of Bagan, Myanmar.

Sukhothai: Dawn of Hapiness. Short documentary about the history of Sukhothai Buddhist architecture in relation to modern-day Buddhist practice in this area of Thailand. In production. Partial funding from Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Hutong 798. Documentary about the relationships between the destruction of historical architecture in Beijing, China with the rise of contemporary art. Two years of research complete; preliminary video footage made.

e-Motion Productions, Las Vegas, Nevada. Interviewed for film documentary about artist Robert Beckmann. Co-wrote script.  2005.

Michael Hoff Productions, San Francisco. Interviewed for documentary series about Las Vegas. Produced for Equator HD, a High Definition cable channel. 2004.
NPR Radio. Narrator for series about Native American art in Southern Nevada. March 2000.

A&E Network. “Las Vegas: Gamble in the Desert,” and “Las Vegas: House of Cards.” Consultant and researcher for series about the history of Las Vegas. Originally broadcast December 1996.

 PBS New York affiliate WNET. “Going Places.” Associate Producer for one hour travelogue about Las Vegas. Also served as on-camera host. Originally broadcast March 1997.

 BBC Radio, London. Interviewed for series about the culture and architecture of Las Vegas. July 1995.

CNN Television. Interviewed about the opening of Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. August 1993.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY - Essays, Reviews, Catalogues (select)

"Views from the Great Basin: Nevada Printmakers Connect." Wrote the exhibition catalog essay for the Nevada Arts Council. 2010.

Bottomlands: Photographs of the Las Vegas Wash. Exhibition catalog. (Henderson, Nevada: WSG Editions. 2008). Photographs from exhibition by the same title.

“Gazing at Mountains.” Essay for forthcoming book about the large-scale digital works by artist Jim Stanford. Published by Smallworks Press, Las Vegas, Nevada. 2009.

“Man in a Suitcase.” Jarret Keene. CityLife Magazine. January 11, 2007. Review of exhibition of my photographs made during my travels.

“A Familiar Place.” CERCA Magazine. Summer 2004. Essay and photographs about the Las Vegas Wash, Nevada.

“Change of Pace.” Ken White, Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 29, 2002. Review of exhibition about Las Vegas Wash.

“Sigman finely frames his Las Vegas Heritage.” Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun, March 22, 2002. Review of exhibition Motel Vegas.

 Landscapes and Intersections.” Gregory Crosby, CityLife, March 28, 2002. Review of exhibition about Las Vegas Wash.

“Hallways and Ecosystems: Lessons from a photo exhibit’s cancellation.” Scott Dickensheets, Las Vegas Weekly, March 29, 2001.

“Saving Las Vegas from Itself.”  Scott Dickensheets, Las Vegas Weekly. September 16, 1999. Review of exhibition Casino Landscapes held at the Smallworks Gallery, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas News Bureau. Writer and photographer routinely transmitting to wire services: AP, UPI, Reuters and Agence-France Presse (AFP). Photographs and text copy appeared in magazines throughout the world, particularly in Japan and Korea. 1998 to 1999.

“Signs of the Times.” Ken White, Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 10, 1998. Review of Motel Vegas exhibition.

Sites and Stations, Provisional Utopias, Lusitania Press, 1996. Publication of selection of photographs from Casino Landscapes. Text by Dave Hickey.

Neon, Journal for the Nevada State Council on the Arts, February 1996. Publication of photographs from Casino Landscapes.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune, September 21, 1995. “Making Book.”

SCOPE Magazine, May 1995. Review of Twenty-Five Year Retrospective by Gregory Crosby.

LAS WEELAS VEGAS WEEKLY, May 1995. Review of Twenty-Five Year Retrospective by Charles Morgan

Literay Literary Las Vegas, Henry Holt and Company, 1995. Featured photography and photo editor.

Art on File International, “Las Vegas Style: Fantasy Architecture and Signs,” 1995.

         “A Good Experience,” Scott Dickensheets, Las Vegas SUN, December 8, 1995. Interviewed about the aesthetics of the Fremont Street Experience project.

Landscape Architecture Magazine. Interviewed about Las Vegas casinos and the contrivance of their environments. December 1995.

Pyramid Power,” Scott Dickensheets, The Las Vegas SUN newspaper, August 21, 1993.

“Three Photographers: Three Styles,” A. D. Hopkins, Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 21, 1982.

 

PUBLIC LECTURES

“Zabriski Point: Why Ansel Adams Went There.” Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California. May 2009.

“l’Authentique: French Photography of the Second Empire.” Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California. April 2009.

“Songlines: Photographs of a Globetrotter.” Public presentation of recent research and photographs for the Cultural Affairs Department, City of Las Vegas, Nevada.  February 2009.

“Architainement: A Personal History of Las Vegas Casino Architecture.” On-going lectures for Speaker’s Bureau, College of Southern Nevada. 2002 – 2008.

“Landscape Photography in a Time of Global Climate Change.” University of San Diego, History of Photography class. 2007, 2008.

“Songlines: Photographs of a Globetrotter.” Presentation of recent research and photographs to members of the Sunrise Hospital medical staff. Las Vegas, Nevada. February 2005.

“Art and Artifice in Las Vegas: The Casino Landscape.” Lecture series at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. June 2004.

“History of Las Vegas Casino Architecture.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Presentation to visiting members of the museum board. February 2004.

“The Personalities of the Las Vegas Strip.” Scripps Institute. Lecture to visiting academics, January 2004.

“Desert Beginnings, Desert Endings.” Discussion of photography of the Las Vegas Wash. CHAC, Las Vegas, Nevada. May 2002.

“Herbert Beyer in Las Vegas.” Gallery talk on exhibition of photographs and drawings of Bauhaus artist Herbert Beyer. Smallworks Gallery, Las Vegas, Nevada. 1999.

“Photographers and the Nuclear Landscape: Documenting the Unseen.” Donna Beam Gallery, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. November 1995. Lecture in conjunction with exhibition of photographs by Carole Gallagher, “American Ground Zero.”

“Casino Landscape." Cornell University trip to Las Vegas, 1995.

“Las Vegas, The Postmodern Garden." Plenary speaker for the American Culture Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1994.

"The Photographs of Ansel Adams: Claude Glass of Yosemite." Conference of the Western Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1994.

"The Implosion of the Dunes Hotel: Context of Meaning." Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1993.

"Iconography of Sexuality in the Western Tradition." Contemporary Arts Collective, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1993.

"Van Gogh: Arles and Discontent." Las Vegas Unitarian Church, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1993.

"Art and Guardianship." Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1993. Moderated symposium panel which included Charles Ross, Peter Goin, Alan Sekula, Michelle Stuart and Suzi Gablik.

"Sources of Beauty in Landscape Photography." Photographic Arts of Nevada, 1992.

“The Poetics of Ansel Adams: Philosophical and Aesthetic Origins." The History of Photography Group, SPE, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1991.

"Traditions of Southwest Landscape Art." lecture series for the International Elderhostel          Organization, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1991.

"Photographs of the Fontainebleau Forest: Poetics and Documents." University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, 1991.

"Earth Art: Pilgrimage into the Past, into the Self." University of New Mexico, 1990.

"Traditions of Southwest Landscape Art." lecture series for the International  Elderhostel       Organization, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1990.

"The Photographic Changes of Minor White." Visiting Lecturer. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1990.

"'Furyu ': a Facet of My Photography." University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1990.

"The Hindu Influences on Wassily Kandinsky's Painting: 1910-1914." University of New Mexico, 199

"The Meaning of the Void: Wassily Kandinsky and Minor White," University of New Mexico, 1989.

"Journey Without End," Clark County Community College, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1989.

"The Art of Medical Practice," American Society of Orthopedic Surgeons, Annual Conference, Las Vegas Nevada, 1989.

"Trends in Contemporary Color Photography," Nevada Camera Club, 1989.

"Photography: An Aspect of Modernism," University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 1988.

"Barbizon and the Fontainebleau Forest: A Contemporary Response," Clark County Community College, 1988.

"Photographic Syntax," Nevada Artist's Forum, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1986.

"Understanding the Language of Photography," Nevada Artist's Forum, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1986.

"Photographing in the Baja Peninsula," San Diego, California, 1984.

"Alternate Processes for the Creative Photographer," West Palm Beach, Florida, 1983.