Photo exhibit brings splendor of Nevada with subtle plug to Capitol Hill — VIDEO

By HENRY BREAN LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

A lone tent is dwarfed by the landscape at Basin and Range National Monument in this photo by Julian Kilker, part of the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

A panel of petroglyphs greets a visitor to the Gold Butte area in this image by Las Vegas-based international photographer Mike Hill featured in the "Home Means Nevada" exhibit now on display on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Burning Man unfolds on the Black Rock Desert playa in this aerial photo by Will Roger Peterson, cofounder the annual festival, from the "Home Means Nevada" exhibit now on display on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

A bristlecone pine lifts its ancient arms to the sky at Great Basin National Park in an image by Kelly Carroll from the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Two male bighorn sheep scratch each other with their horns in an image by acclaimed wildlife photographer Sharon Schafer from the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Artist Michael Heizer looks out over his massive earthwork “City” in a photo taken by Michael Govan, CEO of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and featured in the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Two girls float in a remote hot spring pool in a photograph by artist Peter Goin, who has two photos in the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Lightning flashes above Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in a photo by Bruce Loeffler included in the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

The night sky spins above Nevada’s remote Alta Toquima Wilderness in this time-lapse photo by conservation activist Kurt Kuznicki from the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

An endangered pupfish swims in Devils Hole in this photo by Olin Feuerbacher, an aquaculturist at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, featured in the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Artist Sam Davis used an old-time spectrograph to give a vintage feel to his photo of an alien figure in this ode to lands within Nevada managed by the Department of Defense. His photo and 16 others make up the "Home Means Nevada" exhibit now on display on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

The clouds mirror the colored rocks at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in this photo by Robert Park from the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

The sky reflects in the surface of Walker Lake in this panorama by Kimberly Reinhart featured in the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

A meteor streaks through the sky at sunset in this photo by Cristian Torres featured in the "Home Means Nevada" exhibit now on display on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Retired Lake Mead National Recreation Area superintendent Alan O’Neill captured this view of his former park now on display as part of the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

This image of a sagebrush junction on the historic Pony Express Trail by famed photographer Deon Reynolds is part of the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

The moon hangs above the Black Rock Desert in artist Peter Goin’s photo from the “Home Means Nevada” exhibit now on display at the Senate Russell Building on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy of National Parks Conservation Association)

Some of the Silver State’s most spectacular landscapes went on display Monday in Washington, D.C., as a weeklong photo exhibit called “Home Means Nevada” debuted in the rotunda of the Senate Russell Building.

The display of 17 images by 16 photographers highlights some of the unique treasures to be found on federally managed lands across the state, from bighorns to Burning Man, ancient rock art to Michael Heizer’s modern masterwork City.

The exhibit was organized by the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association and curated by UNLV professor Sergio “Checko” Salgado with help from wildlife biologist Paula Jacoby-Garrett.

Lynn Davis, the parks association’s senior program manager in Nevada, said the display is meant to echo the famous photographs and artwork from the late 1800s and early 1900s that helped spur protections for places like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

Davis said Nevada is home to the largest wildlife refuge, the rarest fish, the most acres of wilderness and the darkest night skies in the lower 48 states.

“We took those bragging rights that we have, and we looked for artists to highlight them,” she said.

MGM Resorts and Barrick Gold Corp. sponsored the exhibit.

The display had to be approved by the Senate Rules Committee and could not be partisan or overtly political. But that didn’t stop its organizers from including a subtle plug for what some hope will become Nevada’s next national monument: Gold Butte in northeastern Clark County.

The image by Las Vegas-based international photographer Mike Hill shows an immense panel of spirals and other petroglyphs in the Gold Butte area, which conservationists are calling on President Barack Obama to designate as a monument over the strong objections of some members of Nevada’s congressional delegation.

“Absolutely we included it,” Davis said of the photo. “That’s probably the most quote unquote conversational one in there.”

A reception to mark the opening of the exhibit was scheduled for early Monday evening, “so everyone (could) get get home and watch the debate,” Davis said.

The photographs will remain on display through Friday.

Davis said the plan is to bring the photos back to Nevada for a series of exhibitions around the state over the next year or so.

Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @RefriedBrean on Twitter.