The College of Southern Nevada, School of Arts & Letters, and Department of Fine Arts will host a traveling exhibition of mixed media collage artwork by Nevada based artist and College of Southern Nevada adjunct faculty, Evan Dent. Evan Dent: STACKS will open on Saturday, June 1, 2024, and will travel throughout the Las Vegas valley with showings on the CSN Charleston campus (June 1, 2024 – September 30, 2024), the North Las Vegas campus (October 1, 2024 – January 31, 2025), and the Henderson campus (February 1, 2025 – May 31, 2025). The CSN Student Union Art Galleries are free, family friendly, and open to the public.
Evan Dent grew up in the Great Basin area of Northern Nevada. He earned his BFA degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, followed it up with an MFA degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dent recently completed Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program with an emphasis in Jewelry/Metalsmithing. He currently lives, teaches, and makes art in Las Vegas, Nevada with his spouse and two dogs.
Before moving to Nevada, Dent owned and operated Dent Fine Art Services and described himself as an “art handyman.” He has taught art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of New Mexico, the University of New Mexico-Valencia, Winona State University, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and currently teaches at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Dent makes funky, eye-catching jewelry, and 2D mixed media work which are “weird, shiny, and pretty.” When he’s not making jewelry or art, Dent can be found rockhounding or scrounging new materials to use in his work.
Referring to his work, Dent states, “The works in my most recent series, are explorations into nostalgia, memory, and imagination. I work on imagery and antique photographs that I find at flea markets and antique stores. I do not know any of the subjects in the photographs, which allows me to approach them as a blank canvas. With no connection or memories tied to the images, I add my own. Personal relationships, past and current events, and even the occasional joke or one-liner become the new stories the photos tell. My intention is to leave the storylines in my artwork open-ended and somewhat ambiguous. Rather than imbuing my artwork with a specific narrative, I prefer to leave it open for the viewer to bring their own experiences and interpretations to the work.”
“I apply glitter, paint, acrylic resin, and other materials to the images, making the light bounce off the surface. This does not change the subject or the forms drastically, but what viewer sees is constantly changing as they walk around and view the artwork. Our own memories initially seem so clear but may fade over time. Memories often change slightly with each experience, each recounting. Childhood pets become a bit more loyal, sunrises become a bit more colorful, and fights become a bit more violent. This is the way that tall tales are formed, and ideals are forged. An event becomes a memory, a memory becomes a story, and a story becomes a legend.”
The CSN Student Union Art Galleries are free, family friendly, and open to the public. Gallery hours vary by campus and semester. Please visit https://www.csn.edu/student-unions for current hours of operation.
For more information, please call (702) 651-4146
http://www.csn.edu/artgallery
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