Installing a massive public art project in the desert just outside of Las Vegas is going ring up costs well beyond the fabrication of the work, particularly when it includes transporting and stacking 30 boulders (each weighing around 40,000 pounds).
But with Ugo Rondinone’s “Seven Magic Mountains” opening to the public May 11, its Kickstarter page asking for $50,000 has already surpassed $41,000 and looks likely to make its May 7 deadline. Fundraising for the project’s total cost of $3.5 million has been taking place quietly for years and will continue given the nature of the work, officials say. The crowdfunding is to help pay for transportation of the boulders.
The seven colorful rock totems will stand more than 25 feet high near Jean Dry Lake off Las Vegas Boulevard, 10 miles south of St. Rose Parkway—not far from where Swiss artist Jean Tinguely exploded items at Jean Dry Lake in 1962 for his site-specific piece, “End of the World No. 2.” Land artist Michael Heizer, who has been working on the massive project, “City” in Lincoln County, also created works in the area.
The Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and New York’s Art Production Fund are producing the Rondinone work, which serves as a commentary on the simulacra of Las Vegas against the backdrop of the natural landscape.
In addition to fabrication, costs include maintenance, reclamation and other services. Las Vegas Paving Corp. has been working with Rondinone on sourcing the boulders and building the totems. Aria is a major sponsor of the project.
Nevada has a long history with land art, and David Walker, executive director and CEO of the Nevada Museum of Art (home to the Center for Art + Environment), says the international significance of the “Seven Magic Mountains” helps open the door to future large-scale, land-based art projects here. We hope so.
