GOLDWELL ARTIST RESIDENCY

2007 | Rhyolite, NV

Rhyolite, once the 4th largest settlement in Nevada, was home to paved streets, two rail lines, a stock exchange, opera house, schools, multiple bars and shops, and a population that grew overnight. And just as quickly as it appeared, Rhyolite became a ghost town, a relic in stone. Today it sits as an entry portal to Death Valley, sitting at the base of forgotten mining trails under the stars of the Milky Way.

In this desert, wood is nearly as precious as water. Structures built from wood were disassembled and moved to the next settlement along the path of mining discoveries. What remains are stone relics of this once prosperous town, the crumbling monuments to a moment in time. The idea of partial ruins and disassembled structures paved the conceptual idea behind the Goldwell Artist Residence.