SENATE FINANCE/ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE
ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT---MARCH 7, 2013: NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL
PUBLIC COMMENT BY SUZANNE HACKETT-MORGAN
My name is Suzanne Hackett-Morgan and I am the Executive Director of the Goldwell Open Air
Museum and Artist Residency in Rhyolite, Nevada in Nye County. We have been in operation
since 2000 and with NAC support we have been able to not only deliver arts experiences for
hundred of thousands of visitors to the state, but we have also provided high-quality arts
education experiences for hundreds of students in Beatty, Nevada…experiences that brings them
in meaningful contact with professional visual and performing artists from all across the country,
opening their minds to possibilities they might not otherwise encounter.
Our residency program has provided 48 artists, ranging from painters to composers, with the
time, space and support to create new work, which we are proud to say has been exhibited and
performed in some of the country's most regarded institutions. One of our residents, Craig
Colorusso, created and debuted a solar-powered sound installation called Sun Boxes during his
residency, which is still touring to major museums to this day…bringing awareness not only to
Goldwell, but also to the unique experiences Nevada provides.
We recently opened a fine art printmaking studio, Open Air Printers, in the Downtown Las
Vegas Arts District as a satellite site to our sculpture park and Red Barn Art Center studio in
Rhyolite to share the Goldwell experience of new creation and camaraderie with the southern
Nevada arts community.
None of our programs, which have been nationally acknowledged, would have been possible
without the consistent support and encouragement of the Nevada Arts Council. Their financial
support in the form of Partners in Excellence grants and professional development support has
been the defining factor in our growth and success. The cuts in the last few years have impacted
our program, but we are grateful for the investment the Nevada Arts Council continues to make
in us. I ask you to please make funding for the Nevada Arts Council one of your priorities this
session, not just for Goldwell but for all the arts workers in the state who contribute so much to
making Nevada the remarkable and unique state it is