NEON MUSEUM HOSTS EXCLUSIVE OPEN STUDIO FOR MEDIA WITH ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Neon Museum 2020 National Artist in Residence,
Victor Ehikhamenor working on recent artwork.
(Photos courtesy Victor Ehikhamenor)

THE NEON MUSEUM HOSTS EXCLUSIVE OPEN STUDIO FOR MEDIA WITH 2020 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE VICTOR EHIKHAMENOR, DEC. 17

Downloadable Photos Available Here

WHAT:
The Neon Museum will host an exclusive Open Studio event/interview opportunity for media with 2020 Artist in Residence Victor Ehikhamenor’s, on Dec. 17. The Nigerian-American artist, photographer and writer has been in Las Vegas since Oct. 26 creating a body of work inspired by the museum; the Open Studio event represents the public’s opportunity to enjoy his work firsthand.

Incorporating an assortment of iconic Las Vegas signs in the museum’s exhibitions and archive, Ehikhamenor’s artwork also includes collaborations with members of the Las Vegas community, who provided poems, statements and short stories. Ehikhamenor interprets these elements through large-scale drawings interwoven into sculpture and installation work. His work also incorporates the medium of neon tubing.

Ehikhamenor was selected by the Museum from a list of 110 applicants earlier this year. His residency is sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the state of Nevada. During his residency, Downtown Las Vegas high-rise condo tower, Juhl, is providing the artist with a live/work space that includes a studio visible from the street so the public can watch him work. Ehikhamenor also has workspace at The Neon Museum’s Ne10 Studio.

WHEN:
Thursday, Dec. 17
1:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Ne10 Studio, 1001 West Bonanza Road, Las Vegas, NV 89106

This event is not open to the public.

MEDIA RSVP INSTRUCTIONS:
Space is limited. To RSVP for media credentials, please email Vanessa Thill at vanessa@thevoxagency.com.

A limited number of people will be allowed in the studio and masks are required.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American artist, photographer and writer. He has been prolific in producing abstract, symbolic and politically motivated works. A 2016 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow, Ehikhamenor was one of three artists to represent Nigeria at the first Nigerian Pavilion in the 57^th Venice Biennale in 2017. His work has been featured in numerous biennales, including the 5th Mediations Biennale in Poznan, Poland (2016) and the Biennale Jogja XIII, Indonesia (2015), and exhibited in London, Lagos and Washington D.C. Throughout his career, Ehikhamenor has maintained an interest in signs, symbols and language. The patterning that defines his work is a form of gestural abstraction reminiscent of written language.

As a writer, he has published both fiction and critical essays with academic journals, mainstream magazines and newspapers around the world including New York Times, BBC, CNN Online, Washington Post, AGNI and Wasafiri. He is the founder of Angels and Muse, a thought laboratory dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African art. In 2013, Ehikhamenor collaborated with Nigerian fashion designer Ituen Basi to create the Ekemini collection which has been featured in Vogue Italia, and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion show. Ehikhamenor received his MFA from the University of Maryland, College Park. He maintains a studio in Lagos, Nigeria and Upper Marlboro, Maryland. http://victorehi.com

ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM
Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. It has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” one of “Sin City’s Best Retro Sites” by MSN, “No. 1 Las Vegas Museum Sure to Entertain and Educate” by USA Today’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, The Neon Museum houses an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual spectacle “Brilliant!” which uses technology advances to re-illuminate more than 40 non-operational signs; the new Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center, housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. The museum is located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For tour schedules and pricing information, visit neonmuseum.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Vanessa Thill/Erika Pope
The Vox Agency
vanessa@thevoxagency.com, erika@thevoxagency.com
(469) 226-4723, (702) 249-2977

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