Reception July 28 for final WNC display of acclaimed 'Always Lost: A Meditation on War'
Submitted by editor on Fri, 07/15/2016 - 11:49am
Western Nevada College invites the public to a reception for the final display of its nationally acclaimed traveling arts and humanities exhibition, “Always Lost: A Meditation on War.” The exhibition is in the main art gallery at the WNC Carson City campus, through July 29. WNC is located at 2201 West College Parkway in Carson City.
The exhibition, which began as a WNC creative writing class in 2009, is coming home after being displayed at more than 50 venues across the nation. A reception will be held at 5 p.m. on the Thursday, July 28.
In fall 2008, two WNC professors decried the impersonal nature of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Professors Don Carlson and Marilee Swirczek envisioned a photography and literary exhibition to personalize the wars. It included original literary work by students, veterans and their families and other Nevada writers. The project also included the “Wall of the Dead,” individual photographs with names of U.S. military service members who perished in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars since Sept. 11, 2001.
The Dallas Morning News granted permission to use their 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning Iraq War combat photographs as part of the exhibition. Photographs and profiles of three WNC student veterans remind us of the thousands of service members returning home from war, and original poetry by Army SPC Noah C. Pierce, who died by suicide after serving two tours in Iraq, shines a light on the epidemic of veteran suicide.
Throughout the years, the Wall of the Dead continued to grow. When “Always Lost” made its debut, there were approximately 4,000 faces and names on the Wall. Today, there are thousands more.
During its seven years of travel, “Always Lost” was displayed at colleges, universities, libraries, veterans’ organizations, and community centers across the nation. The Minnesota Humanities Center sponsored an 18-month statewide tour of the exhibit as part of their "Veterans' Voices" program. A second copy of the exhibition traveled across Nevada as an official NV150 Sesquicentennial exhibit on a tour sponsored by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.
Proclamations honoring the exhibition were presented to the college by the Carson City Board of Supervisors and the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners, along with other accolades from around the country.
Kevin Burns, WNC’s Veterans Resource Center Coordinator, was one of the faculty members who helped create the project.
In reflection, Burns said, The ‘Always Lost’ project helped to change perceptions. “It made a difference for veterans and their families.”
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m., through July 29.
“Always Lost: A Meditation on War” has been funded and maintained through grants from the Nevada Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs; the National Endowment for the Arts; and Nevada Humanities, along with generous donations from many organizations and individuals, including the Carson Nugget, whose support made the traveling exhibition possible.
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