Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- For centuries, Americans have wondered what could be hiding in these desert landscapes. A new exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts adds to the intrigue through photography.
"It's not an urban legend that these exist, and that people are imagining all of the kinds of secrets that really are in the desert," said museum curator Donna Poulton. "And I think our government has, rightly or wrongly, used the desert in many ways even we can't imagine."
The artists hope their work inspires questions, even research. Included in this exhibit are photographs by New Mexico artist Patrick Nagatani. He calls this series "Nuclear Enchantment."
"These are meant to be provocative images. They are not meant to be didactic, to tell us what to think about the history of atomic testing in the desert, but to peak our curiosity about the history so that we might want to investigate it for ourselves," museum curator Jill Dawsey said.
You don't have to live in Utah or anywhere near the museum to experience this exhibit. The curators say visitors can explore "Desert Secrets" in an online virtual tour.
"People really want to be able to access information any time they want, in any way that they want. They want to take it with them through their iPod, they want to sit at home, they want to do it at work; and we need to be sensitive to that change in our audience," said Cris Baczek, the museum's collections photographer.
"Desert Secrets" opened Thursday and will continue at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts through Dec. 13. If you want to take that virtual tour, CLICK HERE.
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
