The Art Outdoors
(Cover image by Natalie Hernandez)
Where does art live?
According to some, art lives in the museums where it can be preserved and protected. To others, it belongs in journals so that it can be shared with the masses with ease. But art can also exist in nature. It is not hard to find examples of this when you take the time to find them.
In Nevada, the art found in nature appears in the form of petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are illustrations imprinted onto the landscape by people from a long time ago. They often come in many different designs. Each petroglyph is composed of recognizable shapes, such as lines or circles. These shapes are carved into the rocks of the land. However, none of these drawings are titled or labeled like a Renaissance painting may be. So, viewers often prescribe their own names for individual petroglyphs. This is done by looking at how the drawings are similar to things in the real world. For example, a petroglyph may be a cross with lines coming out at the sides and a circle on top. We probably would not call it “Lines With a Circle”, but we may call it “A Person”!
(Photo by Leonard “Lenny” Brattoli.)
The biggest mystery around these petroglyphs is who actually drew them. Yes, historians have been able to tell the cultural origins of these pieces, but unlike most of the art that we encounter today, petroglyphs are not signed with any names. Though we can name the cultures that certain petroglyphs came from, we can never know who specifically created each distinct petroglyph.
There is also the fact that petroglyphs are located outside, which just so happens to constantly leave them in the elements. Nearly every petroglyph is found in the original landscape that it was created in. These petroglyphs were created a long time ago, so they could have undergone many different changes. Erosion from wind and rain causes the rocks with petroglyphs to become collapsed canvases, yet we leave these pieces in their place. Many petroglyphs are left in their original place and some are lucky enough to not be manipulated by humans over time.
People today play a big role in preserving petroglyphs. Regardless of personal background, every person that views the petroglyphs should do so without interfering with them. The reason petroglyphs should not be interfered with is because of their historical value and their natural fragility. It falls on all visitors to help with preserving petroglyphs.
Even with this severe limitation put in place, we can still enjoy petroglyphs in their original habitat. There are many hikes you can take to see petroglyphs, such as the Sloan Canyon Petroglyphs trail. Traveling over uneven rocks, dried streambeds, and small mountains can take you to a one-of-a-kind art exhibit. How you view petroglyphs can be affected by the shadows cast by the sun or by the foliage growing around and over the petroglyphs. Seeing petroglyphs with these natural influences is like stepping into an ever-changing art gallery. How often can you experience that? By visiting petroglyphs, you get to experience the place that art lives in.
Petroglyphs are unique pieces of art because of their visual aesthetic, historic fragility, and unique environments. We should honor them by continuing to visit them, while still respecting the boundaries that have kept them safe to this very today.
Works Cited
Sloan Canyon Petroglyphs. Bureau of Land Management, https://www.blm.gov/visit/sloan-canyon-petroglyphs.
