Larry Darnell Stokes: “Horse”
Monday, January 27 – Friday, March 21, 2014
Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery
500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV

Reception on Friday, January 31 from 6-8 PM with artist talk at 6:30 PM

Larry Darnell Stokes’ new bronze sculpture exhibit gallops through Clark County’s sculpture gallery into the new year. The exhibit, entitled “Horse,” will be on display January 27 through March 21 at the Clark County Government Center’s Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway near downtown Las Vegas. A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 31 (Chinese New Year) with an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. The Rotunda will be open for First Friday festivities from 6 to 10 p.m. on February 7 and March 7.

Although the time is opportune for a show of equine sculptures (this is the year of the horse, according to the Chinese zodiac), and the location is more than suitable (in the American West); Larry Darnell Stokes began sculpting horses for a more personal reason. The printmaker, painter and sculptor focused much of his career on figurative and portrait work—a monument of Martin Luther King, Jr. commissioned for Long Beach, California, among his most notable works. Recently, however, Stokes has come to see the horse as his perfect subject. Perhaps due to the long-standing, close relationship humanity has held with the horse, the artist identifies emotion expressed by the animal as relatable to human life. Stokes is also drawn to the fact that horses possess, in harmony, the usually incompatible elements of power and grace. These attributes are visible in all the bronzes on display, portraying a variety of equine activities from foals nursing to horses at full gallop.       

Larry Darnell Stokes holds a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, and an MFA from Yale University. He has taught at Kentucky Wesleyan College, Long Beach State University and Cal State University. He has received numerous awards for his work and contributions to the Arts. His art has been shown in galleries and museums across the country.