M. Hill: “Mesquite”
Monday, October 7 – Friday, November 22, 2013
Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV

Reception on Friday, October 18 from 6-8 PM with artist talk at 6:30 PM in Pueblo Room 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV

For more information contact 702.455.7340   "Mesquite," an exhibit of artist books by M. Hill presented by Clark County Parks and Recreation, is also part of the 2013 Vegas Valley Book Festival’s “Illustrated Word” programming. The exhibit will be on display October 7 through November 22 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, October 18 with an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. in the Pueblo Room. The Rotunda will be open for First Friday festivities from 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, November 1.  

Working with nature is a design instinct according to artist and graphic designer, M. Hill. On the wide-open terrain of ideas, designers and artists approach the desert sifting through dusty surfaces and overturning natural evidence.  Visual culture is the surface of expression that M. Hill works upon.  Using the principles of design; typography, color, shape and images…she detects, deciphers and builds cultural codes that reflect her community.   

The inspiration for M. Hill's current exhibit of handmade artist books and display towers was again found in nature, in the form of the mesquite. The artist was coping with an illness in the family at the time, and the mesquite offered her hope with its extraordinary beauty and resilience. Often honed by the hand of man in parks and other landscaped settings, this humble tree is filled with noteworthy visual patterns, texture and colors. In the wilderness, the mesquite's form and function is also worthy of observation. It has a core role in the desert ecosystem, provides food and hard, durable wood that burns slow and hot. Understanding the mesquite offers insight on our own relationship to the desert, and on perseverance and survival.  

M. Hill earned her MFA from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, and her BFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is currently lead designer for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, as well as a freelance designer working on various public art projects. Recent exhibits include  "Asleep in Vegas" at RTZvegas, Las Vegas, NV; "AIGA Work Show" at the Historic 5th Street School, Las Vegas, NV; the Open Air Printers Members Gallery, Las Vegas, NV; and the Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY.  

Those interested in “Mesquite” can contact the Winchester Cultural Center at (702) 455-7340