Always Lost: A Meditation on War’ Exhibition at Historic Minden Inn Through Sept. 12
A Western Nevada College student veteran crouches down on her knees to search for those she served with. The mother of a fallen soldier stares at the face of her son. The Wall of the Dead quietly tells the story of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and the thousands who have died.
“Always Lost, A Meditation on War,” the nationally touring humanities exhibition created by WNC students and faculty, opened Monday at the historic Minden Inn, 1594 Esmeralda Ave., and remains through Friday, Sept. 12.
The exhibit, which personalizes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through photography and writings, is a part of the Nevada Sesquicentennial tour sponsored by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. Viewing is free to the public, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with expanded hours to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Aug, 28, Sept 4 and Sept. 11.
The core of the exhibit is the Wall of the Dead, which includes the names and photographs of the more than 6,800 American casualties in the two wars. It also includes 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning combat photos shown by permission of the Dallas Morning News, as well as literary work from Professor Emeritus Marilee Swirczek’s creative writing classes at WNC, veterans and their families, members of the Lone Mountain Writers group, and other contributors.
"It's wonderful that the Always Lost exhibition is being displayed in my own hometown after it has been traveling across the nation for the last five years,” said Amy Roby, a former WNC student who participated in the creation of the exhibition, and who now works to maintain the project.
“At the exhibit opening, I spoke with a local Gold Star mother whose son is pictured on the memorial wall,” she said. “Moments like that bring another level of awareness about the personal and collective costs of war."
At the opening reception Monday, the Nevada Army National Guard Honor Guard showed the colors, and WAVE (Welcome All Veterans Everywhere) President Carl Schnock provided compelling remarks about the value of remembering those who serve.
"We are grateful to everyone at the Douglas County offices for facilitating such a beautiful installation," Roby said.
“Always Lost” has been featured at universities, colleges, museums, libraries, art galleries, conference centers and veterans organizations throughout the United States. The exhibition was recently displayed at the Disabled American Veterans and Auxiliary National Convention at in Las Vegas. Following the Minden showing, the exhibition will travel to the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas, Spring Preserve for an installation from September 27 to October 27.
For more information and a video about “Always Lost,” go to www.wnc.edu/always_lost. Additional photos available
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