Local artist once again chosen to create Burning Man art

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In 53 days Kelly Smith Cassidy will be representing the South Lake Tahoe community at the communal city in the Black Rock Desert, Burning Man. Tabbed as a culture of possibility and a network of dreamers and doers, organizers select artists from around the world who best personifies their mission.

Through art grants, mentorship, and art management programs, Burning Man Arts supports the creation of impactful, interactive artwork around the world and in Black Rock City, home to the seminal Burning Man event. The mission of Burning Man Arts is to change the paradigm of art from a commodified object to an interactive, participatory, shared experience of creative expression.

For the second year in a row, Kelly has been awarded one of those grants. During the rest of the year she is a welder who specializes in copper and bronze sculptures, but during Burning Man season she expands her talents into different mediums. In 2018 she used wood and bark to create the 6.5 foot burnbot Creu Hudol for the Man Pavilion. Now, in 2019, Kelly is creating an urban space for the Man Pavilion.

"My idea was for a gathering place, one where there are performances, storytelling, civic engagement - all which are part of the intentional community Burning Man creates," said Kelly.

Her project for the intimate area where people gather, think (or don't have to think) and express is comprised of five circular seating area all connected by artistic "spirit gateway" arches. All will be anchored with an art piece which will reflect this year's theme of "Metamorphoses". It will be 22 feet across.

"I didn't think I'd be chosen," said Kelly of the highly competitive process. "I took a chance and won." She joins two other local artists in representing South Lake Tahoe at Burning Man - Jessica Levine and Taylor Trinkett. Both also happen to be welders, the same art form as Kelly. There were almost 800 entries submitted, with 70 artists from around the world being selected.....and three are locals!

Each of the five pieces can be part of the symmetry of the amphitheater as well as also being able to function on their own as artistic seating for a gathering spot.

"This would represent the evolution of Burning Man," she said.

Kelly said she couldn't think of a name for the gathering place so called her father, also an artist. He came up with "E Pluribus Unum" which means out of many, one, and so it was named.

After Burning Man is over, Kelly would like five different cities to have one of those sections. A large group of 'burners' from South Lake Tahoe visit the Black Rock Desert each year and many local artists have contributed to the event in the past. Woodturner Malcolm Tibbetts created five sculptures for a previous Burning Man, three of which are now placed in front of Co-Work Tahoe on Lake Tahoe Blvd.

"Reno has a place for Burner art," said Kelly. "Wouldn't it be great to put local Burner art here in South Lake Tahoe?" She said she'd like to have at least one of the sections come back to town, with the other four going perhaps to other cities. "South Lake Tahoe could be home to the first Burning Man Park," she added.

Her team has already helped her start work on E Pluribus Unum. Creating it isn't going to be a cheap one. Burning Man sends her a grant of $10,000 to build it but she says it will be another $10,000 "to make this amazing." Transportation of the creation to the Black Rock Desert will be an estimated $3,500.

To get the extra funds together Kelly is accepting donations as well as help fundraising. She was thinking of raffling off a romantic night in a historic boathouse on Lake Tahoe and is open to other ideas. Donors who want to have one of the five waterproof pieces afterward can speak to Kelly.

To follow the process, and for more information, visit the website created for this project, https://www.burningmanplaza2019.com.