#wideopenspaces

From the Nevada Bureau of Land Management Facebook

A new herd of wild horses is descending on the Black Rock Desert for 2022’s Burning Man festival.

The Wild Horses of the American West project is rounding up more than a dozen life-size sculptures from local and international artists to bring awareness to environmental concerns surrounding the West’s wild horses.  

“Everyone loves horses. Wild horses are beautiful,” said organizer Adrian Landon. “But the bottom line is they need to be managed.”

Landon stated, "the complexity and diversity of this project metaphorically reflects the many facets of the issue itself, and emphasizes the natural beauty, grace and majesty of horses. Stetson said, "the sculptures materialize the importance for us to find swift and proactive common ground and solutions that will keep sustainable numbers of healthy wild horses on the range and in balance with the ecosystem."

[One of the artists,] a 34-year Air Force veteran and Reno native uses art as a form of therapy. He compiled his piece from all found materials, either from the desert or dumpster diving in Reno.

“I really discovered making things helps my demons inside,” he said. “I enjoy going and finding: the hunt for the scrap metal, then the build.”

He describes his horse as hungry, pregnant and kind of skeletal. He worries that too many horses in the desert will lead to real-life versions of his sculpture.

“They’re everywhere now. It used to be a rare treat and rarity to see them. Now, you drive around every day and see them,” he said. “I love them, but it’s a lot.”