CAMP ART

The backbone of our community and each year we witness the awe inspiring work ranging from local to international artists at the event. Magnanimous sculptures, live performances, simple installations or paintings - art is all around us and is worth the exploration to find it. Click here to see more details.

Bubble Street Lights

By Whiskey and Dust Members - 2018 through 2023

Ever wonder down a dark street front? Well not at Whiskey and Dust. These 4 whimsical street lights are 13 feet tall with 10 LED color changing globes to help light up our Black Rock Streets. 

WHERE

Resting at Whiskey and Dust home base in Denver; returning in 2025

Donner Trail Estates

By Whiskey and Dust Members - 2005 through 2016

BRC first and only suburban subdivision. Live once again the American dream of gentrified minimalistic housing before it was popular. This year new models will be available.
Amenities include street side location to watch all the fun, lawn service, picket fence installment, solar lights, personal mailbox, activities and bar service at the main office. Sorry, no hot tubs!
Note: Houses are reserved and occupied by camp members during the event. Please knock and ask to see inside.

WHERE

Whiskey and Dust retired the Donner Train Estates to make place for new art and interaction.

The Mushroom Patch

By Butch Kanter 

This lovable, whimsical vehicle built by Butch Kanter, features 5 mushrooms (largest cap being 5 feet in diameter) on a converted Geo Metro base covered in soft fur. All the mushrooms sequence LED lights in various patterns to make it quite visible at night, as well as a LED strip at the base. Outfitted with speakers and a base, music can be heard streaming from this vehicle as it wanders around.

Additionally, regular updates to the vehicle both in 2016 and 2014 have enhanced the integrity of all aspects of the vehicle as the desert is a harsh environment.

WHERE

This art car is taking a year off in 2024.

Note: Jumping onto a moving vehicle can be dangerous. Please signal the driver to stop to board.

Ma'am: The Mammoth

By Nick DeWold & Harvie Branscomb 

"Ma'am: The Mammoth," is a bicycle powered Mutant Vehicle or Art Car and was designed by Nick DeWolf and Harvie Branscomb, in Aspen, Colorado. This group collaboration was built and rebuilt by many friends of the Ma'am, including Eric Ringsby, who served as all purpose volunteer and financial contributor. Although Eric is no longer involved with this project and Nick DeWolf has passed away, Harvie Branscomb and Yayoi Wakabayashi carry on the Ma'am legacy.

Nick DeWolf was born July 12, 1928 and died April 16, 2006 and was co-founder of computer testing giant Teradyne. It was my great privilege and honor to make art and experience Burning Man with Nick.  Perhaps I should note, Nick was inspired by the Piltdown Man, the false missing-link hoax
and also the Columbian mammoth skeleton found in the Black Rock Desert, location of Burning Man, and can be seen in the Palentological Museum of Winnemucca.

"Ma'am: The Mammoth" Mutant Vehicle by Nick DeWolf & Harvie Branscomb Made with aluminum bicycle powered chasis for four bikes Skull, tusks and ribs made of laminated ridgid insulation foam Size 2m wide X 5m tall and 5m long with 4m long tusks Previously based at Emabassy Village, Piltdown Camp, Ma'am Camp and Camp I Am, BRC, NV. Initial fabrication was in Cripple Creek, CO then moved to El Jebel, CO. -Source

WHERE

This art car can be seen at Whiskey and Dust Mutant Vehicle Camp, its chosen home base or wandering the desert during the event.

Note: Jumping onto a moving vehicle can be dangerous. Please signal the driver to stop to  board.

Soldier's Cross

By Jack Butler & Jerry Vanhoosen- 2017

The Soldiers/Battle cross consists of a rifle inverted between a pair of combat boots and topped by a helmet. This simple symbol is a powerful image to those persons who have served in the armed forces. It evolved from the practice of marking a burial place of a soldier who had fallen in combat and the body could not be extricated because of the remoteness of the location or requirements of battle.

The rifle being driven into the ground marks the grave of the fallen soldier and was topped with their helmet and possible their dog tag for identification. This was done in the hope that the soldier’s body could be recovered and buried with military honors. This battlefield expedient practice has become synonymous with honoring those soldiers who gave their lives in the service of protecting their country.

Regardless of the conflict, regardless of the country, the willingness of our military members to put their lives at risk and in some cases pay the final price is one of the highest honorable acts in our society. Soldiers do not get to choose to go to war, they are ordered and carry out those orders.

Armed forces members sacrifice in order to serve. Youth, relationships, bodies, and mental health are all parts that are surrendered. Whether in times of war or in peace,those persons who volunteer to protect their country will give up the comforts and security of civilian life to keep family, friends and countrymen safe.  Those military members who are tasked to deal with the terrors and rigors of combat are the most affected, physically and mentally. Soldiers fight the most for their fellow soldiers. The code and promise between soldiers of never leaving a comrade on the battlefield is as old as conflict itself.

The weight of that promise can be very heavy. Scars and emotions suppressed and carried can shape and profoundly effect a person’s life. The inability to save a life or the necessity to take a life will each leave their mark. The myriad energy of the acts committed or seen is a burden borne by too many. Suppression of the pain in order to continue is part of the soldiers burden.

This project was neither intended nor designed with the intent to celebrate war, violence or the loss that results from it. This project was placed here in the Temple of Burning Man, a place of extraordinary freedom and expression, in hope that one persons suffering would be lessened. That the release of the energy of pain could occur here in this safe place. That one person could leave the memory of comrades fallen, trauma endured.  You promised to never leave them and never forget. You have brought them home.

Participants were invited to write whatever they chose and place it in the box provided. Whether it is the name of a lost comrade, an event you wish to no longer be affected by, or any other thing you have been carrying which you would like to release. Remembrances of friends and family as well as gratitude to those members of your society who have sacrificed for what you enjoy are invited to be left as well. Every note written was burned with the temple and with them, the energy and pain hopefully lessened the giver's burden, and allowed healing to begin.

WHERE

Placement near the temple in 2017.

Chromatopolis

By  - 2017

“Chromatopolis” was an enclosed structure chill out space for festival goers of ALL ages to enjoy having a place to color in books individually as well as work on community pieces printed directly on the walls of the structure with a varied selection of coloring mediums to choose to utilize.

WHERE

Whiskey and Dust, Rear Street Front. Year 2017


The Bathroom Wall

By Kent & Denitta Ward and Tonda Phalen- 2012

This in-camp art piece was imagined and created by Kent, Denitta, and Tonda at the 2012 Burn, and was designed to be interactive on many levels with visitors to the Whiskey and Dust camp.

The Bathroom Wall included a condom dispenser with gratis custom W&D condoms designed by Tonda, as well as a take or leave porn magazine library.

Additional gifts available to visitors of the Bathroom Wall were W&D postcards created by Tonda using images she photographed at Burning Man, and also W&D temporary tattoos from a design created by camp artist Marie.

Visitors were encouraged to be a part of the art by leaving graffiti on the wall, and were given some special love with the inspirational mirror, which provided positive affirmations and lit up at night to throw visitors into a special glow. 

The art piece was ultimately burned.


The very popular postcards made a return in 2016 with new images created by Tonda, and were distributed that year directly from the W&D bar. 

Black Rock Portrait Project

By Marie Vlasic - 2011

"The Black Rock Portrait Project" is an ongoing series of oil paintings biased on photographs taken by the artist (and with assistance from other photographers in 2011) at the Burning Man festival. These paintings have also been published as a collection. For more information on the book, please visit: The Black Rock Portrait Project at https://facebook.com/Welcome-Home-the-Black-Rock-Portrait-Project-169502786438429/

WHERE

Marie Vlasic Studios