I saw my second Nick Cave Soundsuit by complete accident. I visited Las Vegas for the first time in 2015 and was wandering through the Bellagio when I nearly ran right into a Soundsuit in a glass display case in the middle of the walkway. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared. I couldn’t believe it! It was during that visit that I realized the hotels, casinos and resorts in Las Vegas decorated with contemporary and modern art pieces the way a motel tries to dress up the place with framed prints from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Everywhere I looked there were millions of dollars worth of fine art – a Frank Stella behind the check-in desk of the Vdara, a Claes Oldenburg sculpture randomly placed on an outdoor walkway between resorts – and those are just two examples. This realization made me look at Las Vegas in a different light… and not necessarily a good light. It made me a little sad that these amazing pieces had become… decorations, or, worse yet… trophies.
Nick Cave #2
I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida.
In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium.
The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too.
Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.
The Wandering Art Historian 