Artists' Top Five: Marc Dombrosky — Couch in the Desert

*Latinos Who Lunch podcast in progress. Photo Mikayla Whitmore.*

1. Latinos Who Lunch.If you're not listening to FavyFav and Babelito's groundbreaking podcast, well, you should. Get. in. formation.2. Nostalgia. When we lived in town, numerous locals (Brian Porray was the first, I think) expressed how difficult it was to be nostalgic about the city. With everything in constant flux, always on, and a such a huge scale, the city you knew when you lived there likely won't and can't be the city you'll go back to visit. I suppose if you grow up with this sort of flow it doesn't affect you as much (?) but whenever we go back now, I'm struck at how different everything always feels, somehow. I miss the places that have left--Min Sok Chon, Rincon Criollo, The Coachman's Inn, Davey's Locker, Carluccio's (WATCH THIS VIDEOfor my two favorite lines, "Leave the ghost, take the cannoli" and "A misty white substance obscuring the GM's face"), The Riviera--and I miss the places that remain--Pamplemousse, Dispensary,Champagne's Cafe, Pioneer Saloon. Wendy, I'll write stories about any/all of these whenever you want.As a pitch, the last time we ate at Pamplemousse, our waiter was Sinatra's maitre'd and Shannon sat where Debbie Reynolds used to sit. Pure Vegas Gonzo.

Pamplemousse on May 28, 2015. Photo Mikayla Whitmore.

3. Bellagio fountains (WET design). So, yeah, the nostalgia. That ending scene in Ocean's Eleven where the team (minus Danny) silently enjoy the fountains is probably hokey and cliche until you re-enact it with your wife on site. Then it's sublime.

4. Marjorie Barrick Museum. Yes, all of it. Also, it's proximity to the Lied Library.

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art on October 2, 2017. Photo Mikayla Whitmore.

5. Settlers. Staying around and making it happen. Our time there together was too short but my heart is always with you all. I Would Die 4 U: Krystal Ramirez, Jennifer Kleven, Christie Lee, Brent Sommerhauser, Wendy Kveck, Lance Smith, JW Caldwell, Justin Favela, Mikayla Whitmore, Daniel Oshima, Nico Holmes-Gull, and the rest of the team. You all keep the machine moving forward. Lance Smith's recent uncovering of his own artwork on Maryland Parkway is the strongest artistic gesture of 2016. You fucking rock my world. His solo show at Winchester (Cultural Center Gallery) last year was out of control.

Marc Dombrosky, installation, You want light to pass through objects and furniture, at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas, 2010. Image Shannon Eakins. — Marc Dombrosky, installation, *You want light to pass through objects and furniture*, at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas, 2010. Image Shannon Eakins.

Marc Dombrosky's practice spans teaching, curatorial projects, and installations utilizing gathered objects and embroidery on found papers. Taken together, these platforms investigate the shared nature of regional identity and systems of communication. He is currently Chair of the Department of Visual & Performing Arts and Gallery Director at Southwestern Michigan College (Dowagiac, MI), where he organizes courses, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and film series that engage transdisciplinary and collaborative spaces in higher education; promoting exchanges between programs and departments in the visual arts, agriculture, writing, library services, advanced technologies, and STEM-based programs.

His works have been shown at Portland Art Museum; Tacoma Art Musuem; Cranbrook Art Museum; Bellevue Arts Museum; Museum of Northwest Art; Whatcom Museum (Bellingham); Clark County Government Center (Las Vegas); Gregg Museum of Art and Design (Raleigh). His work is represented by Platform Gallery in Seattle and he is a frequent contributor for Settlers + Nomads. Marc Dombrosky lived in Las Vegas from 2009-2013.

Artists' Top Five is an ongoing series sharing short lists of artists' favorite things to do or see in Las Vegas. In some cases, these lists become more nostalgic or idiosyncratic musings about a city we call home.