Rita Deanin Abbey museum is an art oasis in the desert

The artwork was created by a Las Vegan and displayed in Las Vegas. But it is really out of this world.

The Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum houses these works and celebrates Abbey’s seemingly boundless vision and creative passion. The artist and arts professor died in March 2021 at age 90, having lived in Las Vegas since 1965.

Abbey was among the first arts instructors at Nevada Southern University, which would become UNLV. She taught at the institution for 22 years.

The Abbey exhibit space opened in March, at 5850 N. Park St. (enter the museum parking lot off Tee Pee Lane) in northwest Las Vegas.

The fortress is Abbey’s legacy. Her creative endeavors span a wide variety of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, stained glass, porcelain enamel fired on steel and computer art.

Abbey also wrote a book on poetry, which is the catalyst for a Black Mountain Institute program with UNLV grad students to write poems inspired by her pieces at the museum.

The through-line was the inspiration that Abbey drew from her natural surroundings.

“Rita, as an artist, was influenced by nature, and the forces of nature, and to get the people from Las Vegas to look around them and be aware of how beautiful the state of Nevada is,” the museum’s executive director, Laura Sanders, says. “We have 365 different mountain ranges, and that’s something that we want people to be aware of and appreciate.”

Among Abbey’s works is “Spirit Tower,” an 11-ton, 20-foot steel sculpture that she created in 1993. The piece was commissioned by the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District for the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center. In 2000, Abbey completed “Isaiah Stained-Glass Windows” for the main sanctuary of Temple Beth Sholom.

Art critics have described Abbey as the most important unknown artist ever in Southern Nevada.

Asked if he agreed with that assessment, her husband, Robert Belliveau, an artist himself, says, “Absolutely … but we do have a few things that she’s done in the public that are prominent. The front of the Summerlin Library is a major piece of sculpture. The work at Temple Beth Shalom, with 16 stained-glass windows and 10 feet tall, is a remarkable piece of art for the whole community.”

Belliveau also mentioned the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden, among the many elements at the space that are truly awe-inspiring.

A total of 175 of Abbey’s pieces are displayed at the museum. The plan is to rotate new pieces in, over time.

“Right now, a lot of people haven’t seen the place yet, but after more time goes by, we will put up new works in some of these spaces,” Abbey’s son Aaron says. “We will keep showing the greater variety that remains. We have more than 2,000 pieces in storage right now.

The wide-ranging nature of Abbey’s works makes choosing a favorite piece next to impossible, as you’re comparing an 11-ton sculpture to, say, a simple watercolor.

But the overall impact is satisfying and powerful.

“You can spend your time making art that people want to buy, or you can explore and challenge yourself,” Sanders says. “I think that Rita didn’t want to get caught up in the art world where you’re just making money. She wanted to explore every aspect of what she was interested in, and she was interested in many, many different mediums.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.