In David Maisel's "Terminal Mirage 13," industrial runoff becomes something translucent and gorgeous.

The Nevada Museum of Art houses an incredible collection of photographs. Culturally, they’re like photos of a messy kitchen: signifying bounty, waste, responsibility, hope and dread at the same time (that kitchen is heavy stuff). “The Altered Landscape, Carol Franc Buck Collection,” is almost nine hundred images large and includes the work of some very noteworthy photographers. A portion of them have been curated into this “Altered Landscapes” exhibition, along with an accompanying publication.

What’s clear is that we humans are everywhere– even places we don’t want or intend to be. It’s also a smart curatorial move on the part of NMA to keep the dialogue between art and the environment broad. This exhibit isn’t a celebration of nature per se, and it’s not an outright condemnation of human impact. Instead, what it seems to do, simply, is say: “Look. Look what we do.” And from there attempts to begin a conversation. “Altered Landscapes” will be on display until January 2012.

+ Altered Landscapes