"Manuport" Curated by Mary Sabo

MANUPORT
A manuport is a natural object that has been deliberately taken from its original environment and relocated without further modification. Typically moved by human hand, some manuports are the result of other hominins. Common manuports include stones, seashells and fossils, which has led archaeologists and anthropologists to conclude they must have been chosen for their beauty.This recognition of an object’s aesthetic character suggests that certain manuports represent some of the earliest examples of art.

**Marissa Gibson**, sculptor and UNLV BFA graduate, created a selection of humanoid creatures from rock and cold porcelain. Instagram: @lvmb.art

**Jessica Oreck**, filmmaker and owner/operator of the office of collecting and design, curated a selection of objects from her vast collection. Instagram: @office.of.collecting

**Ailene Pasco**, UNLV BFA graduate, artist, and arts administrator, used found film strips and recycled materials to create evocative interactive pieces. Instagram: @ailenepascoart

**DK Sole**, artist and educator/researcher at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, presented a sampling of a larger series of small objects, made from found objects, paper clay and paint. Instagram: @dksole

**Sierra Slentz**, sculptor and educator, presented a selection from her amorphous, abstract ceramic series, *Under the Desert Sky.* Instagram: @sierramaryslentz

For this show I wanted to transform the ASAP space into a cave, with rocklike outcroppings as homes for small sculptures by artists who deal with the ephemeral and personal.

I asked five artists for small sculptural pieces that relate to their interpretation of a manuport. I also asked them to consider the following: