Friday art news roundup

Art critic Dave Hickey dies

Dave Hickey, the the celebrated art critic who spent almost 20 years living in Las Vegas, died on Nov. 12 of heart disease. He was 82. Prior to moving to New Mexico in 2010, Hickey was a professor in the College of Fine Arts at UNLV. In a Nov. 22 remembrance, the Washington Post called Hickey a “graceful, incisive and mischief-making art critic who wrote about high and low culture while championing the old-fashioned concept of beauty.”

Morris Burner Hostel sold

Morris Burner Hostel owner “Jungle” Jim Gibson announced in a Nov. 15 Facebook post that he had sold the venue. Gibson and his brother Don purchased the 1928 brick building, located on Reno’s East Fourth Street, in 2013. Since then it has operated as a Burning Man-inspired art venue and hotel, with themed rooms decorated by artists. Gibson noted in his post: “Making the hotel Covid safe by adding bathrooms is just too much for me, and communal restrooms are simply not a safe option. The new owners are very much art focused so it will continue to be a very artsy spot.”

Laika Press has a new location

Laika Press, the community printmaking studio that opened on Wells Avenue in Reno in 2017, has moved to 136 Vesta St. The new location is two doors west of the Holland Project and shares a building with KWNK radio. A recent Instagram post from Laika reads, “Our doors will be open this weekend, Saturday/Sunday, during High Desert Art+Craft Holiday Market. … We’ll be open for appointments again soon and can’t wait to get to work with you in a new, more accessible community space.”