Layer Upon Layer

Jo (JK) Russ is a Las Vegas-based artist originally from Nelson, New Zealand. Russ received a BVA from MIT Faculty of Creative Arts in 2001. The ongoing theme in Russ' work is the relationship of humans with the environment; concerns with the impact of climate change and the destruction of natural resources. Russ’ work has been described as “absorbing the awe of the desert and its sculptural rock formations and creatures, along with her observations of the sexually charged casino culture, built on fantasy and illusion.” Based in Las Vegas, NV, since 2010, Russ has developed large-scale collage installations where visitors contribute to the completed work. As a residency artist with Art Production Fund, she worked with visitors to P3Studio at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and created an installation for the Delano Hotel Art Series. Russ worked with the City of Las Vegas to collate cards and notes for the touring Hearts4Vegas installation, taught drawing at UNLV College of Fine Arts, and is currently the Arts Programs Manager at the Las Vegas Neon Museum.