By CreativeFuture

Art is so ubiquitous in our society that we often take it for granted. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to turn at any street corner without seeing something that an artist designed. Art can be found in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and forms – and everywhere from billboards on your way to work to installations out in the middle of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert (at least a few days of the year) …

… which brings us to Burning Man. While some might scoff at the event’s often esoteric sensibilities, art thrives here in a way that it doesn’t anywhere else. There are (almost) no rules. The desert is a blank canvas waiting to be painted. Nora Atkinson, craft curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, describes this ethos in her TED Talk “Why art thrives at Burning Man.”
 

It’s the unmitigated experimentation at this festival that has resulted in breathtaking works pushing the boundaries of audience participation, curiosity, and engagement. It’s a testament to human creativity and ingenuity – and it’s worth celebrating.

Even if you can’t attend, the pictures alone will inspire you to do something new. As the Burning Man Project states on their website, “Burning Man is a laboratory. Not every experiment works, but we’ll never know if we don’t try.” We agree. You never know what you can make until you try. And, after all, it’s the risk takers who create our culture.

Thus, we salute the artists of Burning Man and look forward to seeing what they bring to life this year. Until then, here are some highlights from last year’s “city in the desert”: