The Front Desk

What is a motel without a front desk? No motel at all! So what kind of exhibit about the dead motels of Las Vegas doesn’t have a front desk? Not ours!

We kicked around the idea of just buying a motel desk, but eventually, I just couldn’t put something in this exhibit that was store-bought when I have the ability to make it. This is one major contributing factor to why VACANCY aged me 5-10 years, but it was worth it. Plus, what am I gonna do with a motel podium after the show? Open up my own motel? Nah.

For our front desk, I wanted a podium-style desk that was slightly reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement but was painted a dozen or so times over the last 60 years. To get this effect, I hastily painted it by hand 6 times. I wanted the brush strokes to be slightly visible and didn’t want to gap fill everything to give it age and the feel that it was made by a local carpenter 60 years ago. I also wanted something that was gonna be functional after the exhibit because I really hate waste.

The design is pretty simple, and the desk consists of 4 pieces. The base, the worktop, the top, and the counter. This allows me to use the base and interchangeable worktops after the gallery closes as a workbench, assembly table, display table, outfeed table, or something else. Adding the top and counter converts this into a podium (obviously), a checkout stand, a bar, & more!

The color scheme is a butter yellow and chocolate brown. We thought about yellow for a few pieces, at least the paper, but it never made it into the collection. The “Bruised Banana” has a backstory, but it’s all rumor and legend. Where do you think it came from?

Be sure to check in at the front desk and sign the guestbook when you visit VACANCY.