Nevada Rose
CITY ARTS:"Photographer Marc McAndrews illustrates Nevada’s prostitution industry through intimate portraits of brothels—-inside and out—-their owners, managers, bartenders, kitchen staff, laundry maids, cashiers and the women who fornicate for honest livings. In turn,Nevada Roseillustrates Nevada’s cagey prostitution industry with sincere, photo-journalistic integrity."PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:"McAndrews's panoramas of the wide Nevada sky and sagebrush highlight the isolation of each brothel; his interiors, with the lush greens and maroons of an Edward Hopper painting, draw our attention, matter-of-factly, to the detritus of quotidian brothel life--the ubiquitous bottles of hand sanitizer and wet wipes, the timers, the panic buttons. And the women themselves are a revelation. Their bodies have been variously augmented and marked by tattoos and stretch marks, and they look into the camera, directly at the viewer, with self-possession, humor, and irony."INTERVIEW MAGAZINE:ROYAL YOUNG:You talk about a lot of your anxiety and trepidation about going into a brothel for the first time. I'm wondering where your fascination comes in?MARC MCANDREWS:Well, how I first found out about it was I was hanging out in a motel in Lovelock, Nevada, having a drink outside. I met all these bikers who were really interesting-looking, and I wanted to take their photographs. I went over and bummed a light and offered them a beer, and we just got along so well, I ending up spending a couple days with them and during that period of time, one of the girlfriends was like, "Have you ever been out to one of the brothels?" And I hadn't ever been to one before. You know, I don't really like strip clubs; strip clubs are really aggressive, and that type of thing never appealed to me.YOUNG:Yeah, they're pretty depressing.MCANDREWS:But I was really focusing on Americana. And so I had all these ideas on what I was going to find in a desert brothel. I was all macho and bravado. Then I went out there and it's a whole different thing. All of a sudden it was real—I was actually gonna go try and talk my way in.WORKING CLASS:"Nevada Roseis a book for those who like to experience underground America. It's stricken with the same candor as old black and whites of migrant workers. This is documentation that defines its era. Always a heated topic for politicians, these places might not be around too much longer. It is obvious that this project was a labor of love for Marc and as a result we have a completely unique perspective of a world that previously lived in shrouded infamy. The photos tell a story that neither exalts nor demonizes the subject. All of that is for you to decide."24th LETTER:"Juxtaposing the exotic (sex menus and stripper poles) with the quotidian (Post-it notes, washing machines) renders McAndrews's imagery especially compelling, and creates a sense of queasy, albeit not entirely unwelcome, familiarity."DAYLIGHT"Kelly's essay "Among the Last Honest Places in America" identifies the particular tension in the American brothel's cultural symbolism: "...free market ideals suggest everything has a price, yet our Puritan heritage equates sex with sin." McAndrews's work goes beyond such residual tension, showing us the complex and the mundane within a stigmatized profession.Nevada Roseexposes the human presence, psychology and isolation of the All American Brothel."MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW"Sex sells. Some people are just more honest about it than others.Nevada Rose: Inside the American Brothelis a photo-graphical tour of a few of Nevada's finest ranches that deal in sex. An essay from anthropologist Patty Kelly looks into why they are so appealing, and also includes interviews with some of the people behind these houses of pleasure. Photography is in glossy full color, showing many details of how these places work and how they are not unlike many other American businesses. Obviously not meant for children,Nevada Roseis a unique coffee table book that entices not only with imagery, but piece of mind."