Beginning on January 24th, pinkStardust will be on view in the Main Gallery of the Loveland Museum. Sparked by a tale of Las Vegas transforming from gambling mecca to atomic hot spot, artist Sharon Carlisle digs deep into our atomic history to reveal how scientific discovery defined an era.
Walk her star trail as she reveals how, and perhaps why, the development of atomic weapons from World War II to the Cold War became part of our pop culture, inspiring everything from interior design and product marketing to cocktails and tourism. Through her layered, visceral installation more than a decade in the making, Carlisle invites us to step inside this surreal chapter of our past, then ask ourselves, how might remembering this event inform, and perhaps change, where we go from here?
Sharon J. Carlisle is a visual artist who works in a wide variety of mediums with a focus on installations, large and small. Her approach is Postmodern in both concept and practice. She explores a wide variety of subjects with one common thread of connection: Energy, in all its forms, concepts, applications and expressions. When focusing on any one subject she seeks to extract the essence of it, then rebuild it using mostly mundane materials found easily in both nature and shop.
Exhibition Details
pinkStardust
Main Gallery
January 24th – April 11th, 2026
Website: www.thelovelandmuseum.org/pinkstardust/
Stories that Linger in the Dust, Discussion facilitated by Sharon Carlisle: February 28th, 1-3 PM (free program but registration required)
This installation is not just a historical reflection, it’s a challenge. pinkStardust asks us to reconsider what we celebrate, what we remember or forget, and how we process collective trauma when it’s wrapped in neon and novelty. Join her for a discussion of her years of research, and as a group consider the exhibit’s tension between glamour and devastation, nostalgia and reckoning. What does it mean to remember through spectacle? And what stories still linger in the dust? Register at: www.thelovelandmuseum.org/guest-artist-workshops
Artist Tour: March 14th, 2 PM (free program)
Join Loveland artist Sharon Carlisle for an intimate walkthrough of pinkStardust, her installation inspired by a vintage Las Vegas casino sign. In this guided tour, Carlisle shares the decade-long journey behind the work, revealing how she used historical research and pop culture to explore America’s atomic legacy.
Inside NSF NCAR’s Science, Stories, and Breakthroughs: March 28th, 1-3 PM (free program)
For over 60 years, the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) has been at the forefront of Earth system science, providing cutting-edge resources including supercomputers, research aircraft, advanced computer models, and extensive datasets. Join NSF NCAR staff to learn about this remarkable six-decade journey and how NSF NCAR research is addressing our most pressing scientific challenges, protecting lives, and strengthening our national security.
About the Loveland Museum
The Loveland Museum is an accredited art and history museum that was founded in 1937 by local author, collector, curator, and mountain guide Harold Dunning. Dunning began collecting pioneer artifacts and stories as early as 1919, and today, the Loveland Museum is home to a variety of history exhibits, hosts world-class art exhibitions, and provides family events; adult and youth classes; lectures; poetry readings; and other programming opportunities for the Loveland community and visitors from around the world.
The Loveland Museum is open Tuesdays & Wednesdays 11:00 am - 5:00 pm; Thursdays & Fridays 11:00 am – 7:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am - 4:00 pm; closed Sundays & Mondays (subject to change). Admission is $7 for Loveland Residents and $10 for Non-Residents; Children 12 & under are free (must be accompanied & supervised by someone 16 or older). Admission includes the following galleries: Green Room, Dunning, Foote, Mezzanine, 12 Ft of Wall, Permanent History, Main Gallery. The Loveland Museum is located at 503 N Lincoln Avenue, the corner of 5th and Lincoln, in Loveland, Colorado. www.thelovelandmuseum.org.
