SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – David Burke’s “What’s Left Behind” opens at Lake Tahoe Community College’s (LTCC) Haldan Art Gallery with a reception Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. It marks the U.S. debut of paintings Burke made in Rome 26 years ago.

Burke is an Oakland-based artist. He created the “Building Blocks” series in Rome, Italy, for his master’s thesis exhibition at Tyler School of Art. When that show came down, the paintings went into boxes and stayed there through decades of moves. Burke opened the boxes for the first time this summer.

The exhibition hangs “Building Blocks” next to the later work it led to. That includes forests growing through pipelines, ink drawings of mutated animals, paintings made inside a Montana copper mine, and toxic playgrounds. Burke describes his work as “large scale, fractured landscapes that portray instances where industrial and natural forces coexist harmoniously or collide in destructive ways.”

“I didn’t know it at the time, but this series laid the foundation for everything I’ve made since,” Burke wrote in his artist statement. He hopes the pairing shows students that “the seeds of your practice get planted early, often before you know what you’re growing.”

The reception is free and open to students, staff, faculty and community members. Light refreshments will be served.

Event Details

What: Opening reception for “What’s Left Behind” by David Burke

When: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Haldan Art Gallery, Lake Tahoe Community College, One College Drive, South Lake Tahoe

Learn more at ltcc.edu/haldan