RICHARD STEPHENS / PVT What's left of the Desert Flower sculpture lies twisted at the Goldwell Open Air Museum after wind gusts roared through Wednesday night. RICHARD STEPHENS / PVT Considerable damage to the museum building at the Goldwell Open Air Museum at Rhyolite resulted when heavy wind gusts blazed a path through the region last week. One outdoor sculpture was wrecked while in this case the building was shaken so violently that the roof caved in. Advertisement

BEATTY -- The winds that howled through the area the night before Valentine's Day seemed more akin to what one might expect on Halloween.

Strong gusts caused significant damage at the Goldwell Open Air Museum, located next to Rhyolite.

Albert Szukalski's "Desert Flower," a large metal sculpture constructed of chrome auto parts, was toppled and appears to be a total loss.

The wind was so strong that an antique iron stove was carried some 50 or 60 yards into the desert from where it stood behind the original Rhyolite house that serves as the museum's interpretive center and gift shop.

The house was buffeted so severely that part of its ceiling collapsed.

The museum's Red Barn Art Center also had a metal roof panel ripped off.

The sculpture that was destroyed reflected Szukalski's sense of the serendipitous in art and the artist's whimsical side. He added to it little by little over time as he found more chrome parts whose shape interested him.

He said the sculpture, true to its name, was organic and intended to grow.

Visitors who were classic car buffs would sometimes examine the sculpture, discussing the vehicles from which its parts had come.

The late Szukalski was also the creator of the ghostly version of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," and the ghost with a bicycle, both of which are very popular with visitors.

The damage is a bit of a setback for the Museum, which relies on donations for most of its support, but members of the board have already begun repairs and are continuing work on developing the Red Barn as a location for artist residencies, workshops, exhibits and other cultural events.

Goldwell maintains a Web site, www.goldwellmuseum.org, for those who would like to know more about its programs and plans.