If You Build a Welcoming Art Gallery, They Will Come

Tired of Rejection, One Desert Artist Turned a ‘Glass Outhouse’ Into a Space for Work You Won't Find Anywhere Else

When the Glass Outhouse Art Gallery opened in Southern California’s High Desert, one of its first exhibits featured armless, headless mannequins hanging off the walls from hooks in their backs. Majestic mountain ranges and tranquil lakes were painted over the mannequins’ naked torsos. One had its belly cut open to reveal a tiny plastic baby. Another had a bloody rosary dangling from its nonexistent private parts.

Call them bizarre or avant-garde, these mannequins are a form of artistic expression to the Glass Outhouse’s owner, Laurel Seidl. Since 2010, the 71-year-old’s …