The Miami-based artist Cara Despain was born and grew up in Salt Lake City, so she knows about American frontier psychology—that toughness of character, strong nationalism, and love of land. Through video, sound, sculpture, photography, and installation, Despain’s newest body of work, “Specter,” addresses the development and testing of nuclear weapons as well as the required uranium mining. The glowing green of the Depression-era dishware and decorative objects she arranges in rows is beautiful yet poisonous, because its colorant is uranium oxide. When Surface magazine asked Despain what was on her mind while creating “Specter,” she answered, “Cactus blossoms, atomic bomb test shapes, film frames, and the more personal family legacy of Downwinders from nuclear testing and uranium mining in my home region. This piece in particular feels like a portal—the objects feel like haunted fragile artifacts from an era shrouded in silence.” —Elena Clavarino