PUBLIC
ART
PUBLIC ART IN LAS VEGAS HAS BEEN ON MY MIND SINCE I BECAME A CITY OF LAS VEGAS ARTS
COMMISSIONER IN 2020. IN THAT ROLE, I HELP
RECOMMEND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS FOR APPROVAL BY THE CITY COUNCIL USING THE PERCENT FOR THE ARTS FUND, WHICH IS A CITY ORDINANCE THAT ALLOCATES 1% OF ALL CAPITAL PROJECTS TO SUPPORT THE
CREATION OF PUBLIC ART. BECAUSE OF THIS, I OFTEN
THINK ABOUT THE ROLE PUBLIC ART PLAYS IN OUR
LIVES AND HOW THE TERM IS DEFINED. HOW DO
PEOPLE KNOW WHEN THEY’VE ENCOUNTERED “PUBLIC
ART”? WHO DEFINES WHAT IS PUBLIC ART? AND HOW
DOES PUBLIC ART REFLECT A CITY’S IDENTITY?
ON SOME OF MY RECENT TRAVELS I BEGAN NOTICING
MONUMENTAL SCULPTURES AND MURALS, SMALL
TO FURTHER COMPLICATE THE THEME, LAS VEGAS AND OUR PENCHANT FOR THE DRAMATIC
MEANS THAT A SIMPLE
DRIVE LEADS YOU PAST
STUNNING ARRAYS OF NEON REPRESENTING
THE FAR EAST, MIDCENTURY MODERN
DESIGN ELEMENTS AND
MY PERSONAL FAVORITE,
HISTORIC MARKERS, AND ARTFUL GARDENS. I’D EVEN
A 60-FOOT CLOWN.
COULD IT BE CONSIDERED PUBLIC ART? BECAUSE OF
THE NEON MUSEUM.) IN
WHEN I SPOT A LARGE, SCULPTURAL OBJECT (LIKELY
WHERE “SHOWGIRLS”
SPOT A VIGNETTE IN PUBLIC THAT I FOUND SO MOVING; MY ACADEMIC BACKGROUND, I FEEL NEARLY CERTAIN
PULLING FROM THE BASEMENT OF MY ART HISTORY MEMORIES) THAT IT MUST BE ART, BUT HOW DOES THE PUBLIC SEE THE PIECE? IS IT RECOGNIZED AS
ART? AND HOW DO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FEEL ABOUT TAX DOLLARS BEING SPENT ON ART?
(DISCLAIMER: I WORK AT
A TOWN LIKE LAS VEGAS, WELCOME YOU TO
DOWNTOWN AND A PINK, BUG-EYED ELEPHANT
AWAITS YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE ON THE
SOUTHEND OF THE STRIP, HOW DO WE DEFINE
PUBLIC ART AND HOW
2 DRY HEAT FALL 2023
DOES PUBLIC ART DEFINE
US? THE ESSAYS HEREIN
JENNIFER KLEVEN GUEST EDITOR
Jennifer Kleven is a lifelong Las Vegan committed to expanding access to arts and culture for under-resourced local communities. Upon graduating from UNLV with a BFA in Art in 2009, she opened a gallery in the former Emergency Arts building on Fremont Street, and exhibited local, national, and international artists. Kleven joined The Neon Museum in 2010 and currently serves as Director of Advancement, responsible for achieving the Museum’s philanthropic goals. She is President of the Nevada Museums Association, chair of the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission, and a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts and other agencies. In her spare time, she enjoys curating exhibits and workshops as part of GULCH Collective, gardening, and creating ceramic art.
ADDRESS MY QUESTIONS FROM DIVERSE
PERSPECTIVES AND
OFFER NEW QUESTIONS.
