Las Vegas Art Museum facts for kids

The Las Vegas Art Museum was a special place in Las Vegas, Nevada, where people could explore amazing art. It used to be in the same building as the Sahara West Library. The museum closed its doors in 2009. Its main goal was to help visitors connect with modern art from all over the world. The museum offered talks, learning programs, and built a great collection of contemporary art.

A Look Back: Museum History

The Las Vegas Art Museum was the very first museum dedicated to fine arts in southern Nevada.

Starting the Art League

In 1950, a group of people who loved art decided to create the Las Vegas Art League. Their goal was to bring beautiful art to the city. The Art League found a home in part of a ranch house at Lorenzi Park. The City of Las Vegas had bought this park in 1949.

Becoming a Museum

The Art League grew and changed its name in 1974 to the Las Vegas Art Museum. This made it the first official fine arts museum in Nevada!

Finding a New Home

In the mid-1990s, the museum needed a new place. The City of Las Vegas wanted its old space for a bigger senior center. The museum was invited to share a new building with the Sahara Library in the Peccole Ranch area. While the new building was being built, the Earnest Becker Family provided a temporary home for the museum until 1997.

Early Exhibitions

When the new museum opened, it showed many different kinds of art. Famous artists like Dale Chihuly, Marc Chagall, and Auguste Rodin had their works displayed. For a short time, the museum was even connected with the Smithsonian Institution.

Focusing on Modern Art

In 2006, the museum decided to focus mainly on showing and collecting contemporary (modern) fine art and design. This change happened under its Director, Dr. Libby Lumpkin, and the museum's board.

Under Dr. Lumpkin, the museum featured paintings by Michael Reafsnyder. It also showed works by important artists from Southern California, including Robert Irwin, Larry Bell, and James Turrell. Other artists like Cindy Wright and Martin Mull also exhibited their art. The museum even displayed architectural models by Frank Gehry and sculptures by Kaz Oshiro.

Special Art Shows

The Las Vegas Art Museum celebrated a special show called Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland. This exhibit ran from September 30 to December 30, 2007. It was put together by Dave Hickey. The show featured art from 26 artists who had studied with Dave Hickey at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Lumpkin also created the 702 Series. This series featured solo shows by artists who were from Las Vegas, started their careers there, or lived and worked in the city. These artists helped represent Las Vegas in the art world. The 702 Series included exhibits by Sush Machida Gaikotsu and Stephen Hendee.

Closing Its Doors

The museum's connection with the Smithsonian Institution ended in 2007. Sadly, the museum closed to the public on February 28, 2009. This was because it was not receiving enough donations to stay open.

In 2012, the Las Vegas Art Museum's collection of artworks moved to the newly updated Barrick Museum. This was part of a partnership with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Today, the former museum space at the Sahara West branch is used by the Las Vegas-Clark County Library as separate art galleries.