Las Vegas Art Museum facts for kids

The Las Vegas Art Museum (LVAM) was a place where people could see amazing art. It closed its doors in 2009. The museum was in Las Vegas, Nevada. It shared a building with the Sahara West Library.

The museum wanted to show people art from all over the world. It focused on contemporary art, which means art made in our time. The museum offered talks, special programs, and collected many important artworks.

How the Museum Started

The Las Vegas Art Museum was the very first museum for fine art in southern Nevada. It began in a small way, just like many other old groups in the area.

In 1950, some people who loved art started the Las Vegas Art League. Their goal was to bring beautiful art to the city. The Art League first used part of a ranch house in Lorenzi Park. The City of Las Vegas bought this park in 1949.

Becoming a Museum

In 1974, the Las Vegas Art League changed its name. It became the Las Vegas Art Museum (LVAM). This made it the first fine arts museum in all of Nevada.

In the mid-1990s, the museum needed a new home. The City of Las Vegas wanted its space for a bigger senior center. The museum was invited to move into a new building. This building would be the Sahara Library and Fine Art Museum.

While the new building was being made, the museum stayed in a temporary spot. The Earnest Becker Family helped by providing this space. The new building was finally ready in 1997.

Showing Amazing Art

When the museum first opened in its new home, it showed many different art exhibits. These included works by famous artists like Dale Chihuly and Marc Chagall. There were also sculptures by Auguste Rodin. For a short time, the museum was connected with the Smithsonian Institution.

In 2006, the museum decided to focus more on modern art. It started collecting and showing contemporary fine art and design. Dr. Libby Lumpkin became the director. The museum's board of trustees also helped with this new direction.

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

Special Exhibitions

The LVAM held 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. These artists had studied with Dave Hickey at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They learned about art theory and criticism from 1990 to 2001. Some of the artists included Gajin Fujita, Sush Machida Gaikotsu, Sherin Guirguis, and David Ryan.

Dr. Lumpkin also created the 702 Series. This series showed solo exhibits by artists with ties to Las Vegas. These were artists who were born or grew up in Las Vegas. It also included artists who started their careers there or live and work in the city now. The series aimed to show how these artists represent Las Vegas to the world.

The 702 Series featured exhibits by Sush Machida Gaikotsu and Stephen Hendee.

Museum Closure

The museum had been connected to the Smithsonian Institution for a while. This connection ended in 2007.

The Las Vegas Art Museum closed its doors for good on February 28, 2009. The museum said it closed because it was getting fewer donations.

In 2012, the Las Vegas Art Museum's art collection moved. It went to the newly updated Barrick Museum. This was part of a team-up between the LVAM and UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas). The Las Vegas-Clark County Library now uses the old museum space. It has become separate art galleries at the Sahara West branch.