Arts District sculpture needs minor touch up

Work on the paintbrush sculptures in downtown Las Vegas' Arts District is taking a bit longer than planned.

The twin 45-foot tall sculptures were installed in July and initially scheduled to be dedicated in August.

But one of them wasn't installed as originally planned.

"The artist's vision is for them to shoot light at each other and link up," said Las Vegas spokesman Jace Radke. The sculpture at the corner of Charleston and Casino Center boulevards, however, is "more up and down than the artist's vision" -- that is, the arch that's supposed to be formed by the light doesn't form.

The contractor installed it that way because the intended angle would have put it too close to power lines, Radke said.

"They're going to rotate it so that it more closely approximates the artist's vision of the lights crossing," Radke said.

No date for completing the adjustments has been set. The other sculpture, at Charleston Boulevard and Fourth Street, was installed as planned.

The project's cost, including installation, was $540,000. The funding was split equally between the Nevada Department of Transportation and a set-aside Las Vegas fund that uses 1 percent of the capital projects budget for public art.

The additional work will not cost the city any extra money.

Artist Dennis Oppenheim designed the paintbrushes, which are meant to be "wayfinding guides" to the Arts District. They will sparkle with multicolored lights and emit beams into the sky.

The sculptures have been lit up a couple of times, said Wes Myles, owner of the Arts Factory on Charleston Boulevard.

"They're sweet when they're turned on at night," he said.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.