Arts District will be seen in a new light

Two long-awaited paintbrush sculptures have been installed in the downtown Arts District, adding to the list of physical improvements meant to make the eclectic neighborhood more attractive and accessible.

The 45-foot-tall sculptures known as the "Paintbrush Gateway" will sparkle with multicolored lights and shoot beams of light into the sky.

"The Paintbrush Gateway projects a stroke, 1,600 feet long, going into the darkness, thus echoing an artist's excursion into the unknown," said Dennis Oppenheim, the New York-based artist who designed the sculptures.

One is at Charleston Boulevard and Fourth Street. The other is at Charleston and Casino Center Boulevard.

Lighting tests were scheduled for tonight and Friday morning. An official dedication is set for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11.

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 idea is for the brushes to serve as bright "wayfinding guides to the Las Vegas Arts District," a city news release says. Those who find their way to the district will see improved roads, including a reworking of Casino Center Boulevard to include bus-only lanes for the Gold Line rapid transit buses.

Boulder Avenue at Main Street has been closed and turned into a plaza that eventually will house a sculpture garden. And nearby, a new transit station and the new Las Vegas city hall are under construction.

"The last 12 months or so, we've seen a big lurch forward in terms of projects being completed," said Brett W. Sperry, owner of the Brett Wesley gallery. One of the sculptures sits in front of his gallery on Charleston Boulevard. "It's been a real, real good time."

The neighborhood still has a long way to go before becoming a full-fledged arts center.

There are galleries and offbeat shops, but they're a little lost among the bail bond businesses, furniture shops and adult bookstores.

Furthermore, a transformer explosion on Main Street this month damaged several buildings, and the Opportunity Village thrift store is boarded up after a fire on the same day.

"There's definitely been some setbacks," Sperry said. "These are difficult economic times. In the Arts District, it's often two steps forward and sometimes one step back."

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