Bobby Wheat Gallery brings landscape photography to Tivoli Village

The Bobby Wheat Gallery is small, only 1,256 square feet, but perhaps it's a start on more visual arts being offered in the Summerlin area.

Local photographer Bobby Wheat and his wife, Haley, travel the Southwest , capturing nature and landscapes in awe-inspiring fine photographs. He recently opened his gallery in Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 175.

The Bobby Wheat Gallery is the first to bring visual arts back to the Summerlin area after others failed. Does he see himself as a trend setter?

"I never really had that in mind," he said. "But nobody accomplished anything without taking risks."

Practicality led to Wheat getting his teaching degree and landing a job as a fourth-grade teacher at Givens Elementary, 655 Park Vista Drive.

"After 10 years of doing photography, it was the right time to open a gallery," he said.

Wheat's gallery is doing well enough that he does not plan to return to teaching in the fall. His photos, depending on size and framing options, run $250 to $12,000.

On June 18, he held a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception. The place was filled to capacity.

The next event is planned for early to mid-August. That unveiling will include Wheat's work from the Bahamas, where he and his wife traveled for another photography expedition this month .

Brian Thompson, an art consultant, was optimistic on opening a suburban gallery in this economy.

"It's a perfect time because we're fully in recovery," he said. "Folks here in Summerlin feel comfortable treating themselves to art ... I can see the Summerlin market supporting fine art galleries."

The arts have taken a beating in the Summerlin area since the economy tanked. It put the Las Vegas Art Museum into a financial tailspin, and it closed in February 2009. The space still sits empty as a wing of the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

Independent art gallery White Square Gallery in Boca Park was another victim of the economy. It closed in August 2009, less than two years after it had opened in its original location at Village Square. White Square represented 60 artists. Of all the paintings hung since the gallery opened, only 5 percent sold, said Natasha Young, chief operating officer.

The Nevada Ballet Theatre, 1651 Inner Circle Drive, has been bringing culture to the Summerlin area for years, but it, too, is feeling the effects of the economy. It has relied on creative promotions and innovative programming to keep interest up. Moving its annual "Nutcracker" production to the Strip also helped its bottom line.

The Gallery at Summerlin opened in 2006 in Village Square and closed in June 2008. Owner and operator Debra Blitzer still keeps her "finger in the art industry around here" and recently approached EHB, developer of Tivoli Village, about the possibility of a weekly art event at the shopping destination.

"We'd love to create something like an art walk, like what they do in Scottsdale (Ariz.)," she said.

Talks are in the infancy stage.

Wheat said Tivoli Village was the perfect spot for his gallery because of its "world-class" status. He warned that while his gallery is doing well, he could not speak to how well a gallery of fine art might fare.

"Landscapes are not a figment of the imagination, like art is," he said. "There's something about nature that appeals to everyone. I've never known anyone to go to the Grand Canyon and not be in awe."

For more information about the Bobby Wheat Gallery, visit bobbywheat.com.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.