In Thursday’s (3/11) Las Vegas Sun, Kristen Peterson writes, “On paper, the arts are looking grim. In less than two years the city lost the Las Vegas Art Museum and two critical downtown galleries, Naomi Arin Contemporary Art and Michele C. Quinn Fine Art Advisory. The Las Vegas Philharmonic nearly collapsed, Nevada Ballet Theatre restructured for financial reasons, and museums and cultural centers cut hours and programming. … Individual grant opportunities are drying up and the stimulus funds awarded to local arts and culture are running out. … But some are responding with determination and tenacity. Groups are talking about creative partnerships. Others are buckling down and staying focused. … Patrick Gaffey, cultural coordinator for Clark County, says he’s seeing a new spirit of arts advocacy and elected officials who are listening, referring to recent town hall meetings and legislative sessions. ‘It’s times like these you start to find out how much support you have,’ Gaffey says. ‘I think we’re going to see a different political climate in regard to the arts.’ Also, he says, ‘we have more people turning out for our programs than in the past.’ ”
Posted March 12, 2010
