[1:54] I now call the January 15, 2025 meeting
for the city of Las Vegas Art Commission
[2:01] to order.
Would the deputy city clerk call the
[2:05] role, please?
>> Chair Fields. Here.
[2:10] » Vice Chair Benaric.
>> Here.
[2:13] » Second. Vice Chair Roberts. Excused.
Commissioner Cleven.
[2:18] » I'm here.
>> Commissioner Westfield excused.
[2:22] Commissioner Douglas
excused. Commissioner Dantes
[2:27] » here.
>> Commissioner Churk
[2:29] » here.
>> Commissioner Chi
[2:31] » here.
>> Commissioner Portoy
[2:33] » here.
>> Commissioner von Bastians
[2:35] » here.
>> Commissioner Galott
[2:37] » here.
>> Thank you chair. You have a quorum.
[2:40] » Thank you. And item number two, has this
meeting been properly noticed and posted
[2:45] in compliance with the Nevada open
meeting law?
[2:48] » Yes, chair, it has.
>> Thank you. Moving on to item number
[2:52] three.
Public comment during this portion of
[2:57] the agenda must be limited to matters on
the agenda for action. If you wish to be
[3:02] heard, come forward and give your name
for the record. The amount of discussion
[3:07] as well as the amount of time any given
speaker is allowed may be limited.
[3:16] I see there's no public comment at this
time. So, we're moving to item number
[3:21] four for possible action to approve the
final minutes by reference of the
[3:25] regular meeting of November 20th, 2025.
[3:32] Would
[3:36] anyone like to make a motion to
approve the meeting minutes?
[3:43] » Commissioner Cleven and I'll move to
approve.
[3:47] Commissioner second
[3:52] the meeting has
all in favor
[3:56] » I
>> I
[3:58] » I
>> any oppose
[4:12] passes
and the meeting minutes are approved.
[4:17] Okay, now we're moving to item number
five, report by Carmen Bills, art
[4:22] commission chair, regarding a monthly
summary of current initiatives, cultural
[4:27] events, and opportunities, all awards.
Celebrate with us at the opening
[4:33] reception of It's Oak Clay, the Animal
House Pottery Member exhibition on
[4:38] Thursday, January 29th from 5 to 7:00
p.m. at the Grand Gallery in City Hall.
[4:45] Light bites and refreshments will be
available. Please join us on Groundhog
[4:50] Day, Monday, February 2nd at 10:00 a.m.
for the unveiling of Waiting on a Light
[4:56] on the count corner by Sound Exchange by
artist David Ryan. The event will take
[5:02] place at the corner of Third Street in
Ogden, where guests can view the artwork
[5:06] up close and hear directly from the
artist.
[5:10] Join us for a proposal presentation
meeting for the Walapai Canyon
[5:14] Environmental Sculpture Project on
Wednesday, February 4th from 2 to 3:30
[5:20] at the historic three fifth street
school. Be a part of the process of
[5:25] selecting the award awarded artist for a
new public pro art project.
[5:31] For more information about these events
and more departments of parks,
[5:35] recreation, and cultural affairs
programming, please visit www.artslo
[5:41] vegas.org or call 702229
arts. Do any commissioners have
[5:49] additional events or happenings they
would like to mention?
[5:52] » Yes, this is uh Commissioner Portoi. Um
I have a couple events which are coming
[5:57] up. Um, National Pop Art Day, Meet the
Artist Night at Portoi Gallery. Um, on
[6:04] West Oki Boulevard. That'll be from 7 to
900 PM. Um, and featured entertainment
[6:10] will be Barry Manalo's music director,
Joey Milotti, will be on Keys.
[6:16] Also coming up um April 9th through the
14th um my endangered species series
[6:24] artwork will be on ex exhibition at West
Charleston Library from April 9th
[6:30] through the 14th 2026.
[6:40] » If there's no one else,
>> this is Commissioner Shurk. Thank you.
[6:43] Um just want to share two opportunities
um from the Nevada Arts Council. The
[6:48] first one is the project grant for
organizations. If you're a nonprofit
[6:52] organizations and or public institution
looking for funding for an arts project
[6:56] for um fiscal year 27, the application
is currently open um for a grant for
[7:02] $7,000
um with a uh onetoone match. The
[7:08] application is currently open and will
close at February 3rd um at 5:00 pm. For
[7:13] more information, please visit
nvartsconsil.org.
[7:16] Um the second opportunity is that uh the
Nevada Arts Council is also looking for
[7:21] a portrait painter to paint the
governor's portrait. Um the com this
[7:27] contract is for $40,000 and uh more
information is also available on
[7:31] nvartsconsil.org.
Thank you.
[7:38] Thank you. If there is there anyone
else?
[7:43] Okay, we're moving on to item number
six, report by cultural affairs staff
[7:49] regarding a monthly summary of current
initiatives, all wards.
[7:55] This is Parker Reki for the record.
Hello. Uh you should have received the
[7:59] staff report with updates of the percent
for the arts projects and we've also put
[8:03] together a presentation to show the
activities and initiatives happening.
[8:06] Now
here you can see our upcoming meeting
[8:10] schedule. Um just so everyone is aware
it's going to um be on the third
[8:15] Thursday of every month.
Laura [snorts] Machado for the record.
[8:21] Uh, as mentioned in the chair report,
we're excited to share that Waiting on a
[8:25] Light on the Corner by Sound Exchange by
David Rain is being installed this week
[8:30] and we look forward to seeing you there
at the opening on Groundhog's Day,
[8:35] February 2nd at 10:00 a.m. on that
southwest corner of Ogden and Third
[8:40] Street.
[8:45] The AMP Gateway and Arts District public
art project. Um, we have our finalized
[8:49] artists here and they will be presenting
their proposals at this meeting during
[8:53] the next agenda item.
The AMP board for Cheyenne A public art
[8:59] project is moving along and is currently
being reviewed by the council women and
[9:03] staff.
[9:07] Mary Sabbo for the record. Um, the
Boulder Plaza sculpture project, the
[9:12] seed by CR2 is still in progress. Um,
the engineering documents are still in
[9:16] review with building and safety.
[9:21] Parker Reki, Centennial Hills Park
Environmental Tile Mural Project. Um,
[9:26] the evaluation panel is meeting to
determine which artist to award the
[9:29] project. Uh, we're hoping to select that
artist by the end of this month.
[9:37] Laura Machado. Uh Cliff Garden Studio is
currently at the 50%
[9:43] uh completion rate for their project,
their fourth project milestone. They
[9:48] continue to be on track. We have the
installation scheduled for the end of
[9:52] April and then we hope to welcome
everyone for the dedication of this
[9:57] event at the beginning of May. We'll
provide more information as we get
[10:00] closer.
[10:03] Also, you may have noticed when you
walked in to the meeting today, we're
[10:07] excited to share that Crystal Ramirez's
piece, The Night We Met, was officially
[10:13] dedicated and um we welcome it. It's a
wonderful addition to our public art
[10:18] collection. We're really excited. Uh the
project is almost complete. We have one
[10:23] step left to check off the box for
permitting and then that project will be
[10:28] complete.
[10:34] This is Mary Sabo for the record. Um,
conservation and maintenance is always
[10:38] an ongoing project. Um, we've secured
conservation and maintenance funder
[10:42] homerogo uh before general collection,
maintenance and graffiti abatement. And
[10:47] we worked with um RLA conservation um on
routine cleaning of radial symmetry. And
[10:54] they are developing some assessments for
us as well of some other pieces in the
[10:59] collection. And as always, we welcome
members of the public to report any
[11:02] concerns related to conservation and
maintenance um by emailing us or you can
[11:07] reach out to any one of us.
[11:11] The Here's Park Tile mural project um a
request for proposals was issued to a
[11:17] directly se selected artist and
proposals were received in December and
[11:21] they are currently under review uh by
the project stakeholders.
[11:27] This is Parker Reki. The Walapai Canyon
Trail Head Environmental Public Art
[11:31] Project. Um, as Commissioner Beiels
mentioned, we will be having the
[11:35] proposal presentation on Wednesday,
February 4th from 2:00 to 3:30. Um,
[11:40] where we will select the awarded artist.
[11:45] This is Holly Lelay for the record.
Justin um actually we had a big move in
[11:51] uh his contract today. So, we're
finalizing that with the attorney to get
[11:56] that finally signed and probably
changing the date to May of this year
[12:01] for an installation.
[12:05] Uh the medical district projects are
moving along. We have this contract with
[12:12] Luis Fella Rico in um uh we're still
working on that. He's getting bids and
[12:19] he's almost completed his third bid that
he has to get um for legality reasons
[12:24] and then we will be moving forward.
[12:29] And Wayne will be installing next month.
The event for this will be on February
[12:35] 20th
um from 10 to 11 a.m. if you can make
[12:40] it. Um,
currently we have the the pedestal on
[12:45] site and he will be installing that
closer to the reception date.
[12:53] This is Mary Sabbo. Um, the Mirabelli
Community Center mural project, Find
[12:58] Your Wings by Matthew Murphy, is uh now
complete. Um, he wrapped this project up
[13:04] uh in early December and we had an
unveiling ceremony. Um definitely go
[13:10] check check out this project uh if you
get a chance.
[13:17] » Thank you. That um wraps up our summary
of current initiatives. Do any
[13:21] commissioners have any questions?
>> This is Commissioner Chi. Um we had
[13:26] decided at previous meetings that we
would try to make sure there were
[13:29] commissioners attending these uh launch
events and stuff. So is anyone
[13:35] who's going to the February 20th event?
I am
[13:41] » Commissioner Churk. I have the one on
February 2nd and 20th on my calendar.
[13:47] What's the one on February second?
>> It is the waiting um on a light
[13:53] » David Ryan's.
>> Okay.
[13:56] » And I'll be at that one too.
>> Okay.
[13:59] So, we I noticed that usually in our
folder we have a piece of paper that had
[14:05] the dates and stuff. I know this time we
don't have it. So um how do we get the
[14:12] » This is Parker or I can provide that
commissioner. Thank you.
[14:16] » Thank you.
>> And this is Holly Lelay for the record.
[14:19] The event was just scheduled a couple
days ago. So we're still working on
[14:23] everything I had to schedule with UNLV
because it'll be on their site. So I'll
[14:28] get that stuff out to you guys as soon
as I have more finalized stuff.
[14:40] This is Commissioner Cleven. I just want
to say thank you to the staff because
[14:43] there's so many projects that are being
completed and everything looks
[14:47] wonderful. So, we really appreciate all
of your hard work and stewarding the
[14:51] projects forward. I know it's a long
long process for many of us. We've seen
[14:56] these processes for for the course of a
few years. So, it's great to see them
[15:00] come to fruition.
[15:08] Thank you. And thank you to the amazing
staff.
[15:12] And so now we're moving to item number
seven, report by cultural affairs staff
[15:18] regarding AM Gateway District in 18B
Arts District Project design proposals
[15:25] for various locations or three DS.
This is Parker Reki. Um, for this
[15:33] project, our evaluation panel has uh
vetted all the proposals and has is
[15:38] confident to showcase it to you folks
today. We do have an artist uh in
[15:42] present and he'll be speaking on his
behalf. But for all the others, um, I'll
[15:47] be speaking on their behalf. So, let's
go.
[15:51] Our first artist is Shan Michael Evans
at Industrial in Wyoming.
[15:59] He says, "My design features a series of
colorful geometric flowers painted
[16:03] across the utility boxes in an
industrial undeveloped area. These
[16:07] stylized flowers bring an intentional
burst of vibrancy to a place defined by
[16:11] concrete and dust, creating a visual
contrast that is both surprising and
[16:15] positive. Beyond decoration, the work
serves as a gesture of transformation, a
[16:20] signal that this area too is part of a
living city. The design invites
[16:24] curiosity and their presence reclaimed
the space with creativity.
[16:28] If we go back, you can also see his
design
[16:32] uh superimposed to the sidewalk here.
[16:39] Next, we have Andrea Pavas at Oki and
Las Vegas Boulevard.
[16:45] She says, "Because my utility cabin cab
cabinet sits at the entryway at the Las
[16:49] Vegas Arts District, and because Vegas
is forever linked to gambling, I think a
[16:53] painting of lemons and cherries, iconic
symbols of slot machines, makes
[16:56] delicious sense. The fact that the box
sits in front of a restaurant also
[17:00] influenced the food and beverage theme.
In terms of the composition, I kept
[17:04] hearing the phrases glass half empty or
half full and the cherry on top in my
[17:08] head and thought that dividing the box
into separate stacked sections that
[17:12] resemble a glass filled with fruit with
the cherries being on top would be a fun
[17:16] way to illustrate those sayings and to
play more with the themes of luck and
[17:19] positivity.
[17:25] Next, we have artist Matt Hughes at St.
Louis and Las Vegas Boulevard.
[17:31] Matto says, "I focused on animals
rendered in my own style. The animals I
[17:36] chose were the redtailed hawk, coyote,
mule, deer, and big horn sheep.
[17:41] Embodying characteristics such as
perseverance, adaptability, bravery,
[17:44] strength, and wisdom. These creatures do
not represent the desert ecosystem. They
[17:49] also, excuse me, they do not only
represent the desert ecosystem, but they
[17:53] act as mirrors of human character,
reminding us of the resil resiliency and
[17:57] beauty within ourselves."
He's also included plants for the
[18:02] smaller electrical box, the Mojave Yaka,
desert marolds barrel cactus, and the
[18:07] beavertail prickly pear cactus.
[18:11] [snorts]
[18:16] Next, we have artist Samir Asani
speaking on his design.
[18:25] » So, my art piece is on St. Louis and
Paradise. It's pretty close to the
[18:29] gateway arches. So, I really wanted to
make sure I incorporated those elements.
[18:33] So, I wanted to use a bright pallet so
has contrast from a far distance. I
[18:38] wanted to have the gateway arches with
the car driving under it. Um, on the
[18:43] sides, I wanted to incorporate the Strat
as well as a showgirl gesturing towards
[18:47] the Strat. Um, I wanted to incorporate
Las Vegas elements like gaming symbols,
[18:51] cards, poker chips, diamonds, all that
kind of stuff. Um, I want to use bright
[18:57] colors and um have something that has a
lot of contrast.
[19:04] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[19:10] » Next, we have Bonnie Kelso at Bob Stupac
in Las Vegas Boulevard.
[19:15] She says, "This mural series for my
utility cabinets along Las Vegas
[19:19] Boulevard explores themes of whimsy and
nature and concealment. Each cabinet is
[19:23] transformed into a faceless
monochromatic aven creature rendered in
[19:27] bright vivid hues. The largest box
painted in pink represents a maternal
[19:32] figure followed by four smaller chicks
each showcasing their individuality
[19:36] through color. The flowing feathers
guide them towards the art district
[19:39] symbolizing movement, identity, and
purpose.
[19:55] Next we have Nathaniel Benjamin
at California A and Commerce. Now we're
[20:01] moving into the arts district.
[20:05] He states, "The two larger cabinets
shows the shoes of people from different
[20:08] walks of life. The top of the cabinet
shows stars in space extending onto the
[20:12] sides like legs into each of the shoes.
In a similar way, the other larger
[20:17] cabinet shows the texture of earth also
extending into its respective shoes. The
[20:21] smaller cabinet says many feet one path
across the two sides facing towards the
[20:26] intersection. Another side shows a shape
reminiscent of a spiral or thumbrint.
[20:30] The final a circle of people holding
hands and on top is the symbol of an
[20:34] atom.
He is hoping to form a sense of
[20:38] connection and represent a diverse cast
of characters including small details
[20:42] that tell a little bit of their stories.
[20:49] Chala Escobar has a box on California A
at Kasa Dan Juan.
[20:56] [snorts]
[clears throat] She states being located
[20:59] near that restaurant whose atmosphere
celebrates Mexican culture and the art
[21:02] of Freda Kalo. She wants to pay tribute
to Latin art and culture designed by
[21:08] Loaria cards, the beloved bingo game
played across many generations and parts
[21:12] of Latin America. She selected the
iconic symbols of El Corazone and La
[21:18] Cala Vera and the duality of existence
prominent in Latin American culture.
[21:26] She also has a box a few boxes um on
California a at ers
[21:34] and [clears throat] here she honors the
importance of storytelling by depicting
[21:37] a continuous fantasy landscape that
focuses on a young heroine's journey.
[21:47] Next we have artist Miguel Hernandez on
California A. [snorts]
[21:52] He states, "I came up with this concept
for my love of flowers, nature, and
[21:55] realism through art, and would like the
opportunity to paint the boxes to look
[21:59] like 3D barrel cactus plants with
various and vibrant flowers on top.
[22:05] He has a series of four boxes.
[22:11] Next, [snorts] we have artist Giovani
Uronda entitled Sweet Treats on
[22:15] California AV at You Are Me." He says,
"These are my first murals on an
[22:19] electric box." And he wanted to do
something fun, light, and happy. The
[22:22] artwork focuses on themes of clowns
because they bring joy and remind people
[22:27] to be silly and clown around. He
believes that anyone who sees this work
[22:30] should be able to have fun and get in
touch with their inner child.
[22:39] And lastly, we have artist Mila May on
California at Mscala.
[22:43] [snorts]
She states, "The proposed designs
[22:46] transform an ordinary utility cabinet
into a playful reflection of downtown
[22:50] Las Vegas. Vibrant and full of energy,
it connects to an environment by
[22:54] imagining what might be happening inside
these mysterious boxes, turning function
[22:58] into fantasy. The design blends circuit
board-like platter patterns and smiling
[23:03] faces, revealing an imagined inner
world.
[23:10] I also wanted to add a final thank you
to our evaluation panelists,
[23:14] Commissioner Vonbastians,
Ido, Yur Uturalde,
[23:19] La Wilcox, Stacia Fiser, and David David
Renan.
[23:24] Thank you. Does anyone have any
questions?
[23:32] » Thank you so much. We're going to move
forward with item number eight, obeyance
[23:37] item, discussion for possible action
regarding the purchase of enriched
[23:42] heritage by Adalfo Gonzalez located at
1300C street
[23:48] not to exceed $35,000 of the percent for
the arts fund ward five summers
[23:55] Armstrong.
>> Hi, this is Laura Machado for the
[23:59] record. Um, as you may remember from our
last meeting, um, at the last arts
[24:05] commission meeting, we're proposing the
purchase of Enriched Heritage by Adelfa
[24:09] Gonzalez. I'll just give a little recap.
The sculpture was originally installed
[24:14] in January 2024, part of the
contemporary public art project. The
[24:19] installation was initially planned for
one year. That was extended for an
[24:23] additional year. That loan period ends
this month. So, we're bringing it to the
[24:28] arts commission for discussion and
possible action to purchase this
[24:34] sculpture. So, we had a few questions at
the last meeting and we've addressed
[24:38] those questions. Um, the first was
regarding maintenance.
[24:44] A condition report was completed in
December. We did determine there were
[24:49] very few minor rust issues. So the
artist went out, cleaned the sculpture
[24:56] and repainted those rust areas. Um, so
all of the issues that were discovered
[25:02] have been resolved and it has been
cleaned.
[25:08] Uh, there was another question about
ongoing care. The annual maintenance
[25:13] will be minimal. It will consist of
cleaning with soap and water followed by
[25:18] drying with a cloth. If there are any
issues regarding um any rust or open um
[25:26] spaces where there's been a chip of the
paint, we'll reach out to Adulo and
[25:30] he'll address those issues.
One of the other questions was regarding
[25:35] the structural stability.
So this sculptures foundation and the
[25:40] anchorage was approved and designed by a
Nevada licensed engineer that the city
[25:45] hired when this piece was installed. Uh
the anchorage is rated to last more than
[25:50] 10 years and there's no additional
support that's needed.
[25:54] Uh and then the final question was do we
need to do anything to make sure that
[25:59] it's protected from the weather. So
currently it has a durable automotive
[26:05] grade paint and at this time there's no
additional weathering protection that
[26:11] need we need to require but we will do
an we do an inventory every year and
[26:16] we'll make an assessment if there is
anything that comes up that we need to
[26:20] address. Uh we don't anticipate any
additional maintenance beyond the
[26:24] standard annual cleaning. Um the artist
has been really wonderful to work with.
[26:31] He's very responsive and the business
owner would really like for this to say.
[26:37] So staff recommends
uh acquiring this into the city's public
[26:42] art collection, but it's up for you for
further discussion. I'm happy to answer
[26:45] any questions.
[26:49] » Would anyone like to make a motion to
purchase the enriched heritage
[26:54] installation?
>> Ch. This commissioner Gotti, I would
[26:58] make that motion.
Commissioner Churk second.
[27:05] » Is there any discussion?
>> I This is Commissioner Churk. I just
[27:09] want to say thank you so much for doing
the due diligence and making sure that
[27:13] we're very confident in making this
purchase. Thank you.
[27:18] » This is Commissioner Cleven. Um I just
wanted to note that this is in an area
[27:23] that has been disinvested for a long
time. And so by the city really
[27:29] realizing that this is a great location
for temporary artwork and now
[27:32] programming it with permanent, I think
it really puts a stamp on this as an
[27:36] important community space and also
reinvest in the community. So I
[27:40] appreciate that we're having this
discussion.
[27:45] » If there's no further discussion, I
would like to call for a vote. All in
[27:49] favor?
I
[27:52] » I
[27:57] » All opposed.
[28:00] » The vote carries.
[28:05] Item number nine, discussion for
possible action regarding the acceptance
[28:09] of a donation of artworks titled Ruby's
pool parking lot pano hammer pano and
[28:16] Liberace by Linda Altruits into the
city's permanent artwork collection no
[28:22] fiscal impact all wards.
This is Laura Machado again for the
[28:29] record. So, in the process of conducting
our annual inventory, we located these
[28:36] four pieces that have been on loan with
the city and this loan has expired. When
[28:42] I reached out to the artist, Linda
Ultrawitz,
[28:45] she suggested or recommended offered a
generous donation to um offer these
[28:52] pieces into the city's permanent art
collection.
[28:56] There's no fiscal impact associated with
this donation. They are two-dimensional
[29:01] pieces in good quality. There's no
additional maintenance that's required
[29:05] or conservation. They were installed on
the seventh floor. They have been
[29:09] removed for that room to be rehabbed and
I believe there is a location on the
[29:15] fourth floor that is open for these
pieces in the finance department that
[29:19] really appreciates photography. So, um,
based on your discussion and possible
[29:25] vote, staff recommends, uh, accepting
this donation, but I'll leave it up to
[29:30] your discussion and happy to answer any
questions.
[29:37] Would anyone like to make a motion to to
accept the donation of artworks titled
[29:43] Ruby's pool, parking lot pano, hammer
pano, and Liberace by Linda Alterits
[29:49] into the city's permanent artwork
collection with no fiscal impact.
[29:53] » This is Commissioner Ch make that motion
to accept the donation.
[29:58] » Commissioner Port second it.
>> Thank you. The move the motion has been
[30:03] properly seconded. Now I will for the
vote. All in favor?
[30:10] » I
>> I
[30:12] » I
[30:18] motion passes. Thank you.
[30:25] Item number 10, discussion regarding
topics for future agenda items. Comments
[30:30] made during this portion of the agenda
by individual members shall refer solely
[30:35] to proposals for future agenda items and
any discussion shall be limited to
[30:40] whether or not such proposed items are
within the purview of the commission and
[30:45] or whether such proposed items shall be
placed on a future agenda.
[30:50] No discussion regarding the substance of
any proposed topic shall occur and no
[30:55] action shall be taken.
Are there any
[31:01] uh future agenda items?
>> This is Commissioner Portoi. Um I was
[31:07] contacted by a couple artists in the
district about the RA uh raised prices
[31:14] of parking and the inconvenience. I
don't know whether that comes under our
[31:18] jurisdiction.
Probably not. But at least I want to
[31:22] just bring it up for discussion if
possible at a future date.
[31:29] This is Commissioner Cleven. It doesn't
fall under our jurisdiction, but we
[31:33] could ask for a report from parking
services.
[31:38] We could always ask.
[31:43] Thank you. Is there anyone else?
[31:49] Thank you. We'll move to item number 11,
citizens participation. Public comment
[31:55] during this portion of the agenda must
be limited to matters within the
[31:59] jurisdiction of the commission. No
subject may act be acted upon by the
[32:04] commission unless that subject is on the
agenda and is scheduled for action. If
[32:09] you wish to be heard, come forward and
give your name for the record. The
[32:13] amount of discussion on any single
subject as well as the amount of time
[32:18] any single speaker is allowed may be
limited.
[32:24] Okay. Well, if there is no one else to
comment,
[32:31] I adjourn this meeting. Item number 12,
adjournment. Thank you for your time
[32:37] today, everyone.