Columnist Susan Snyder: New museum is merely an appetizer

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 8:58 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

Las Vegas photo artist Wes Isbutt applauds the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation's plan to open one of its world-famous art museums on the Strip.

But, he cautions, even the Guggenheim won't single-handedly bolster Las Vegas' struggling arts community.

"It's going to bring the art aficionados to Las Vegas. And if they see an art museum one day, they aren't going to be content to see just one," Isbutt said. "They'll want to continue on."

Isbutt hopes they'll continue to the Arts Factory, the downtown building where he and 22 other artists operate studios and galleries.

He opened the Arts Factory four years ago, but has dreamed of a downtown arts district for 10. City and county officials have given a lot of verbal support. But words don't open galleries.

"We've had a hard time creating the multiple thing," Isbutt said. "There's a lot of talk but not very much action."

Maybe the Guggenheim can bring some action. Las Vegas has plenty of artists. It needs places for them to show off.

The Arts Factory has a waiting list of artists, while the property around it sits ignored like an unwanted pet.

Now less than two miles away, smack-dab in the middle of one of the world's most famous collections of the frivolous, owners of the Venetian have lured two of the world's most famous collectors of fine art.

The Guggenheim will join the renowned State Hermitage museum of St. Petersburg, Russia, to open a free-standing, 35,000-square-foot gallery next to the Venetian.

But even 35,000 square feet of Guggenheim won't be enough to sate the appetites of the arty, and Isbutt is counting on that. The Bellagio brought the Arts Factory plenty of business.

"A large tour would come to the Bellagio, but how long can you look at 24 pieces of art?" he said. "They'd come down here and we'd show them hundreds, even thousands, of pieces of art. The same thing will happen with the Guggenheim."

The Arts Factory's most recent exhibit opening attracted about 700 of the 800 people invited. That's more than ever before, Isbutt said.

"The openings are supposed to end by 9 p.m., and I was screaming at people to get them out by 1 a.m.," he said. "It's a good sign. The energy is growing. We're actually beginning to sell art."

One thing the Guggenheim brings that the Bellagio does not is name recognition, Isbutt said. It will draw visitors who not only appreciate art but also buy it.

Still, no matter what the Guggenheim brings to Las Vegas, local artists will continue struggling to unite in a community that lives in compartments.

"It's part of the plight of Las Vegas," Isbutt said. "As our energy grows, people in Green Valley or Summerlin come down, but they want to talk about how we can come do events in their world."

The ballet doesn't talk to the symphony, he says. The east side doesn't play with the west side. The Strip remains its own entity. Downtown is overlooked.

"That helps no one," Isbutt says. "Hopefully, the Guggenheim will educate."