N.Y. art company gambles on LV move

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, June 5, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

In a city where the arts must coexist with neon and dancing water, it may seem odd that a major New York art company would consider Las Vegas for its new home.

But as exhibits from the Guggenheim and other national museums open in casino art galleries, the chance that Las Vegas could be known as much for its art as it is for its lights and action is becoming increasingly real.

S2 Art Group, which owns and operates three local galleries, is the next big company to catch the cultural wave.

The company plans to move its operations to Las Vegas from New York, where the owners have been part of the Soho arts district for more than 30 years. S2 will continue to have a presence in New York and Chicago. The bulk of its operations, including its distribution center and e-commerce headquarters, will be based here.

The company, hoping to help lift a struggling area of the city, plans to move to a building at the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street. The property is currently in escrow.

City officials hope the new facility will serve as the gateway to the city's proposed arts district, which would begin at the S2 site and run along Las Vegas Boulevard to Garces Avenue.

The arts district could resemble Manhattan's Soho district, which is populated by art galleries and small cafes.

The S2 building -- formerly operated by Nevada Paints -- will have some cultural company; the Arts Factory, which has galleries and studios, is next-door. The Attic, a used-clothing store, is nearby.

Down the street, two complexes being built by the Tom Hom Group would offer lofts and studios to prospective artists.

But Jack Solomon, chairman of the arts group, knows of the challenge associated with moving into an area that is decrepit and tired.

"It's a gamble for us," Solomon said.

S2 sells fine art to more than 700 galleries and other art resellers throughout the world at wholesale prices.

Solomon said he and his wife Carolyn based their decision to move the company to Las Vegas, at least in part, on the success of their local galleries at the Paris, Venetian and Mandalay Bay resorts.

The move is expected to cost about $500,000. The City Council is expected Wednesday to approve a $100,000 loan for the group to complete the move. The company has secured the remaining $400,000.

A requirement of the city's loan, issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is that the project benefit low- and moderate-income persons and help eliminate blight.

In return for the loan, S2 has agreed to make a portion of its more than 50 positions available to low- and moderate-income people.

The 22,000 square-foot art facility will include retail and wholesale art sales, a wholesale showroom and retail art gallery and more than $20 million in fine art inventory. It will also serve as a center for the group's e-commerce operations. Original artwork will be produced on three, rare European lithography presses being brought to Las Vegas from London, Paris and New York.

The lithography, for which the company is best known, dates back 100 years to French presses, which were manufactured around 1870. Only five of these presses, which weigh about 6 tons apiece, are known to exist, and the S2 group owns four.

The presses create hand-drawn lithographs, which is a dying art form, Solomon said.

Solomon said talking with officials at UNLV's Art Department to teach the ancient lithography practice and, subsequently, would offer work study programs for students.

In regard to the arts building, Solomon said a restaurant, including a sculpture garden and a lighted canopy, could possibly be built on the roof.

"We hope by our coming we will be the catalyst to really get that arts district jump-started," Solomon said. "We want to be part of the community. We don't want to be the big, evil Easterners coming in and ruining the local art scene."

Mayor Oscar Goodman, a supporter of the arts, said he jumped at the chance to lure an arts company.

"This really could be a big start for that area to develop into a first- class art community," Goodman said.

The loan from the city's Neighborhood Services Department helped complete the deal.

"This very much grew out of the vision of the mayor and (his assistant) Stephanie Boixo," said Neighborhood Development Manager Faye Johnson. "They are very attuned to making this an arts district, and it was really with their encouragement that we all went the extra mile to try to get them here."

Erika Brandvik, a spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority, said the public has expressed a desire for more cultural events and art exhibits.

"People are really curious about what a high-class cultural institution might look like in Las Vegas," she said.

Artwork from the Guggenheim Heritage Museum galleries is scheduled to be showcased in two galleries inside the Venetian in September.

The Bellagio also features art exhibits.

"It does seem to represent a more sophisticated culture, where people who are educated about these types of things would want to visit the city, whereas before they wouldn't want to touch it with a 10-foot pole," she said.

Solomon said he will keep his apartments in New York and Chicago, although he and his wife plan to become permanent residents of Las Vegas. They bought a house here last week.

"New York is still the art capital of the world, although Las Vegas will be catching up really soon," he said.