VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Art controversy on display at UNLV

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003 | 8:48 a.m.

The Fine Arts Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has succeeded in alienating one of its highest-profile professors -- 2001 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" recipient Dave Hickey -- by halting the tenure process for another high-profile professor, Hickey's wife, Libby Lumpkin .

Lumpkin was lured to the university on Maryland Parkway from a small East Coast institution called Harvard.

Being bumped off a tenure track at a university is akin to a vote of no confidence and usually means it is time to look for another job -- one that offers job security in the form of tenure.

Lumpkin is well known in Las Vegas art and society circles for assembling Steve Wynn's art collection, which includes paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne and Edouard Manet, and for getting the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art up and running.

Lumpkin's title at UNLV is assistant professor of modern art and she is a curator of the school's Donna Beam Gallery of Fine Art.

But despite her stellar credentials, "her advancement to midterm tenure review was found inadequate," Hickey told VegasBeat on Monday.

UNLV spokesman Tom Flagg said that Lumpkin has "technically not been denied tenure because technically she hasn't come up for tenure."

But he said that Hickey's assessment of the situation was correct.

"I can't comment on the internal process, the specifics regarding the midterm tenure review and why it was not approved," Flagg said.

Sources who alerted VegasBeat to the situation said that Hickey had notified the school he was planning to quit in protest over his wife's snub.

The reason for the snub, according to a different source, was that some faculty members are upset that the power art couple are using their connections to further the careers of students -- and not other faculty.

An upset Hickey was reluctant to discuss the situation in detail, saying that he, Lumpkin and the school were having conversations about resolving the issue.

Hickey has been described in The New York Times as one of America's greatest living art critics. The professor of art theory and criticism is a former executive editor of Art in America magazine and has contributed to national publications from Vanity Fair to the Los Angeles Times.

Hickey has also contributed text for exhibition catalogues on Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra and many others.

Lumpkin was lecturing at Yale University on Monday and not immediately available for comment.

Straight outta ghostbar

Since the Grammy Awards didn't come to Las Vegas, Las Vegas went to the Grammy Awards.

At least, the Palms did.

The Flamingo Road resort hosted a fabulous party at the Bowery club Capitale in New York City on Sunday night.

Joe, Gavin, Phil and George Maloof hosted guests Nelly, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Ludacris, Tommy Lee, Kylie Minogue, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Fred Durst, Christian Slater, Eve, Angela Bassett, Molly Simms and Grandmaster Flash.

Still alive

Robin Leach is a-huffin' and a-puffin', but he is still alive on the Australian outback.

The contestant on ABC's prime-time reality-survivor show "I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here!" is also doing some advertising on the broadcast.

Written in ink on the left breast pocket area of his shirt is, "Fabulous Las Vegas."

On the right side it says, "Go Kings," a reference to his friend George Maloof's NBA team, the Sacramento Kings.

If Leach does this type of show again, I'll give him a copy of the Las Vegas Sun to read on camera.

Go Gator!

Green Valley High School grad Anise Labrum, 23, is featured on Wednesday's national broadcast of "Life Moments," seen locally on KTNV Channel 13 at 11 a.m.

The show tells stories about women of achievement.

Labrum and friend Marshall "Scott" Van Ireland recently opened a boutique called Faceless Designs on North Fourth Street, across from Neonopolis.

Labrum is also a stylist for Nickelodeon and has had her work featured in US Weekly and Black Elegant magazine.

Rock that lot

Las Vegas heavy-metal band Sad Machine has a few members under age 21. So it wasn't allowed to play its Saturday night gig inside The Rock, a Maryland Parkway music club.

So the band set up and played in the parking lot. In addition to the regular crowd, a passing group of belly dancers stayed and swayed to the music.

The top act on the bill that evening, the El Paso, Texas, metal band Lylah, played indoors.

VegasBits

Olivia Newton-John left Paris Las Vegas Sunday afternoon -- where she had a weekend engagement -- for Lake Las Vegas. She spent part of the day touring the "Diamonds and the Power of Love" exhibit at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas. Afterward she enjoyed the resort's Florentine Tea service ...

Scottish actor Craig Ferguson (he plays Drew Carey's boss Mr. Wick on Carey's sitcom) was spotted sipping Diet Coke at the center bar at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sunday night ...

Three weeks and counting: The Riviera marquee still blares that Marlene Ricci is a "World Famous Recording Atrist." Of course, it should read, "Artist." They need a proofreader more than I do ...

Los Angeles-based pop artist Steve Kaufman has an inspired idea -- inspired by the big Hollywood sign he can see from his house. He is looking to get funding for some hillside Las Vegas real estate to put up a gigantic sign that says, "Las Vegas" ...

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrated his 26th birthday Saturday night at Bellagio's Light with Ice-T. Hanging from Mayweather's neck was a horse-shaped Ferrari hood ornament that was as big as a cowboy's belt buckle.

From Sun wires

Two police officers suffered minor injuries and four people were arrested Monday when an MTV contest in Times Square got out of hand.

People began shoving and pushing as a crowd of several thousand gathered outside MTV's studios at 44th Street and Broadway, police said.

"MC Battles," which will be rescheduled, was a hip-hop talent search in which finalists would have competed for a recording contract and $25,000.

Rather surprised: The last time he was unexpectedly summoned for an interview with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein -- late at night in August 1990 in Baghdad -- CBS anchor Dan Rather was unshaven, didn't have on a fresh shirt and was running a fever.

Monday, when he scored a second exclusive interview with Saddam, this time in the early evening in Baghdad, Rather was more prepared. But he was still surprised when the call came.

"I was up early, had my shoes shined, my trousers pressed and my best white shirt on," Rather said. "And I went over my questions maybe 2,000 times."

Because of time required to translate and process the interview, CBS held footage until today's "The Early Show." Major portions will air Wednesday at 9 p.m. on "60 Minutes II."