Framing the Discussion: Third Thursday feeds growing art interest in Las Vegas

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005 | 8:31 a.m.

Two weeks ago something was happening at Godt-Cleary Projects that patrons would later describe as a "milestone, "good for the arts district" and "unbelievable."

A panel of savvy businessmen and local art collectors were discussing their art collections and their passion for collecting.

Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design for Wynn Design, was there. Next to Thomas was Glenn Schaeffer, owner of Godt-Cleary Projects, founder of UNLV's International Institute of Modern Letters and president and chief financial officer of Mandalay Resort Group.

Next to him was Jim Murren, president and executive officer for MGM Mirage, who was seated next to Patrick Duffy and Wally Goodman, a couple who have on many occasions shared their extensive art collection with locals.

They talked to an audience of about 100, most of them professionals who arrived early to sip wine from plastic cups and mingle in clusters of three and four. Others had wanted to come, but were turned away on the phone when they tried too late to RSVP.

Local artists and roughly 20 members from the Guggenheim Hermitage's Young Collectors Council were also there, as was Elizabeth Herridge, managing director of the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, James Mann, curator at large for the Las Vegas Art Museum, First Friday founder Cindy Funkhouser and members of the Contemporary Arts Collective.

It was the inaugural Third Thursday, a four-part educational art program designed by Naomi Arin, owner of the neighboring Dust Gallery, and Michele Quinn, director of Godt-Cleary.

Their concept for Third Thursday was simple: get people talking about art, educate those who don't know, and offer a little wine while doing so.

"I really just thought this might be a free-flowing discussion," Quinn had told the audience prior to the panel discussion.

Guests were encouraged to later stop in the Dust Gallery, where "New York (Heart) Las Vegas," an exhibit of up-and-coming New York artists, was on display.

Art 101

Not to be confused with First Friday (the monthly roaming event, held this week), Third Thursday is geared toward smaller, managed audiences and has an educational slant. It will continue through the spring with discussions, both at Dust and Godt-Cleary Projects, on curating and modern dance and, finally, a presentation by Cuban artist Alonso Mateo, who will discuss his fashion designer series.

Another segment begins in the fall, when, Quinn said, they'd like to work in conjunction with the Institute of Modern Letters, which Schaeffer founded in 2000.

"Each one is going to drive a different audience," Quinn said. "Modern dance fits so well with what we do. (Robert) Rauschenberg has worked with modern dance. John Cage is another example."

Regarding curating, she added, "I don't think people understand what that means. Even with Naomi and I, we're not just slapping it on the walls ... It's helpful for people trying to understand how we are different from the other things they've seen. What makes a museum-quality artist versus a commercial artist."

The programs also help solve a problem for gallery owners serious about growing a substantial arts community.

"I can't say it's easy when I'm used to everyone knowing these artists' names," Quinn said. "My artists are household names. But not here. We definitely have some hurdles. I'm used to a basic knowledge that's already there. It's hard to refer to 'abstract expressionism' when someone doesn't know what that means.

"It's not that uncommon. I have plenty of Wall Street friends who don't know what (I'm) talking about."

On the other hand, Herridge sees a huge interest from locals who are hungry to collect, learn and feed their intellectual appetites. Members of the Young Collectors Council (of which Quinn is involved) pay a $250 annual membership fee and participate in private tours of local collections, outings to Los Angeles art events and private lectures by artists, such as Dennis Hopper, who spoke to the collectors group when his exhibit was on display at Godt-Cleary.

"It's not a social club," Herridge said, referring to the council, which is open to anyone between the ages of 25 and 45. "It has a serious educational component. We go to artist studios. We like to talk to artists who are actually making art and they're selling it.

"There are collectors in town who will let us come over, see their collection and how they put it together."

Obsession

At Third Thursday collectors shared why they collected, how they collected, the final destination for their collections and how they work with perishable art pieces.

Thomas, a designer in Wynn projects, said he collects items from the second century to the 21st century, receiving his first item at age 8 as a gift from a mentor. He bought his first piece, an Ashanti fertility doll, when he was 13.

"I tend to fall in love with objects, passionately in love with objects," Thomas said. "One thing seems to lead to another. Exploring modernist art has led me to explore everything that led to the modernist environment.

"It seems like I can't not collect. It's a lifestyle. It's not decorating. It's not an act of acquisition."

Schaeffer, who collects contemporary minimalist art, received his graduate degree in literature and poetry from Iowa Writers Workshop and hired Quinn to curate the work at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.

"The objects you fall in love with just speak to you emotionally," he said. "I'm attracted to the same things that attracted me to Hemingway, to Pound: take more out."

He typically spends between $10,000 and $100,000 on each piece and says of collecting, "It's a passion. You never stop. People will beg you."

Murren, an art history major who received a bachelor's degree from Trinity College in Connecticut, studied in Italy for a year, painted "quite a bit," then went to Wall Street in 1984. Collecting, he said, is an investment and a way to rekindle the part of his life that he's glad is coming back to him.

Murren and his wife, Heather, co-founded the Nevada Cancer Institute and are working with Quinn to place art in its upcoming facility. Murren talked about the healing power of art, light and color.

"The concept of art in a lot of medical facilities is a framed poster from a drug company," Murren said. "When people go there you'll walk in and see a Dale Chihuly. You'll see a Terrell. You'll see wonderful artists from around the world, but also artists from the valley."

Goodman and Duffy, who that day had announced their donation of a Fletcher Benton piece, "Synchronetic C-1969-S" to the Guggenheim Foundation, support local galleries and have shown their eclectic collection at the Las Vegas Art Museum.

"Passion is what really drives one who wants to collect," Duffy said, advising new collectors to "get to know dealers, see where they're going, get to know what they're passionate about."

"Art collecting takes a community and unifies it. One piece of art can connect all those demographics together and generally, it's in a venue that's affordable and accessible."

When it was Goodman's turn, he explained he would never buy for investment reasons.

"Don't worry about making money," he said. "Get involved with the art of your own community. Las Vegas is a new city.

"You've got to look before you buy anything, learn how to look at good things. When you're in New York, go to a museum. Paris, go to a museum. Get a history of art. You really know what is the best. You can train your eye. You don't have to trust anyone but yourself."

Buying and selling

Regarding the panel, Quinn said last week, "That was a great way to launch (Third Thursday) because it showed the level of what we're trying to do.

"The first day we sent the e-mail I had 50 people RSVP. The panel, they deserved all the credit for drawing the crowd. Everybody wanted to hear what they had to say."

Also, she said, "They all touched upon what was happening down here, completely unsolicited. Because they are true collectors, they realize the value of what this does."

Artist Michael Wardle, who has a studio in the nearby Arts Factory, referred to the forum as "one of the big things that's happened to us."

"Here are some heavy hitters, collecting from all over the world, coming downtown and saying our work is worth paying attention to, acknowledging it," Wardle said.

Artist Joseph Palermo, who is moving his gallery and studio from Henderson to the soon-to-be-renovated Holsum Bread Factory, agreed.

"These collectors tonight are so important for the city," Palermo said. "They're not just focusing on New York and Los Angeles."

During the discussion, Thomas praised local artists Tim Bavington, a British-born UNLV graduate who Thomas considers to be one of the "most important painters in North America," and Susanne Forestieri.

Among artists, the common mantra about not being able to sell work has quieted somewhat.

"I've always sold well," Wardle said. "Now, instead of me going out to people, people are coming to see me."

Arin, who moved Dust Gallery out of the Arts Factory last year and into its own storefront space, has hosted several exhibits of emerging contemporary artists who are local and national. The work in her gallery is priced between $3,000 and $5,000.

"Wally and Patrick are good clients of mine," she said.

It was Arin's idea for Third Thursday as a way to offer another art event. She and Quinn began working together when Godt-Cleary Projects opened.

"When you're a kid, you see movies, you listen to the radio. You're inundated with access to music and film," she said. "With art, you have to go out and access it."

And art, she said, is dependent on collectors and collecting.

"It's essential. There are a lot of people in town interested in buying art. I want to help them do that."