Sampling out-of-state culture

Friday, Dec. 15, 2006 | 7:19 a.m.

Las Vegas has charming little galleries that showcase work by artists from other cities tucked into two of its cultural centers.

While there's not a lot of foot traffic at the centers (and no coffee shop across the street to help make an afternoon of it), the galleries host occasional gems of shows of varying mediums and taste to give us an idea of what's happening in other regions.

The city's Office of Cultural Affairs is accepting proposals from artists for its 2007-08 gallery season, so if there are artists whose work you'd like to see, now is the time to send them a line. Proposals must be submitted by Jan. 15. Keep in mind, the two galleries serve as venues for work by out-of-state artists.

Recent shows at Charleston Heights Arts Center included Michelle Forsyth, who examines media images of disaster and death as a way to counter "the dehumanization" of disaster in the technological age, and Los Angeles photographer Laura Kleger, whose images of suburbia portray somber American neighborhoods, caught in the grip of post-9/11 fear.

Brooklyn artist Anne Polashenski's "Pattern Faux Pas & Other Obliterations" is on display at Charleston Heights. The artist will be giving a lecture at tonight's reception.

"Twist & Shout," a group show at Reed Whipple Cultural Center, gives a contemporary perspective of needlework, including a 9-foot mitten and photorealistic cross-stitched works. The show, which includes more than 40 pieces by 15 artists, was preceded by Judy Natal's "Neon Boneyard Las Vegas A-Z."

Details: For information on submitting proposals to the Office of Cultural Affairs, call 229-1012. Polashenksi's reception is from 6-8 p.m. today (with a 7 p.m. lecture) at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., 229-6383. The Reed Whipple Cultural Center is at 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Admission to both galleries is free.

Big time

Staff at the Las Vegas Art Museum didn't lose sight of its big dreams of big space during the hubbub of piecing together its Frank Gehry exhibit, which opened with a private reception Tuesday.

Three months ago a building committee was formed and members recently started visiting museums, including the new de Young Museum in San Francisco. The committee is in its early planning stages for an expansion that would include a more centrally located branch in the Las Vegas Valley.

Museum director Libby Lumpkin says there are no plans for abandoning the museum's current space, adjacent to the Summerlin West Library. The new site would be considered a larger branch facility.

The high-profile Gehry exhibit helps the museum inch toward its plans. Lumpkin said the opening reception, which brought in Frank Gehry and Sydney Pollack, drew a record crowd. A high number of attendees continued to spill into the exhibit the next morning.

Larry Ruvo, who approached the museum about presenting the Gehry exhibit, says, "Hopefully Frank Gehry's celebrity will raise much-needed funds for the Las Vegas Art Museum's new building It's one nonprofit (organization) sharing its relationship with the world's greatest living architect to another nonprofit."

The exhibit, which continues through March 25, is also a perk for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, which holds its fundraising gala in February.

Details: "Frank Gehry Designs": www.lasvegasartmuseum.org

Lou Ruvo Brain Institute: www.keepmemoryalive.org