Starving art scene

By Becky Bosshart

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 | midnight

With the recent shuttering of a prominent contemporary art gallery, downtown's future as a diverse arts district is looking uncertain.

Though officials and city boosters point to the recession, the retreating gallery owner said the crumbling economy isn't the only problem on Water Street.

"We accepted and bought into the promise and optimism of Water Street," said Fred Sigman, photographer and former owner of the Water Street Gallery, which operated at 155 S. Water St. for about 15 months. He operated the business with his son, Fred IV.

"We did depend on redevelopment (agency) fulfilling some of what it hoped to do."

Art is business, Sigman said, as he sat in his loft overlooking a dark and still Water Street. Business wasn't happening on this street.

The city didn't fully promote the Water Street District as a destination, Sigman said. With gallery sales slowing in late 2007 and the hope of more consumer traffic by unfulfilled redevelopment projects, the gallery became what Sigman called a money pit.

About two years after the first grand plans of condos, big restaurants and events, little of the Water Street District redevelopment plan has materialized. City officials said they still want a vibrant downtown merchants community, but budgets will be tight in this economy.

Business boosters are optimistic that things will get better, but the empty spaces on Water Street are disconcerting, they said.

Shereen Hale, Book Boutique owner, said Water Street District events brought momentum in the past.

"The last year has not been as good," she said from her shop at 19 W. Pacific Ave.. "Now Fred (Sigman) is leaving. So what happened?"

Sigman has stripped his apartment walls of his Australian aboriginal art collection. His photographs are in storage. The 1,800-square-foot space owned by RLK Development is for rent.

Sigman said he could've made wiser business decisions, such as rolling out his giclee printing operation sooner. He also ran a dark room and provided exhibition preparation services. Even with a $50,000 grant from the city, Sigman said it all wasn't enough to keep the gallery open.

Attracting business downtown is a problem everywhere, said Christine Fey, downtown redevelopment consultant. Sigman was smart and knew his business, she said, but some people are not going to make the return they need within a short amount of time.

Still, more could have been done, she said.

"The city and redevelopment could have, if they had the resources, advertised it more," said Fey, who is also the arts and culture manager for the city of Reno. "The gallery owners, if they had the resources, could've advertised themselves more as being in the district."

In October, the city hired Fey to suggest business improvements for the five downtown galleries.

Water Street is ripe for cultural arts development because it has a lot of available space, she said. But it will take time. She started creating the downtown Reno arts district in 1995, but it took about five years to take off.

"Our long-term vision is still to see that — to envision an arts district," said Lisa Sich, principal redevelopment administrator with the Henderson redevelopment agency. "But with the economic downturn, discretionary funding just hasn't been there for that."

The new condos and commercial projects stalled because the developers couldn't get loans, she said.

"Raising the bar high is excellent when times are great," Sich said. "When times are hard..." She trailed off, searching for the words.

"We all band together, to see where our scarce resources can best be served."

The city is discussing the repayment of Sigman's $50,000 redevelopment loan. A partial repayment has been made with Sigman's office equipment. Payoff of the remaining balance is still in discussion.

Susanne Reese, a Water Street District Business Association board member and chairwoman of the Arts Walk committee, thinks the district has a future, though the present is not looking good. At the Plaza Gallery on Water Street, which she runs with her husband, Gary Reese, some months the people just aren't coming.

"It's not just a symptom of Water Street, it's a symptom of Las Vegas," Susanne Reese said. "I'm loathe to have people blame the situation on the city or anything specific."

They are sorry to see Sigman go, but many people are struggling, said the Reeses, both of whom supplement their income by teaching.

Sigman, who has been a Southern Nevada resident since 1968 and has served on community boards, said he enjoyed working with his son. They brought in well respected artists into a beautiful space. He said the Water Street Gallery raised the bar of contemporary art in Las Vegas.

He plans to do a photography tour to Peru in January and is exploring job options in Afghanistan and Dubai. He will remain a part-time Las Vegas resident.

Becky Bosshart can be reached at 990-7748 or [email protected].