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The Art Of Choosing Art For Las Vegas Hotels

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas. “ Icons of the Twentieth Century: Yousuf Karsh”
MGM Resorts

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas. “ Icons of the Twentieth Century: Yousuf Karsh”

On this program we often conduct interviews with visual artists around town – their work is displayed in galleries, museums, and art installations on the streets of Las Vegas.

But for no particular reason we sometime overlook the art up and down the tourist part of town.

We wondered: Who selects the art at the hotels up and down the Strip – indoors and outdoors? 

Tarissa Tiberti is one of those people. She is the executive director of the Fine Art Collection for MGM Resorts International.

"At MGM, we're showing it is a commitment of ours," she said, "It is just as important to us as marketing. We are creating a unique experience... for that customer of ours."

Tiberti has a graduate degree in sculpture, and she started in fine arts in resorts by overseeing the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts. Her role at the company expanded from there.

"Much as we create the restaurants or the different entertainment experiences that we have at those hotels or even a bar, a lounge, a club, art work is the same thing," she said.

When selecting art, Tiberti has to understand the type of customer who frequents the hotel and the design of the hotel. For example, the Bellagio has more modern and impressionist art works, while Aria has more contemporary art. 

She said the art work provokes conversations and engagement. Even if guests don't like the work, a response to it negative or positive is what Tiberti wants.

Renee Grayson/Flickr

One of the newest works of art on an MGM property is "Bliss Dance" at The Park. Tiberti said people have told her it doesn't belong.

"It's from Burning Man. So it's this idea of the Burning Man culture and is that Vegas? Does it bring our level of culture down?" she said. 

Tiberti said the piece works for its location between New York-New York and the Monte Carlo. She said it would not work, for instance, at Mandalay Bay. 

 

 

 

Tarissa Tiberti, Director of the Fine Art Collection, MGM Resorts International

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Since June 2015, Fred has been a producer at KNPR's State of Nevada.