The Contemporary Arts Center or CAC in Las Vegas is opening a permanent exhibition space Friday.
The center was founded almost three decades ago as an artist’s collective. But it lost its space a couple of years ago.
Melissa Petersen, CAC's Board president and administrator, said the center is more than just a gallery.
"The organization supports artists within our community and provides a safe space for them to experiment within their practice," Peterson explained.
Since the center lost its location, it has been using the pop-up model with art displayed at different locations from the Smith Center for Performing Arts to downtown restaurants.
"The pop-up model is a great model but it makes it difficult to plan out exhibitions," she said, "You have to know what the space is for the artist to know how they want to program that space."
With the new model, the exhibitions will be changed out about every two months, Petersen said. They will also offer art classes and other educational experiences.
"Education is a key component to what our organization is," Petersen said, "Contemporary art isn't the easiest art to approach and fully understand."
Petersen says that the first exhibition is named “Taste.“ She explains that the art work that's being displayed is just a "taste of what’s out there in our contemporary art world here in Las Vegas.”
“Taste” features the work of fifteen local artists, including Justin Favela and Adam Morey.
Justin Favela/Photo credit: Brent Holmes/Desert Companion
Melissa Petersen, Board president of the Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas
