For years, if you wanted to see a traveling art exhibit, you’d have to fly to Los Angeles or some other city. Because typically, those shows simply skipped Las Vegas.
That might be changing.
State Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, is introducing legislation to get $10 million from the state to build a major art museum in downtown Las Vegas. The museum would be located in Symphony Park, on land donated by the city of Las Vegas.
Segerblom is amending Senate Bill 187 to obtain the money from the general fund, with this provision: To get the money, it would have to be matched by private donors within the next two years.
This would be part of an overall effort to raise $200 million to construct the art museum.
Segerblom is introducing the bill with support from David Walker, executive director of the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, and Katie O'Neil, chair of the Symphony Park board of directors.
Walker said the time is right for Las Vegas to have such a museum. He says the city has grown in population, diversity and interests and is more suited for the museum than it was even 10 years ago. Walker was instrumental in helping to bring the public art display, Seven Magic Mountains, to the Las Vegas area.
Seven Magic Mountains, he said, is now one of the most popular tourist stops in southern Nevada, drawing some 1,000 people daily.
David Walker, executive director, Nevada Museum of Art
Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas
