UNLV’s master plan: $100 million arts building
It’s not a glass house, exactly. But some famous glass will be displayed inside.
The campaign to build the $100 million UNLV Learning Center for the Arts has launched, with a gift from the renowned Chihuly Studio the first design piece presented. The glass art piece “Fire Opal Chandelier” was donated by Dale and Leslie Chihuly in a ceremony Monday at Rita Deanin Abbey Museum.
The piece is to be displayed in the center’s atrium upon its completion.
The Learning Center will take over the spot occupied by Grant Hall, built in 1959 and due to be demolished in the next three years. The new building’s construction schedule is “a flexible five years,” in the words of UNLV College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher.
The Learning Center is completely pre-designed. The fortress will feature two performance venues, studios, gallery and critique space, contemporary classrooms, a café, a rooftop event space and a front porch.
“This stunning building will profoundly reshape the landscape and ecosystem of arts and culture in the state of Nevada and will prepare our students for the most compelling 21st and 22nd century careers,” Uscher says. “The building will have the flexibility required to match the trajectory of art studies over the next 100-plus years.”
The Learning Center is not necessarily a replacement for Grant Hall, but as Uscher says, “It will be an expansion and augmentation of Grant Hall in size, scope and aspiration. It will change the way we teach and the way students learn.”
As the first artist to donate to the project, Dale Chihuly is uniquely aligned with Las Vegas, with his display on the ceiling of the Bellagio. Dale and Leslie Chihuly are members of the UNLV College of Fine Arts Hall of fame. Their piece was finished in 2018, following extensive experimental sessions in which Dale Chihuly and his team explored the iridescent properties of a new garnet color.
The gift is conditional, naturally. The college needs to finish its Learning Center to accept.
“We are eager to build on the momentum provided by the beautiful Chihuly pledged gift,” Uscher says, “and hope our Learning Center will become a reality in the next half decade.”
Celebration of Norm
A tribute for longtime Review-Journal 3A columnist Norm Clarke is set for 11 a.m.-noon (doors at 10:30) Saturday at Myron’s at The Smith Center. “Conversations About Norm” will feature friends and family members from Clark’s life, from Montana through Cincinnati, Southern California, Denver and finally Las Vegas.
The format will follow “Conversations With Norm,” the stage conversation Clark hosted at Myron’s from 2013-2019. Yours truly is hosting the return to the “Conversations” theme. A hang at the courtyard outside Boman Pavilion is scheduled afterward.
Important to note: Though this is an open event, you need to RSVP to reserve a seat. Go bit.ly/NormClarkeMemorialRSVP to reserve. Seating is limited. Memories are not.
My man Gronk
Rob Gronkowski spoke of Raider Tom on April 20, during the red carpet walk at Gronk Beach at Fontainebleau’s LIV Beach to cap “Wrestlemania After Dark.”
Tom Brady is the “Tom” in question.
“I mean, just the aura that he is going to bring to the table. That’s what he did whenever he stepped into the building, whatever team he was on,” Gronkowski said “The intensity that he brought to the table, the leadership that he brought to the table — I am sure he is going to do the same exact thing as an owner, especially in an energetic city here in Las Vegas.”
Between the two, Brady and Gronk have won 11 Super Bowl rings. The ex-tight end and current party host says Brady is determined to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Las Vegas.
“It’s tough to win a Super Bowl, so I make no promises in that game,” Gronkowski said. “I can’t speak for him, but he’s a guy that’s going to put the work in and get the program going in the right direction, so they have the best chance to win a Super Bowl.”
Tease this …
Dita Von Teese takes a break from Voltaire at The Venetian after her June 7 show. She’s then headlining London’s Emerald Theatre from June 16-30, and returning July 17. We hear a pop-culture icon, surname of a legendary hotelier, is taking those dates.
And this …
The Evel Knievel Museum planned for the Mission Linen building, 1001 S. First Street in downtown Las Vegas is seeking a Thanksgiving launch. Rev it up, and hope they land safely …
Cool Hang Alert
Powerhouse country duo Ryan Keith Follesé and Rory John Zak — better known as Ryan & Roy — play Stoney’s North Forty at Santa Fe Station on Saturday night. Stoney’s also offers free two-step and line-dance lessons from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. It all happens under the mirrored armadillo.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.