photos by Jenna Dosch/ViewTop, Tarissa Tiberti, a valley resident, is the new gallery manager at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Right, Megan Riggs, left, and Renee Lieuth observe one of Georgia O?Keeffe?s paintings at the gallery. The American Modernism exhibit runs through Oct. 15.
photos by Jenna Dosch/ViewTop, Tarissa Tiberti, a valley resident, is the new gallery manager at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Right, Megan Riggs, left, and Renee Lieuth observe one of Georgia O?Keeffe?s paintings at the gallery. The American Modernism exhibit runs through Oct. 15.
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She left town with her eyes focused on a career in art. She's returned to complete the circle by helping to bring art here.
Tarissa Tiberti, 31, is now the gallery manager for the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, a position she accepted in December.
If the last name seems familiar, all one has to do is look around the valley. On virtually every construction fence is the family name. Her grandfather and father built an empire on construction, and their early involvement included projects such as the Las Vegas Club, Palace Station, Sunset Station, Club Bingo (now the Sahara hotel), Barbary Coast, Gold Coast, The Orleans and the Suncoast.
Tiberti grew up at a time when Summerlin was little more than a dream -- when the Clark County population had yet to hit 460,000 and the words "explosive growth" were not yet uttered in the same sentence with "Las Vegas."
The family moved from their original home near Harmon and Eastern avenues to build a house in Spanish Trail. Tiberti graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and was on its tennis team.
Art has been her occupational compass since she was about 8. She holds a master's degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and most recently served as gallery assistant for the Franklin Parrasch Gallery in New York City.
When people on the East Coast learned that she hailed from Las Vegas, she was invariably hit with the question -- Do people actually live there?
"Even in New York City, people didn't get that," she said.
The highlight of her nine years away from the valley was, she said, having her own working studio in Brooklyn, N.Y. Yes, it was small -- only about 1,000 square feet -- and yes, four other artists called it theirs, as well, but Studio A.R.M. allowed her to express the artist within her.
"It was something I always aspired to, but didn't ever think would come true," she said.
Her family encouraged her return to the valley. That and the job offer combined to make for the right time for her move back.
The previous administrators of the gallery were based out of New York City, resulting in "a bit of a disconnect for the community here," said Michele Quinn, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art curatorial adviser.
She said she knew Tiberti from years before, when Quinn was in the same class as one of Tiberti's sisters.
The pair will work together to see exhibits are more in tune with the cultural climate here, they said. Tiberti said Las Vegas is a tourist destination and that the varied pool of viewers has to be taken into consideration, as well as locals.
"We have to accommodate a larger group of people and have broader appeal," Tiberti said. "There's an allure to this city ... there's a lot of buzz in the art world about Las Vegas."
Plans are for the gallery to ramp up its commitment to the community by increasing membership and scheduling tours for area students.
The gallery currently is showing American Modernism, featuring masterpieces by Georgia O'Keeffe, Max Weber, Arshile Gorky and Stuart Davis, among others. It runs through Oct. 15.
Katie Getchell, deputy director of the curatorial department of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, said this was the third time the Boston facility organized an exhibit in conjunction with Bellagio. She said Tiberti's name recognition would "help with the visibility of the collection."
The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Last admissions are sold 30 minutes prior to closing. Tickets for American Modernism are $17 for patrons ages 13 and older, $14 for Nevada residents and senior citizens ages 65 and older, $12 for the military personnel and college students, and $10 for children ages 6 to 12. Children ages 5 and younger are free.
Tickets and information are available by calling 693-7871 or 1-877-957-9777, or by visiting www.bgfa.biz, www.bellagio.com or www.ticketweb.com. Audio tours are included in the price of admission and are offered in four languages -- English, French, Japanese and Spanish.
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