Center advocates art everywhere

F. ANDREW TAYLOR/VIEWA new mural by Brian Porray was unveiled at the Winchester Community Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive, on June 20. The painting titled "Everyone?s a Scientist" depicts the 1995 implosion of the Landmark Hotel. Special to View"The Bus Stops Here" billboards for this year will include, clockwise from top left, Thomas Willis? "Point," Nabila Khanam?s "Winter Reflections," Shan Michael Evans? "Robot So Loved the City" and Montana Black?s "Elaine." Special to View"The Bus Stops Here" billboards for this year will include, clockwise from top left, Thomas Willis? "Point," Nabila Khanam?s "Winter Reflections," Shan Michael Evans? "Robot So Loved the City" and Montana Black?s "Elaine." Advertisement

The little township of Winchester is one of the smallest in the valley, but when it comes to spreading art, it's a giant.

The Friends of Winchester was formed in 2005 in conjunction with the ZAP Project, a public art project involving the Winchester Cultural Center and the City of 100 Murals project, which was part of the 2005 Las Vegas Centennial celebration. Since then, the Public Art Committee of The Friends of Winchester has worked on an average of one major project a year.

"We're a neighborhood group volunteering our time to bring more public art into Winchester and into the neighborhood," said the Public Art Committee's chairman Richard Hooker. "We're also trying to bring more awareness to the value of public art and be advocates for it."

The second project the group shepherded was the whimsically titled "Great Wall of China," a ceramic work that is a long-term and ever-expanding project.

The wall consists of murals constructed with tiles decorated by local children affixed to the walls surrounding the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. So far, four murals have been completed, with more to come. The ultimate goal, according to Hooker, is to complete the entire wall in tile.

"I think there's a value in bringing the experience of art into a public place," he said. "It animates, informs and enhances the public environment."

The group's most recent projects have taken the better part of two years to develop, and all the elements came together near simultaneously, resulting in two very visible projects releasing within weeks of each other.

The marquee mural project was unveiled June 20 on a large wall south of the Winchester Cultural Center's main entrance. The work by artist Brian Porray, titled "Everyone's a Scientist," depicts the 1995 implosion of the Landmark Casino in brilliant colors. The fact that it's painted in colors that were not seen during the actual implosion is intentional. The Landmark implosion is probably the area's most witnessed implosion, as it was used in the Tim Burton film "Mars Attacks!"

According to Hooker, the project came about because the cultural center was recently renovated, creating a new marquee above the main entrance. The Public Art Committee of The Friends of Winchester thought that area would be an excellent place for a mural, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

"The center used the marquee, as it should, for the name of the building," Hooker said. "The site disappeared, but the interest didn't."

As it turned out, the group's desire for a mural at the Winchester Community Center dovetailed with the county's desire to commemorate the formation of Clark County, yet another valley centennial.

"Some of the funds for the mural came from the DMV's Centennial License fees," Hooker said.

Although the mounting hardware for the project is permanent, the mural itself may not be. The group is still pondering what to do with the space. The current mural is mounted off center, in the upper left corner of the wall. Discussions are under way and one possibility is rotating the mural out with others every few years. Another possibility is expanding the project, putting more mounting hardware up and adding more murals to the wall.

"There's a dialogue between the artist and the site, and there's also a dialogue between the public and the artwork," Hooker said, speaking both specifically about the marquee mural and in general about public art. "These are coexisting dynamics that activate the work, that bring it to life. It's the artist negotiating the space, and the public's response to that."

The next project the committee is working on also will be the most far reaching. "The Bus Stops Here" will feature the work of four local artists printed on posters and displayed at nearly 100 bus stops across the valley. The project was proposed in conjunction with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the advertising group Outdoor Promotions LLC. The posters will be displayed in spaces that would normally be used for advertising, when that space isn't sold.

"The project is another way we can we can incorporate art into public spaces, which we think is important for the community," said the Transportation Commission's Tracy Bauer. "We carried about 67 million passengers last year, and there's certainly a lot of eyes on our buses and shelters. We think this is a great way that we can enhance the community."

The commission has been involved with a lot of public artwork, hosting contests for bus wraps and including permanent public art in its latest projects. "The Bus Stops Here" is the first project the Transportation Commission has done with The Friends of Winchester, but it might not be the last.

"They've been great partners," Bauer said. "They're obviously very dedicated to expanding art in the community, and we're happy to work with them."

The group at the Winchester Cultural Center plans to continue its efforts, despite the current financially difficult times.

"You have to believe that art in the broad sense -- literature, film, dance, poetry, music and visual art -- all contribute to humanity," Hooker said. "They all enhance the experience of living in the world."

Contact Sunrise and Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.