County commissioners approve public arts fund
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County approves a public art fund. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Clark County commissioners recently approved the creation of a public arts fund.
It means tax money will be set aside to fund public works of art. The fund would likely be capped at $1.5 million.
There's no cash inflow yet; the approval simply means the fund has been created.
"There are clearly not any dollars now," said Commissioner Steve Sisolak.
Instead, Sisolak said the money will be put into the fund when the economy picks up.
Sisolak told Action News he's received nothing but positive feedback, but not everyone we spoke to was happy about the decision. "I'd rather see tax dollars go to helping people in need. I think there's enough private people that will pay out of their own pocket for artistic stuff," said Danny Earl, a local resident. Historically, the county has chipped in for some art programs, but it's never paid for any art installations. Most art displayed publicly in Clark County was either funded by city dollars (in accordance to their location) or has been privately funded. What role does government play in cultivating art? "I think that we do as a community (as a society) have some type of an obligation to enhance it and to further it," said Sisolak. "But that being said, rest assured we're not looking at buying 30 and 40 million dollar Picasso's for county buildings; that's not what we're talking about." Instead, the county plans to fund small projects by local artists. Sisolak told Action News there's also been an outcry by the art community to consider using the fund to support performance art, not just traditional art.
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