A 15-foot-tall, spiraling public art sculpture called "Spin Baby" was installed Monday morning on the streets named for the 3 most popular members of the Rat Pack.
The sculpture, which was created by local artist Wayne Littlejohn, was installed at the intersection of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives.
“The County reunited the Rat Pack when Sammy Davis Drive, formerly Industrial Road, was dedicated four years ago, connecting it to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives,” said County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, who represents this area. “This corner is an important one, seeing about 20,000 vehicles pass by it daily, and that will continue to grow with tourism and the opening of Allegiant Stadium and properties such as Resorts World. The crossroads of the Rat Pack is deserving of its own public art, further growing a collection of locally created, world-class art in Las Vegas.”
Littlejohn was selected in July 2017 by a panel of five citizens in response to a call to artists to create the work for the Rat Pack Crossroads Project. Littlejohn is a Canadian-born artist, living and working in Las Vegas. Since his arrival in 1994, Littlejohn has exhibited large-scale and permanent works in California, Chicago, Nevada and Texas. Littlejohn’s work explores concepts related to the desert regions of the Southwest, and it reflects a keen interest in the dynamic forces of human and nature.
“While this monumental sculpture, ‘Spin Baby,’ celebrates the current moment, it wholly embraces the mid-century flavor of old Vegas, too,” Littlejohn said of his artwork. “I wanted to celebrate the amazing entertainers of Las Vegas, past and present, with a focus on the significance of the human voice.”
The sculpture is funded by the Clark County Percent for the Arts Program. Littlejohn’s proposal for the sculpture referenced Las Vegas’s entertainment industry and probes the mathematic, historic, and aesthetic appeal of the spiral. The artwork has been in development for two years, from structural engineering to carving to casting and adds to the area’s growing collection of public art.
