‘Look!’ Strat installs local art piece on Las Vegas Boulevard
It’s the gesture that many Las Vegas visitors make when they first walk down Las Vegas Boulevard. It can accompany the first sighting of a famous building or precede the landing of a harnessed stranger leaping off an 1,150-foot-tall tower.
We’ve all done it — standing in place, eyes skyward and one pointed finger outstretched. Next comes the command: “Look!”
That feeling of awe is one that Golden Entertainment and artists from Kevin Barry Fine Art aimed to capture in “Look!” — a new statue at the recently rebranded The Strat Hotel, Casino and Skypod.
The statue sits at the Strat’s front entrance at Las Vegas Boulevard and West Bob Stupak Avenue.
The piece is three figures that face skyward toward the hotel’s tower. The tallest figure, at 15 feet, points at the Skypod with an outstretched arm.
Three local artists, Nick Stiley, Adin Fly and James Talbert, from Kevin Barry Fine Art, created the sculpture.
John Barry, principal of the company, knew he wanted something iconic.
“This is speaking to people who walk by. We want them to stop and take notice and draw them in in a sophisticated way,” Barry says.
Golden Entertainment Chairman and CEO Blake Sartini wanted a signature art piece to reflect the resort’s new branding.
“We wanted to create a piece that people would use as a ‘wow’ moment, an Instagram moment,” Sartini says. “The Strat is situated at the gateway to the Las Vegas Arts District, which is a testament to the tremendous creative talent we have in our own backyard.”
The statue is the latest step in the property’s renovation following Golden’s acquisition in 2017. In addition to the new name and “Look,” the Strat plans to incorporate more art inside.
“There are some great pieces by local artists coming to the public spaces,” Barry says. “Stay tuned.”
Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.
