LETTER: Direct Nevada pandemic cash to state and local artists
Governor Steve Sisolak reminded Nevadans last week that Nevada ranks toward the bottom of many “good” lists, something the state intends to remedy with its historic $6.7 billion in federal aid. Among those “good” lists that Nevada ranks near the bottom of is “per capita spending on the arts.”
It is easy to look around Las Vegas and think we must have incredible public support for local artists. But anyone who has been involved in major productions of public events, public murals, public sculptures or designing venues knows that the money is almost always privately granted, and the artists are often from out of state.
What our city needs is a truly public, state-funded granting process available to local artists across disciplines to create new works and spaces. Artists, arts venues and entertainers have been among the hardest hit in the pandemic, and this is the relief they’ve been waiting for. Artists may not be saving the world, but they help create a world worth saving.
