Nancy Uscher, dean of the UNLV College of Fine Arts, recently announced an exciting gift from the world-renowned Chihuly Studio that begins the campaign to build the contemporary UNLV Learning Center for the Arts.
"I am extremely excited to share our plans to build the contemporary Learning Center for the Arts in the heart of the UNLV campus. This stunning building, which has now been completely pre-designed, will profoundly reshape the landscape and ecosystem of arts and culture in the state of Nevada and will prepare our students for the most compelling 21st and 22nd century careers," said Uscher. "Led by the visual arts and celebrating interdisciplinary opportunities and the most innovative technologies for research and creative activity, the building will have the flexibility required to match the trajectory of art studies over the next 100+ years."
To express their support for this ambitious goal, Dale and Leslie Chihuly, longtime friends of the university, pledged a gift of the Chihuly Fire Opal Chandelier to be displayed in the learning center upon its completion.
"We are delighted with the plans to build a contemporary learning center for the arts on the UNLV campus and are thrilled with the initial design concepts. We believe this new facility will serve the students of the UNLV College of Fine Arts well, and will bring greater arts experiences to Las Vegas and the State of Nevada," said Dale Chihuly, Artist, and Leslie Jackson Chihuly, President & CEO of Chihuly Studio in a statement.
The gift is conditional, of course, on the college realizing its vision to build the new learning center.
The Fire Opal Chandelier presented was made in 2018 following extensive experimental sessions in which Dale Chihuly and team were exploring the iridescent properties of a beautiful new garnet color. This one-of-a-kind chandelier represents the culmination of 40+ years of experimentation in the evolving and world-renowned art practice of Dale Chihuly and the Chihuly team.
"This extraordinary and unique piece will be a deeply significant expression of the essential role of the arts to humanity," said Uscher. "The Chandelier will be strikingly visible both inside and outside of the building, and, most importantly, will provide great inspiration for our students."
"The need for our future Learning Center for the Arts is profound. The building will stand where Grant Hall, which was built in 1959, is now located. Grant Hall is long past its prime. It is neither a safe, secure nor in any way an appropriate learning environment at this point."
The future building features two new performance venues, studios, gallery and critique space, contemporary classrooms, café, rooftop event space, and a front porch – many gathering spaces for peer learning for students and for student and faculty interactions, and boundless opportunities for community engagement as well.
"This proposed building -- which is not actually a replacement for Grant Hall, but rather an expansion and augmentation of Grant Hall in size, scope and aspiration -- will change the way we teach and the way students learn," said Uscher. "Our students are a vital part of the Las Vegas arts scene and they will increasingly become part of the exciting new ecosystem for the arts, culture and entertainment of our region. I believe we are on the cusp of a cultural Renaissance taking place in Las Vegas over the next few years."
"Our UNLV Learning Center for the Arts will delight and enrich our entire region," said Uscher. "I invite anyone interested in learning more about this deeply significant project, to contact me directly. I am more than happy to share our exciting plans and vision for the future. We are eager to build on the momentum provided by the beautiful Chihuly pledged gift and hope our Learning Center will become a reality in the next half decade."
