“Two of Southern Nevada’s ‘big three’ cultural institutions – the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Nevada Ballet Theatre – are fighting to survive, and the third, the Las Vegas Art Museum, has closed indefinitely,” notes the Las Vegas Sun in an editorial today. “Last month, after 59 years of showcasing area artists’ creativity, the Las Vegas Art Museum closed its doors…”
Why? Well, according to Las Vegas Sun reporter Kristen Peterson, “It was broke. There was no endowment, no public funding and little community involvement.”
Riddle me this, Batman:
If the arts community, not to mention the community at large, doesn’t think the museum, the band and the dance troupe are worth funding with their own voluntary contributions, why should Nevada’s taxpayers be forced to subsidize “the arts” via the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Nevada Arts Council?
I’m just asking.
