The Las Vegas Art Museum, like so many centers of culture, is having a rough go of it in these hard economic times.  How rough?  Rough enough to close the 59-year old museum at the end of the month.

So if you haven't been there or if you haven't gone in awhile, take the opportunity this week to go before it shutters its doors for good.

From our friend Kristen Petersen at the Las Vegas Sun:

The financially strapped Las Vegas Art Museum is closing its doors Feb. 28.

After three months of trying to keep the 59-year-old institution afloat in the dire economy, board members and staff said Friday they have run out of options.

The board had cut the museum’s budget to less than $1 million for the year and laid off workers.

“We’ve tried everything to keep this afloat. It’s just a challenging time,” said Patrick Duffy, president of the museum board. “The economic climate has eliminated several of our donations” and reduced others significantly.

Public funding accounts for just 3 percent of the museum budget, and in a valley of 2 million people, the museum’s membership was just over 1,000.

“It’s just a lesson in the fact that no serious museum will be possible without public support,” said former executive director Libby Lumpkin, who came aboard in 2005 and helped turn the institution into a respected contemporary art museum. She resigned Dec. 2 when the board announced the budget cuts. “Maybe I missed the readiness of Las Vegas to move in the direction of an urban metropolis.”

The staff and board will meet next week to discuss the future of the art in the museum’s collection. Officials also will talk with the National Museum of Art, which recently announced it was giving 50 works from the Vogel collection to the Las Vegas museum.

The Las Vegas organization formed in 1950 as an art league. In 1974 it became a fine art museum, and in 1997 it moved into the Sahara West Library at 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

Under Lumpkin, the museum presented such exhibits as “Southern California Minimalism,” which included works by Robert Irwin, John McCracken, and James Turrell; “Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland,” featuring artists who had studied at UNLV with Dave Hickey; and architect Frank Gehry’s models, sketches and drawings for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

What will now be its final exhibit, “L.A. Now,” curated by art critic David Pagel, features work by Los Angeles contemporary artists.

“We had a lot of really great ideas. We wanted to be able to share them with the community,” said Alex Codlin, interim executive director. “We cut the budget significantly and thought we’d stay one step ahead of the economy. I’ve spoken with people at other institutions around the country. They’re in the same boat. They just maybe have more established donors or bigger endowments.

Duffy said the museum will keep its name so that it can re-emerge when the economy improves. “We’ll dig ourselves out of this. It’s not a possibility, it’s a probability,” he said. “The arts aren’t dead in Las Vegas. One entity that’s gone does not a cultural community make. We’ve got great gallerists, very passionate gallerists. We’ve got people here who are very passionate about art. It’s just not fair to the community to launch insignificant shows, especially after what we’ve had in the last couple of years.”

Las Vegas Art Museum to close at end of month

Just a friendly reminder that our DVD sale ends this Friday.  If you haven't yet ordered your copy of "The Story of Classic Las Vegas: An Overview", what are you waiting for?

Take advantage of our sale and get the "Tribute to Don English" free with your order ( a $10 savings).  Just order the "The Story of Classic Las Vegas" as you normally would (follow the link below) and we will automatically include the "Tribute" disc at no extra cost.  But this offer ends Friday.

If you are interested in knowing the real history of Las Vegas, these two DVDs provide plenty of information and never before seen footage.

Order now, before midnight (PST) on Friday, Feb. 20th and these two discs will be yours for the price of one.

Here's the link to order your copy today:

http://www.classiclasvegas.com/coolstuff/forms/merch_order.htm

After a 20 year run on the stage at the Riviera, Frank Marino and the guys got word yesterday that the show is closing.  Coupled with the closing of the long-running "Folies Bergere" at the Tropicana, the economic recession is taking its toll on more than just the gambling pits.

From our pal, Robin Leach over at the Las Vegas Sun:

On Monday night, the cast and crew of the female impersonator show "Evening at La Cage" at the Riviera were notified by owner Norbert Aleman that he regrettably was being forced to shut down the long-running production.

Headliner Frank Marino and his fellow female impersonators received the news as the show ended at 9 p.m.

There were weeklong negotiations with Riviera executives and the show’s producers, but because of falling ticket sales and no sign of an immediate recovery for hotel bookings, it was decided to close the show.

Frank, who played the show’s colorful Mistress of Ceremonies as Joan Rivers, held the title of Las Vegas’ longest-running headliner. He was presented with a key to the city on “Frank Marino Day” on Feb. 1, 2006.

The pink slips came nine days after the third anniversary of that presentation by Mayor Oscar Goodman. Additionally, Frank has a star on the Strip’s Walk of Stars and Frank Marino Drive in honor of him.

The show began as a three-month run in 1985 when it started at the Riviera but ran more than 20 years with female impersonators duplicating Cher, Britney Spears, Madonna, Bette Midler and even Michael Jackson.

Frank, who appeared in "Miss Congeniality 2," which was filmed here, authored the book "His Majesty the Queen."

Norbert, who also produces the sexy topless adult cabaret revue "Crazy Girls" at the Riviera, says that revue will continue.

Frank said he was expecting the closure because of falling audience numbers. After a monthlong vacation, Frank says he’ll start work on his “ultimate drag show” he’s been working on for several months.

"Crazy Girls" has been on extended hiatus since Christmas, and that lineup of eight topless beauties will reopen Wednesday.

Also let go last night were actors Lane Lassiter, who played Michael Jackson; Steven Wayne, who played Cher and was at the superstar singer’s premiere last year at the Caesars Palace Colosseum at her invitation; Ryan Zink, who performed as Reba McEntire; Brent Allen as Bette Midler; and Crystal Woods as Diana Ross, along with Frank’s understudy James Henderson.

News of "La Cage" closing follows the announcement that "Folies Bergere," the topless revue at the Tropicana, will close in March after a 49-year run.

The Friends of Classic Las Vegas will be having their monthly

General Meeting this

Sunday, Feb. 8th.

2:00 pm at the Nevada State Museum

Auditorium

700 Twin Lakes Drive

Lorenzi Park

We hope to see you there as we are beginning to plan our Spring Activities.

Refreshments will be served!

Our pal Jeff Burbank is reporting over at the DowntownNews  that the City of Las Vegas has asked that the Moulin Rouge being demolished because it is "a dangerous building."  Seems the city has determined that the building is a threat to public safety and "wants the dilapidated, 53-year-old property demolished, including the former casino facade and adjacent two-story motel.

Meanwhile, the owner of the property, Moulin Rouge Properties, LLC, has filed an appeal to the city’s demolition order."

A hearing scheduled for yesterday on the matter was delayed and the matter will be discussed at the March 4th City Council hearing.

According to the article:

The city’s Neighborhood Services Department, on Dec. 8, sent an official notice and order to the property owner, listing dozens of reasons why the old Moulin Rouge casino building at 840 W. Bonanza Road and the motel at 920 W. Bonanza both qualified as dangerous buildings, including deterioration, the possibility of collapse, serving as a harbor for vagrants and criminals, a severe pest infestation, faulty plumbing and heating and a threat to local property values.

Devon S. Smith, manager of the department’s neighborhood response division, said in the letter that Moulin Rouge had 10 days to file an appeal.

In response, Moulin Rouge chief executive Dale L. Scott wrote on Dec. 12 that the company would appeal the notice and order, because it had already contracted with two firms, Phoenix Contractors and the Westmark Group, to demolish the buildings and remove “all associated materials on the parcel in question.”

“As these building are vacant, and all utilities have been disconnected, Moulin Rouge Properties, LLC and its contractors will not have to face delays in order to begin the demolition process,” Scott stated.

The Moulin Rouge, which opened as Las Vegas first integrated casino in 1955 and closed less than a year but operated of and on as a nightclub and motel.

The main casino building, with its classic script neon (but non-working) marquee sign, suffered a damaging fire in 2003. Since then, the motel part has served as a home for squatters, who have lived inside some of its many open hotel rooms.

For years since the fire, debris has covered the area behind the old casino’s façade, which is propped up by a series steel rods along Bonanza Road.

A year ago, Scott announced plans to develop the site with 700 hotel rooms, a 44,000 square-foot casino, retail stores, four restaurants and a museum. He also said that he would preserve the casino’s famous façade and merge it into the project. However, construction never got started.

No word on what would happen to the beautiful neon-script signage that still adorns the front of the building.  It was designed by Betty Willis.  Hopefully it will go to the Neon Museum instead of being destroyed.  Though the cost of moving the giant sign will likely be in the thousands of dollars and does the Museum have space for the large sign?