Business as unusual

Two years later, First Friday tries out another first--corporate sponsorship

By Newt Briggs

Art at the Funk House sponsored by Station Casinos.

SEAT funded by a generous grant from Young Electric Sign Co.

The Get Back brought to you by International Game Technology.

And so First Friday, Las Vegas' embryonic outpost of urban bohemianism, tumbles down the slippery slope to corporate servitude. At least that might be the view of certain provocateurs upon hearing that the upcoming First Friday--the 25th in the event's two-year history--will officially be dubbed "First Friday Presented by Barrick Gaming."

"What's next," goes the predictable grouse, "99-cent scones and mochaccinos after 10 p.m.? If I swipe my slot card at the entrance to the Arts Factory, can I start earning points toward a free watercolor?"

Such are the sarcastic quips inspired when the art world sullies its pristine hands at the trough of industry--especially the casino industry, which has always seemed to favor a herd mentality over the stubborn individuality of art and imagination. Yet there's something different about Barrick Gaming--not because of the company's hypersensitive corporate conscience but because of its substantial financial interest in downtown redevelopment.

"We own close to 30 acres of downtown Las Vegas," says Barrick Gaming President Stephen Crystal. "A lot of it is going to casino-hotel expansion, but a lot of it is going to be residential and retail and everything from lofts to condominium towers to town squares. So, unlike some other businesses in the downtown area, we very much have an interest in seeing downtown offer the full complement of cultural activities. What we see so far with the arts district is very encouraging, and we want to be a supporter of those efforts."

In order to become First Friday's first corporate sponsor, Barrick Gaming contributed $5,000 to what First Friday co-founder Cindy Funkhouser calls a "media fund." Under Barrick's supervision, the money has been used for promotion and advertising on KNPR and in the local press. As Crystal notes, it's a one-time donation, and despite an open invitation to future sponsorship, Barrick Gaming is hedging its bets on a long-term commitment. "I think it's important that we get a lot of people buying into this," he says. "I don't know that we want to become the sole benefactor."

In other words, it's not at all unlikely that the event could someday become a revolving door for well-heeled sugar daddies. In fact, Funkhouser says the First Friday Committee is "actively pursuing future sponsorships."

"The city came up with the idea of looking for a sponsor every month, and they solicited Barrick and Barrick agreed to do it for October," says Funkhouser. Asked if she thinks the sponsorship might compromise First Friday's artistic integrity, Funkhouser replies, "I'm not really worried because we've already spent the money."

While corporate backing may sound like the death knell for the little arts event that could, participants in Portland, Ore.'s First Thursday--the inspiration behind our own First Friday--consider it a natural evolution toward urban stability and respectability. Although First Thursday has never taken money from corporate sponsors, the event has been the impetus behind a veritable metropolitan renaissance in Portland's downtrodden industrial sector.

"The transformation of these kinds of neighborhoods follows a predictable pattern," says Edy Dorsen, consultant to the Pearl Gallery, the artistic epicenter of First Thursday. "First, you have the artists who go in because they can find inexpensive space. Next, you have some adventurous restaurants that go in and offer attractive dining options. Then you have the emergence of art galleries, and finally, residential living, which completes the neighborhood."

It's taken the Pearl district 17 years to realize its developmental vision. Before that, the area was a skid row hodgepodge of sagging buildings and discarded syringes--actually, a neighborhood not unlike downtown Vegas. "Ten years ago, it was not a very pretty place," Dorsen says. "It was an industrial and warehousing area, which was basically desolate throughout the '60s and '70s. It was not the kind of place you wanted to be in the evenings." Today, Dorsen says the area has transformed into a bustling hive of artists, hipsters, performers, city-folk and--gasp!--even culture-hungry capitalists.

"Magical would be an understatement," says Thomas Augustine, director of Portland's Janice Griffin Gallery. "We've done the impossible here. Twenty years ago, you get 5,000 square feet in the arts district for $75 a month. Now, it is the highest priced real estate on the I-5 corridor."

Crystal foresees a similar evolution in downtown Las Vegas. "We're kind of in the beginning stages when artists are finding it attractive to congregate in the arts district," he says. "But I can tell you that the time period between where we are now and where we start to accommodate a rise in property values and more offerings is going to be a very short period of time."

Crystal won't put a timeline on the project, but he insists there will be "significant redevelopment and expansion" within the next three to five years. At the same time, he recognizes the need to maintain an affordable space for the artists expediting the downtown transformation. "No matter how far the city progresses in terms of property values, it's going to be important that we always incentivize and make room for the people who might not be able to afford those increases. That's part of having a diverse urban center. Barrick Gaming would definitely be a proponent of that with respect to the existing arts community."