Las Vegas Weekly

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You’d think Gina Quaranto’s lot in life is to toil in triple-degree temperatures—without air-conditioning. The director of Place Gallery was one of the last artists to leave Neonopolis after it failed to cool the building properly in the middle of summer.

Photo: Kristen Peterson

From LVSK8 IV Skate Deck Art Show

This month, Quaranto is relocating Place Gallery after a July 11 Downtown transformer explosion blew out Place’s windows and left it without air-conditioning. Quaranto and other artists who have studios there have not been able to work in the space. “It’s almost unbelievable,” she says with a laugh. “That’s how crazy it is.”

The lack of air-conditioning threatened the crippled Place’s August 6 benefit. But apparently, when one window gets blown out, another door opens.

The event—and the gallery’s current exhibit—have moved to Alios, Todd VonBastiaans’ Main Street lighting company and gallery. Originally, VonBastiaans wanted to create a photo exhibit commemorating Main Street’s history, but says helping Place seemed more important. Proceeds from the Friday fundraiser will go toward moving the gallery to a new location.

LVSK8 IV Skate Deck Art Show, which opened less than two weeks before the explosion, will be on display at Alios. Artists are donating art and other items to be sold. “That’s why this community is so amazing,” Quaranto says. “This is what we do for each other.”