Las Vegas Weekly

Fire-damaged Place Gallery marks first anniversary by reopening in new spot

Blackbird Studios on Commerce Street will likely evoke déjà vu among those who visited Place Gallery on Main Street. The new space has the same setup, same artists and same mission as the former Place, which closed after a transformer explosion damaged the building in July.

To celebrate its official rebirth and new name, Blackbird Studios will host a grand opening/zombie-themed exhibit October 1, featuring work by more than 30 artists, rockabilly zombie girls and demonstrations on how to kill a zombie.

The evening also marks one year since owner Gina Quaranto opened the former gallery and the eighth anniversary of First Friday. That’s enough reason to celebrate for Quaranto, who was born of First Friday and says she showed her work outdoors at the monthly street festival’s Casino Center Boulevard and Colorado Avenue site from the second event until she opened Place. There she provided a home for the underground, mostly self-taught and lowbrow art scene, celebrated by local fans of the style. “For a Las Vegas gallery to be a year old—that’s like being 100 years old,” says Quaranto, who promises more celebrations and fundraisers in the large courtyard behind Blackbird Studios.