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And the Cosmo’s new Artist in Residence is …
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 (2:05 p.m.)
Local artist Steven Spann
Move over, Fab5Freddie and your kickass portraits of Swarovski-bedazzled pugilists and strippers. The Cosmopolitan’s new Artist in Residence is Steven Spann, a Las Vegas artist who will be working with discarded materials on property—wine corks, gift bags from the marketing department and general packing trash that might find its way into the hotel’s P3 Studio, Spann’s public work space for the next six weeks.
Spann, who had a similar trash-into-art project at World Market Center, was approached recently by Chris Burns, Cosmo’s director of content and entertainment curation, and asked to move into the space as part of an engagement project: the artist working with staff and guests who provide him with the material. He moved his studio in last Friday and will be working 2-11 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
The exhibit is timely in the “green”-centric era where we’re well into the habit of examining consumerism and throwaway lifestyle.
Steven Spann moves into P3 Studio as its artist in residence
Spann says his studio work and art address the myth of ownership—what’s valued, what’s discarded, how materials get processed and the idea of turning waste into something of value. By providing materials, the employees and guests are actual participants in the work and deciding the medium: "They are choosing the recycled materials to bring into the studio. So I am working with their choices and trying not to cross pollinate the trash. I don't want to put marketing trash in a painting with accounting trash. This is quite different than the WMC where I was physically in the dumpster picking the trash."
A fan of Diebenkorn, Picasso and Chagall, Spann adopts their style of thick brush strokes, palette and, in some cases, abstraction. Spann says most of his work is exhibited and sold out of state, but locals familiar with SoHo Lofts will have seen his paintings featured there. Spann also painted the mural behind the bar at Downtown Cocktail Room.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas dares to be different. From the hotel’s red reservations desks to fine art found throughout the resort, The Cosmopolitan’s signature style is helping to pave its own path on the Las Vegas Strip.
Upon entering the resort, you’re greeted by pillars of video boards playing video art by Digital Kitchen and David Rockwell Studio exclusively produced for The Cosmopolitan. Just beyond that, you’ll find all your favorite casino games on the resort’s 100,000-square-foot casino floor.
The Cosmopolitan’s rooms standout as the resort’s most unique feature. About 2,220 of The Cosmopolitan’s 2,995 rooms have 6-foot deep terraces that span the length of the room, a first at a modern Strip hotel. Other in-room amenities include soaking tubs, kitchenettes and quirky accessories like artsy coffee table books.
The dining experience at The Cosmopolitan isn’t something you’ll find at other Strip resorts, either. All of The Cosmopolitan’s 13 restaurateurs are new to the Las Vegas market. You’ll find American steakhouse fare in a modern setting at STK, top-notch sushi at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill and the freshest fish flown in from the Mediterranean daily at Estiatorio Milos.
Whether the sun is up or down, Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub is the place to find the party at The Cosmopolitan. The venue is a dayclub/nightclub, complete with a pool and cabanas outside and three different rooms with three different vibes inside.
If nightclubs aren’t your thing, you can grab a drink at one of The Cosmopolitan’s five other bars, like The Chandelier, which is encased in 2 million dripping crystals.
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