A RatPack CrossRoads Public Art Project
By artist Wayne Littlejohn
Stainless Steel, Bronze, Interactive Lighting
15-foot tall sculpture ~ Dedicated: January 2020
SPIN BABY EMERGES FROM A WORLD THAT IS DIZZY
FROM FUN TO PROCLAIM HAPPILY THAT IN THIS TOWN
"THE BEST IS YET TO COME!"
Commissioned and Funded by the Department of Parks & Recreation and the County Arts Plan, this sculpture is a unique 15-foot tall spiraling public art sculpture that celebrates the legendary entertainers of Las Vegas, past, present and future. "While this monumental sculpture, 'Spin Baby,' celebrates the current moment, it wholly embraces the mid-century flavor of old Vegas, too," Littlejohn said. "I wanted to celebrate the amazing entertainers of Las Vegas, past and present, with a focus on the significance of the human voice."
Wayne Littlejohn is a Canadian-born artist who earned his bachelor's degree in Art at the University of Manitoba. He furthered his education, traveling and living in Asia, then moved to Nevada in 1994 to participate in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
He is a professor in the Fine Arts Department at the College of Southern Nevada. He has exhibited works in Austria, Canada, Japan, Sweden and across the US- large works have been exhibited in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and in Los Angeles at Rosamund Felson and Peter Mendenhall Galleries.
Wayne has given interviews, participated in panel discussions and presented workshops and lectures in cooperation with major academic institutions such as the Guggenheim and Smithsonian museums. His work inhabits major private and corporate collections, as well as permanent institutional collections including the Las Vegas Art Museum and the UNLV Donna Beam Gallery. In 2001 Wayne received one of five Nevada Arts Council fellowships for outstanding work in the field of visual art.
Wayne Littlejohn's proposal for the sculpture referenced Las Vegas's entertainment industry and probes the mathematic, historic and aesthetic appeal of the spiral. The artwork took two years to complete from structural engineering to carving, casting and installation.
www.littlejohnstudio.com
The sculpture is located on the corner at the intersection of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra Drives, behind Caesars Palace.
LIST NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE PIECE
(702) 455-8685,
CCPublicArt@ClarkCountyNV.govSupervisor: Mickey Sprott