Elizabeth Nelson walks through Emergency Arts like an enchanted forest denizen, pointing out the quirky beauty of its architecture: a wall, a broom closet, a drawer, a stairwell or peculiar nook defining the former medical center, originally a J.C. Penney. It was a year ago that the “What could I find?” question batted at her, until she considered ballerinas pas de bourréeing down hallways, opera singers belting arias from a bathroom, an unexpected sculpture on the ceiling or an audio device placed in a drawer with a note that says, “read me.”
After selling Emergency Arts operator Jennifer Cornthwaite on the idea of a building-wide arts immersion, Nelson brought in New York artists Adriana Chavez and Heidi Rider, who moved to Las Vegas to help establish the Small Space Fest of performing and visual arts.
The group, Weft in the Weave Collective, is seeking submissions from new, emerging and established artists locally and nationally for the June 20 event and month-long art installation—a dialogue-creating connection between artists in Las Vegas and elsewhere. “This isn’t a mega-blowout art fest with gobs of money,” Nelson says. “It’s about the small interactions. What kind of art can fill these small spaces and transform them into worlds of experience?” We’ll learn soon enough. The application deadline is March 6, with details at weftintheweave.com.
