 David Riggleman | Director of Communications | 702.229.2207 Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Diana Paul | 702.229.6582 | 702.271.3030 | dpaul@lasvegasnevada.gov Las Vegas City Council Approves Contract To Develop Master Plan For African American Museum and Cultural Center In Historic Westside Gallagher & Associates, LLC. Selected Through A Competitive Process The Las Vegas City Council today approve a contract with Gallagher & Associates, LLC. to develop a master plan for an African American museum and cultural center in the Historic Westside. Gallagher & Associates, which developed the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, the National World War II Museum and the National Museum of African American Music, among others, was selected from a competitive process. The team will work with FordMomentum! on community engagement, as well as Barber & Associates, LLC., led by Anna Barber, on a fundraising strategy.
The contract provides for creation of a comprehensive master plan for the development of an African American museum and cultural arts center in the Historic Westside, at a location to be determined. The master plan will incorporate findings and engagement efforts to date, and provide clear direction that will allow the city, along with the community, to move into implementation. It also will establish a clear vision for the museum, identify how that vision will be realized, explore location alternatives and determine the best location to deliver the vision, establish clear floor plans and experience explanations, and explore how the museum and cultural arts center can be funded and delivered in a timely manner. “This is another exciting development for the Historic Westside in moving forward with hiring a national firm to design an African American museum and cultural arts center,” said Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear, who represents this area. “The residents of this community and the entire state want to have their stories told and this project will be a testament to their legacy.” The HUNDRED (Historic Urban Neighborhood Design Redevelopment) Plan – a visionary, community-led approach to revitalizing the Historic Westside – was completed in 2016 with guidance from the community. The HUNDRED Plan in Action, completed in 2020, established a clear implementation strategy for the HUNDRED Plan. In the time since these plans were finalized, community partners and the city have worked to align resources to bring the vision for the Historic Westside to life. The development of an anchor cultural campus celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the Historic Westside, Las Vegas and beyond was envisioned as part of the HUNDRED Plan and the HUNDRED Plan in Action. The approach for the museum and arts center is to connect the many and varied existing and historic cultural facilities in the community while expanding storytelling opportunities of the African American experience through collections and programming. The museum and cultural arts center facility(ies) will be developed via a collaborative effort involving the city and community leaders and stakeholders. While no determination has been made on the size or scope of a new facility/campus, the intent is to connect existing historical assets to a new facility or facilities that can tell a comprehensive story of the African American experience in the Historic Westside, Las Vegas, Nevada and beyond. In addition to museum facilities that may include standing and rotating collections, this master plan will include the development of a cultural arts center to incorporate African American art and artists of all varieties, as well as facilities within which cultural and performing arts production can occur. Some initial work and engagement has occurred with the community to begin to determine their desires as it relates to a future museum and cultural arts center. In December 2020, a community stakeholder and subject matter expert workshop was held with approximately 40 participants to understand the process for museum development and begin to identify the museum experience. In August/September 2021, a community survey, one-on-one stakeholder interviews and open public community workshop collectively engaging over 400 members of the community, were held to better understand priorities for this museum. Findings from the culmination of this outreach can be found at the following web link: https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/Initiatives/Hundred-Plan/About-Hundred-Plan?tab=3. The specific scope of services for the master plan, building on this previous work, includes: An analysis of the arts and culture environment Community and Stakeholder Engagement Content Strategy for the Museum Establishment of a vision for the arts center and how it will integrate into the museum Operational and Financial Plan Fundraising Strategy Implementation Approach A final plan will be presented next year. ### Las Vegas City Council Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman | Mayor Pro Tem Stavros S. Anthony Michele Fiore | Cedric Crear | Brian Knudsen | Victoria Seaman | Olivia Diaz City Manager Jorge Cervantes |
