ArtPop Las Vegas 2019 Winners joined by the jury panel and past ArtPop alumni. Photo by Theresa Bautista

First Friday hosted the fourth annual event for ArtPop Street Gallery on April 5th where seven winning artists’ works were revealed. The presentation included #ArtPopLasVegas Alum artists, ArtPop sponsors and guests, staff from the city of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs, AIGA Las Vegas, OUTFRONT Media and Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The festival goers were able to meet and greet with the winning artists.

This year’s winning artists are Ashley Liu, Shan Michael Evans, Lynn Adamson Adrian, Stanley Slaughter, Jr, Gina May, Mary Hill, and Nicole Cochener.

Wendy Hickey, Executive Director and Founder of ARTPop stated, “We at ArtPop Street Gallery are so inspired by the art that was submitted & the 7 artists juried in for the Class of 2019. Serving the incredible art by the local artists of Clark County has been our pleasure for the last 4 years. We hope the artists will prosper through the incredible advertising platform provided by our partners at OUTFRONT Media & Lamar Advertising. Thank you to our media partners, the City of Las Vegas & AIGA for your continued belief in ArtPop LasVegas.”

The judges for this year’s ARTPop included Corey Fagan who is the Community Outreach Director at First Friday, Ricky McMillon of LAMAR Advertising, Jorge Lara who is the Program Director of AIGA Las Vegas, Polly Weinstein, a partner at RESET Las Vegas, and past ArtPOP winners Brian Martinez and Valentin Yordanov. They were joined at City Hall by Laura Machado, Visual Arts Specialist at City of Las Vegas where the jury process took place.

Jorge Lara, Program Director for AIGA Las Vegas and Editor In Chief at VIM stated, “We are proud of this year’s collection of artists that represent an exemplary array of design, form, and expression. It was difficult to sort through the 62 entries that were submitted to find this year’s winning pieces. Having said that, I would like to thank all those who took the time and effort to submit their work and encourage those artists to enter again next year. Our plan is to promote the seven winning artists efforts these next several months through our programs and social media.”

Some of the winning art pieces are set to go live on billboards around the city of Las Vegas on First Friday while other pieces will launch in May. ArtPOP, AIGA Las Vegas, LAMAR, and Outfront encourage people wishing to photograph the art to find a safe place NOT on the highway or in traffic.

ArtPOP Street Gallery is a 501c3 organization that gives communities across the country greater access to art, by supporting the artists that create it. They do that by promoting their work on available media space — on billboards, on the sides of buses, across news racks, in airport terminals which are secured through the generous donations of media companies across the country. ArtPop operates in 14 cities, and since 2014 has displayed the work of more than 265 artists in their street galleries from Charlotte, NC to Las Vegas.

AIGA Las Vegas is the local chapter of a national organization dedicated to promoting the art of design. The Las Vegas Chapter of AIGA, the professional organization for design, is committed to providing education, support, and networking to professionals and students and serves as an advocate for the ethical practice of design.

Founded in 1999, AIGA LV supports designers and varied creative entities in the Las Vegas Valley and surrounding areas by organizing projects and events – lectures, mixers, community partnerships, social outreach, and competitions – to help inform current and future designers, as well as the broader public, about the value of design.

As part of AIGA, they share in the mission of advancing design as a professional craft, strategic tool, and vital cultural force. The membership of over 22,000 in 66 chapters believe designers serve a critical role as communicators, educators, and innovators. AIGA sets the national standard for the role of design in economic, social, political, cultural, and creative contexts. Founded in 1914 as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design and is now known simply as “AIGA, the professional association for design.”