On display until April 24, 2025, VACANCY: The dead motels of Las Vegas by David Cooper brings retro Vegas motels to life with ink and mixed-media illustrations. The drawings evoke an innocent and idealized blend of the motels in their prime, celebrating a bygone era of gimmicky concept design and brilliant signage.
The themed motel has been an undeniable fixture peppered throughout the visual landscape of Las Vegas since its inception. The motel as the subject matter for this series is not just about pure nostalgia, but also a representation of the city’s flamboyant history and fickle nature. The exhibition's illustrations are stylistically presented from the naive gaze of artist David Cooper’s formative years growing up near The Strip. Executed with ink and mixed media on lush colored paper, the drawings evoke an innocent and idealized amalgam of the motels in their prime. In all, they celebrate a bygone era of gimmicky concept design, brilliant signage and antiquated amenities that boast about color television and air conditioning.
The frames constructed by Las Vegas-based independent woodworker Korey R. Replogle also stem from childhood memories. His father, along with other business owners he knew growing up, all had framed pictures of their respective properties hanging in their offices. As a tribute, it evokes the sentiment that each drawing could very well be an artifact that hung in the lobby of the motel it portrays. Utilizing a wide range of distinctive hardwood materials and unique building techniques, the frame’s purpose is to be a discernible companion to the individual illustration it encapsulates.
VACANCY: The dead motels of Las Vegas
Through April 24, 2025
Mon- Sat, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. (Closed Sundays/holidays)
FREE
Charleston Heights Arts Center
800 Brush St.
Las Vegas, NV 89107
STREAM ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
