2007 ART COMPETITION

June 29 through August 3

 The "2007 Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition Exhibition" was a huge success thanks to the Artists participation and creative talents. Congratulations to the first, second, third, and fourth place artists, the artists that received special mention, Terry Ritter our local professional artist, and everyone else that was part of a winning exhibition.

Here is the list of Artists that placed and their work that was on display at the: Nevada Historical Society, Water Street Art Gallery, Barnes & Noble, Second Annual Cast & Crew Reunion & The Fashion Outlets in Primm

Original "MGM Hello Hollywood Hello" vintage costumes

by: Karen Burns Productions

2007 Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition

Our vision is to capture the Legacy of the Showgirl and production shows for which Nevada is world famous. The project connects the visual and performing arts with a stunning combination of Art and Costumes that reflect the magic and history of this marvelous era. Timeless and everlasting.

The 2007 Showgirl Art Competition Exhibition was embraced by the staff at the Nevada Historical Society. They saw the historical value of the Showgirl Legacy and agreed to host the first year event that ran June 29 through August 3. The Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition was promoted through the schools and in the arts community in both Las Vegas and Reno, but it was Miss Kelly Mabel, an art teacher with the Las Vegas Academy for the Performing Arts that embraced the project and encouraged her students to explore the rich history of the showgirl. Twenty pieces of art were chosen, and professional Las Vegas Artist Terry Ritter offered four pieces to be shown. The project continued to grow, and Karen Burns, with Karen Burns productions included pieces from her special collection comprising of nearly 1000 vintage costumes from MGM’s “Hello Hollywood Hello"  The Reno Community was delighted with the live showgirls that greeted them at the opening reception, as well as the stunning combination of art and costumes. New York Times writer Patti Brown and photographer Jim Wilson flew in for the opening reception to capture the allure of the showgirl in their story that included color pictures and a featured article in the first section of the New York Times, as well as other national publications. I was thrilled.

The Exhibition continued to travel and was displayed at the grand opening of the Water Street Art Gallery in downtown Henderson. The winning artists and their families attended a reception and were awarded $1000 in cash prizes by its producer (me) and a contemporary showgirl dressed in one of Ms. Burns costumes. The Exhibition was included in a fundraiser for the Las Vegas Academy for the Performing Arts at the West Charleston Barnes and Noble book signing Saturday, October 27, and then by popular demand, was extended through December.  The popular Showgirl postcards have become a “hot” gift item for the Holidays.  The Art and cards were also at the Second Annual Cast and Crew Reunion November 4 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino and again received great audience acceptance. The art was also on display at the Fashion Outlets in PRIMM February 18 that included a Fashion Show.

This all could not have been possible without our 2007 sponsors that believed in the first year of this project: LasVegasShowgirlRealEstate.com:Diane Varney, Technology Exclusive: Phil Lulek, Carolyn Morledge Sparks, Bank of America: George Smith, Kell & Nancy Houssels, Greater Las Vegas Assn. of Realtors: Irene Vogel, Nevada Historical Society, Denny Weddle & Associates, Barnes & Noble, Karen Burns Productions, Terry Ritter, and our many, many volunteers who, without their support, we could not have achieved such great success.

Lou Anne Harrison Chessik, producer