Commission debates increasing curator fees and artist pay for city gallery exhibitions
October 17, 2025 | Las Vegas , Clark County, Nevada
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Commissioners at the Las Vegas City Art Commission meeting on Oct. 16 discussed a proposed increase to curator fees for city gallery exhibitions and whether curators should pay participating artists.
Commissioner Douglas opened the conversation, saying “the curation fees are really low, really low, especially in comparison to other places,” and urged the commission to consider raising the fee to attract higher-caliber curators. Commissioner Douglas suggested an increase “between 5,000 to 10,000.”
Laura Machado, cultural affairs staff, explained funding limits for curator fees. “The Arts Commission oversees the percent for the arts fund, and that municipal fund has a lot of code related to how money can be allocated, and it's not for temporary projects. So the City of Las Vegas cultural affairs team, we program the exhibition through our gallery program, and it's from our general budget,” Machado said.
Machado and other commissioners discussed options including creating a separate grant program, partnering with the Nevada Arts Council project grants, or directing curators to seek external grants. Commissioners noted the city's current curator fee structure runs roughly $2,000 to $2,500, with artist inclusion stipends described in the packet as $500 for emerging artists, $1,000 for Las Vegas-based artists and $2,000 for national artists.
Opinions diverged about whether a curator fee increase should require curators to pay artists directly. Commissioner Portnoy said many local curators would curate for no fee and questioned the necessity of higher baseline payments. Commissioner Cleven urged the commission to consider artist pay as part of the broader review: “I really think that needs to be reviewed as well.”
The commission did not take a formal vote on a fee change. Staff and commissioners agreed to explore options, including researching other municipal programs, considering educational workshops for emerging curators, and encouraging curators to apply for Nevada Arts Council grants to support artist fees.
No formal motion was made; staff recorded the discussion and will bring recommendations or education items back to the commission.
Commissioner Douglas opened the conversation, saying “the curation fees are really low, really low, especially in comparison to other places,” and urged the commission to consider raising the fee to attract higher-caliber curators. Commissioner Douglas suggested an increase “between 5,000 to 10,000.”
Laura Machado, cultural affairs staff, explained funding limits for curator fees. “The Arts Commission oversees the percent for the arts fund, and that municipal fund has a lot of code related to how money can be allocated, and it's not for temporary projects. So the City of Las Vegas cultural affairs team, we program the exhibition through our gallery program, and it's from our general budget,” Machado said.
Machado and other commissioners discussed options including creating a separate grant program, partnering with the Nevada Arts Council project grants, or directing curators to seek external grants. Commissioners noted the city's current curator fee structure runs roughly $2,000 to $2,500, with artist inclusion stipends described in the packet as $500 for emerging artists, $1,000 for Las Vegas-based artists and $2,000 for national artists.
Opinions diverged about whether a curator fee increase should require curators to pay artists directly. Commissioner Portnoy said many local curators would curate for no fee and questioned the necessity of higher baseline payments. Commissioner Cleven urged the commission to consider artist pay as part of the broader review: “I really think that needs to be reviewed as well.”
The commission did not take a formal vote on a fee change. Staff and commissioners agreed to explore options, including researching other municipal programs, considering educational workshops for emerging curators, and encouraging curators to apply for Nevada Arts Council grants to support artist fees.
No formal motion was made; staff recorded the discussion and will bring recommendations or education items back to the commission.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meeting