Tim Bavington Sculpture

Pipe Dream

The artist unveils his first sculptural work on permanent display in Las Vegas (NV).

Now open to the public at:

The Smith Center for
Performing Arts
361 Symphony Park Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89106

For over ten years, the City of Las Vegas has been working toward the grand opening of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. With over 2,600 construction workers overseeing its development, the approximately $425 million venue will be a cultural focal point for both its sponsoring city and the state of Nevada. In consulting more than twenty-five designers and architects, the lead design team placed great emphasis on promoting creative integrity and innovation within the public space. Upon being approached to create a mural for the venue's Symphony Park, Tim Bavington instead proposed a major site-specific sculpture derived from American classical composer Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man."

As a seminal practicing artist in the city, Bavington's first major sculptural work bespeaks his longstanding relationship to Las Vegas. Titled "Pipe Dream (Fanfare for the Common Man)," the unique work translates the artist's renown canvases into a three-dimensional composition. Spanning eighty-six feet long and twenty-seven feet tall, a carefully fabricated selection of 128 steel pipes accompany an indoor painting - titled "Fanfare (for the Common Man)" (2012). Both artworks reference the bold palette of the Vegas strip as well as its sensational mood, while also acting as homages to the great tradition of the American symphony.

Additionally, gallery artist and Las Vegas resident David Ryan has created two major interior works for the center. Both significant works are now on display to the public.