No “Thinkers” welcome on the sixth floor

Since thieves brought about the end of the flag display on the sixth floor of the Clark County Public Service Center this summer, Administrator Bill Barron had a new idea on how to liven up the place.

The Clark County Arts Commission will arrange for artwork to be displayed outside of the commissioners’ hearing room.

Barron shared the policy with commissioners on Wednesday.

Artists will apply to the arts commission to have work put on display. If a piece is sold, the arts commission will receive a percentage of the profit.

There are a few rules, though: Artists are responsible for getting their artwork to and from the Public Service Center and work can’t be suspended from the ceiling. And, Barron added, no political statements or nudity will be allowed.

“So the nude guy sitting on a stump like this,” asked Commissioner Tom Mielke, leaning forward and putting his chin on his fist, “We can’t have that?”

“The Thinker,” said Deputy Administrator Glenn Olson, quickly supplying the name of the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

Correct, Barron said. No nudity allowed.

The arts commission will have a reception for each exhibit. To ensure pieces don’t go the way of the Canadian flag, an alarm will be triggered if someone gets sticky fingers. Also, Barron joked, assistant Jennifer Clark “will be trained in hand-to-hand combat and tackle them” before they make it out of the building.

And to local artists who may be reading this blog post, if you want your piece to catch Mielke’s eye, look to Thomas Kinkade for inspiration.

“I’m a ‘Painter of Lights’ guy,” Mielke said.