Boulder City Gallery, Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 16, 1996

Burk Gal’ry finds new home Lisa Sciortino Friday, Aug. 16, 1996 | 11:59 a.m. There was a time when an old barbershop served as Boulder City's artistic hub. That's where Burk Gal'ry, the city's first permanent art outlet, set up shop with its Western-themed works -- bucking horses, cowboys, cattle and such -- in 1972. Back then, they were the only fine-arts house in town; in all of Southern Nevada, for that matter. "It was slow going for a while," recalls Gal'ry owner Vern Burk, "but we eventually drew a tremendous amount of people from Las Vegas." Other galleries soon moved into town, lending Boulder City its reputation as an arts center, bolstered annually by events like Art in the Park and the Clark County Art Show. About the same time, a similar arts renaissance was occurring in Las Vegas. Burk and his wife, Darlene, soon realized their Gal'ry was becoming a small fish in a big pond. "We did not have as many people driving out from Las Vegas," she says. So the Gal'ry bobbed about the burgeoning swamp of antique shops and craft boutiques, changing eclectic locations three times -- from the barbershop to a renovated garage, followed by a defunct hardware store -- before 1993. But now, the Gal'ry has finally found a place to call home -- the Boulder Dam Hotel, 1305 Arizona St. in Boulder City. It reopens Saturday with an art show and sale, following a two-year absence. But a few things have changed since the early days, namely the type of art on display there. The Western wares have hit the dusty trail, replaced with a collection of more "contemporary" pieces -- blown glass, bronze sculptures, paperweights, jewelry. "Primarily things you don't see every day here (in Southern Nevada)," Darlene says. "It was a narrower market. You can come in now and, if you're not a Western lover, find something." The Burks also manage the Boulder Dam Hotel. Vern is overseeing the property's renovation via the Boulder Dam Hotel Association, a community-based organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the historic hotel. The Gal'ry will join the Quail's Nail craft shop, Jack-be-Nimble Candle Shop and the Boulder City Art Guild Gallery, which have already set up shop in the hotel. "The addition of the Burk Gal'ry to these enterprises is a significant milestone in our efforts to revive the hotel," says association President Bill Ferrence. The Burks couldn't have picked a better time to move in, since Boulder City is in the midst of an arts revival, she adds. Recent additions include Brent Thompson's gallery, another called Fire and Water, and the recently opened Old Town Mall Gallery. Still, "I feel that there's no competition between the galleries. We all get along pretty well," Darlene says. "None of us handles the same people's art. None of us try to copy from each other." Burk Gal'ry's grand reopening begins at 10 a.m. A percentage of the sales from works displayed in the lobby will go toward the costs of renovating the hotel. Call 293-7731 for more information.