Circa Resort & Casino to be First Vegas Resort to Launch Utility NFT Art Collection

Downtown Las Vegas Casino Partners with Prolific Artist Borbay on NFT of Iconic Kicking Cowgirl Neon Sign, Vegas Vickie

Circa Resort & Casino—downtown Las Vegas’ first adults-only casino—will launch a utility NFT art collection of the famous kicking cowgirl neon sign, Vegas Vickie painted by prolific artist Jason “Borbay” Borbet. Circa will be the first Las Vegas casino to debut an NFT to the blockchain with an NFT collection. The details surrounding the NFT tiers, real-life utility functions and mint date will be announced in the coming weeks.

The NFT will pay homage to Vegas Vickie, a 20-foot blonde cowgirl neon sign who made her mark on the world-famous Fremont Street Experience in 1980, smiling into the crowds while perched upon Bob Stupak’s Glitter Gulch Casino. Originally designed by Charles F. "Chuck" Barnard, the sign was acquired by Circa’s CEO Derek Stevens in 2016, where she was refurbished by Las Vegas-based sign company YESCO and now lives as a signature art piece in Circa’s lobby.

To kick off the project, Borbay created a painting of Vegas Vickie that will serve as the foundation for the NFT. The neon portrait, which was live painted at Circa throughout the month of February, now lives in the property’s rooftop lounge, Legacy Club, and is placed next to a QR code that leads to the NFT landing page with additional details.

“At Circa, we strive to bring important elements from the past and merge them with what’s new, so to take one of Vegas’ most historic images and turn her into an NFT felt like a lightbulb moment,” said Stevens. “I’ve been passionate about supporting the cryptocurrency community from the beginning. My properties were the first casinos in Vegas to begin accepting Bitcoin eight years ago, and when Borbay approached us regarding the Vegas Vickie NFT, there was no question I wanted to create this very special collection for the NFT community.”

Idaho-based Borbay is a prominent artist, author and entrepreneur who has been painting legendary neon, places, and portrait pieces since 2009. A longtime fan of downtown Las Vegas whose work has been featured at The Guggeheim and Universal Hip Hop Museum, Borbay knew he had to be a part of Vegas Vickie’s story the moment he saw her.

“It was love at first sight when I visited Vegas Vickie in Circa’s lobby. She is a timeless and striking work, and the amount of effort and detail the Circa team put into her refurbishment is astonishing. This collaboration is a community project through and through, and we are excited to educate and empower the NFT space in Las Vegas and beyond,” said Borbay.

When Borbay was seeking a partner for a Las Vegas NFT project, he knew Stevens had been bullish on two critical items that aligned with his vision: supporting the Bitcoin community and Las Vegas’ burgeoning art scene. Stevens’ other downtown ventures, the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, were the first casinos in Las Vegas to house Bitcoin ATMs and accept it as currency for non-gaming spend. Additionally, Circa was built with art incorporated into its design when it opened in October 2020, as the property features an extensive collection primarily featuring works by local Las Vegas artists.

In March 2021, Borbay approached Circa’s Vice President of Operations Jeff Victor about turning Vegas Vickie into an NFT. Victor had a heavy hand in Vegas Vickie’s restoration, and even married her to fellow downtown Las Vegas neon sign Vegas Vic back in 1994 when he served as president of Fremont Street Experience. Victor loved Borbay’s vision and the road to creating the NFT was born.

“When Borbay first approached us about this project, we knew he was onto something special. This is a new chapter in Vegas Vickie’s illustrious history that will honor Vegas’ past, present, and future in a bold new way,” said Victor.

For more information, visit circalasvegas.com/vegas-vickie-nft.

Downtown Vegas Alliance, city Of Las Vegas to celebrate murals March 22

How a pandemic shut down spurred a downtown Las Vegas mural art explosion that helped heal a community

In partnership with the city of Las Vegas, the Downtown Vegas Alliance (DVA), a nonprofit organization that connects its members and downtown stakeholders to influence growth in the heart of Las Vegas, has announced a free community event. Meet the entrepreneurs, artists, and city government leaders who came together during Phase I of the pandemic to create inspirational, provocative, and beautiful works of art. The March 22 “Successes and Insights” event is free and open to the public by RSVPing to https://bit.ly/DVAcovidmurals.

In mid-March of 2020, the State of Nevada mandated all non-essential businesses must close. As a result, many downtown Las Vegas businesses took advantage of a city of Las Vegas program that provided funding for artists to create murals on the plywood boards covering their storefronts. Once erected, these “COVID Murals” became an instant drive-through gallery that helped inspire and heal the Las Vegas community and spurred an art explosion throughout the entire downtown area that continues today.

When restrictions were lifted and shops began to reopen, The COVID Murals were collected and preserved through a collaborative effort between the 18b Las Vegas Arts District, DVA, First Friday Foundation, city of Las Vegas, Mojave Events, and local business owners. Several of the collected murals will be on display at the March 22 event that includes a series of conversations/stories from local leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists who were instrumental in creating, executing, and collecting the murals.

Featured storytellers include:

• Ryan Smith, director of economic and urban development, city of Las Vegas.

• Ally Haynes-Hamblen, director, office of cultural affairs, city of Las Vegas.

• Derek Stonebarger, owner of ReBar and Davy’s on Main Street in downtown Las Vegas.

• Abby Stroot, president of the 18b Las Vegas Arts District Association and owner of Pincushion.

• Izaac Zevalking (Recycled Propaganda), a socio-political artist acclaimed for his graphic exploration of a broad variety of contemporary issues who created several COVID murals.

Carolyn Wheeler, executive director of the Downtown Vegas Alliance, will serve as emcee and storyteller.

The Downtown Vegas Alliance (DVA) is a member-driven 501(c)6 nonprofit organization that connects its members and downtown stakeholders to influence growth in the heart of Las Vegas through thought leadership and collaboration. Founded in 2008 by a group of leading business and property owners and the city of Las Vegas, the DVA continues to evolve and advocate for the downtown community. The organization serves as the leading voice of downtown Las Vegas and an indispensable partner for its business community. Visit downtown.vegas for more information.

NV Energy is the sponsor of the March 22 event, which also serves as a preview for a larger, ticketed first-of-its-kind exhibit scheduled for May 12-22 that will include dozens of The COVID Murals along with the stories of the artists who created them and the businesses they covered. This Successes & Insights forum, located at 902 S. Commerce Street, will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on March 22. The event is free and open to the public, and registration at https://bit.ly/DVAcovidmurals is required since space is limited. Follow Downtown Vegas Alliance: Facebook, Twitter @DTLVAlliance, Instagram, and LinkedIn.