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MGM CityCenter, ARIA Resort & Casino “Silver River” Sculpture

Las Vegas, Nevada

Client: MGM Mirage / Dubai World
Sculptor: Maya Lin
Completion: 2009

As part of a $40 million public art program initiated by MGM Mirage, works by noted artists have been variously commissioned and acquired with the goal of promoting Las Vegas as a destination for the art world. Among the list of highly reputable artists is Maya Lin, whose contribution is an 84-foot cast of the Colorado River suspended above the check-in desk within CityCenter’s ARIA Resort lobby.

The sculpture begot numerous lighting challenges due it its narrow serpentine profile, use of reflective material and the requirements to conceal all light fixtures from public view.

Named “Silver River”, the piece is part of a series of works she has created on a river theme. Among them is one made from stainless steel pins that represent the length of the Yangtze River.

“This is not my typical venue, so one of the curiosities will be to see whether people coming here are curious enough to ask what it is if people ask why is she focusing on the Colorado River. That’s something that is a little bit of interest to me, to see how people react to a work of art that is pointedly focusing on an environmental issue within Las Vegas.” — Maya Lin.