June 21, 2019
Juhl, a 344–residence, loft-style community that spans an entire city block in downtown Las Vegas and known for its flexible floor plans and industrial chic design aesthetic, has announced its next featured artist of its Artist in Residence program, now in its sixth installment.
Atlanta-based community leader, painter and entrepreneur Okeeba Jubalo, will live and work at Juhl in downtown Las Vegas from June 29-Aug. 6.
Jubalo, best known as a visionary pioneer for the advancement of African American art and business in Atlanta, will host a visual arts and spoken word performance at Classic Jewel, a downtown cocktail lounge on the ground floor of Juhl, 353 E. Bonneville Ave. on July 30 from 6-9 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
As Juhl’s Artist in Residence, Jubalo also will work in a studio that is visible from the street, inviting passersby to watch him paint, throughout the residency.
According to Uri Vaknin, a partner at KRE Capital, LLC, whose company, in partnership with Dune Real Estate Partners and Northcap, purchased Juhl in 2013 as DK Las Vegas, Jubalo is a celebrated Southern African American artist whose work mostly deals with race.
His residency at Juhl in Las Vegas provides a unique opportunity to bring his vision to the desert Southwest and respond to his new landscape — both physical and human.
“His works illuminate the undefined and sometimes bitter truths of people of African American descent,” Vaknin said. “He uses sketchy, yet vibrant and soulfully layered paint strokes with his original handwritten poetry. Through bold art with a strong point of view, his art gets people talking.”
According to Vaknin, Jubalo has also helped to create opportunities through his marketing and branding agency, NobleSol Art Group, whose client list includes The Morehouse College National Alumni Association, The Atlanta Dream and the National Black Arts Festival, among many others.
NobleSol Art Group created a voice for entrepreneurs by branding their businesses, which sparked Jubalo to create the national publication, Young Black Entrepreneur Magazine, to serve as an educational platform for entrepreneurs.
One of the more recent components Jubalo created under the wing of NobleSol Art Group is the Wolfpack internship group. Endorsed by eight-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Maynard Eaton, the Wolfpack is designed to help college students develop real world professional skills and build upon career opportunities.
Juhl’s Artist in Residence initiative, the first of its kind in downtown Las Vegas and launched in 2016 with celebrated Nevada visual artist Justin Favela as the community’s first artist in residence.
Selected artists are invited by Vaknin to live and work at Juhl in Downtown Las Vegas to enhance the area’s vibrancy as a center of artistic and creative expression.
Over the past three years, in addition to visual artists, the program has included a Writer in Residence program via a partnership with the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute; and most recently, an Architecture in Residence guest lecture series in partnership with the UNLV School of Architecture.
The brainchild of Vaknin, Juhl’s Artist in Residence program provides an opportunity for select artists and thought leaders to live and work rent-free at Juhl in the heart of downtown Las Vegas.
The residency includes a two-level live/work space at Juhl with a ground-level studio space of approximately 1,000 square feet and approximately 1,000 square feet of living space on the second floor.
“Juhl’s architecture and contemporary design aesthetic naturally attract artists and creative types who appreciate the community’s progressive vibe,” Vaknin said. “As home to the 18b Las Vegas Arts District, a myriad of museums, including the Neon Museum, and as work on a future modern art museum at Symphony Park progresses, downtown Las Vegas is continuing to evolve as an arts community.
Juhl is ideally positioned in the center of it all. The Artist in Residence program is a wonderful way to celebrate the area’s many creative residents while bringing artists, thought leaders and literary luminaries into the heart of downtown Las Vegas for lively discussions and gatherings of all kinds.”
Juhl is an urban destination, complete with 20,000-square-feet of specially curated ground level retail that complements the neighborhood’s existing retail, seamlessly connecting downtown districts, including the Arts District, from which it draws significant inspiration. Juhl is a popular residential choice for professionals and entrepreneurs, especially many who work at firms and courthouses throughout downtown’s expansive legal community.
“Juhl is an exciting addition to downtown’s evolution as a true urban center within the heart of our city,” Vaknin said. “It provides a myriad of cosmopolitan living options for like-minded residents drawn to the area’s growing vibrancy.”
