Juhl launches Writer in Residence Program

The Writer in Residence program and partnership with BMI provides an opportunity for select BMI writers 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.

According to Uri Vaknin, a partner at KRE Capital LLC, whose company, in partnership with Dune Real Estate Partners, purchased Juhl in 2013 as DK Las Vegas, Juhl is a mecca for artists and innovators in downtown Las Vegas because of its location between the Arts District and the Fremont East Entertainment District.

“Juhl’s architecture and contemporary design aesthetic naturally attract artists and creative types who appreciate the community’s progressive vibe,” Vaknin said. “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, and given my personal passion for the arts, I am delighted to help forge this relationship with the Black Mountain Institute that evolves our Artist in Residence program to include thought leaders, writers and literary luminaries, bringing them to downtown Las Vegas for lively discussions and gatherings of all kinds.”

“The Black Mountain Institute fosters creative life in Las Vegas through its award-winning magazines and programs with artists ranging from breakout voices to winners of the MacArthur Fellowship, the Academy Awards and Nobel Prize in literature,” said Joshua Wolf Shenk, BMI’s artistic and executive director. “We’re delighted to partner with Juhl, one of the coolest spots in town, and to make a nexus between an international artist community and the vibrant life of downtown Las Vegas.”

Sara Ortiz, BMI’s new program manager, who just assumed her responsibilities with BMI after running programs for the Texas Library Association in Austin, Texas, will be the first writer to live at Juhl under the new program. She and her partner, Steve Siwinski, will host several gatherings this summer in the Juhl studio space for community members, writers, artists, arts leaders and other arts and literary stakeholders as she focuses on fully integrating into the Southern Nevada community.

Starting Aug. 1, writer Niela Orr, interviews editor for The Believer, a bimonthly literary magazine of interviews, essays and reviews published by BMI in Las Vegas, will take up residency at Juhl. A writer with credits in The New York Times, BuzzFeed, Elle and McSweeney’s, Orr has coordinated interviews for The Believer with such cultural luminaries as David Byrne, Paul Beatty and others.

Juhl is an urban destination, complete with 20,000 square feet of 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 myriad cosmopolitan living options for like-minded residents drawn to the area’s growing vibrancy.”

To learn more about Juhl, visit juhllv.com.

To learn more about the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute and join its mailing list, visit blackmountaininstitute.org.