07/15/2026
A piece of UNLV history has found a new home in Special Collections & Archives. 🔦
You may recognize The Flashlight, the 38-foot-tall sculpture that has stood between Artemus Ham Concert Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre since 1981. But you probably have not seen this smaller version.
The maquette, or scale model, of the sculpture spent nearly three decades in the office of Jerry Schefcik, longtime director of the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery within the UNLV College of Fine Arts When Schefcik retired in May after 37 years of service to UNLV, it was important to him that the piece remain safe and connected to the university.
Now, the maquette is part of our collections, where it is undergoing minor repairs, and will be preserved in the archives.
Created by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, The Flashlight was inspired in part by the flashlights ushers use to guide guests to their seats. Despite a popular campus rumor, the sculpture does not point downward because of airport traffic. Van Bruggen felt that a flashlight shining into the sky was too predictable, which led to the upside-down design we know today.
Swipe to see The Flashlight on campus today, its unforgettable journey to Las Vegas in 1981 and the maquette now being preserved by University Libraries.
Slide of Oldenburg’s sculpture of a flashlight, Las Vegas, 1981.” University of Nevada, Las Vegas Photograph Collection, University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. Digital ID: pho009866.
