Sin City Gallery Turns to Kickstarter for Art Book Series

LAS VEGAS—Stick It Places. Clothing Optional. Popping Cherries, Cuddle Party, Foursome With Benefits. No, these aren't niches in porn. They're some of the conversation-starting Kickstarter rewards intended to stimulate support for a crowd-funding effort recently begun by Sin City Gallery. The Kickstarter campaign will fund the publication and printing of a hardcover book series covering four years of the gallery's annual international juried art exhibition, titled "12 Inches of Sin." Located in Las Vegas, Sin City Gallery is dedicated to providing a serious professional forum and exhibit space for practitioners of provocative art who have been marginalized or excluded from so much of the art world. Throughout its history, the "12 Inches of Sin" exhibit has featured daring and beautiful examples of provocative art. Gallery founder Dr. Laura Henkel said, "For the inaugural call for art four years ago, the competition received forty submissions from artists from five different countries. As the exhibition has grown and become more established, more competitive, and increasingly international in scope, we have achieved a record of three hundred submissions from twenty countries." Now the gallery has put together a series of four books with color illustrations, critical text and innovative design. Henkel enthusiastically describes the series, saying, "Imagine a glossy, color-illustrated collection of contemporary art all yours to browse at your leisure, a treasure trove of sexiness and gorgeousness. There's a little something for everyone. I hope everyone shares the Kickstarter campaign because the rewards are so well conceived and designed to de-stigmatize the general assumption that all provocative art is pornographic." In addition to a rigorous and diverse exhibition program of work by established and emerging artists, the gallery offers various community tours, salons and artist talks, as well as hosting diverse live performances, video and film premieres and more. For information, go to SinCityGallery.com or the 12 Inches of Sin Kickstarter page. Pictured above: The "Stick It Places" sticker from Sin City Gallery's Kickstarter rewards.