Leon Carter, Sr. migrated to Las Vegas in 1942 at 12 years of age. After attending elementary school on the Westside, he enrolled for high school at Las Vegas High. Because of his schedule, he played baseball with the city team - The Cowboys. Baseball skills let him to play in Canada and Mexico. Later, when he returned to Las Vegas, his job skills in drafting and carpentry took him to the Nevada Test Site and then into the construction industry. When that did not yield enough income, He entered the gaming industry as a dealer.

Lucille Bruner founded the Las Vegas Art League in 1950 after she moved to the city from Santa Fe, New Mexico. When the City of Las Vegas bought the Twin Lakes Lodge in what is now Lorenzi Park in Las Vegas, Nevada the Las Vegas Art League requested and obtained three buildings in which to teach and display art. The Art League became the Las Vegas Art Museum (LVAM) n 1974.

The Las Vegas Art Museum relocated to the Sahara West Library and Fine Art Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1997. They remained in operation until 2009.