Man on a Mission...

I remember clearly it was a Saturday morning sometime early last year when I received a call from my good friend Lynnette Sawyer at the Hispanic Museum raving about this young man who had this ambitious idea. She highly recommended that I talk to him and listen to what he had to say. Later on that day I received a phone call from David Mozes who wanted to share his plans for a project in "18b", Las Vegas' Arts District in Downtown. Knowing myself and how excited I get when I hear about new ideas and projects for my neighborhood I immediately set up a meeting with him that same day.

I will tell you this, I spent almost 5 hours with David at my home overlooking 18b (last night David told me it was more like 7 hours). It is a rare opportunity for me to sit down with my friends for that period of time let alone a perfect stranger who I had just spoken to on the phone. David's energy was electrifying to say the least and his passion for this project was contagious. The project known as "The Mission Las Vegas" would be centered around an elegantly designed building that would house artists studios, galleries, non-profit organizations, cafes and a collection of food offerings that would be curated to compliment the projects mission as stated.

THE MISSION LAS VEGAS is looking to nurture, cultivate, and promote art, music, culture, sustainability, community, and non-profit organizations in Southern Nevada on a mixed-use, transit-oriented, arts-focused campus directly adjacent to the Arts District station (#6) along the RTC's new ACE Gold Line rapid transit link connecting all of downtown Las Vegas with the Convention Center, the Strip, and McCarran International Airport. Boutique retail shops, specialty restaurants, creative offices, art studios and galleries, banquet event space, and nightly live music will be featured in a pedestrian-friendly community-oriented environment. Our approach to incorporating art, music, and culture into the above is what sets THE MISSION LAS VEGAS apart from everything else that already exists in the Las Vegas valley. We hope to create a venue that locals from throughout the Las Vegas valley will call their own, while visitors to our region find it equally accessible due to our rapid transit connection.

Though I was skeptical about the size and scope of the project especially at a time when the economy was in a tail spin I none the less listened to David and heard his ideas. No matter what the situation would be economically David would persevere and he worked hard in convincing me that it would work. After our initial meeting I walked the area near the Arts Factory off of Casino Center and Boulder Avenue where the Mission would be built. I finally realized that David's approach to this project would set it aside from any developments that were proposed in the past. This project had a soul and that is something that many projects in general do not. David would make the Mission a project that would first connect the neighborhood to its greatest asset the residents of Las Vegas. In addition he even moved into Downtown to become part of the neighborhood that he plans on enhancing with his new project. Whether you like it or not the Arts District in Las Vegas is moving forward and the Mission will only add to that momentum.

Not to give much more away David Mozes will be speaking this evening at the Metro Arts Council of Southern Nevada Mixer at the Historic 5th Street School in Downtown Las Vegas at 401 South Fourth Street. The event begins at 5:30 PM and is Free. Come down and meet David and his Mission. For more information please visit http://www.metroartsnevada.com/ and for more information on the Mission Las Vegas please visit http://themissionlasvegas.com/