A potpourri of events to entice in the City of Las Vegas...

Every once in awhile I will receive a slew of press releases from the city announcing all different types of cultural events. Well actually it is all the time which is a great thing! It just demonstrates that there is a bounty of great cultural events for all to enjoy in our Radiant City. And to think there are still people out there claiming that Las Vegas is a cultural wasteland?

I tell the critics - Go out and enculturate yourself!

‘Paintbrush Gateways And Other Projects’ Exhibit Continues Through April

Monumental Sculptures Created by International Artist Dennis Oppenheim

The public is invited to attend “Paintbrush Gateways and Other Projects,” a sculptural exhibit of work by internationally renowned artist Dennis Oppenheim. This exhibit features four large-scale sculptural pieces created over the last several years; two sculptures reference earthwork and public art projects.

“Paintbrush Gateways and Other Projects” opened in January and continues through April 3, 2010. There is no charge for admission to the exhibit. This exhibit is presented and sponsored by the city of Las Vegas Arts Commission and the city of Las Vegas. The Reed Whipple Cultural Center and the exhibit are open Monday through Friday, 12:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Sundays and holidays. Please call (702) 229-1012 for more information on the exhibit.

Oppenheim is the artist who designed the Paintbrush Gateway entrances to the Arts District. Installation of the 45-feet high, lighted paintbrushes on Charleston Boulevard at the corners of Fourth Street and Casino Center Boulevard is scheduled to begin completed in May.

“The Paintbrush Gateway projects a stroke, 2,000 feet long, going into darkness, thus echoing an artist's excursion into the unknown,” said Oppenheim, who currently lives and works in New York.

Oppenheim was born in 1938 in Electric City, Wash. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Arts and Crafts, and a Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Oppenheim has exhibited his works internationally in galleries and museums including the Tate Gallery, London; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Galerie Pro Arte, Germany; and the Joseph Helman Gallery, New York.

For more information on the public art project, Paintbrush Gateways, call the city of Las Vegas Arts Commission at (702) 229-5256.

Rainbow Company Youth Theatre Holds Audition April 17
Roles In 'Jack And The Beanstalk’ For Ages 8 To Adult
 
Be part of the award-winning Rainbow Company Youth Theatre! An open audition for roles in “Jack and the Beanstalk” is scheduled on Saturday, April 17, at 1 p.m. at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Roles are available for ages 8 through adult. Participants are encouraged to dress comfortably. No prepared material or advance reservation is needed.

In this last production of the season, Jack’s daring climb to the clouds is just the beginning of the suspense and fun as our hero outwits the socially challenged giant. Presented in a highly theatrical, stylized fashion with witty dialogue and entertaining antics, this re-telling of a favorite folktale will be entertaining for all ages. The play will be performed at the Charleston Heights Arts Center June 4-13.

The nationally recognized Rainbow Company Youth Theatre holds auditions open to both adults and young people throughout the year. The award-winning staff offers classes in all aspects of theatre for ages 4 through high school at Reed Whipple Cultural Center and Charleston Heights Arts Center, and presents five productions annually that bring the magic of live theatre to family audiences. There also are spring break workshops and a summer conservatory. Rainbow Company is a program of the city of Las Vegas. For more information about the audition, classes, or tickets, call (702) 229-6553.

http://www.rainbowcompany.org/

City of Las Vegas Opens Hualapai Canyon Trail March 27
Residents Invited for Opening Festivities And Narrated Nature Walk Along New Trail

Las Vegas residents are invited to the grand opening of the Hualapai Canyon Trail, set for Saturday, March 27, at 10 a.m. City of Las Vegas Ward 2 Councilman Steve Wolfson and others involved in the project will speak briefly at the opening before UNLV Professor of Geology Steve Rowland leads a narrated nature walk through the new trail. Everyone is invited to gather at the trail-head, located on the east side of Hualapai Way, north of Alta Drive. Light refreshments will be provided while supplies last.

“This much-anticipated new trail offers area residents a pleasant place to enjoy outdoor exercise and nature, away from busy streets and noisy traffic,” Wolfson said. “Having trails and parks in our neighborhoods and urban areas gives everyone a chance to enjoy a healthy lifestyle that includes outdoor activities and time with natural beauty.”

The new trail extends east from Hualapai Way for approximately one-half mile adjacent to the Tournament Players Club Canyons golf course. The trail will accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and other modes of non-motorized travel. Both sides of the 10-foot-wide trail are landscaped. Other amenities include rest areas, benches, trash receptacles, pet waste stations and trail lighting. Construction of the trail began in August 2009, and it was officially named in December, after suggestions were submitted by the public.

Funding for the $3 million Hualapai Canyon Trail is provided by the Bureau of Land Management through the sale of public lands as authorized by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. This act keeps money from Nevada federal land sales in the state for park and trail projects. Wiser Construction was the contractor for the project. The city of Las Vegas Planning and Development Department developed the trail concept and secured federal funds for construction, and the city’s Public Works Department managed the project.

 
Nevada Public Radio
For more information on the Cultural Arts in Las Vegas please visit Nevada Public Radio. NPR has detailed listings of many cultural and civic events hosted by area non-profits click on this link http://www.knpr.org/common/psa/listNEW.cfm and if you are planning an event in the next few months, be sure to get your free listing in Nevada Public Radio's Desert Companion magazine by submitting the information here at http://www.knpr.org/culture/eventaddnew.cfm