This summer, the departure of artist/UNLV professor Stephen Hendee ignited a firestorm in the art community. Amid the furor of sad fans and former students, one person made a disparaging comment about all this “hero worship.” The remark got artist Erin Stellmon thinking. She wondered who is a hero, what is heroic and whether the concept mattered anymore. This exploration resulted in her new show, Hero Worship, at Kleven Contemporary.
What will the under-new-management, for-profit First Friday look and feel like when it debuts Oct. 7? It will probably be quite similar to pre-hiatus First Friday, with better parking. But that’s just the start. The event’s new owners—First Friday Las Vegas, a group made up of Zappos execs Tony Hsieh and Fred Mossler, developer Andrew Donner, and marketer Joey Vanas—have big plans in the works, right after pulling off Oct. 7, which happens to be First Friday’s ninth anniversary. Here’s what to expect in the long run:
Some people think culture is a tough sell in Las Vegas unless it involves sequins or a stripper pole. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts’ innovative Design Your Own Series is looking to prove them wrong. Traditionally, performing arts centers sell subscriptions to series in dance, music or theater. To get the series discount, you had to go all-in, buying tickets for shows you wanted to see as well as those you didn’t.
The news that our city’s monthly downtown Las Vegas arts celebration will shut down until October has sent the followers of our urban arts scene into a feeding frenzy—everyone appears to be eating each other.