TOP 10 ART & CULTURAL EXCURSIONS IN LAS VEGAS by Michele C Quinn, MCQ FINE ART

MCQ Fine Art
Nov 27, 2017 9:06PM

UGO RONDINONE - SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS

1. Seven Magic Mountains CLOSES MAY 2018

Internationally renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains is a large-scale site-specific public art installation located near Jean Dry Lake and Interstate 15, approximately ten miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada. Comprised of seven towers of colorful, stacked boulders standing more than thirty feet high, Seven Magic Mountains is situated within the Ivanpah Valley adjacent to Sheep Mountain and the McCullough, Bird Spring, and Goodsprings ranges of mountains. A creative expression of human presence in the desert, Seven Magic Mountains punctuates the Mojave with a poetic burst of form and color. The exhibition opened May 11, 2016 and will be on view for two years.

** MCQ TIP: BEST VIEWING HOURS SUNRISE OR SUNSET


2. Aria Fine Art Collection – MGM City Center

The ARIA Fine Art Collection encompasses a multitude of styles and media—ranging from sculptures and paintings to large-scale installations—engaging visitors on a visual and intellectual level. Some were existing pieces, carefully chosen for their artistic value and cultural significance; others are site-specific installations for which the artist commanded their vision over the space.

** MCQ TIP: Don’t miss the Jenny Holzer – Aria North Valet  The concierge at any of the Aria or Vdara properties should have a walking map – and there is an APP!


3. AKHOB James Turrell Installation at Louis Vuitton / Crystals

In 2013, Louis Vuitton commissioned a permanent James Turrell installation to occupy a hidden space on the fourth floor of its City Center store. Called “Akhob,” a word from Egypt’s Amarna period supposedly meaning “pure water,” the piece consists of circular openings leading into two huge chambers filled with slowly changing, rotating light. Turrell calls these sort of iconic installations, for which he’s famous, “ganzfelds” or “light fields.”

** MCQ TIP: need reservation months in advance! Contact 702-730-3150

4. The Neon Museum

In 2012 the Neon Museum Boneyard opened at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North.  The nearly two-acre campus includes an outdoor exhibition space, known as the Boneyard, which features more than 200 signs, 11 of which are restored, a visitors' center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is used for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.

** MCQ TIP: Need reservations and schedule an evening tour!


5. Las Vegas Pop Culture Tours

A series of innovative and memorable walking tours through one of America’s most iconic cities. Established in 2014, our small group excursions explore an authentic cultural and historical Las Vegas, with original, personal and up-close insights into its spectacular history, quirky personality and its “whatever happens here” bravado. CALL 1-888-387-0430

** MCQ TIP: Ask to include the Downtown Murals from Life is Beautiful and the Plaza


6. UNLV – the UNLV Galleries are comprised of 1 museum and 6 galleries:

Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, Jessie Metcalf Gallery, Healy and Hayes Gallery, Judy Fischer Gallery, and Doc Rando Gallery. All are under the auspices of the Department of Art in the College of Fine Arts.

The spaces host a variety of exhibitions and programming throughout the year, all are open to the public and free of charge. Exhibitions may feature the work of nationally and internationally recognized artists, regionally acclaimed artists, UNLV faculty and UNLV’s own graduate and undergraduate students. Each venue offers a unique opportunity to directly experience art first-hand.

** MCQ TIP: Don’t miss the Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen– Flashlight


7. Jeff Koons at WYNN  

POPEYE: the sculpture, acquired at auction at Sotheby’s, was purchased for $28,165,000. Executed in 2009-2011, the work is number three from an edition of three plus one artist's proof. In this sculpture, Koons employed the use of multiple colors to recreate the pop art icon that is symbolic of American heroism. Fabricated in mirror-polished stainless steel and transparent color coating, the sculpture stands 6.5’ tall and weighs 2,000 lbs


8. Tim Bavington Sculpture – The Smith Center at Symphony Park

Featured at the east end of the two-acre Symphony Park, and serving as a frame to the outdoor stage, is a commissioned art piece by internationally recognized artist, Tim Bavington. Music is the genesis of Bavington’s paintings. Through synthetic polymer paint, Bavington acts as a translator between the aural and the visual as he transforms guitar solos, melodies and bass lines into vertical bands of color. “Fanfare for the Common Man,” a 20th-century American classical music work by American composer Aaron Copland, was selected by The Smith Center as the musical “muse” from which Bavington would pull his paintings. The composition was carefully selected by The Smith Center, as it resonates with its message to serve the common man, or in The Smith Center’s scenario, the community.


9. WINCHESTER GALLERY CULTURAL CENTER

Ongoing rotating program/ various artists:

Nancy Good : See, Touch, and Go Dream: The Burning Man Tapestries December 1, 2017 – January 1, 2018

The exhibit presents Good’s documentation from Burning Man and Black Rock City. Good will present a series of tapestries created using images she manipulated with various techniques to mirror a kaleidoscope effect.

Artist reception: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 5:30 – 7:30 PM


10. Mob Museum – Classic Las Vegas history!

The Museum presents a bold and authentic view of organized crime’s impact on Las Vegas history, as well as its unique imprint on America and the world. The real stories and actual events of Mob history are revealed through interactive and engaging exhibits to tell the story about the role of organized crime in the U.S. Located in downtown Las Vegas, steps from Fremont Street, the Museum provides an experience unlike any other.


MCQ Fine Art