Mimi's Ice Cream truck passing the Shady Lane mural in Coachella.
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FIELD NOTE I: It took a full morning of listening to airport redevelopment PowerPoint updates, a commissioner apologizing for bad behavior, and more than a few references to Cliven Bundy's rage against the BLM machine. But by 12:30 p.m., Patrick Gaffey, Clark County Cultural Supervisor, and I introduced the idea of a Las Vegas / Clark County Poet Laureate to The Clark County Board of Commissioners. In absentia, Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani had materials ready for the board to review supporting the idea. The next step is a full presentation and official discussion.
Hence, it's a go. FIELD NOTE II: Since I had a full morning to sit in chambers and think, any transparency about blogging/reporting on cultural policy means being honest that it's also an attempt to influence policy. Or at least make it lucid, as I try do in Los Angeles. Is it Immersion Journalism? It may be, which is ironic since my comments to the board included how "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is the lazy prompt some journalists and writers use as a narrative for this city. When I start writing essays here, I may steer away from them coming out as a form of Gonzo Arts Journalism. Or, I can just let the hallucinations take hold. Nevada receives $768,500 from the National Endowment for the Arts. $663,500 goes to Nevada Arts Council, which serves regions up and down the state. Nevada Ballet Theatre is granted $10,000. [R-J]
The Contemporary Arts Center cry for help was heard. Melissa Peterson stepped in with ideas and was voted in as president by the CAC board. She has a three-part plan to get the non-profit to “function as a business,” reports Las Vegas Weekly. Las Vegas Weekly ripped what would have been CAC’s final exhibition. Based on the final line, the story was filed before the breaking story about CAC dodging dissolution. Said the critic: ‘No matter how well-intentioned, the exhibition is filled with inert, abstract paintings that Travelodge wouldn’t hesitate to hang above a queen bed and figurative works with realistic subject matter destined, at best, for parlor bars." Ouch. For Al Jazeera, Melissa Chan reports on the Las Vegas Art Scene. “Vegas has a permissive atmosphere,” says Tim Bavington. “This is good for artists because you have to feel like you can do anything.” Patrick “Art Philanthropist” Duffy and Marty “Trifecta Gallery” Walsh and artist David Ryan also get screen time. Jerry Misko converts retro sign lettering into contemporary typography. [LV Weekly] An underground house built during the final years of the Cold War was sold. It has a simulated yard with a mural; a landscape of mountains in winter painted by Jewel Smith. Las Vegas is a Coachella decompression zone. Cindi Reed reviews Lorde and Lana Del Rey. More Coachella: Street artist Angelina Christina is on her desert tour. [The Desert Sun] Artists not at the concert unite with ‘Coachella Walls.’ [LATimes] |
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