July 28-Aug. 15: Mad poetry lineup, alternative queer history, death chat
"Some things are too hot to touch," Bob Dylan reminds us, "the human mind can only stand so much." In other words, welcome to August, suckas! Lest your brain heat-warp in the sous vide swelter of monsoon season, here are a few art and idea events that just might be the cool cognitive spritz you need.
Road Pomes!
July 28: Poets James Norman — a familiar name to local poetry hounds — and Daryl Gussin have been barnstorming the Southwest this summer in what they call The Wet Heat, Dry Heat, Overheat Tour. Last I checked there were still a few tickets left for their Sunday night throwdown at the Office of Collecting + Design, presented under the rubric "An Intimate Evening of Poetry," and with the lineup augmented by local faves Jennifer Battisti and Andrew Romanelli. That's a hell of a starting lineup.
Queer Archaeologies
Aug. 2 & 3: Sculptor Emily Budd digs deep for her exhibit Abandoned Lot, Secluded Cove at the underappreciated Available Space Art Projects gallery. Deep enough to uncover a speculative queer history, one that might point to a reimagined future. From her artist's statement: "I have used casting techniques to excavate an imagined queer fossil record, create monuments to lost histories, capture moments of radical remaking, and document the volcanic movement of imminent forces towards change." There will be a reception on August 2, and Budd will give a talk the next day.
A Las Vegas Pioneer
Aug. 15: There were eight people listed in the first census count in Las Vegas; this was back in 1870. Three were Indigenous women, four were miners — and the eighth was one John Howell, said to be "a southerner of mixed African and European ancestry." It seems not much is known about how he ended up in Las Vegas, but, as the owner of the original site that became Springs Preserve, he left quite a legacy. Nathan Harper, an archaeologist for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, lays it all out at the Clark County Museum, located on Boulder Highway in deepest Hendo.
Big 'Magik'
Aug. 2: What does the phrase "blue magik" mean to you? If you're drawing a blank — the K in magik puts an unexpected spin on it, amiright? — you'll find thought prompts aplenty in Blue Magik, a group exhibit opening with a reception at Chase McCurdy's 33 Gallery in West Las Vegas. "The artists have all been asked to respond to the title as they see fit," he says.
Totes adorbs
Aug. 1: Quick, bookmark Sept. 11 to hear Las Vegas artist Shan Michael Evans talk about his new exhibit, Saint and Poets Maybe ..., at the Nevada Humanities joint in the Arts District. But by all means don't wait until then to go see this charm offensive of whimsy, imagination, and retro style. These aggregated "small block" illustrations, with their winks of narrative and hidden stories, bear out a quote I read from Evans: "There is a rummage sale in my head ... I will pull ideas from sounds, music, and from colors. From faces. Armchair philosophies. Good art. Bad art. I take it all in and dwell there."
Talking About the End
Aug. 7: Sure, "Vegas Death Café" sounds like the title of a smooth-goth playlist, but it's really something arguably more pressing: a frank, freewheeling discussion about human mortality, the inevitability of which is one of the few things we all have in common. "One's relationship with death greatly impacts how one carries themselves throughout life," says Marielle, an end-of-life doula who'll facilitate the talk at Avantpop Bookstore. All beliefs and philosophies welcome.
See It While You Can!
Aug. 2: The bad news about Mark Brandvik's exhibit Sky Island, in UNLV's Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, is that it closes on August 2 — mere days away! The good news? Classes aren't in session, which greatly simplifies the rage-inducing logistics of a campus art visit. In Sky Island he's fashioned a suite of "multi- and mixed-media works and photo-documentations" that "conjure magical environments, mesmerizing scenarios, and collective memories." Go! ✦
