From a beautiful nighttime hike to a celebration of erotic art, this month's recommendations
Multimedia
12 Inches of Sin
New Orleans SquareSex is everywhere! From the headlines to the cineplex, from the Stormy-lashed White House to *winkwink* your house. Into this hothouse milieu comes Laura Henkel, gallerist, curator, and scholar of erotica, with a go-big-or-go-home iteration of her annual 12 Inches of Sin sexapalooza. Begun years ago as a visual art exhibit in her tiny Sin City Gallery at the Arts Factory, 12 Inches is now making the most of its newish home in New Orleans Square by utilizing a whopping 35,000 square feet not only for exhibits, but for performances and classes. The free juried exhibit includes many locals, such as Ali Fathollahi, Nanda Sharifpour, Amanda Keating, Brent Holmes, Clarice Tara, Nancy Good; others are from such exotic locales as Los Angeles (Eric Minh Swenson) and Salt Lake City (Eric Wallis); there may even be a Canadian. Friday will close with a two-hour cabaret ($30) featuring burlesque, performance art, and drag — locally recognizable names might include Aaron Sheppard, Blue Ruin, Cheyenne Sia Desoto. Saturday will feature classes on the value of erotic art, femme fashion basics, and 101s on pole-dancing and BDSM. The festival concludes with a gonzo performance ($30) by infamous band Tippy Elvis, plus related madness. “Art provides people the opportunity to explore, express, and learn,” Henkel says. “(The event) provides a platform to engage in a manner that is not normally available to (the artists); 12 is all about art, and it’s about really good art!” May 11-12, various times, 900 E. Karen Ave., 12ofsin.com
Cinco de Mayo
Emely Lotfe
Whitney LibraryNot Mexican Independence Day, as many gringos assume, Cinco de Mayo celebrates an 1862 victory by the Mexican army over France’s occupying army. Lotfe, a singer and TV personality, will perform Mexican and French songs from the period. May 5, 6p, free, lvcclid.org
Outdoors
Fossil Ridge Night Hike
Atomic Art. Naval artist Arthur Beaumont’s compelling watercolor of an atomic test on the Bikini Atoll is on temporary display at the Atomic Testing Museum. His son, Geoffrey, a Las Vegan, talks about his father’s work. May 11, 6:30p, $5, National Atomic Testing Museum, 702-794-5151
Visual Art
Karen Q. Miller
Winchester GalleryMiller’s video installation, I Am Great?, zooms in close to its subjects’ faces to explore shifts between self-confidence and anxiety — seeking the precise moment when that internal dialogue becomes external, in revealing microexpression. May 24-June 29 (opening reception June 7), free, 702-455-7340
Madeleine Peyroux. She’s described as a “chanteuse,” a word that evokes a jazzy but eclectic repertoire and a sultry stage presence. Check and check. 6 and 8:30p, The Smith Center, $39-$69, thesmithcenter.com
Dance
Chuthis. Dance
West Las Vegas Library 