It probably has something to do with what happened in June. That was when the a/c quite spectacularly blew out in my ill-advised ’86 total money-vortex coupe, which — combined with the fact that the driver-side window has refused to roll down since like probably 1987 — turned my car into a misty wallow of phantasmal sweat. Thus, I feel like this summer was extra rite-of-passagier than others on recent historical record, and I therefore deserve to hurl myself extra hard into this fall’s reprieve of cooler temperatures and, more importantly, cultural events. (I suspect my body is going to greedily absorb any and all venue air-conditioning and store it like winter fat.)
Seriously, though, this is a special year. Las Vegas arts organizations and venues are branching out or deepening their roots: Consider the Black Mountain Institute, The Smith Center, the Las Vegas Philharmonic (marking 20 years), and Nevada Ballet Theatre, to name just a few. They seem to have the ring of sturdy brand names — an enviable feat in a city built on the fleeting appetites of tourists and all types of shifting sands.
And that suggests another feeling to add to the mix of impulses that prod us to seek out art, music, poetry, and theater to experience in communion with others. We seek them out of curiosity, a desire for beauty or stimulation, maybe some kind of spiritual hunger — but perhaps we also venture out to bask in a little well-earned pride in our institutions that make it all possible. Enjoy their fruits in our fall issue.