Saving Nevada’s Cultural Heritage on Public Lands
Lecture
Aug 28
We all know conservation is important, but it can be depressing to hear about the overwhelming work required to safeguard our natural spaces. Where do we as individuals even start? This lecture, presented by Nevadans for Cultural Preservation, will attempt to strike a balance: It offers helpful suggestions and actionable steps to empower ordinary desert dwellers to take better care of our environment, while not shying away from talking about the gravity of the conservation crisis facing us. 6-7:30p, free, Clark County Library, 702-507-3458
Double Pendulum
Art Exhibit
Through Sept 9
The human tendency to ignore what we’ve seen countless times is strong — plastic, fabric, slivers of light. If it’s a typical part of the human environment, it can be all too easy to forget. Yet, don’t these materials deserve as much attention as their more illustrious counterparts? Siri Stensberg thinks so. Her Double Pendulum exhibit at the College of Southern Nevada’s Fine Arts Gallery combines the aforementioned materials and others, shaping and transforming them into amalgams worthy of contemplation. It’s a fresh take on the old saw about beauty and its beholder. Monday-Friday 9a-6p, Saturday 10a-4p, free, Fine Arts Gallery at the CSN North Las Vegas campus, csn.edu/artgallery
Laying Out Las Vegas: A Survey of Surveying in Clark County
Museum Exhibit
Through Oct 2
Map maker, map maker, make me a map! Draw me a sign, catch me some cash! … You wouldn’t know it by this bad musical theater pun I just made, but cartography was a serious business once upon a time. Railroads, trade, and farming all depended on accurate ideas of local topography, to some degree, and the discipline is partially responsible for the creation of Las Vegas as we now know it. Surprisingly, some of the instruments used to measure and chart the region are still around and are currently on display at the Clark County Museum, providing an interesting look at what navigation was like pre-Google Maps. Daily 9a-4:30p, $1-2, Clark County Museum, clarkcountynv.gov/parks
Heredero’s
Folk Concert
Sept 9
Mariachi music hasn’t endured for hundreds of years for no reason. It’s tonally versatile, making it the perfect vehicle for both happy and sad melodies, while also being culturally and historically rich (it’s thought to have originated among 18th-century Mexican ranchers). And you can’t ask for a more authentic Mariachi concert than one by Mariachi Herencia de México. With their newest act, "Heredero’s" (Spanish for “Heirs”), the group is carrying the torch of its performance predecessors, making the ability to enjoy traditional music everyone’s inheritance. 7:30p, $39-89, Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, thesmithcenter.com
The Jackson Street Project
Art Exhibit
Sept 9
Mangled steel and rusted rebar don’t jump to mind as typical sculpture mediums. But for artist Steven Spann, they’re so much more than just building materials — they represent the lost history of Jackson Street, located in the Historic Westside, which was one of the few integrated areas of the city back when segregation was the norm. Using these discarded materials, Spann’s art suggests the power that comes from infusing new life into ordinary things, as well as remembering the objects (and, by extension, the communities) society too often disregards. 6-9p, free, The Doyle, thedoylelasvegas.com
