See Hear Do: Midsummer Fun

The Black Mountain Institute, which is essentially the literary arm of UNLV, has a summertime event that addresses a pretty serious topic: the intersection of race and location as we careen into an unknown future.

Four Asian-American/Pacific Islander poets and writers will consider that topic, especially through the lens of climate change and environmental destruction. The specific areas of discussion listed on the event page include: racial climate disaster; the militarized destruction of land, waters, and people; and writing into multiple world endings.

It’s pretty heavy. But the description of the event is careful to note that the discussion will land things in a hopeful direction, where writers and their audiences might find an empowering future.

The writers, by the way, are: Nicola Andrews, JM Huck, Sheila Navarro and Lehua M. Taitano -- and JM and Shiela live in Las Vegas.

The moderators are: Muriel Leung, professor for the MFA in Creative Writing program at California Institute of the Arts, and our own Mark Padoongpatt, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program at UNLV.

This is for those who ever broke up with someone, felt down and out about it, and fretted about finding someone else. How to Get a Second Husband is the masterwork of comedienne/actress/writer/podcaster Jackie Johnson. This is a show that’s been making the rounds in Los Angeles and across the country since 2023, and now Las Vegas can see what critics and other cities’ audiences have been raving about.

The show is modeled after a seminar, and Johnson structures the narrative first with the story of her quote-scandalous divorce, then follows it with a seven-step plan to landing a better partner. Rounding out the performance are some music and — very appropriate for both seminars and the host venue, Majestic Reportory Theatre — audience participation.

Southern Nevada has several destinations for art in unlikely places, as it happens, but the one that surprises folks the most is the Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum, because it’s a whole art museum in a sorta-rural residential area of Las Vegas.

That three-year-old facility has recently begun wading into the live event waters as it becomes more than just an exhibition space for art, and this is not atypical of art museums and spaces across the country. So far, the Rita Abbey Museum has hosted wellness gatherings such as sound baths and yoga sessions, a financial seminar, a gardening experience, even scavenger hunts for kids.

The space has also been a live music venue, and on Saturday, July 12, the Abbey will host a concert called Desert Opus. where a string quintet will perform the music of Franz Schubert, and I’m guessing they’ll lean on the Austrian composer’s chamber-music compositions.

Along with the performance, there will be a talk from musicologist Heather Buffington-Anderson, as well as a reception with some small refreshments. Just make sure to reserve your tickets ahead of time.

This is the type of rock-based indie act we usually associate with live music clubs in Downtown like Swan Dive. And near as I can tell, Spirit of the Beehive hasn’t played anywhere in Las Vegas before, so this is something of a get, especially if you enjoy the type of shimmering, atmospheric, multi-layered guitar music that sprung up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Enthusiasts of shoegaze rock should find a lot to like with this band.

This is a juried group show at Pearson Community Center Gallery that opened to celebrate Juneteenth last month. The juror behind the collection is Tameka Henry, who is the CCSD Trustee for District C. And, she’s the Executive Director of The Obodo Collective (and featured in Desert Companion).

Some Red, Some Not highlights many of the cultural touchstones of the African Disapora and African-American experience, and the “some red” part references the connection of that color’s positive symbolism in West Africa, and how that plays a part in the identity of Black Americans here. In this exhibit, you see this especially in the artistic representation of food, which is important to Juneteenth gatherings.

There are 34 artists with work in this show — a lot to take in. But do it before July 24, as that’s when the show ends, and Pearson is open Monday through Saturday.

This is a dynamic exhibit, curated by Brent Holmes, showcasing the work of several local creatives, including multi-hyphenate artist Ashanti McGee (also a curator), painter Joseph Watson (also a children’s book illustrator), and poet Vogue Robinson (also a painter). This, too, honors the African diaspora and Black American experience; this exhibit’s unofficial statement is “Black life is American life.”

This one opened up back in February to commemorate Black History Month, but the City scheduled this to stay up for another six months. Which means you have until August 7 to check it out, which you can do Monday through Thursdays, again, at City Hall.

True to its name, The Composer’s Showcase highlights the work of local songwriters and composers of all pedigrees, and it puts its money where its mouth is by donating ticket profits to the performing arts community here, as well as offering scholarships to budding talent. And credit for such an operation goes to Keith Thompson, a singer-songwriter himself and the former director of The Jersey Boys Vegas and San Francisco productions. He’s been at this for nearly 20 years, and the list of collaborators for this organization is too long to count.