Through sculpting, hammering, sewing and shaping, these artists and artisans share a fascinating relationship with their handiwork.

In which we create a collage portrait of collage artist Anthony Bondi, whose work once captured — and helped define — the Vegas zeitgeist. What’s he been up to since?Robert Hughes’ colossal art-history doorstop, The Shock of the New, tells us that collage, as a technique of high art, began with the Cubists early in the 20th century.

A silent film star once fled to a remote Searchlight ranch for a respite from Hollywood. Can the storied Walking Box Ranch become a hub for history and education? All these years later, silent film star Clara Bow still doesn’t need words.

Iconic Vegas painter and muralist Robert Beckmann is back in town after many years away — with a fresh eye for a very changed city “Have I told you about St. Thomas?” the artist Robert Beckmann asks.

Many of Southern Nevada's cultural institutions have roots in the historic Mesquite Club, the women's organization that does much more than afternoon teaNearly 100 years ago, a group of Las Vegas women gathered for tea. The city hasn't been the same since.

The dancer - Bernard GaddisHe's leaping outside the box with his visceral - but disciplined - approach to danceIt's a waltz, to be sure, but, oh, how we get there: Snapping their fans open with a confidence that startles, the female dancers confront the audience with a supermodel strut and a sensual roll of their bodies. This recent rehearsal at the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater studio in Holsum Lofts is for a historical piece about Henry VIII's reign.

Short of building a giant fence around the city, here's how you can help keep our best artists working -- and thriving -- in Las VegasI like to think I know a bit about art Not too much; I wouldn't last 30 seconds in the ring with a bruiser like Dave Hickey, the genius critic who famously blew town not long ago. But I can wander into a gallery and have enough sense of what I'm looking at to bore my family with explanations that may actually have some merit.