Paper Mache
I spent a few days in Las Vegas earlier this week. I have been there many times over the years, mostly for business conferences and trade shows. Having never been a gambler, I’ve always looked for other diversions for my spare time in Las Vegas. Growing up in Los Angeles, it was easy enough to get there for houseboating, water skiing and fishing vacations on Lake Mead. This was my first visit since Sphere was created. If you haven’t heard, Sphere is a $2 billion, 500’ diameter entertainment orbshaped arena on the strip. It seats 18,000 and opened in 2023 with a series of U2 concerts. Tickets for upcoming events are pricey, but anyone can watch the Sphere’s exterior, a 600,000 square foot LED screen, which features a spectacular light show with everchanging graphics and dynamic images created by digital artists which include turning the whole thing into the lunar surface. What a place for an astronomy lesson. Breathtaking.
This got me thinking about all the public art available in Las Vegas. Despite all the kitsch, the whole place is like a ubiquitous public art show on steroids. I remember when the Bellagio’s water/light/ballet show was the hot new thing. The giant pool in front of the casino features 1,000 fountains that put on a synchronized swaying, squirting, bubbling show every half hour that lacks nothing except maybe Esther Williams and her crew swimming to the music. This is in addition to world-famous glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly’s 2,000 hand-blown glass flower sculptures on the hotel lobby ceiling.
And there is so much other public art to be experienced for free like “Dream Machine” in Siegfried & Roy Park. It’s a 26’ tall sculpture that looks like a set piece from a 50s sci fi film or an actual alien life form. “Snowball in Vegas,” is a 10-foot-tall cat with its tongue hanging out that’s an icon in the Arts District. Who even knew Las Vegas had an arts district? There’s the artwork created by the Zap Project which involves painting utility boxes in neighborhoods throughout the city like we have done in Yuba City. It’s a Clark County funded project that adds to many neighborhoods’ sense of place.
One of my favorite creations is just out of town and is called the Seven Magic Mountains made up of seven separate, colorful, 30-foot-tall stacks of huge boulders painted with Day-glo colors. The boulders are made from materials found in the desert and represent human presence in the desert. I just learned that the American arts company, Meow Wolf, has an installation in Las Vegas. Originally from New Mexico, this group specializes in inclusive, interactive art experiences. The Las Vegas edition opened in
2021 and is called Omega Mart. Those entering the installation explore a surreal supermarket, from which they can access other environments and uncover a narrative. It features contributions from 300 artists and is an example of an Alternate Reality Game. The overarching plot and lore of the Omega Mart Universe is solved using various clues both online and present in the physical store. Trust me, this is art like nothing you’ve ever seen or experienced before. Don’t miss it if you head to Las Vegas.
Get ready for some great new public art in Yuba City when the Yuba Sutter Rotary Night Club presents its Mural Marathon, Art & Health Festival this weekend. Watch five world-class artists each create a 450 square foot mural in just 48 hours. This will transform Plumas Street and make it even more of a destination in the community.