We are the original Las Vegas and we are in New Mexico—not the glittery city in Nevada. A vital component of the cultural life of Las Vegas for many years, the Las Vegas Arts Council, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has been promoting visual, performing and participatory arts in this community since 1977.
Visit Gallery 140, our art gallery, at 140 Bridge Street. We are flying the Open Flag for the 2014 NMHU Ceramic Student Exhibit whenever the gallery is open. Please drop in Wednesday through Saturday, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Click HERE for directions. We look forward to meeting you!
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Calendar of Community Arts and Cultural Events
MUSIC SALON–THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 19
3:00 pm at Gallery 140
140 Bridge Street
Click HERE for details
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Artists Calls
include the
2014 Fiesta Poster Contest (Entry form to be posted soon.)
2014 Historic Las Vegas Studio Tour
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GALLERY 140
NATIONAL YOUTH ART MONTH
We celebrated Youth Art Month at Gallery 140 with a beautiful exhibit of young artists in elementary, middle, and high school through March. Curated by City Schools art teachers Julie Sanistevan and Shawna Wangseng, the walls of the gallery were filled with life and color!
Saturday, March 17, we had our Saturday Music Salon featuring singer and songwriter Melody Perez, painter of American Wild Mustangs.
Get a glimpse of Melanie’s art on her website.
COMING SOON! COMING SOON! COMING SOON! COMING SOON! COMING SOON!
Las Vegas Arts Council is sponsoring an opportunity for young artists to create and exhibit their work at Burris Hall on the NMHU campus in May 2014. Students are invited to exhibit their best work done either at home or at school. The exhibition will be juried by NMHU staff and prizes will be awarded. Please share with middle school and high school students.
Follow us on Facebook for details and updates.
PREVIOUSLY AT GALLERY 140
A WINTER SHOWCASE EXHIBIT
JANUARY 9, 2014 – FEBRUARY 21, 2014
AFRICAN CONNECTIONS:
IMAGES & ART
Photos from the February 2014 African Connections Music Salon with the United World College African Chorus.
Photos from the January 2014 Artists Reception for African Connections—Images, Art and Conversation!
AFRICAN CONNECTIONS: IMAGES & ART tells the story of Santa Fe photographer Dave Giltrow and Las Vegan Werner Muller who met and worked in Tanzania, East Africa from 1961 to 1963. This was the transition period toward independence for Tanganyika from British Colonialism.
Volunteer Werner Muller, doing his two years of alternative service for the American Friends Service Committee, coordinated projects with local leaders in developing potable water resources in the Pare Mountains. In the Fall of 1961, Dave Giltrow was commissioned by the American Friends Service Committee in cooperation with IBM Corporation to provide photographs of the AFSC work as part of a fund raising exhibit. Dave spent two weeks shadowing Werner, photographing his life and work in the Pare Mountains.
Some of these original photographs are on exhibit in Gallery 140 through January and February of 2014. After their return to the US in 1964, Werner Muller and Helen Tyson, also a AFRSC Community Development Volunteer, were married and became graduate students in education from 1965-1970. They were subsequently employed by Teachers College, Columbia University to teach Swahili in training programs for the Peace Corps Teachers, Teachers for East Africa.
Also showcased on exhibit during January & February is a stunning display of African Art & Artifacts that are a part of the collection belonging to Las Vegas area residents Carrol & Bob Pearson. The Pearsons spent 20 years teaching, employed by the governments in Ghana in West Africa and Swaziland in East Africa. Both Bob & Carrol were “motivated to see first-hand how a newly independent country in Africa managed to build its own institutions and free itself from colonial influences.”
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Local musicians Bob Rivas and John Bradford enjoy revisiting the roots of rock! They were a hit at the 4th of July Fiestas performing as the Acoustic Dogs, so we invited them to participate in a Saturday Salon at Gallery 140. They not only graciously accepted our invitation, but designed an entire set around “Songs from Café Desperado,” desperate songs for desperate people.
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SMALL WORKS EXHIBIT AND SALE
Throughout December, twenty artists from the area showed over 100 paintings, sculpture, collages, archival photographs, carvings, jewelry, beadwork, fabric art and more, priced from $5 to $500 just in time for Christmas shopping. The Small Works Exhibit and Sale is an annual LVAC event.
METAL WORKS
Diana Whitten…metal and fiber sculpture Isaac Chavez…iron, glass, pottery and original paintings Josh Woodley…iron work Deb Morse….steel and glass Andrew Marsh…iron sculptures And a few other featured guests throughout the month of November!
Carl Bernstein and Marilyn Priddy
Farewell Concert
The Arts Council sponsored a free Farewell Concert by Carl Bernstein and Marilyn Priddy with musical variety on guitar, cello, and voice as they prepared to begin a troubadour tour of North America.
If you have never heard Carl and Marilyn before, check this out!
Gallery 140 was filled to capacity, with a few on the floor and standing room only. From old jazz standards to classical pieces, Carl and Marilyn enthralled their audience who clearly enjoyed every moment of the concert and of their love story. Finally, they welcomed friends to tour their handcrafted designer mobile home parked for viewing.
Las Vegas Plein Air Paint Out
on Display through October
For the second year, the Las Vegas Plein Air Club hosted its annual Las Vegas Plein Air Paint Out, on display through October at Gallery 140. Rooted in 19th century Impressionist’s fascination with light and landscape, “En plein air” or “in the open air” refers to the practice of painting and sketching outdoors. Las Vegas’ 19th century ambiance, situated between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, is the perfect cauldron for this venerable artistic enterprise and is home to a small group of dedicated enthusiasts who enjoy sharing their passion. The Paint Out was open to everyone to participate regardless of experience. Folks new to the idea were encouraged to attend. Events ranged from a Quick Draw competition on the Plaza, where everyone drew for an hour and then celebrated the results, to informative talks about New Mexico Impressionism. There were multiple opportunities to socialize with fellow painters as well as maps to popular painting sites. The focus was on fun and painting. The weekend finished up with a public reception and art sale at Las Vegas Arts Council’s exhibit space, Gallery 140 on 140 Bridge Street. All work on exhibit was completed during the paint out weekend. Canvasses were stamped at the opening registration/reception event, and participants provided framing for display. Participants reported that great fun was had by all and that it was “truly exhilarating to be out painting in the October light of Northeastern New Mexico.” Details: Click HERE for a PDF of the poster to print or share!
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The Smooth Riders’ Concert was AMAZING.
AUGUST 2013
Picuris potter, Julia Geffroy, and friend.
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Limited Edition Art Print
Add this Amado M. PEÑA serigraph to your art collection, and support the Las Vegas Arts Council. This is a limited time offer – for complete details click on link at left. <<<<<———-
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The mission of the Las Vegas Arts Council is to promote, encourage, advise, and coordinate the cultural arts of Las Vegas and surrounding communities. A vital component of the cultural life of Las Vegas for many years, the Las Vegas Arts Council, a non-profit 501(c(3) organization, has been promoting visual, performing and participatory arts in this community since 1977. LVAC is committed to support not only the arts, but the artists who create the arts. Under our status as a non-profit arts organization, we partner with and promote other area arts organizations, such as the Pendaries Art League, Pecos Arts Guild, El Zocalo Artists Co-operative, Literacy Council, and Nat Gold Players. Children’s theater in July is an annual focus through the auspices of Missoula Children’s Theatre. The High School Art Competition, in partnership with New Mexico Highlands University, is a LVAC annual event, as is People’s Faire (a folk art enterprise) in August. Numerous music concerts and the Winter Music Salon series foster the enjoyment of and appreciation for various modes of music modalities and traditions.
Las Vegas is proud of its rich history of diversified culture. The LVAC’s goal is to celebrate this uniqueness and to encourage our young people to carry on this tradition. The accomplishment of this goal in an ongoing and progressive manner can only enhance the quality of life in Las Vegas and surrounding areas in the years ahead. We welcome and need YOUR help, your thoughts, ideas, and comments on how we might better serve our artists, our patrons, and our communities.
Much thanks to Adam Caldwell for his web site design assistance.
