First Friday expands to live shows at amphitheater

Friday, April 7, 2006 | 7:14 a.m.

Major centers for monthly First Friday events downtown tend to be at the Holsum Lofts, the Arts Factory, the Funk House and Commerce Street Studios.

But tonight Clark County is stretching the cultural and art festival to its government center, where the county will present independent videos by Las Vegas filmmakers, live performances and artist booths in its amphitheater.

From there, shuttle buses will run to: Holsum Lofts at Charleston Boulevard and Interstate 15; the action at Main Street and Charleston Boulevard; Commerce Street Studios, 1551 S. Commerce St.; and the street festival outside the Funk House at Casino Center Boulevard and Colorado Avenue.

More information can be found at the First Friday Web site, firstfriday-lasvegas.org.

Mad, mad media

Anyone who missed Michelle Forsyth's artist talk Thursday at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., can still check out the media-inspired gouache works on paper, which will be on display through June 18.

Forsyth, who teaches drawing and painting at Washington State University, has been archiving catastrophic images from media sources over the years and incorporates them into her work as a way to highlight mass media, which "still pushes constant reminders of the aesthetics of horror."

The center's hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Poetry month

In honor of National Poetry Month, the poetry celebration "Under the Influence" will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Clark County Library. Local poets will read original and established works. This is an adult event. For more information, call 507-3459.

Hawaiian culture

Filmmaker Edgy Lee will present her 60-minute documentary "The Hawaiians - Reflecting Spirit," a spiritual, historical and cultural account of Hawaii, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in UNLV's Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. The film looks at Hawaii's history from the formation of the islands to the land division of 1848 and to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory. Following the film, Lee will participate in a question-and-answer period. Admission is free.