Kristen Peterson

Art Reporter

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Story Archive

Orchestra’s soaring goals: As 10th season begins, sights firmly set on Smith Center; Friday, Sept. 5, 2008; Ten years is a long time for anything in Las Vegas, particularly a symphony orchestra that was assembled for a Fourth of July holiday concert. Yet here it is, a decade later, and the Las Vegas Philharmonic is thriving.
Arts District has starring role in McDonald’s commercial: Ad agency chief says spot will have particular emotional appeal to local customers; Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; It’s not every day that you see the Las Vegas Arts District in a McDonald’s commercial.
Alexander Viazovtsev: Monday, Sept. 1, 2008; A weekly snapshot of creative people living in the Las Vegas Valley.
A grand vision in miniature: Scaled down or computer generated, theater wows; Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008; Groundbreaking for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts is scheduled for January and construction isn’t expected to be completed until the end of 2011. For now, scale models provide the only tangible experience for the general public, dignitaries and would-be theater patrons.
Erin Stellmon: Monday, Aug. 25, 2008; A weekly snapshot of creative people living in the Las Vegas Valley.
Big band, big dreams: Classical musician, professor taps roots in founding Nevada Pops, benefit concert; Friday, Aug. 22, 2008; This month Dick McGee, associate conductor of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, will return to his concert band roots with “A Night With the Pops,” a performance that will launch his new organization, Nevada Pops.
They’re few — but fervent —fans: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008; Every other year Cher fans from all over the world convene to celebrate Cher. They play Cher trivia, watch Cher impersonators, pick up Cher tchotchkes and even buy Cher’s clothes.
Musical web ensnares ‘professional geeks’: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008; Forget the politics of the music industry. That’s so 20th century. Jonathan Coulton launched his music career by writing, recording and posting songs on his Web site.
Orchestra transfixes Trekkies with music of their favorite shows: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008; A frisky Capt. Kirk and a lady Klingon are getting cozy in the back of the Barron Room at the Hilton Center, trying to form a Klingon-Federation alliance during an orchestral performance of the music of “Star Trek.”
Tourism's missing link: New group plans to show the world Vegas is a cultural smorgasbord, from Strip to Stravinsky; Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008; Las Vegas, long the entertainment capital of the world, thinks it’s reached the point where it can promote cultural tourism, creating an arts council to knit together a fragmented arts community...
Like Rockwell, with a twist: Expatriate Vegas artist’s work raises questions about what’s real and what’s ideal; Monday, Aug. 4, 2008; Casey Weldon is a storyteller whose twists on Americana break apart Rockwellian idealism to reveal the cleverly portrayed drama of reality.
Hiroshima survivor makes peace with America: Art exhibit at Atomic Testing Museum stresses forgiveness; Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008; Takashi Tanemori is coming to Las Vegas this week to talk about the day that everything went quiet.
Art shows utility in urban zone: Painting projects brighten area of Tropicana Avenue in second Zap! endeavor; Monday, July 28, 2008; Strip malls, fast food chains, closed businesses and cracked parking lots line the half-mile stretch of East Tropicana Avenue.
Marking moments in time in two styles: Vegas painter joins Seattle vet in dual exhibit; Thursday, July 24, 2008; Chad Brown moved to town as a figurative painter in 2003, won best in show for a slightly abstract landscape painting at the Las Vegas Art Museum’s 2006 “Roundup” and is now exhibiting representational works at Dust Gallery.
Sitar teacher a performer, too: Indian music virtuoso who has song in his blood, plays several instruments, will highlight concert series this weekend; Friday, July 11, 2008; It’s one thing to have a musical pedigree. It’s another to belong to a centuries-old Indian musical dynasty.
There’s a message here, but it’s easy to take, and fun: Wednesday, July 9, 2008; The new exhibit, “it’s all going down,” at Trifecta Gallery is a perfect example of how earthy behavior can be so very refreshing at times.
Art theft! Lawsuits! Spielberg!: One Las Vegas man's lengthy battle for a stolen Rockwell painting; Saturday, July 5, 2008; The fight over Rockwell’s “Russian Schoolroom” — painted during the Cold War — has been dragging on for more than a year.
Art can be a great excuse to party: Thursday, June 26, 2008; Nothing going on in Vegas, right? Wrong. Here you go: Two nights of gallery openings and neighborhood art parties, interactive performance art by Wendy Kveck, and an introduction to contemporary art collecting and collectors at the Las Vegas Art Museum.
Artist’s answers are blowin’ in the wind: Friday, June 20, 2008; A wood floor behaves like a sheet of paper in a breeze. A stack of white paper stands defiant against the wind.
Las Vegas guitar festival: Tuesday, June 17, 2008; It was sort of a joke, or so Nathan Fischer thought. Ricardo Cobo was performing at the Alexandria Guitar Festival in Virginia when Fischer, a guitarist himself, casually suggested, “Hey, why not do this in Vegas?”
Budding ballerinas learn art of concentration in summer classes: Centered on dance, program includes singing and acting; Friday, June 13, 2008; “Form your line! Go, go, go,” shouts dance instructor Katie Shea.
Refugees for a day: Las Vegas Valley kids get to imagine being forced from their homes, taking only what they can carry, in replica camp at children’s museum; Thursday, June 12, 2008; The question posed to children entering the replica refugee camp at Lied Discovery Children’s Museum is tough: “If you were forced to leave your home, what would you take with you?”
Sculpture entrenched in earth: ‘Double Negative’ turns empty space into art experience; Thursday, June 5, 2008; Hiding in plain sight some 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Michael Heizer’s “Double Negative” is one of the largest sculptures in the world. It’s 1,500 feet long, 30 feet wide and 50 feet deep.
Benefit busts of the burlesque: Casts of current, former stars become artwork that will raise money for breast cancer awareness; Wednesday, June 4, 2008; The sculptural busts of stars of the bump and grind are on display in “Breast Defense: Glamour Girls for Early Detection” at the Fallout Gallery on Commerce Street.
Places threatened by the times: Preservation group’s list of endangered places includes Southern Nevada landmarks; Friday, May 30, 2008; Preserve Nevada recently named its 11 endangered places throughout the state — as the nonprofit statewide preservation group has for the past six years.
Underground gallery: Drainage tunnels beneath the Strip exert an unnatural pull on artists whose work rarely sees the light of day; Tuesday, May 27, 2008; The city’s most intriguing art gallery lives under Las Vegas Boulevard. It’s dark and it’s dirty. There are no formal openings. No curator. No reviews. No selling of the works.
What's private, in public: A surprising array of contemporary works in Las Vegas collections becomes a museum exhibit; Friday, May 23, 2008; For all the jabbing Las Vegas takes as an uncultured candyland, civilized society would be impressed to know what is behind the doors of local homes: Damien Hirst, Dan Flavin, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.
The art in UFC’s violence: Fighters, emotion, blood captured in book, exhibit; Thursday, May 22, 2008; A four-year project by Los Angeles photographer Kevin Lynch culminated in “Octagon,” a handmade book with 800 images bound in a seemingly blood-stained cloth cover that merges fine art with the combat sport of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Henderson museum plans taking shape: Backer envisions space and technology showplace, citing support of mayor, council, broader community; Tuesday, May 20, 2008; Henderson wants a museum and the city is in the middle of a nearly $200,000 study to determine its content, location and funding. City officials say they want a nationally recognized institution that will cater mostly to residents.
Virtuoso introducing America to classical music on the accordion: Friday, May 16, 2008; Lidia Kaminska followed what seemed to be the usual path to a prestigious career in music: She began studying at age 8 in Garlino, Poland, went away to music school in nearby Mlawa at age 10 and was competing internationally a year later.
Don’t mourn what is gone; celebrate what has survived: Thursday, May 15, 2008; In a city where the past is continually being wiped out, Historic Preservation Month could be a sour time for exhausted preservationists constantly spinning the same old record.
A guide to Las Vegas Historic Preservation Month: Thursday, May 15, 2008; Despite its frantic immediacy, Las Vegas has a story.
Drama of biblical tale elevates music of ‘King David’: Philharmonic to perform piece written for biographical play; Friday, May 9, 2008; Nothing is quite so epic, dramatic and violent as a biblical tale. Bad decisions, unscrupulous behavior and tests of faith and loyalty are boldly defined in each character and his or her actions.
Through the valley of darkness: ‘Las Vegas Noir’ stories capture area’s seamy side; Wednesday, May 7, 2008; Of “Las Vegas Noir,” co-editor Jarret Keene says, "This is hard-core, dark Las Vegas crime fiction. It can shock you."
Sideshow stars fondly recognized: Exhibit pays tribute to their unconventional beauty and unmistakable humanity; Tuesday, May 6, 2008; Johnny Eck had no legs. Francesco Lentini had three. Julia Pastrana had legs, but like the rest of her body — face included — they were covered in dense black hair. A new exhibit features scupltures of them and other "human oddities."
Sort-of-wearable art on the cheap: But be careful sitting in '99 Cent Only Dress Shop' clothes; Wednesday, April 30, 2008; “My advice to you is, ‘Never make a sponge dress,’ ” Robin Barcus-Slonina says.
Form's function is common ground: Gallery showcases works by pair united by fascination with shapes, space; Tuesday, April 29, 2008; Andrea Donahue moved to Las Vegas four years ago, took a job at the Wynn Gallery, saved a little money and opened a gallery of her own. For her gallery’s one-year anniversary this month, Donahue pairs artists RC Wonderly and Danielle Kelly.
Her house, the gallery: It’s mostly a place to serve private clients, but Michele Quinn puts on exhibits, too; Monday, April 21, 2008; The Las Vegas art community is an evolving life-form — expanding, recoiling, weakening and strengthening. Galleries and boutiques come and go. Events succeed and fail. Limits are tested, key players sigh, and the scene grows up.
‘Welcome’ sign paying off for its designer half-century later: It beckoned millions of tourists; Thursday, April 17, 2008; Almost 50 years after she designed the diamond-shaped icon, Betty Willis finally is making a little extra cash off the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
Art museums on the Strip: Why only one survives: Sunday, April 13, 2008; Two galleries. Almost 40 million tourists. Extravagant resources and big names in art. When the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art opened on the Strip, both set out to feed art to the masses.
Vegas, say goodbye to Guggenheim: Art museum will close its doors at the Venetian in May, leaving only one gallery on the Strip; Thursday, April 10, 2008; After nearly seven years on the Strip, the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian will close its doors May 11. Guggenheim officials made the announcement Wednesday and said the museum will continue to partner with the Venetian on “a number of projects,” but wouldn’t elaborate.
The secrets are his success: Postcard project provides safe outlet for revealing, sharing; Thursday, April 10, 2008; A few years ago Frank Warren came up with this crazy notion: All people had rich interior lives. If he could create a safe place where they could share that part of themselves, well, “it could be a real special thing.” His art project/postcard confessional became a phenomenon — four books, a traveling art exhibit, a lecture series and an award-winning blog that receives more than 1 million hits each week.
The walls that bind: 120-foot ‘ornamental’ replicates patterns of old Vegas structures in new Vegas public art; Tuesday, April 8, 2008; The ornamental concrete walls that accent midcentury modern architecture in old Las Vegas neighborhoods was a stylish option for shading and security during the 1950s and ’60s.
Rarely heard flutist to give solo performance: Friday, April 4, 2008; There are several reasons to see Sunday’s performance by flutist Karen Haid. For one, Haid, a noted musician with doctoral degrees in piano and flute, has lived in Las Vegas for five years but rarely performs.
Classic Zeppelin; classical experience: ‘Symphony’ celebrates rock legend’s best; Thursday, March 27, 2008; Whether you’ll enjoy this weekend’s concert celebrating the music of one of the greatest rock bands is a matter of whether you can separate the music of Led Zeppelin from the band.
Whole-hog cottage industry: Under U.S. 95, brothers create a world of unique homes; Wednesday, March 26, 2008; Normally if someone builds a gypsy wagon in his yard, outfits it with electricity, gas and plumbing, adds a titanium stove, a minibathroom and a grandfather clock, neighbors might raise a brow or two.
With a bit of Wynn, film explores Monet’s passion for food: Monday, March 24, 2008; The trail to “Monet’s Palate: A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny,” which premieres Thursday on PBS in Las Vegas, really began several years ago when Bordman was sitting in Monet’s dining room in Giverny and listening to her mother, a longtime volunteer at the home and museum in Normandy, talk about the artist’s passion for food.
Neighborhood dream: A place to putt and ponder art: Video pitches marriage of Las Vegas Art Museum, golf course; Wednesday, March 19, 2008; When two people living along the potentially endangered Las Vegas National Golf Course learned that the Las Vegas Art Museum was seeking a permanent home, they came up with an idea: Build the museum and a sculpture park on the golf course.
A comic opera for modern tastes: Fans of reality TV, ‘I Love Lucy’ might like plot of ‘Cosi fan tutte’; Friday, March 14, 2008; With apologies to Mozart (and librettist Da Ponte), “Cosi fan tutte” is sort of a cross between reality TV pranks and “I Love Lucy” episodes — except with much better music.
Thanks, but no thanks to temporary home: Las Vegas Art Museum plans on permanent facility; Tuesday, March 11, 2008; Forget renting. The Las Vegas Art Museum wants a permanent home.