UNLV College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy J. Uscher, Clark County Commissioners Tick Segerblom and Ross Miller, and County Manager Kevin Schiller announce a new series of programming created by members of the college’s arts disciplines — Arts in the Center — that will premiere at The Composers Room at Historic Commercial Center on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Arts in the Center will feature a varied array of music, visual arts, film and theatre events between February 28 and June 5, all of which are free and open to the public (reservations may be required).

Among the selections during its inaugural season will be evenings of jazz featuring the UNLV Joe Williams Quintet, an environmentally-based and arts-focused program, a comedy night, the immersive theatre experience Parking Lot Plays, and a screening of a new documentary about Historic Commercial Center.

Arts in the Center is the first public demonstration of a new partnership that has been forged between Clark County and UNLV’s College of Fine Arts. Its purpose is to expand the reach of arts programming created at UNLV while providing free quality arts programming to the community at large.

UNLV College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher noted, “The creation of the UNLV College of Fine Arts Innovation Lab is an amazing opportunity for the college to celebrate a new community partnership. This will inspire students and faculty to create knowledge for the future within and across disciplines, explore creativity and design thinking, and celebrate bold ideas within a truly inventive and enterprising ethos.”

Warren Cobb, associate dean of UNLV’s College of Fine Arts, commented, “The College of Fine Arts Innovation Lab is honored to launch our new partnership with Clark County. We are excited about this bold step forward in the evolution of creative education and intend to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of fine arts.”

He continued, “We have so many talented students in our programs. This initiative is a wonderful way to provide them with an opportunity to unleash their creativity, knowing that their creations will be experienced not only by their peers but also by the wider community. It will serve as a motivating catalyst that leads to the creation of even more new daringly original “think out of the box” ideas. We are thrilled to be a part of this pioneering center for artistic innovation, expression and exploration.”

Segerblom stated, “I am very excited to bring this series of high-quality arts programming to Historic Commercial Center. The true “center” of the Las Vegas community for decades, our goal is to once again make this vital area a home not just for presentation of the arts, but a true Arts Innovation District that also fosters the creation of new and exciting works that have both commercial and non-commercial applications.”

Miller also added, “The County is working diligently behind-the-scenes to revitalize Historic Commercial Center as a home for the creation and presentation of art, in whatever form that might take. With great performance spots and the wonderful variety of existing and upcoming restaurants, this iconic area will once again be a treasured destination for all the people who live in the Las Vegas Valley.”

Kevin Schiller stated, “The arts are a key part of what makes our County so special. I’m certain that this new initiative will be a significant motivator that helps to foster more creativity and economic development not only for this historic part of town, but for Las Vegas and our community as a whole.”

The UNLV College of Fine Arts — currently with more than 2,700 enrollees — focuses on seven key disciplines, including theatre, dance, film, art, architecture, engineering and design, and music. It also offers on-site programming including professional presentations from world-renowned artists to concerts presented by faculty and students, lectures offered by distinguished artists, writers, critics and exhibitions of student work in galleries.

Among the programs slated for the upcoming Arts in the Center series are:

February 28 at The Composers Room — The UNLV Joe Williams Quintet

The premiere of this vibrant new arts series brings together a combination of talent, creativity, and passion for jazz. Comprised of accomplished musicians from UNLV’s Jazz and Commercial Music Department, a quintet of talented music professionals will showcase the rich traditions of the genre while pushing boundaries with innovative arrangements and daringly original new compositions.

March 20 at The Composers Room — The UNLV Joe Williams Trio featuring Adam Schroeder and Gary Fowler

A return engagement of the premiere Arts in the Center series, this brand-new jazz-based evening will spotlight even more talented members of UNLV’s Jazz and Commercial Music Department, along with dazzling new compositions and stunning selections from The Great American Songbook.

April 10 at The Composers Room — "Environment- Built/Natural" and Q&A

When we examine the physical spaces around us, they represent a dichotomy: natural and built. While built environments are constantly in a state of flux, shifts in the natural environment are often measured in millennia. This contrast, of temporary and permanent and of human-influenced and natural, is the topic of this compelling event. Experience a multitude of student-created works that reference this concept as a way of understanding our collective place in the world.  A Q&A session with the creators of the works is included as part of the evening.

April 21 in the County-Owned Commercial Center Parking Lot — Parking Lot Plays

A lot can happen in a parking lot. Keys can be lost. A car can break down. Relationships can begin, end, or take a dramatic turn.   Alliances can be forged or destroyed. Join UNLV’s Nevada Conservatory Theatre for the world premiere of Parking Lot Plays, a unique site-specific experience: five short plays told in and around cars will literally move you.

May 1 at The Composers Room — UNLV FILM Comedy Showcase

As the culmination of a semester studying the curriculum of today’s most influential modern comedy school (the Upright Citizens Brigade), students will perform a live, one-night-only show of both works-in-progress written sketches and entirely improvised long-form comedy.

June 5 at The Composers Room — Commercial Center Reimagined Screening and Q&A

This program will feature the debut of a 15-minute documentary about the revitalization of Las Vegas’ Historic Commercial Center. Built in 1963 as Las Vegas’ first outdoor shopping center, this historical epicenter of Las Vegas culture experienced a downward decline beginning in the 1990s. Now, however, Clark County is embarking on a bold mission to reclaim Commercial Center’s heyday and re-establish it as Las Vegas’ exciting new Arts Innovation District.

Damian Costa and Nicholas Cordaro, owners of The Composers Room at Historic Commercial Center, welcome the new Arts in the Center programming. They commented, “We at The Composers Room are honored to host many of the arts programs that will debut during this new partnership between Clark County and the UNLV College of Fine Arts. The Composers Room was conceived as a place where performers can present many varieties of music that aficionados love most, in an atmosphere recalling the iconic style and elegance of the Las Vegas of the past. Arts in the Center’s new programming will add even more excitement to our robust calendar of outstanding performances.”

Capacity for events may be limited. 

About the UNLV College of Fine Arts

The College of Fine Arts educates, empowers, and engages creative people to become visionary change-makers in the arts through acts of imagination. At UNLV we believe the arts are an essential good for society. We make education relevant and accessible through our programs and outreach. We create new knowledge in the arts. We celebrate independent thought and the power of bringing people together to foster creativity.