People misjudge how far it is to the horizon in Utah. They misjudge the stretch of desert to the mountains turned blue and purple by the miles of dry air. They misjudge how many years people have been trying to find a way to live here and how many times the words "discouraged" and "moved on" appear in the history books of the area.

Jung Min turns to look at a mural along one of the front beams leading into Frank and Estella Beam Hall on the UNLV campus.

I don’t know if they meant it this way, but the curators of Viva Las Vegas were smart to position Mary Warner’s 2008 oil painting “Vegas World” as the first thing you see when you enter UNLV’s Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery. Lushly rendered and utterly gorgeous, it depicts a local neighborhood streetscape at sunset, the old Vegas World casino lit up in the distance.

The upcoming show, Ripper Jordan Redux, is a great example of the Matt & Jo praxis. “The inspiration for this show was actually discovering a collection of the archive works held by Sean Slattery, an artist and UNLV professor who consistently churns out dense, tongue-in-cheek work that requires as much scrutiny as it offers.

Las Vegas community members will have the opportunity to see their artwork displayed on the Exosphere — the viral outer shell of the Sphere that has gained worldwide attention over the last year for its repertoire of designs, including advertisements for movies, grinning emojis, giant basketballs and more.

The visual and performing arts are in full swing throughout the state. Making good on its promises to bring more activity and people to Commercial Center, Clark County has just launched a program with UNLV, which will produce cultural events at the East Sahara complex.