Thursday, the Secretary of Energy is coming to Las Vegas.

When most people think of viewing art standard venues such as museums, galleries or public displays come to mind. But Southern Nevada is also home to examples of what's called "Land Art”; sculpture on a grand scale reshaping portions of the earth itself.

In the sound sculpture “Gnaw,” a demented stuffed animal shakes while making weird chewing noises. In “Cradle,” plastic fingers are hot-glued together to form an organic tower that’s equal parts disturbing and comforting. In “Soap,” a rainbow of soap baseballs questions the masculine tradition of sports. And in “Bunting for Babylon II (Coke & Crystals),” a patriotic decoration is reimagined as a critique of runaway capitalism.

On this episode Dr. Erika Abad interviews artists Lance L. Smith and Brent Holmes about their exhibitions currently on view at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art.

What I know about abstraction in art is not much. Sure, I get the bare-bones idea of it—the freedom to create something that’s not representative, to allow the creative mind to wander where it will—but the why of abstraction sometimes eludes me. (I blame the editor in me; if something doesn’t make sense to me, it needs to be rewritten and revised until it does.) But in curating Two or 3 Things I Know About Abstraction—a 12-artist group show now at the Summerlin Library gallery—UNLV fine arts professor Pasha Rafat has anchored abstraction to a value I can get my head around: connection.

Fawn Douglas and A.B. Wilkinson spend most of their days at UNLV - one as a teacher in the College of Fine Art and the other as an associate professor of history - but they spend their nights and weekends working on a new arts and activism studio.

Calling all art lovers! If you’re looking to check out a new exhibition, we’ve got just the thing for you in the Las Vegas Arts District. Renowned artist Frédéric Bonin-Pissarro will be featured at the Priscilla Fowler Fine Art Gallery’s latest show, “Life Lines.”

Last spring, Wendy Kveck taught an art class at UNLV called Finding America in Las Vegas. “I considered how the landscape and cultures of Southern Nevada have influenced artists’ work over the decades,” she wrote in a blog post for Nevada Humanities.

Many areas of life have been compromised by the pandemic, and the visual arts are certainly one of them.

While some people across the Las Vegas valley can stay home, others still have to travel during the coronavirus pandemic. For those who take public transportation, following COVID-19 safety protocols are important than ever. The Regional Transportation Commission hopes by displaying art, they can inspire their riders to stay safe.

Busses are close-quarters, enclosed areas. Experts say COVID-19 can spread quickly in similar environments.

In a year overshadowed by a pandemic, schooling from home and the general stress of 2020, UNLV’s graduating graphic design seniors are making the best of a difficult situation. There are 16 students in the program that will be graduating this December without any pomp or circumstance. Traditionally, the students would be hosting a 250-person industry targeted event to promote their capstone graduating projects, but like most events this year, the networking showcase was cancelled. Nevertheless, that has merely caused the students to be more creative and nimbler in their brand promotions. This December the showcase will be presented as an outdoor art installation on the windows of UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall.