Vacant lots, deserted houses and downtown hotels are seen in a new light and vivid color. Winchester Cultural Center Gallery
In and Out of Whack Through Aug. 13. Artists Deborah Karpman and Kimberly Hennessy find balance among separate extremes of protection and invasion, strength and weakness, chaos and order. Karpman repurposes old manuals and guidebooks into wallpaper, while Hennessy’s work entails a lot of drawing, pouring and dripping. Contemporary Arts Center
Desert Spaces Art Exhibition
Springs Preserve Photo Contest
Through Sept. 11, by appointment. Our immediate Southwest environent is the star of this invitational exhibit. Featured artists focus on the beauty, detail and color of the awe-inspiring expanse of our desert. Free. Historic Fifth Street School Gallery
Through October 2. Everyone’s a photographer these days — and some of us are quite good. View award winners of the Springs Preserve’s annual photo contest, which features work from a range of professional, youth and amateur photographers. $4-$8. Springs Preserve, Big Springs Gallery
Great Basin Exteriors: A Photographic Survey
Lolita Develay: “Window Shopping”
Through Sept. 14. Photographers Adam Jahiel, Daniel Cheek and Nolan Preece examine themes of loss, change and abandonment in the American West in this exhibit of 30 photographs. UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum
Aug. 20-Oct. 14; reception Sept. 9, 5:30 p.m. Develay’s paintings take readers window shopping through the luxury of the Strip. The art examines consumer culture through the incorporation of futuristic mannequins drenched in high
Hot Glass Through Aug. 18. Artist Stacey Neff’s exhibit explores the possibilities of glass as a sculptural medium, whether it’s traditional glass or fiberglass. Other artists in the exhibit also experiment with the medium, among them Sam Scott, Dana Newmann and Martin Horowitz. Charleston Heights Arts Center
Melinda Jackson and Michael Kessler are the brains — and legs — behind “Love 2 Dance.”
Celebrating Life! 2011 Winners Circle Exhibition Through Aug. 25. View the award-winning entries from this year’s fine arts competition sponsored by the city of Las Vegas Arts Commission and the city of Las Vegas to recognize local artists. Free. Bridge Gallery
Summer Selections Through Sept. 4 A celebration of contemporary prints, editions and multiples by some of the world’s leading artists and designers. This exhibit features works by several artists from the acclaimed “Locals Only” series. CENTERpiece Gallery
Through Sept. 10. Inspired by the desert landscape and the Las Vegas skylines, Lincoln Maynard takes advantage of the museum’s large walls to not just exhibit paintings, but create an encompassing expression of thought about people, cities and society. Also on display is a smaller version of Urbis Octaptych, eight paintings that will be auctioned off to benefit UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum.
90 D e s e r t C o m pa n i o n A U G U S T 2 0 1 1
U’ll love 2 dance 2 Between “America’s Got Talent” and “Dancing with the Stars” and “Krumping Kids on Kamera” and “Look! Anybody Can Dance! Even These Animals!,” you’d think dance was simply a matter of slapping on some clogs and getting your Lord of the Dance on. Not true. It takes passion, dedication — even obsession — to become a professional dancer. The husbandand-wife team Michael Kessler and Melinda Jackson should know — and they know a lot of people who should know, too. That’s why they gathered 18 of the valley’s top dancers — veterans of Strip mainstays such as “Jersey Boys,” “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” and “O” — for their show “Love 2 Dance.” In these footloose vignettes, dancers reveal their struggles and celebrate their triumphs — and revel in their enduring love of dance. It happens 8 p.m. Aug. 19 and 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at the South Point hotel-casino. Tickets $20-$30. Info: www.southpointcasino.com PHOTOGRAPHY BY SABIN ORR
C O U RTE S Y L O V E 2 DANCE
Urbis Octaptych: The City ...the Times, the Promise