NEON MUSEUM ANNOUNCES UPCOMING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Neon Museum announces upcoming educational programs. Note some programs take place at the Neon Museum, located at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, while others take place at Ne10, the museum’s new warehouse and administrative space, located at 1001 West Bonanza Road on the campus of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- Aladdin’s March Magic, Saturday, March 17, 5 p.m., Neon Museum North Gallery and Boneyard, $5 per guest: During this event, which is most appropriate for children ages 5 and up accompanied by a parent or guardian, the “Genie” will perform a dramatic reading of the traditional version of the Aladdin folktale in the North Gallery. After story time, participants will make a magic “flying carpet” with paper and markers before “flying” their carpets into the Neon Boneyard in search of Aladdin’s lamp (rumored to be lost in Las Vegas). Then all will gather around to enjoy magic tricks performed by the Genie. Attendees will be encouraged to take photos beside Aladdin’s lamp and, finally, will receive a magical “wish jewel” to take home, along with their magic carpets. Reservations are required.
- Junior Interpreter Tour, Saturday, March 24, April 21 and May 19, 9:30 a.m., Neon Museum Boneyard, $5 per guest and free for children 6 and younger: Guided by middle- and high-school-age interpreters, participants learn about sign history, the advertising and promotional purpose behind signage, as well as the technology involved in creating signs. While touching the signs on display is not permitted, children are invited to handle flexible plastic tubing, which serves as a child-safe stand-in for glass neon tubing. To commemorate their adventure children also receive a “Boneyard Passport,” which gets stamped at certain points during the tour. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Times of the Signs Lecture with Alan Hess, Wednesday, May 9, 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. lecture, Ne10 Studio, free admission; no registration required: A half-century after three Yale professors famously brought their students west to learn from Las Vegas, the city remains an object of scholarly curiosity, ambivalence and infatuation. Alan Hess marks the 50th anniversary of the “Learning from Las Vegas” survey by reviewing what they learned in 1968, how Las Vegas evolved and why it is even more important today to the evolution of modern architecture and planning. This project is funded in part by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
- Contemporary Dance Performance by Rachel Erdos, Tuesday, May 15, Ne10 Studio: Erdos is an award-winning independent choreographer based in Tel Aviv, whose work has been shown in some of the prestigious performing arts venues, including The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Royal Opera House in London. She will be in Las Vegas as part of her U.S. tour and will perform her work, “Castle.”
For more information or to make reservations, go to www.neonmuseum.org/happenings.
ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM
Founded in 1996, the Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. It has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” one of “Sin City’s Best Retro Sites” by MSN, “No. 1 Las Vegas Museum Sure to Entertain and Educate” by USAToday’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, the Neon Museum houses an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, used mainly for education programs and special events; the new Boulevard Gallery outdoor exhibit and event space; and its visitors’ center, housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas and one restored sign on view at the outdoor Fashion Show Plaza on the Las Vegas Strip. Public education, outreach, research, archival preservation and a grant-funded neon sign survey represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. Both the Neon Boneyard and the La Concha Visitors’ Center are located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North in Las Vegas. For tour schedules and pricing information, visit neonmuseum.org.