‘Performing in the Dark’ Virtual Exhibition from Nevada Humanities Explores Crisis Faced by Performers
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Fri, 02/05/2021 - 12:04pm
Event Date:
March 5, 2021 - 7:00pm As part of the ongoing Nevada Humanities Exhibition Series, a new virtual exhibition, Performing in the Dark: The Sudden Disappearance of Live Entertainment, opens online on February 5, 2021, at nevadahumanities.org.
Miranda Alam, curator of the Performing in the Dark exhibition, will host a curator's talk on Friday, March 5, 2021, at 7 pm. Register for this Zoom event at nevadahumanities.org.
Las Vegas' cultural identity and economic wellbeing is undeniably linked to the performers and stage staff who once spent their days and nights dazzling tourists in intimate performances and big-money productions alike.
Performing in the Dark is a photojournalism, multi-media exhibition that highlights the sudden disappearance of live entertainment in the Entertainment Capital of the World. This photojournalism exhibition captures visions of Las Vegas caught in pandemic.
“Performing in the Dark profiles the artists, performers, and technical staff that are the lifeblood of the entertainment industry in Las Vegas,” said Christina Barr, Nevada Humanities Executive Director. “The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted our lives, and this exhibition offers a realistic glimpse into the struggles and hopes of this important creative community and brings into focus the many ways we have each adapted to find our way through this crisis together.”
Through the lenses of Nevada’s visual journalists, this exhibition spotlights local performers who have found themselves stranded from the stage, and forced to find new ways to get by amid the unrelenting pandemic Photojournalists featured in this exhibition include: Rachel Aston, Benjamin Hager, Ellen Schmidt, and Chase Stevens from the Las Vegas Review-Journal; Christopher DeVargas, Steve Marcus, and Wade Vandervort from Greenspun Media Group publications; and freelance/local photojournalists Bridget Bennett, Ronda Churchill, Mikayla Whitmore, Aaron Mayes, and exhibition curator Miranda Alam.
“I hope this exhibition awakens an urge in others to care about these once vital members of the community who still have no idea what their futures are going to look like,” said Miranda Alam, curator of Performing in the Dark. “Without them, Las Vegas will not be the same.”
About Nevada Humanities: Nevada Humanities is one of 56 independent, nonprofit state and territorial humanities councils affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. With offices in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada Humanities creates public programs and supports public projects statewide that define the Nevada experience and facilitate the exploration of issues that matter to the people of Nevada and their communities. For more information about Nevada Humanities visit nevadahumanities.org.
