When it comes to entertainment in Nevada, most people immediately think of Las Vegas. While this desert city is rife with high-quality entertainment of all types, the rest of the Silver State offers a variety of arts and performances as well. From Reno to Carson City, and Elko to Vegas, visitors to Nevada who enjoy arts and entertainment can find nearly any type of show or artwork imaginable.
Visual Arts and Crafts
Though Nevada only has a small number of museums scattered throughout the state, these museums are of the highest quality in terms of artwork and pieces available. The Nevada Museum of Art, in Reno, is a unique in that it divides its collections into themes, rather than history or style. Housing nearly 200 works of art, the museum is the oldest cultural institution in the state.
There are a few other extraordinary art museums in the state, with the three best in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Art Museum has a focus on contemporary art and design, and hosts an ever changing lineup of exhibits. On the Strip, visitors can enjoy the high quality art at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum housed in the Venetian Hotel. This affiliate of the other well-known Guggenheim Museums, hosts works such as Old Masters, Russian Treasures from the Kremlin, and more. Also on the Strip is the Bellagio Hotel, with its dancing fountains, glorious art flowers by artist Dale Chihuly, and its Gallery of Fine Art.
For those interested in hand crafted items, Nevada is most well known for high quality Native American items. Drums, clothing items with intricate beadwork, basket weaving, and high-quality locally-mined turquoise jewelry make up a large percentage of the most popular items available. Powwows and other festivals are one of the best ways to view and purchase these items, often with the added benefit of meeting and talking with the maker.
Performing Arts
Nevada, and Las Vegas in particular, is known for its live entertainment. While not all entertainment in Vegas qualifies as'art,' a surprisingly large number of groups produce high quality theater, music, and dance.
For those interested in theater, a mix of theatrical groups around the state offer everything from new works to Shakespeare in the form of professional and community theater. Inside the Vegas area, many quality Broadway-style productions are staged at the elaborate theaters inside resort hotels. Additionally, most resorts and casinos offer a variety of other types of shows, including cabaret, improv, circus, and revues.
Nevada is also a hot-spot for musical performance. In addition to old fashioned opera houses in Virginia City and Eureka, cowboy music, festivals, and more are found throughout the state. Symphony orchestras in Reno, Carson City, and Las Vegas offer the beauty of classically performed music. Inside Vegas itself, a number of musical groups, singers, and other performers grace the stages nightly.
If it's dance visitors are seeking, Nevada is the place. With classical ballet companies in Vegas and Genoa in northern Nevada, the state is not lacking for beautiful performances. Folk and Native American dance styles are also popular, and can often be enjoyed at local festivals around the state. For glitz and glamor, however, it's the Vegas strip once again. The flashy showgirls for which Las Vegas is famous, make up some of the most intricate and spectacular productions in the world. Burlesque, Broadway-style numbers, and much more are available in venues across the city.
Film and Literature
For film buffs, there is a variety of festivals around the state, including Reno's CinemaReno and the Reno Film Festival; and several in Las Vegas, including the Pacific Islands Festival and CineVegas. Las Vegas and the surrounding areas have also been the subject and set for an extraordinary amount of film and television over the years. Many people who have never set foot in Nevada will instantly recognize numerous scenes and the famous Las Vegas Strip.
Nevada's unique landscaping and history have been highly influential to the state's literary works. In addition to writers who capitalize on the Wild West history of the state, the atomic age has been heavily chronicled in the Nevada area, with much attention paid to testing and, later, to nuclear waste. Cowboy poetry is also popular here, and the world's oldest Cowboy Poetry Festival takes place in Elko each year.
For visitors to Nevada, the Silver State holds a treasure of arts and entertainment. For those who enjoy glitz, glamor, and special effects, Las Vegas is the place to go. Vegas offers some of the most elaborate shows on earth, along with several exquisite art galleries. For those who want to avoid the bright lights and big city, traveling around the state can yield a variety of theatrical, musical, and dance performances, as well as some museums and other attractions well worth visiting.
