Rolling the Dice on Art - A Stroll Through the Las Vegas Arts District

I'm standin' in the middle of the desert
Waitin' for my ship to come in
But now no joker, no jack, no king
Can take this losing hand and, and make it win

- Leaving Las Vegas, Sheryl Crow

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind? Neon glitz? Showgirl glamour? Elvis conducting a wedding?

If someone told you that Las Vegas had an arts district, would you be surprised?

I recently asked a friend who goes to Las Vegas a lot about the Las Vegas Arts District and they were dumbfounded. They had never heard of it.

In early October my family and a group of friends went to Las Vegas to see U2 in the Sphere.

An ad for U2's latest single, Atomic City, pasted up in the Arts District.

The U2 concert - and the Sphere itself - was amazing.

I could write a lot about that, but for this post I'd like to share about the fun my friend Sammy and I had exploring the super cool neighbourhood of Las Vegas known as the Arts District.

With my limited knowledge of Las Vegas (a lot of CSI Vegas episodes plus a 2 day trip there some 12+ years ago) I was ready to take in all that the District had to offer!

The Arts District started in 1998 as an 18 block district to promote the arts. Hence why it is at times referred to as 18b, although it has expanded beyond the original area.

Fantastic Clint Eastwood inspired mural by @latin.artist (link to their Instagram page).

Our cab driver dropped us off near the building with the giant LOVE LAS VEGAS mural and we set out for adventure!

We encountered the Retro Vegas shop, which was currently closed at this location...

Great mural by @geometrkart (link to their instagram page).

We quickly were taken in by alleyway upon alleyway of incredible mural artwork...

A mural being created while we watched.

Artwork by Joe Pagac (link to their instagram page).

You can count on Sammy and I to ham it up a bit for the camera...

Here I am, playing my part...

The above mural was created by Recycled Propaganda, who has a store and exhibit space in the Arts District. A must see if you go!

Here are some of what we encountered in Recycled Propaganda...

If you like Adbusters, as I do, or any creative work that counters the dominant ad-based world that we live in, then you will appreciate checking out Recycled Propaganda (also on Instagram).

Immediately next door to Recycled Propaganda was that most American of businesses, a 24 hour bail bonds operation.

Naturally Sammy provided some joyful visuals!