Briefs: Music, art and family fun

Art

UNLV SHOWCASES

CONTEMPORARY ART

He was a postal clerk. She was a reference librarian.

Unlikely art connoisseurs, perhaps, but Dorothy and Herbert Vogel nevertheless became celebrated collectors of contemporary art.

Some 50 pieces from the Vogel Collection have found a home, through Sept. 28, at UNLV’s Barrick Museum.

As part of “Vogel 50 x 50,” the couple donated 50 works each to one institution in every state.

UNLV was the Nevada recipient of works by such notable artists as Stephen Antonakos, Neil Jenney, Lynda Benglis, Lucio Pozzi, Edda Renouf, Bettina Werner and Richard Tuttle, which are now on display.

Starting in 1962, the New York couple began collecting contemporary art, dedicating Herb Vogel’s post office salary to building a collection that eventually grew to about 4,000 works, many by then-unknown artists who went on to achieve acclaim.

“The Vogels created one of the great private collections of the late 20th century and have done so with modest means,” according to Barrick program director Aurore Giguet. “They prove that you do not have to be wealthy to assemble an important collection or to be able to give generously to art institutions.”

Accompanying the Barrick exhibit: filmmaker Megumi Sasaki’s award-winning documentary “Herb & Dorothy.”

The Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free (suggested voluntary donation: $5 for adults, $2 for children and seniors). For more information, call 702-895-3381 or visit barrickmuseum.unlv.edu.

Music

PIANIST RETURNS

TO CABARET JAZZ

Liberace may not be playing Las Vegas anymore, but Liberace’s hands are.

Technically, those hands belong to Philip Fortenberry , who reprises “The Man at the Piano” Sunday afternoon at The Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz.

But Fortenberry’s hands doubled for Liberace’s in the recent HBO biopic “Behind the Candelabra,” which starred Michael Douglas as Mr. Showmanship.

Fortenberry’s Liberace connection extends beyond the movie, however; he performed a solo tribute, “Liberace & Me,” at the now-closed Liberace Museum.

The 75-minute “Man at the Piano,” which Fortenberry debuted at Cabaret Jazz in June, pairs musical selections with tales of his life as a Broadway pianist and concert artist, performing from Carnegie Hall to the White House.

Fortenberry performs at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. For tickets ($25-$35), call 702-749-2000 or visit www.thesmithcenter.com.

Family fun

‘KINDIE ROCK’ FAVES

PLAY LOCAL SHOWS

From People magazine (“No. 1 Cool Kid Album of the Year”) to Sirius/XM Radio (No. 1 on Kids Place Live), Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band have earned acclaim, applause and awards.

And next week, local audiences can join the fun, when the band — led by the husband-and-wife team of singer-songwriter Diaz and Alisha Gaddis, a Broadway performer and songwriter — visits the Charleston Heights Arts Center and the Historic Fifth Street School.

Joined by various guest musicians, Diaz and band deliver meaningful lyrics, catchy hooks and all-around fun for kids — of all ages.

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band will perform at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., and at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St.

Tickets are $3 and may be purchased by telephone at 702-229-3515 or 702-229-6383 or online at www.artslasvegas.org.

Exhibit

‘JEWELS OF TITANIC’

ENDS LUXOR RUN

They’re almost ready to sail into the sunset.

Only a few days remain to see “Jewels of Titantic” as part of the Luxor’s “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.”

Some 15 pieces of jewelry recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated luxury liner — diamonds, sapphires, pearls and gold — will be on display though Sunday before being distributed among various Titanic exhibits around the world.

Las Vegas is the final stop for the special “Jewels of the Titanic” exhibition, which began in Atlanta last year — the centennial of the Titanic’s one and only voyage — and continued to Orlando, Fla., before docking at the Luxor.

The remainder of “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” featuring more than 250 items, continues at the Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. South, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; “Jewels of the Titanic” is included with admission to the main exhibit. For tickets ($24-$32, with Nevada resident discounts available), call 800-557-7428 or 702-262-4400 or go online to www.luxor.com/entertainment.

Author visit

‘ZEALOT’S’ ASLAN

VISITS LIBRARY

After two decades of research, scholar and best-selling author Reza Aslan examines Jesus as a man in “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.”

Monday evening, the author shares his perspective in a free “Evening with Reza Aslan” at the Clark County Library.

In “Zealot,” Aslan focuses on Jesus as a political radical, balancing historical sources against the Jesus of the Gospels.

A fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy and a Middle East analyst for CBS News, Aslan will speak at 7 p.m. Monday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. A book signing and reception will follow; books will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information, call 702-507-3459 or visit the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District website at www.lvccld.org.

— By CAROL CLING