Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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Chang's Confessions installation, such as these will be part of Candy Real confessions don't miss! throughout July at The Cosmopolitan. HOTTEST TickET: JuLY do you confess? n ew Orleans-based artist Candy Chang admits she has something of a short atten- tion span, but laughs that she uses it to turn out dozens of innovative artistic ventures— often several at the same time. At the moment, she is working on a neon sign for a neighborhood shop owner, writing a book, touring the world as a speaker—and finalizing the last-minute details of an interactive project for The Cosmopolitan, where she'll be stationed from July 18 to August 12 (Wednesday to Sunday, 6 to 11 pm). The groundbreaking Artist-in-Residence program there has featured such varied artists as local celebrity Jerry Misko and the disguised, mute Bumbys, who sat at electric typewriters to size guests up via clever "appraisals." Chang's Confessions will also rely on guest participation. Chang is an artist, designer, and urban plan- ner who often combines street art with social activism. Many of her projects take place in pub- lic spaces, including her best-known work, the Before I Die installation. "I painted the side of an abandoned house in my neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled the words before i die ____. People walking by 74 VeGASMAGAzIne.CoM Candy Chang Cosmopolitan. Inspired by Japanese Shinto prayer walls, Confessions will encourage visitors to write a con- fession on a piece of wood and drop it into a box. Chang will compile them to be shown the follow- ing day, with one singled out to be displayed on a large canvas. "Many of us would love to know each other's secrets," she says. "I thought if we could share these confessions anonymously in a safe environment, it would be interesting. Some of these might be funny, some might be sad, and some might take a weight off our shoulders. There is so much that we can learn from each other's confes- sions. Maybe it will be cathartic; maybe it will make us feel less alone." V ARTIST CANDY CHANG BRINGS HER NEXT BIG PROJECT, CONFESSIONS, TO THE COSMOPOLITAN—BUT ITS SUCCESS DEPENDS ON YOU. by LISA ArCeLLA could fill in the sentence and remember what's important to them," she says. "It blew up in a way I never expected." "Before I Die" walls soon popped up everywhere from Australia to Kazakhstan; the artist now has a book in the works featuring walls from around the world. "I think that is the thing that drives me now: finding ways to learn directly from the people around us," she says. "How do we pull those stories out?" That's precisely what she will be doing at The SETH MEYERS A comedian not typically known for stand-up (or standing at all), Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers gets up from his "Weekend Update" desk July 6 for a one-night-only Las Vegas appearance, as part of The Mirage's Aces of Comedy series. Meyers's years in Chicago's sketch and improv comedy scene helped him earn his big break as a writer/ performer on SNL a decade ago, creating pop culture favorites such as Tina Fey's popular Sarah Palin impersonation. With five years as a mock anchorman under his belt, and with election season in full swing, expect his stand-up set to focus on current events, from politics to sports and everything in between, including some material too blue for live TV. Terry Fator Theatre at The Mirage Hotel & Casino, July 6, 10 pm, 702-792-7777; mirage.com FOSTER THE PEOPLE Indie pop band Foster the People arrives in Las Vegas for a night of music poolside. The LA-based group formed in 2009 with Mark Foster serving as front man, along with his pals Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius. Their deceptively upbeat hit song "Pumped Up Kicks" (the lyrics are on the darker side) debuted in 2010 on their website and became an instant viral hit on the radio. A stream of remixes and videos increased the band's popularity, culminating in a Grammy nod and a multi-album record deal. Their current and first studio album, Torches, features 10 tracks that are a mix of old-school funk and contagious beats. Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan, July 7, 9 pm, $35, 702-698-7000; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com PhoToGrAPhy by JACqUeLyn ALLen (CondeSSIonS); rAndAL Ford (ChAnG); neILSon bArnArd/GeTTy IMAGeS (MeyerS); SeThoLenICK.CoM (FoSTer)