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.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/94837
POWER DUO Justin Favela and Danielle Kelly show off the famous Stardust sign. record keepers TO THE PUBLIC. BY JOHN KATSILOMETES PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEILA NAVIDI N DANIELLE KELLY AND JUSTIN FAVELA BRING HISTORY ALIVE AT THE NEON MUSEUM, WHICH JUST CELEBRATED ITS LONG-AWAITED OPENING o two of the famous signs are quite alike, save for their onetime neon illumination, from the old Stardust visage that hearkens to the daz- zling and dangerous qualities of nuclear testing, to the swirling, cursive Moulin Rouge pattern that reminds of an all-too-brief, six-month run by that hotel in 1955, the first hotel-casino in the country to allow blacks through its front doors as customers. So many signs, so many stories. Now, through the power of passion, these once-glowing beacons of history are open to the public, at Museum in Las Vegas, which is positioned in an open lot just north of where Las Vegas Boulevard intersects Fremont Street, close to the original home of many of the signs now on display. Two of the Neon Museum's employees share a devotion to the project, which, for them, is inherently personal. Executive Director Danielle Kelly once taught art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. So she appreciates the neon pieces as art, certainly. But not entirely. the Neon continued on page 70 68 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM