Paul Szydelko
Its name may still be enigmatic for many, but this year's Duck Duck Shed promises an array of interesting insights about the craftsmanship of Las Vegas.
The third annual weekend series of panels, lectures and tours, scheduled for April 24 to 27, focuses on the architecture, design and cultural forces that shaped and continue to influence the city today.
The name comes from "Learning From Las Vegas," a 1972 book about Las Vegas architecture that classified buildings as "Ducks" and "Decorated Sheds." The event is the vision of Neon Museum executive director Aaron Berger, who noted that its new collaboration with the American Institute of Architects offers a continuing education credit for architects.
"But this is just as accessible to Las Vegas enthusiasts -- people who love to see Las Vegas in a different perspective," Berger said.
The highlights
Among the topics that will be covered, along with the admission price for each of those sessions:
• Stadium design ($65): Frankie Sharpe, director of sports architecture at Bjarke Ingels Group and lead designer of the proposed A's baseball stadium on the former Tropicana site, will discuss how the facility will reflect the city's spirit.
A rendering of the proposed A’s stadium. Frankie Sharpe, the stadium’s lead designer, will discuss how the facility will reflect the spirit of Las Vegas during Duck Duck Shed. Photo Credit: Athletics
• Legendary hotel-casino developer Jay Sarno ($165): Historian David G. Schwartz will talk to Jay Sarno Jr., the son of the founder of Caesars Palace and Circus Circus, two properties that predated the city's modern megaresorts but are still standing. The fee includes brunch in the private dining room of Caesars' Bacchanal Buffet and a copy of Schwartz's book "Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas."
• Implosions ($25): Broadcast journalist Steve Crupi will share video and discuss Las Vegas' most iconic demolitions.
• The Mirage's volcano ($25): The attraction has been dismantled to make way for Hard Rock's guitar-shaped room tower under construction, but it continues to fascinate those who saw it erupt on the hour for more than three decades. The original architects and engineers will reunite to explain how they created it.
• Casino carpets ($25): For those who wonder about the frequently outlandish patterns of what's under their feet in a casino, industry experts Alice O'Keefe and Terrien Hale will talk about how color theory, wayfinding and the psychology of guest behavior influence design choices.
• Fontainebleau reimagined ($25): How Fontainebleau Las Vegas reflects the spirit of Morris Lapidus, who revolutionized resort design in the 1950s when he created Fontainebleau Miami Beach, will be the topic of another event.
• Stories from Backstage: Cirque du
Soleil (free admission): This ongoing exhibit at Las Vegas City Hall offers an exclusive look at the entertainment powerhouse's costumes; tours are being provided during Duck Duck
Shed weekend; the curator's tour is
$15.
In other events of note, attorney, writer and podcast host Dayvid Figler will explore how current development on the Strip echoes the structures examined in "Learning from Las Vegas." ($25); curator Michele C. Quinn will lead a tour of Aria's public fine art collection ($45); and Circa Resort & Casino's Stadium Swim will host the world premiere of Las Vegas-based film "Action! Action!" about a team of friends hired to steal Al Capone's painting from the Mob Museum ($15).
Those planning to attend are encouraged to get tickets in advance. Locations, times and dates vary. See the Duck Duck Shed website for scheduling details.
New mission of Neon Museum
"Stories from Backstage: Cirque du Soleil" and Duck Duck Shed illustrate the new, enhanced mission statement of the Neon Museum: (To illuminate) the cultural essence of Las Vegas by sharing iconic signage, diverse collections, and stories that define its vibrant past, present, and future.
This new statement "allows us to talk about the (former) Tropicana just as easily as talk about the (proposed) stadium, and we could talk about it in the same breath," Berger said. "So we're not always looking backward, which has been a really big goal of our board, our staff and certainly me since I've joined the team."
Berger said the Neon Museum could broadly be considered the "'Museum of Las Vegas.' That's really what we are going forward. We're able to tell so many more stories with this new vision, this new direction, and it leads into our expansion efforts and our footprint and all those other fun things that are coming down the pike."
The Neon Museum, in the interpretive planning stage of its proposed expansion, is gathering input from a variety of stakeholders in the community, Berger said.
"Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World," he said. "So how does a museum that's going to use the moniker 'Museum of Las Vegas' not include entertainment in our offerings? If we're the Wedding Capital of World, how do we tell that story? We are a city that in order to build we blow up. So how do we tell that story?"