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Goodman Civic Center and Plaza set for ribbon cutting, year-round cultural programming and public art
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Summary
City parks and cultural staff outlined opening events, a concert series, public art installations and gallery exhibitions for the new Goodman Civic Center and Plaza, including a ribbon-cutting, an estimated $500,000 invested in 106 trees and commissioning of large-scale public artworks.
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs staff on Sept. 3 presented a program of openings, festivals and public art for the new Goodman Civic Center and Plaza, emphasizing a year-round calendar of free and ticketed events and a significant public-art program.
Director Maggie Plaster and Deputy Jennifer Kleven presented the department’s plan: a ribbon cutting set for the week of the meeting, a concert by Las Vegas artist Jessica Manolo, and a grand-opening weekend with concerts, artist talks and family festivals. Staff said the plaza will host a farmer’s market every second and fourth Thursday, and the Civic Center Gallery will hold rotating exhibitions with free public admission.
Plaster said the city planted approximately 106 trees in the plaza — 18 species — with an approximate investment of $500,000. She described the plaza as a community gathering place designed to showcase performing and visual arts, public art and to provide vendor and rental opportunities for local artists and nonprofits.
Public art projects include a large steel sculpture, Harmonic Ascension, commissioned from Cliff Garden Studio of Venice, California; staff said it is the largest public-art commission the city has funded to date and is on track for installation next spring. A second work by local artist Crystal Ramirez will be installed this month and will reference the Jay Sarno “bridal block” aesthetic with pink neon text on curved walls. The Civic Center Gallery’s first exhibition, “Family Album” (organized with LACMA and the Las Vegas Museum of Art), opens Oct. 14 and runs through Jan. 9; a second exhibition, “Rhythm and Resilience: The Pulse of Black Las Vegas,” opens Feb. 5, 2026 and runs through June 18, 2026.
Plaster said the plaza will be activated with diverse programming selected through a spring 2025 RFP process that produced partners including the Nevada Latino Arts and Culture Association, Nevada Chamber Orchestra and the Black Mountain Institute. Gallery hours will be Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., with additional openings for special events.
Deputy Director Kleven said the department will evaluate success by attendance, vendor sales and length of stay; staff also plans internal department events and employee programming on the plaza. The arts commission approved an additional $91,000 for new works that staff will present to the council in November for formal approval.
Council members praised the project and asked staff to return with a progress update after a year of programming.
