Have you noticed lately all the wonderful art in Boulder City? Next time you are out, just look around and observe how art has enhanced our community. Most evident are all the beautiful sculptures that line our main street. We have the organization ArtScape to thank for those. And have you ever counted the number of murals covering our buildings’ walls? They were done by our own local muralist, Connie Ferraro. Boulder City even has an entire park filled with sculptures within just blocks of downtown. It is Reflection Park and contains life sized sculptures of animals created by the Las Vegas Desert Sculptures Group. The City recently installed a permanent sculpture in Sundial Park, “Ragtown Goddess.” It is dedicated to the women of “Rag Town,” the community on the Colorado River that sprung up when our dam workers brought their wives and families with them.

Boulder City also has several entities that support the arts, the Boulder City Art Guild and Gallery, located in the Historic Boulder Dam Hotel, and Friends of the Arts, which offers free art events several times a year.  The City of Boulder City has a wonderful art center in ABC Park that provides a wide selection of art classes for all age groups. There is even a group of creative artists that get together each Tuesday morning in the Hotel to paint, and it’s open to all. Every First Thursday there is an artist’s talk in the Boulder City Art Guild, sponsored by Friends of the Arts and the Guild. The Art Guild also has ongoing featured artists, currently it is local photographer Hamilton Moore.

Almost year-round there is an art festival taking place somewhere in town. The next festival not to be missed is the 28th Annual Fine Arts Festival happening on April 20th and 21st and held in Bicentennial Park.

Plus, not to forget the music culture in town, almost any night of the week a wide variety of musicians can be heard in several venues in town.

Galleries have come and gone and although the City doesn’t have many at this time, we can still say we are surrounded by art. Research has shown that enjoying art gives people a physiological thrill that heightens activity in the brain. According to one study viewing art can boost happiness and health!