ART Important Conversations in Midwestern Brown Through Oct. 2. Darren Johnson fuses realist figurative images with cartoon speech bubbles in his series of oil paintings. His work depicts people’s desperation to communicate with others in order to relieve our own feelings of alienation and emptiness. Windmill Library
First Friday Oct. 7, 6 p.m. Downtown street festival features gallery showings, local musical performances, craft booths and food vendors. Free. www.firstfriday-lasvegas.org
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art Free Admission Day Oct. 8, 10 a.m. -7 p.m. In honor of Smithsonian Magazine’s Annual Museum Day, BGFA will give the public a free chance to see “A Sense of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney,” a display of landscape artwork through the ages. Free. Bellagio. Download your complimentary ticket online at www.bellagio.com/bgfa
see what all the buzz is about Meet the Desert Companion staff — and fellow readers — over complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy custom Davalos Tequila cocktails as we celebrate our October Drink Up! issue. Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant Thursday October 6, 2011 5:00 pm-7:00 pm Please RSVP by October 4, 2011 by visiting www.desertcompanion.com
Lolita Develay: Window Shopping Through Oct. 14 Develay’s paintings take readers window shopping through the luxury of the Strip. The art examines consumer culture through the incorporation of futuristic mannequins drenched in high fashion, using vibrant color and an almost otherworldly sensibility. Winchester Cultural Center Gallery
Zak Ostrowski: New Work Through Oct. 14. Using both traditional techniques and modern technology, Zak Ostrowski’s sculptures are created from metal, wood and concrete. Ostrowski shapes human forms in a mix of media to achieve his signature style. Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery
Let Them Eat Cake Oct. 16-Dec. 12, opening reception Oct. 16, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Feast your eyes on some sweet artwork. Let Them Eat Cake is a collection of local artists’ work inspired by all things cake — and Marie Antoinette’s beheading. UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum
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