Brian Paco Alvarez has arrived!

June 20, 2007

Please allow me to thank Uncle Jack, Ben and the rest of the team for inviting me to Blog on Very Vintage Vegas. As a native of Las Vegas I do hope that my insights will compliment the already exciting topics that are being discussed. Bringing awareness of historic preservation issues is key if we are going to build a vibrant community that is proud of its past. Before

A little about myself from my biography -

I was born on March 1, 1974 at Women’s Hospital on East Sahara at approximately 7:31 in the evening. Like so many things in Las Vegas the hospital was torn down several years ago to make way for the Monorail. My parents, Jose Alvarez and Lidia Novau are émigrés from Buenos Aires, Argentina the land of Tango, great beef and even better men. So I have some Latin blood in my soul. My parents moved to Las Vegas in 1969 and worked at the Landmark Hotel and Casino shortly after it opened. Interestingly enough I boast that I am the only Gay man in the history of Las Vegas born in the Fruit Loop. Why do you ask? Because the address on my birth certificate is 470 Naples Drive, apartment C. Basically we lived right behind Gypsies when I was born. My dad once said “it was all in the water!”

My interest in the cultural arts and history began during my frequent travels to New York City and other world cultural capitals as a child. I was exposed to the arts by my family who felt that a deep understanding of culture and the arts was key to understanding the world. First visiting the American Museum of Natural History and Metropolitan Museum of Art, It was not until I began my final years at the university that my interest in the museum field was solidified. In 1998 I graduated from the Community College of Southern Nevada with a degree in Social Science and in 2001 from UNLV with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Linguistics.

While still at UNLV I worked as a volunteer and a student intern at the Liberace Museum, later being offered a position as a museum assistant. I was eventually promoted to collections manager and curator. During my tenure at the museum I worked hard to preserve and protect the museums delicate collection of artifacts by being a contributing member of the museums 1.5 million dollar expansion and remodel. The Liberace Museum was definitely the best job I ever had! If you have never been you should definitely check it out. Lee was the epitome of fabulous kitsch.

In 2003 I left the museum to begin a cultural consulting firm called Enculturate.
Since going off on my own I have completed projects for the Casino Legends Hall of Fame, Siegfried and Roy Costume Collection, City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs, Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, I was Curator of the Neon Museum, Curator of the Hispanic Museum of Nevada, Curator of the City of Las Vegas Post Modern Project – Vegas VIP Exhibition, Curator of the Contemporary Arts Collective and Curator of L Maynard Galleries. In January I found a permanent home by being hired as Curator of the Las Vegas News Bureau Photo and Film Archives at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. I also proudly serve on the Board of the Nevada Test Site Foundation, the wonderful team that own and operate the Atomic Testing Museum.

Because of my expertise on local historical matters I have been featured in dozens of publications, television and radio shows, such as; the Smithsonian Magazine, BBC, Travel Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel, The New York Times, The Times London and State of Nevada on KNPR with Gwen Castaldi and a ton of local publications! I am the epitome of a media whore but that’s okay! Anything for my home town!

Thank you for allowing me to blab about myself…

Now let’s get down to some historical business…