America 250 Signal Box Project

The Clark County Office of Public Arts presents:

Exhibiting: “Expressions of Clark County: America’s 250th Anniversary Showcase"
Reception: Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM

This exhibit is a collection of historical exhibits and visual and performance showcase of local artists.

Exhibiting Artists

The viewer will explore original artworks from local visual and performing artists. Artists were asked to submit work that celebrating the 250^th Anniversary of America. What does America mean to you? How do you connect to its history, its challenges, its triumphs—and how do you envision our next 250 years? This is a celebration of us - our voices and visions, young and old, experienced and emerging, all coming together to honor where we have been and where we are going. Other sources of inspiration include family portraits and family traditions that capture who we are as individuals and as a collective whole — our homes, our food, and the daily lives we live. At the reception three live performances will take place from Timothy Connolly Ukulele Hero playing Take me out to the Ball game and star Spangle banner, Alice Zheng performing traditional Chinese dances, and The Mints a five piece jazz band with musicians Sebastian Patrick, King Mojarro, Anthony Huizar, Marcus Hall and Orion Harball.

Visual Art provided by Aaron Cowan, Alycia Cordova, Andres Rave, Camryn Tyrrell, Cesar Ceballos, Chetna D Souza, Darvianna Major, Hans Vande Bovenkamp, Jamie Zepeda, Joenel Buen, Joice Santos, Kenny James, Lauren Reese, Lingling Zhao, Monique Long, Narz Dela Rosa, Niya Rivera, Steven Chang, Tempestt Kirby, Viraj R, Vivi De La Cruz, Xinghua Wang, Zhou Xu, and Zijian He, are exhibiting a variety of original artwork. The viewer will find portraits, landscapes, and a variety of art that represents Nevada and the celebration of our country. Artist are encourage to sell their artwork and all proceeds go to the artist.

The art portion of this exhibition was juried by A.B. (Aaron) Wilkinson is an associate professor of history at UNLV. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, completed the Master of Arts Program in the Social Science (MAPSS) at the University of Chicago, and earned his PhD in History at the University of California, Berkeley. He teaches courses on Colonial North America, the U.S. Revolutionary Era, and early U.S. History. He also has research and teaching interests in African American history, Native American history, Ethnic Studies, and critical race theory in the wider Americas and Caribbean.

Dr. Wilkinson specializes in studies of mixed-heritage peoples and ideas regarding ethnoracial mixture in colonial America and the United States. His first book, Blurring the Lines of Race and Freedom: Mulattoes and Mixed Bloods in English Colonial America (UNC Press, 2020), explores the historical origins of U.S. mixed-race ideologies in the seventeenth and eighteenth-century colonial period. This book provides a detailed examination of those having blended African, European, or Native American ancestry and explains how we first came to thing about “mixed people” in British America, before the founding of the United States.

Along with Wilkinson’s juried exhibition he brought in his collective NUWU Art and collaborated with the Clark County Museum to exhibit artifacts and art with an emphasis on Southern Paiute tribe.

The Nuwu Art + Activism Studios are where Fawn Douglas and core members engage in art, educational events, cultural consulting, and several other activities that promote efforts to maintain and revive cultural traditions in Native American, African American, Latinx/Indigenous American, and other communities of color.



America 250 Signal Box Project – Celebrating History, Inspiring Community

This exhibit is an extension of a public art project commissioned by the Clark County Parks and Recreation Cultural Division. The viewer will celebrate Clark County, NV. Large panels will provide information about specific historical events, sites or people in our community. The viewer is encouraged to explore further locations though the Clark County’s project page https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/parks___recreation/cultural_division/america250-signal-boxes/

Angie Shenouda is a public historian passionate about bringing underrepresented histories to light. Her most recent work included updating interpretive panel text for the Clark County Museum’s Beckley House exhibit, highlighting Indigenous contributions to the early development of Las Vegas.

Angie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2024, which shaped her interdisciplinary approach to historical research. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in History at UNLV and expects to graduate Fall 2026, with plans to continue public history projects in her hometown of Las Vegas.






Enduring Legacy: Chinese Americans and the making of Nevada

The Nevada Chinese American Association (“NCAA”, the exhibition features approximately 21 large-format panels (24" × 42") presenting archival photographs, historical records, and community narratives. The materials document the role of Chinese immigrants, from 19th-century railroad construction to the continued contributions of Chinese Americans in Nevada today.

“Over the course of the United States’ 250-year history, Chinese laborers have made lasting contributions that remain an essential part of the nation’s development and identity,” said Guoli Sun, the President of NCAA.

Research and content development for the exhibition included historical documentation, interviews, and field research, with contributions from organizations such as the Association of Descendants of Chinese Railroad Workers and other community partners.

The Nevada Chinese American Association is a nonprofit community organization that serves and supports local Chinese and Chinese American community through cultural, educational, and community-building activities.

For more information about the Nevada Chinese American Association, please visit www.nvcalv.org/