Arts Council presents screening of ‘The Motel Life’

There will be a screening of “The Motel Life,” the film based on Willy Vlautin’s debut novel of the same name Friday at the Art Center. Tickets will be available starting at 6 p.m. in the Center’s bar and the film will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 for CAC members, $10 for non-members.

Both the novel and the film have received widespread critical acclaim. The film, intended for mature audiences, stars Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson. After the screening, plan on attending a Q & A with Vlautin and poet Gailmarie Pahmeier of UNR’s Creative Writing Program.

Saturday night, Valtuin will read from his latest novel “The Free” in the gallery at the Art Center. The reading is free and open to the public. The new novel is the tale of three intersecting lives of people trying to get by in contemporary American. It is a deeply moving story of hope in the face of troubling times.

Copies of “The Free” will be available for purchase at both the film screening and reading for more info, you can contact CAC at 775-423-1440.

On May 3, the amazing bagpiper, Cristina Pato and her ensemble Migrations will perform at the Art Center. Originally from Galicia in northern Spain, and currently living in New York City, Pato is also a member of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.

The 33-year-old artist plays the gaita, or Galician bagpipe as well as the piano and also sings. With her ensemble she explores the connections between traditional and contemporary musics and her wide-ranging repertoire covers everything from Galician popular music and tangos to an interpretation of Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green” and the songs of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Pato has also played with the Chicago Symphony, the Chieftains, Arturo O’Farril and Paquito D’Rivera. She has performed on many major stages around the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Celtic Connections in Glasgow as well as venues in India, Jerusalem, Germany and Mexico.

She will talk about her musical influences and range of styles in a free and open to the public conversation at 3 p.m. on the day of the performance. She’s been described by the New York Times as “a virtuosic burst of energy” and the conversation will be a great chance to chat with this vibrant artist. For more information on Pato you can check out her website at www.cristinapato.com

Tickets for the performance are $17 for CAC members, $20 for nonmembers and can be purchased at Jeff’s Copy Express on Maine Street at ITT @ NAS Fallon or by calling Churchill Arts at 775-423-1440.

Kirk Robertson covers the arts.