Brian Paco Álvarez

About Brian Paco Álvarez

Las Vegas Native Brian “Paco” Álvarez is an Entrepreneur, Anthropologist, Public Speaker, Tour Guide and Leader in the Arts. He holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Leadership from the School of Public Policy and Leadership at UNLV and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. Paco is the founder of two start-ups, Psionic Art Works and Very Very Vegas Tours. His passion for art and culture has been the driving force behind his career, but most importantly realizes that his passion is what drives a dynamic economy. He supports STEAM (STEM+ART) education over STEM education, because as he says,\"STEAM propels us forward, and STEM is just a stick\". Paco\'s leadership philosophy is simple;\"I don\'t manage I lead, I don\'t micro-manage I guide, and I don\'t discipline I coach.\"Paco was the inaugural museum manager at Museum Fiasco located at the Area 15 arts and entertainment complex. He was also the Art Curator, Corporate Historian and Buyer for Zappos.com, Inc. Paco\'s extensive knowledge of Las Vegas history, art, culture and leadership, caught the eye of eCommerce retailer Zappos.com. During his tenure, he curated a successful visual arts program that included local, regional, national and international artists. Preserved and curated the Zappos corporate archives and founded the successful and profitable on-site retail destination known as the Z\'Boutique. He was also, the founding Curator of the Las Vegas News Bureau Photo and Film Archives, a unit of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, interim Curator of the Neon Museum, Curator of the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs Las Vegas Centennial Project, Curator of the Hispanic Museum of Nevada and Collections Manager of the Liberace Museum.Paco has completed curatorial projects for FEAT of Southern Nevada, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Siegfried and Roy Costume Collection, Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas’ Historic 5th Street School, L. Maynard Galleries and consulted on overseas projects in London. In 2008, he curated the \"Beneath the Neon\" exhibition based on the renowned book by the same name, authored by Matthew O’Brien.Paco has proudly served as a trustee to the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, US Senate Curatorial Committee, board member of the Contemporary Arts Center of LV, the Hispanic Museum of Nevada, the Nevada Museums Association, 18b Arts District Association, Preserve Nevada and Chairman of the Liberace Foundation for the Performing & Creative Arts. In addition, he has served as a member of the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission and RTC Art in Transit Advisory Council.

Experience

1. Artistic Director & Founder

   Psionic Art Works

   Mar 2020 — Present · Las Vegas, NV, US

   Las Vegas\' Preeminent Curatorial Consultant & Arts Industry Start-Up. Brian Paco Alvarez specializes in small business and non-profit operations management, exhibitions, acquisitions, art handling, fine art preservation, archives preservation and collections management, for corporations, businesses, museums, emerging artists and private collections. With over 20 years of experience in the museum and cultural arts related fields, Paco is perfectly positioned to assist any organization or private collectors with a myriad of curatorial needs. Please note - Psionic Art Works, nor its team of consultants are qualified to appraise fine art, antiques or other collectibles. Nor do we broker the sale or assist in acquiring buyers for art collections. For more information about appraisals please visit the Appraisers Association of America website or a qualified art broker or gallerist for assistance.Psionic NV, LLC

Education

• University of Nevada-Las Vegas

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Anthropology/ emphasis Museum Studies

  1998 — 2001

• Amigos Library Services

  Certificate of Completion in Archival Holdings Maintenance, Archives/Archival Administration

• University of Nevada-Las Vegas

  Master of Arts - MA, Urban Leadership

  2017 — 2021

• Southeast Career Technical Academy - formerly Vo-Tech High School

  High School Diploma and Vocational Certificate, Drafting

  1990 — 1993

• College of Southern Nevada

  Associate of Arts - AA, General Studies/ Social Science

  1994 — 1998

Skills

• Retail Management
• Arts Administration
• Event Management
• Culture
• Books
• Art History
• Art Handling
• American History
• Contemporary Art
• Curatorial
• Galleries
• Film
• Archaeology
• Arts
• Magazines
• Public Speaking
• Art
• Archival Research
• Historical Research
• Art Exhibitions
• Blogging
• Oral History
• Public Relations
• Fundraising
• Community Engagement
• Management
• Nonprofits
• Historic Preservation
• Anthropology
• Museums
• Visual Arts
• Art Education
• Cataloging
• Editorial
• Editing
• Museum Collections
• Arts and Culture
• Exhibit Design
• History
• Museum Education