Magician Mat Franco join UNLV Fine Arts Hall of Fame at Tuesday gala

UNLV's College of Fine Arts will honor Las Vegas Strip mainstays, entertainment luminaries and a beloved late film professor at its 21st annual Hall of Fame gala Tuesday at Wynn Las Vegas.

Magician Mat Franco, the first performer to win "America's Got Talent" and now a decadelong headliner at the Linq, will enter the college’s Hall of Fame alongside several other inductees spanning entertainment, education and the arts.

The college will also present Sphere Entertainment — the company behind Las Vegas' technologically groundbreaking immersive venue — with its inaugural Global Impact Award. Sphere Entertainment executive chairman and CEO James Dolan will accept the honor.

Dolan is responsible for setting Sphere Entertainment's overall vision and growth strategy, and is the driving force behind the Sphere concept — a project he pursued at a cost of more than $2 billion that has redefined large-scale entertainment in Las Vegas since opening in 2023.

Filmmaker and longtime UNLV film professor Francisco Menéndez will be inducted posthumously. Menéndez joined the UNLV faculty in 1990 and spent more than three decades shaping the college's film program, earning the CILECT Teaching Award for 2020 — a prestigious honor from the global association of major film and television schools — and multiple university teaching awards. He died Feb. 29, 2024.

Other 2026 honorees include entertainment luminary Cindy Doumani; Broadway in the Hood founder Torrey Russell, who receives the Koep Dean's Medal; jazz vocalist Jonathan Karrant, who receives the CFA Limelight Award; arts and music education advocate Denise Wunderlich, who receives the Community Impact Award; and artist and educator Wendy Kveck and pianist, composer, producer and educator Iñaki Sandoval, named Alumni of the Year.

The gala also marks the 25th anniversary of Nevada Conservatory Theatre, which the college will honor at the event.

The Hall of Fame was founded in 2003 to recognize those who have made a significant impact in the visual arts, performing arts and architecture. Past inductees include Ann-Margret, Wayne Newton, Liberace, Penn & Teller and The Killers.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception in the Wynn's Mouton Ballroom, followed by dinner and the program at 6:30 p.m. in the Margaux Ballroom. Cocktail attire is requested.