2008 Writing D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September
2008
Arts Scene
Grant County
There's a lot happening at the Southwest Women's Fiber Arts Collective! In keeping with its mission of promoting artists and their work, the SWFAC now is making its Fiber Arts Center, 211 D N. Texas St. in Silver City, available for rent to artists for shows. "We think this is a wonderful idea, and want to extend this opportunity to our community, since there are not many places in the downtown area for artists to host shows," says the non-profit organization's executive director, Charmeine Wait. The facility is in the heart of the Texas/Yankie art district and has clear wall space to hang artwork. Days, partial days and weekends are available, ranging from $25-$80. Interested parties must make a deposit and sign a rental agreement. Contact Wait at 538-5733, Mon.-Fri. before 11 a.m. or via email at charmeinew@fiberartscollective.org
The group will hold its annual fundraiser, the Tapestry of Talent, a multi-faceted fashion show, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. Proceeds from the event go to support the SWFAC's outreach programs, such as its knitting program with Life Quest in Silver City, an after-school knitting program at the Sixth Street Elementary School and its week-long fiber arts youth summer camp. Models will take to the runway in garments crafted by SWFAC members, there will be a boutique of fiber arts items for sale and a small quilt exhibit, and attendees can enjoy treats at the refreshment buffet courtesy of Shevek & Co. and The Curious Kumquat. The event will take place at the Bayard Community Center, and there will be complimentary gifts and door prizes. The $25 tickets can be purchased at The Common Thread, 107 W. Broadway.
And the Fiber Arts Collective has announced two new classes with Nadine Sanders, an internationally known weaver, teacher and performer also known as the Singing Weaver. "Promotion 24/7 — Making a Living from Your Fiber Skills" will be offered Oct. 18, 1:30-4:30 p.m. This seminar explores high-, low- and no-tech ways to market work, secure teaching contracts, and promote oneself as a teacher or artist. This workshop is suitable for any artist/teacher wanting to hone promotion skills and will be taught at the Grant County Extension Office, 2610 N. Silver St. Cost is $20 for current SWFAC members, $25 for others, and all materials are included.
The second workshop with Sanders, "Warping with Paddles, Shoestrings & The Kitchen Sink!," is set for Oct. 19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Designed for individuals from the experienced weaver frustrated with the warping process to beginning spinners afraid to approach the loom, this session will provide hands-on practice while making a warp to take home. Students also will learn how to modify their looms for easier warping. This class will be taught at the Fiber Arts Center. The cost is $71 for current SWFAC members, $76 for others, plus a $10 materials fee. Participants must register for either workshop by Oct. 1, by mail, phone or in person at The Common Thread. Class sizes are limited, so early registration is encouraged. 107 W. Broadway, Silver City. 538-5733.
"Visual Rhythms," a show of works in mixed media by Kourosh Amini that opened Aug. 30, continues at Seedboat Gallery through Sept. 28. 214 W. Yankie St., 534-1136.
Hands-On Market will host two "Day of the Dead" workshops this month. Linda Brewer will instruct participants in the making of clay "skellies," Sept. 6 and 13, and Nancy Phillips will lead a group in making air dry clay dioramas and sugar skulls, Sept. 13. 388-0649, ccstanford@zianet.com
Pat Bouchard is the featured artist at Moonstruck Art for the month of September. In celebration of the Gila River Festival, she has created a series of mixed-media works, "Moths+Math," combining moths of Grant County and the Fibonacci sequence. 110 W. Yankie St. 956-5346, www.moonstruckart.com
Speaking of the Gila River Festival, downtown galleries will be open for a special gallery tour on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2-5 p.m. That will be followed by an art opening for a new show, "Premonitions," featuring the photography of Michael Berman, 5-7 p.m., at the Blue Dome Gallery, 307 N. Texas St., 534-8671. Leyba & Ingalls Arts will also have a themed exhibit opening Sept. 20, "The River," featuring new works by gallery artists. 315 N. Bullard, 388-5725. And Elemental Arts will be featuring new Gila River oil paintings by Valerie Milner this month. 106 W. Yankie, 590-7554. For a complete festival schedule, see "40 Days and 40 Nights."
Works by Silver City artist Turid Pedersen are on exhibit at the Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe. Born in Oslo, Norway, Pedersen has lived in the American Southwest for almost 30 years. All of Pedersen's paintings are studies of objects in light, some in glimmering light and deep shadows, others in fuller light. Painting items such as Navajo rugs and original artifacts such as Mimbres bowls and Anasazi ollas, she has created a body of work that pays homage to the Indians of the Southwest. Pedersen has been a featured artist at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Okla., and from 1996-2001 a teacher at the Scottsdale Artists School. Her painting, "Zuni and San Juan in Fall," was recently included in the Capitol Art Collection in Santa Fe. 388-9127, maywine@cybermesa.com Blue Rain Gallery, 130 Lincoln Ave # D, Santa Fe, (505) 954-9902, www.blueraingallery.com
And it's time once again for the Grant County Art Guild's Annual Purchase Prize Show featuring paintings by artists from throughout the state. The 23rd running of the event will be on exhibit at the Hearst Church Gallery in Pinos Altos two weekends, Sept. 26-28 and Oct. 3-5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., preceded by an opening reception Sept. 25, 6 p.m., when judge Bill Gallen of Santa Fe will be present to discuss the winning paintings. Paintings from this juried show are available for purchase. 538-8216.
Las Cruces and Mesilla
Many local galleries will dish up fine hors d'oeuvres and stay open late to participate in the Dona Ana County Arts Council's ArtsHop, the annual fundraiser featuring food, prizes and new art exhibits, Sept. 5, 5-9 p.m. Since 1994, this annual tour of selected galleries has provided an opportunity for participants to enjoy a variety of exhibits in the area's growing gallery scene. All net proceeds from this event go to support the DAAC Career Art Path (CAP) program for middle-school students and other youth arts programs.
Among the already-announced ArtsHop highlights is "The Man Show," an exhibit of works by 12 men who have helped to develop the arts in Las Cruces, presented by nationally renowned landscape artist David Rothermel. The artists featured are Olin Calk, Bob Diven, Robert Highsmith, Ryan Kosnick, Richard Parra, Tony Pennock, David Rothermel, Kevin Self, Tatsu Miyazaki, the bands The Touch and The Liars, and Roy van der Aa. The Man Show will premier Sept. 5, 5-9 p.m. (tickets required) and continue to Sept. 20 at D. Rothermel Fine Art, Plaza Mercado #3, Mesilla.
Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, will feature "Celebrating Autumn" with new works of art and many artists in attendance. ArtsHop tickets can be purchased at all the participating galleries or the DAAC office in the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Downtown Mall, for $20 in advance or for $25 on the day of the event. See "40 Days and 40 Nights" for complete list of participating galleries. Contact the DAAC for more information or to volunteer at the event: 523-6403, infodaac@daarts.org
Photographer David Taylor, winner of a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship (see "A Sense of Place," August Desert Exposure), will be featured in the next of a series of Artists Dialogues hosted at the Preston Contemporary Art Center, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. The event is free of charge. The center's Artists Dialogues series takes the format of a conversation, rather than a lecture. Artist and audience members have the opportunity to react and interact with comments and questions about the artist's works. Taylor, assistant professor of art at NMSU, will be recognized for his current body of work that focuses on his experiences on both sides of the US-Mexican border. 1755 Avenida de Mercado (at the end of Calle de Mercado), Mesilla, 523-8713, www.prestoncontemporaryart.com
"Rodin: In His Own Words," selected works from the collection of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, will be exhibited at the Museum of Art Sept. 5-Nov. 22, with an opening reception Sept. 5, 5-7 p.m. This comprehensive exhibit features 42 sculptures, including various sized bronzes, as well as journal entries and letters by the famed French artist, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Accompanying the show is an educational exhibit on the traditional lost-wax casting process, used to create bronze sculptures. Auguste Rodin was a pioneer in sculpture, creating bold impressionistic pieces that have been exhibited at museums worldwide.
Throughout this exhibit's run, the museum also is hosting a series of special events. On the second Saturday of each month, the Friends of Chamber Music will present "Musical Reflections on the Life and Times of Rodin." The Museum of Art will also host a guest lecture series including presentations by Maureen Russell, senior Conservator for New Mexico State Museums and the Cantor Foundation; New Mexico sculptor Michael Naranjo; and Matthew Palczynski, staff lecturer for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. See the museum's Web site for more information on these events, or to make a reservation for group tour: museums.las-cruces.org 491 N. Main St., north end of the Downtown Mall.
The Branigan Cultural Center will exhibit "Three Dreamers," a two-man, one-woman group art show featuring works by George Mendoza, Virginia Maria Romero and Paul Hoylen, Jr., opening with a reception for the artists Sept. 5, 5-7 p.m. Mendoza, Romero and Hoylen are internationally recognized, self-taught artists, known for their "outsider" visionary artwork. Collectively, their art is spiritually motivated, mystical, symbolic, and has vibrantly colored imagery. Each artist draws inspiration from nature. Mendoza is a legally blind artist, whose painting defies categorization. His paintings are bold and range from scenes of tranquility to chaos. Romero's work is distinctive in its original contemporary approach to age-old formats. Her works reflect on the mystical essence of life utilizing mythology and archetypal dream-like imagery. Hoylen is a storyteller through a visual medium. His work is based in a folk-art style that is whimsical and somewhat primitive in nature. The work will remain on display through Oct. 25. 501 N. Main St., north end of the downtown mall. 541-2154, museums.las-cruces.org
The New Mexico Watercolor Society, Southern Chapter, will meet at Good Sam's, 3011 Buena Vida Circle, off Telshor near Memorial Hospital, Sept. 14, 2 p.m. The change of venue is due to water leak problems at the library. The group will continue to meet in Good Sam's Arts and Crafts Room in the administrative wing through November. The September program will feature Spring Show winners discussing their winning paintings. Questions, call Jan Addy at 526-5374.
Luna County
The Deming Arts Council will present a show of works by Curtis Fort and Elsie Dean, Sept. 11-Oct. 17, with an opening reception Saturday, Sept. 13, 1-3 p.m. Fort, of Tatum, NM, creates authentic Western bronze sculptures; his work has been featured in Smithsonian, Western Horseman, Cowboys and Indians and American Cowboy magazines. Dean, from Silver City, works primarily in oils and pastels. 100 S. Gold.
Sierra County Arts Scene
M Gallery will have an opening reception Sept. 13 for a show entitled "Winklers Distilled," 6-9 p.m. during this month's downtown T or C Art Hop. The gallery is also planning a Bourbon Tasting on Oct. 3, 7 p.m., $35. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. 406 Main St., Truth or Consequences, 740-4526, www.moshekoenick.com/m, iam@moshekoenick.com
The Cafe BellaLuca, 303 Jones St. in Truth or Consequences, will host a six-course wine dinner of food inspired by the works of artist Thomas St. Thomas, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. Chef Byron has created a dinner of dramatic local/rustic/organic dishes with wine couplings to present in unison with the art show. St. Thomas' work will hang at Café BellaLuca and the Main Street Gallery. Both artist and chef will discuss their inspirations and their works. Tickets are $85. RSVP, as seating is limited: 894-9866.
Hidalgo County
Watercolors by Portal artist Marge Fagan will be shown at the Chiricahua Gallery in Rodeo, with an opening reception Sept. 20, 2-7 p.m. "Marge Fagan — an Artist in Retrospect" will run through October. For nearly 30 years, Fagan has been painting in and around Portal, where there is an especially strong concentration of support for and collectors of her work. A charter member of the Chiricahua Guild and Gallery, Fagan and a group of artists who were hiking buddies walked the streets of Rodeo until they found a workable gallery space. The group fixed up the building and the gallery thrived for two years in that location, then moved to the historical building where it presently is housed and which later was signed over to them by the Historical Society. Fagan studied with Lilly Hamm, a Chinese teacher at the Phoenix Art Museum.