D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2009
Arts Scene
Grant County
The Mimbres Region Arts Council (MRAC) in cooperation with the Western New Mexico University Museum will hold a juried exhibition, Feb. 6-March 18, at the WNMU Museum. Edwina Milner, founder of the New Mexico chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, will jury the show; entries will be accepted at the museum Feb. 3 and Feb. 4, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. There will be a juror's lecture Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m., and an opening reception and award ceremony Feb. 6, 5:30-7 p.m. Contact Sheila Swisher at MRAC: 538-2505, sheila@mimbresarts.org
Seedboat Gallery will present "Branding on the Moon," featuring the cowboys of the Moon Ranch and the paintings of Jean Chandanais Bohlender, Feb. 7-28, with a reception for the artist Feb. 7, 4-7 p.m. See last month's Tumbleweeds section for a complete preview. 214 W. Yankie St., 534-1136, www.seedboatgallery.com
The Blue Dome Gallery will feature New Mexican basket artist, Susan Gutt, opening with a reception Feb. 7, and running through March 23.
Moonstruck Art Gallery is now featuring lavender products from Lavender Fields and celebrating Bill Blakemore's 10th year as a potter. 110 W. Yankie St., 956-5346, www.moonstruckart.com
The San Vicente Artists will hold their February monthly meeting at Diane Reed's Creations and Adornments gallery, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. New officers are: president Diane Reed, vice president Lee McCune, secretary Mary A. Gravelle, treasurer Bonnie Burleson and board members Luann Brooten, Libby Beck and Teresa Ali-Olivas. Works by many of the group's members will be featured in galleries throughout town for Chocolate Fantasia, Feb. 7.
Paula Geisler's Studio has begun holding "salon" gatherings, as well as Sunday morning "Chess-Nuts" and a "VWF" ("Very Funny Women") meet-ups. "The Power of Words" was the theme of the most recent salon, Jan. 29. For info on upcoming salons and gatherings, contact Geisler at 534-2087 or geisler@zianet.com 103 W. Kelly.
Las Cruces & Mesilla
Three shows will be exhibited concurrently at the Museum of Art this month, all opening with an artists' reception Feb. 6, 5-7 p.m., in conjunction with the Friday Ramble: "Unidentified Flowering Objects," an exhibit of collaborative drawings by Chuck Dunbar and Edna Casman, will run through April 4. Dunbar and Casman have been drawing together for three years, creating spontaneous pastel drawings; both artists currently reside in Albuquerque. "Now and Then," a retrospective of acclaimed local artist Stephen Hansen's work, includes whimsical papier-mache sculptures, prints, and jewelry. "Crescendo," an exhibit of collaborative artwork by sisters Dana Lynn Kleinman and Ruth Avra Kleinman, also known as KX2, will showcase their mixed media works with aluminum and painted raw canvas. This show also runs through April 4. 491 N. Main St. in the downtown mall, 541-2137. museums.las-cruces.org
"Starry, Starry Night" is the theme of the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild President's Challenge on display at the Branigan Cultural Center, Feb. 6-28. An opening reception will be held in conjunction with the 1st Friday Downtown Ramble, 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 6. Each year, the outgoing president of the guild establishes guidelines for the challenge that includes use of a preselected fabric and theme. The guild will hold quilting demonstrations each Wednesday and Saturday at the Branigan from 9 a.m. to noon for the duration of the exhibit. 501 N. Main St., 541-2154, museums.las-cruces.org
Three fiber artists will display their work at the Unsettled Gallery this month, with an opening reception Feb. 7, 1-4 p.m. Contemporary fine art quilts by Jean McLaughlin Cowie of Silver City and Patricia Gould of Albuquerque will be displayed along with paper and mixed media collage by Peg Brown of Las Cruces. 905 N. Mesquite, 635-2285.
This month's meeting of the Las Cruces Arts Association will be held Feb. 15, 1:30 p.m. in the Arts and Crafts room at the Good Samaritan Society in Las Cruces Village. Members of the group will present mini workshops for Love Of Art Month. The meeting is free and open to the public. 496-8834.
Janet Parks and Joanna Bradley are the featured artists at the Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery. 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, 522-2933.
The new Dublin's Street Pub (in the spot that used to house Bennigan's) has begun hosting one-day fine art exhibits on the third Sunday of each month, according to artist and exhibit coordinator Al Borrego. This month's show, "Transcendent Visions," a collective exhibition featuring 20 regional artists, will be on display Feb. 15, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 1745 E. University in the Pan Am Plaza. For information, contact Borrego at 915-594-8424.
Sierra County
M Gallery in T or C will present "Art of Democracy, In the Land of the Blnd," an exhibit of more than 50 artworks by regional and national artists, Feb. 7 to March 31. The show is part of the Art of Democracy National Coalition's tour of more than 40 cities nationwide. Two "politically charged" opening receptions will be held on Feb. 14 and March 14, 6-9 p.m., with a T-shirt and poster raffle. Proceeds will go toward a student trip to Chicago for the annual printmaking conference in March. 406 Main St., www.moshekoenick.com/m, iam@moshekoenick.com
The February Art Hop in downtown T or C will be Feb. 14, 6-9 p.m. Galleries, studios, shops and restaurants are open late. For details, see www.torcart.com