D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2009
My Artful Valentine
February is FLAM-tastic in Las Cruces and Mesilla, as
For the Love of Art Month takes over town.
By Donna Clayton
 |
Las Cruces and Mesilla art lovers
will be kicking up their heels in February when For the Love of Art Month
showcases works such as "Las Cruces Weekend" by Flo Dougherty. |
It's a feast for the eyes and ears in Doa Ana County all this month as the ArtForms Artists Association celebrates the 11th anniversary of "For the Love of Art Month" (FLAM), coordinating numerous activities related to performing, visual and literary arts. Throughout Las Cruces and Mesilla, a record number of area artists and galleries will participate in the event, with 22 locations holding special exhibitions the weekends of Feb. 14-15 and Feb. 21-22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This is a great opportunity to meet artists, see where they work, and make art purchases directly from them. Several artists will be providing demonstrations during the tours, such as those held all four days at Unsettled Gallery and the first weekend at Brian Fallstead's studio, where he will demonstrate raku firing.
EXTRAS! to help you find your way around For Love of Art STREET MAP (pdf) KEY to map (pdf) CALENDAR (pdf) |
The town of Mesilla participates in FLAM with events on the plaza, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Artists from around the area will display their work and the Border Jazz Trio will play from 2-3 p.m. For more information, call 524-3262 ext. 116.
In Las Cruces, ArtForms artists will also display their art at the Member Exhibit, held at the Branigan Cultural Center, with an opening Feb. 6, 5-7 p.m. during the Downtown Ramble. The Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will perform. The show features works by 51 artists in numerous media, including painting, watercolor, photography, sculpture, jewelry, wood and paper. The exhibit runs through Feb. 28. The museum is located at 500 N. Water Street on the north end of the Downtown Mall.
Also opening at the Branigan Feb. 6 is the Las Colcheras Quilt Guild's "President's Challenge," for which quilters created quilts based on the theme "Starry, Starry Night." Hand-quilting demonstrations will be held Wednesdays and Saturdays all month from 9 a.m. until noon. Tickets will be sold for a drawing to win a quilt.
The work of ArtForms members will be visible all around Las Cruces, thanks to local businesses that agree to show their art. These "Art Around the Town" venues include doctor's offices, business offices and art galleries, a complete listing of which can be found in the FLAM 2009 Event Guide.
ArtForms is hosting a new event this year, "For the Love of Lit," Feb. 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Branigan Cultural Center. Local authors of prose or poetry will read selections of their works from the stage and offer their books for sale. Writers who would like to participate can get on the schedule by e-mailing love-of-art@comcast.net
The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library will host two art shows during FLAM, both opening with receptions Feb. 6, 4-5:30 p.m. The Las Cruces Arts Association will hold its show, "For the Love of Birds & Blooms," in the Terrace Gallery on the library's second floor. The GFWC Progress Club's show will grace the hallways of the second floor of the library.
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum gets into the act with an Arts Celebration, Feb. 5, 6-8 p.m. It will offer free admission and refreshments while showcasing three exhibits: "Elements from the Front Range Quilters," "City of Artists Western Heritage Show" and "Keith Humphries: Stories of the Old West."
The New Mexico Watercolor Society, Southern Chapter, presents its FLAM exhibit at the Tombaugh Gallery of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano. Meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments at an artists' reception, Feb. 1, 12 - 4 p.m.
Think you know your masterpieces? Visit the Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery in Mesilla and challenge yourself to match copies of the works of famous artists created by gallery members. There's a prize for a lucky art aficionado who matches all the artists. The contest runs all month.
The Unsettled Gallery at 905 N. Mesquite, owned by ArtForms president Catherine Brenner, will hold a number of special events this month. There will be an opening reception for fiber artists Jean McLaughlin Cowie and Patricia Gould, along with mixed-media artist Peggy Brown, Feb. 7, 1-4 p.m. On Feb. 8, a trunk show features the art of Lyn and Richard Orona. During the studio tours, Unsettled will have informal demonstrations of techniques such as silk painting, gelatin plate printing and basket weaving.
The Friendship Painters art exhibit, "For the Love of the Mesilla Valley," will open with a reception on Feb. 6 at the Rio Grande Theatre. That exhibit runs through Feb. 28.
Individual artists also have events this month. Sculptor Susan Frary is celebrating the installation of her commission piece, "Quan Yin," at the Unitarian Universalist Church meditation garden on Feb. 8, 1 p.m. Watercolor artist Donna Wood will offer her paintings and cards for sale during a reception at C.R. Blossoms at 1615 N. Solano, Feb. 26, 4-6 p.m. And, of course, the studio tours and Art Around the Town venues also feature numerous individual ArtForms members.
Musical and theater offerings will add to the FLAM fun. Classical music performers from the Piatigorsky Foundation are returning to town. This nonprofit organization brings world-class musicians to smaller venues throughout the country. This year, soprano Raquela Sheeran and pianist David Shimoni, both Julliard-trained musicians, will perform at two free concerts: at the Good Samaritan Las Cruces Village, Feb. 8, 1 p.m., and at the Rio Grande Theatre, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.
Other FLAM musical performances include the New Horizons Symphony Orchestra concert, Feb. 21, 3 p.m., at the Atkinson Center at NMSU. The concert features Marianna Gabbi and Gordon Butler playing a Vivaldi concerto, along with other soloists and pieces for the full orchestra. This concert is also free and open to the public. Chamber music will be performed in another free concert, Feb. 24, 5:30 p.m., at the Rio Grande Theatre. The Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music offers this concert as the culmination of their time spent mentoring student ensembles.
In theater offerings, this year's FLAM will host the world premiere of a production by the American Southwest Theatre Company (ASTC), Feb. 20-March 8. Pixie is the story of a young man whose fragile sanity is upset when he kills a small dog named Pixie. Performances are Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Hershel Zohn Theatre on the NMSU campus. Tickets are available at the Pan Am Ticket Office and the theater box office.
A fundraiser to help support ASTC's Guest Artist program, "What Happens at Mardi Gras Stays at Mardi Gras," will be held Feb. 6, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for one or $55 for two, available at the theater or Pan Am Center.
The Black Box Theatre will contribute to FLAM with its show, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, continuing through Feb. 8. And on Valentine's Day, the Black Box will offer its annual production of Love Letters, starring David Edwards and Cindy Murrell. Dance performances are Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays, Feb. 1 and 8, at 2:30 p.m. Love Letters will be performed twice, Feb. 14, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. 430 N. Downtown Mall, www.no-strings.org, 523-1223.
The Black Box also adds to FLAM's visual arts with thetreatregallery, displaying the photographs of Danny Wade and Patricia Cameron. The gallery will hold a wine and cheese reception during the Downtown Ramble, Feb. 6, and the exhibit can also be viewed an hour before performances.
For additional information, obtain a "For the Love of Art Month" Event Guide at the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau, City Hall, Museum of Art, Branigan Cultural Center, Rio Grande Theatre, Blue Gate Gallery, Branigan Library, Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, Frame and Art, and at any of the other art exhibit locations. A studio tour guide, map and FLAM calendar can all be downloaded at www.desertexposure.com/extras