D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September 2009
Art Shorts
Grant County
The new Anima Gallery will open a new show, "Two Generations, Two Views," on Sept. 4, with a reception at 6 p.m. The show spotlights mother-daughter artists Nikki O'Connell and Roz Springer. 215 W. Yankie, 574-7808.
The JW Art Gallery will feature "Gila Wilderness Landscapes" by Thomas Edwin Holt, Sept. 16-Oct. 4, with an opening reception, Sunday, Sept. 20, 3-6 p.m. with live music and refreshments. 99 Cortez Ave., Hurley, 537-0300, jwartgallery.com
The original painting for the brochure cover and poster for the Gila River Festival featuring Aldo Leopold, created by Lois Duffy, will be featured at her gallery during the festival, Sept. 17-20, along with works by Aldo Leopold High School students. A reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, 5-7 p.m. 211-C N Texas St., 313-9631, www.loisduffy.com
Also in conjunction with the Gila River Festival, the Blue Dome Gallery will host a new exhibit of works by Eric Renner and Nancy Spencer beginning Sept.17, with an opening reception for the artists Sept. 19, 4-7 p.m. "Wildlife," works by Lisa Walraven, will be shown in the upstairs gallery. Also at Blue Dome, "Diversity in Continuity," an exhibit of works by the Howard family, opens on Oct. 7 with an opening reception Oct. 10, 4-7 p.m. The show runs through Oct. 18.
Moonstruck Art Gallery has a new home. The gallery has just moved a couple doors up the street from its old location to new digs at 106 W. Yankie, the former location of Elemental Art. Moonstruck will celebrate with a grand opening Sept. 19, 2-5 p.m., in conjunction with the Gila River Festival Art Walk.
The Grant County Art Guild will sponsor the 24th Annual Purchase Prize Exhibit Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 2-4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both weekends. The exhibit will be held at the 110-year-old Golden Avenue M.E. Church, also known as Hearst Church, which houses the Pinos Altos Church Gallery. More than 60 paintings from artists around the state will be displayed. Krystyna Renata Robbins, award-winning artist from El Paso, will judge the show. Visitors are encouraged to participate by voting for their favorite painting. The painting receiving the most votes will be honored as "Most Popular" and awarded $100. Paintings are available for purchase. There will be an opening reception Sept. 22, 6 p.m., at which the winning paintings will be announced. For more information, contact Barbara Kejr at 538-8216.
"Bring On the Boys!," an exhibit of Jean Chandanais Bohlender's works, goes on display at Western Bank Sept. 29. The works feature local ranchers and cowboys from Cliff, Buckhorn and Silver City, men and women at work during branding and round up, and two paintings of cowboy musicians and cattle, along with several agriculture-related pieces.
Luna County
The Deming Arts Council will host a reception on Sept. 13, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for a new exhibit of watercolors by Marie Siegrist, woodcuts by Tony LaZorko, and works by the Las Cruces Bead Society. The exhibit is on view Sept. 3-29. 100 S. Gold St., 546-3663.
A studio sale of Diana LeMarbe's artwork (see last month's Arts Exposure) will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 716 Slocum St. in Columbus. Turn west off Hwy. 11 on north Broadway, then north on Slocum; follow the flags to the studio. 531-2741.
Southwest Artists and Luna Rossa Winery will present the annual Autumn Art & Wine Festival at the winery in Deming, Oct. 3, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Paintings, sculpture, metal art, jewelry and photography will be on display with the artists on hand to meet the public.
Las Cruces & Mesilla
The Dona Ana Arts Council's 16th annual ArtsHop will be Sept. 11 at 14 galleries throughout Las Cruces and Mesilla. Each gallery will be opening a new exhibit during the event with the featured artist present, and works by local CAP students will also be showcased. 4 pm - 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of and $15 for students. 523-6403, www.las-cruces-arts.org, infodaac@daarts.org.
New to this year's ArtsHop will be "T.I.M.E., Temporary Installations Made for the Environment," works by six regional artists based on this year?s theme, "Regeneration." These artworks will be exhibited at the Cutter Gallery at Hadley Center and in downtown Las Cruces at the Las Cruces Railroad Museum, Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces Museum of Art, Rio Grande Theatre, and the future location of the Museum of Nature and Science. Participating artists are Susannah Mira, Glenn Schwaiger, Joe Barrington, Tasha Cooper, Mary Lucking and Pete Goldlust, and James Wissing. The exhibition runs from Sept. 11 through Oct. 4, with the grand opening on Friday, Sept. 11, in conjunction with Arts Hop.
The T.I.M.E. project was inspired by the emerging public art trend to engage artists interested in creating more spontaneous and immediate artworks with short lifespans. At the end of the exhibition, the work will be disassembled and removed, leaving no trace of ever having existed. Now in its fifth year as an annual event in New Mexico, 2009 marks the first appearance of the T.I.M.E project in the city of Las Cruces.
The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery will feature works by Phil Yost and Kurt Van Wagner this month, with an opening reception for the artists Sept. 11, 4-8 p.m., in conjunction with ArtsHop. 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, 522-2933.
Also in conjunction with ArtsHop, the Museum of Art will host an artist's reception for sculptor Michael Naranjo Sept. 11, 5-6:30 p.m. As a boy, Naranjo dreamt of becoming a sculptor. While serving in the Vietnam War, a grenade exploded within hand's reach, and he was left totally blind. Finding himself without sight and with minimal use of his right hand, he was determined to find a way to sculpt. Depending on visual images from the past, and through a great deal of trial and error, he found a way to work through his disability. Today his sculptures are represented in individual and museum collections worldwide, including at the Vatican and the White House. Naranjo currently resides in Santa Fe.
"From the Ground Up XXIV," a regional, juried exhibition of contemporary ceramics, will be also on display at the Museum of Art, Sept. 4 through Nov. 7, with an opening reception Sept. 4, 5-7 p.m., at which time juror Blair Meerfield will present the awards. The biannual event is a collaboration between the museum and the Potters' Guild of Las Cruces. Meerfeld will also conduct a two-day ceramics workshop, "Pots from Parts." The exhibition features ceramic works, both functional and sculptural, by more than 60 artists representing New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Participating local artists are Joe Angelo, Klyf Brown, Christina Campbell, Walter Castro, Janice Cook, Liz Fisher, Andi Freespirit, Richard Green, Susanne Kane, Dana Kroos, John Northcutt, Cindy Waddell, Barb Williams and Cally Williams.
The museum also is offering a pair of new art workshops. "Introduction to Pastels" will be offered Tuesdays, Sept. 8 to Oct. 20, or Oct. 27 to Dec. 15, 6-8:30 p.m. In "Classical Oil Painting," participants will learn tricks and secrets used by the "Old Masters." Dates are Sept 9-Oct. 21 or Oct. 27-Dec. 15. 491 N. Main St., 541-2215, museums.las-cruces.org
The 8th annual "5000 Flowers & More" exhibit, commemorating the tragic events of 9/11 and sponsored by the GFWC Progress Club, opens at Branigan Cultural Center Sept. 4, with a reception for the artists on Sept. 11, 5-7 p.m. The mixed-media exhibit features works with a floral emphasis.
Also at the Branigan Cultural Center, the Artamants membership show opens Sept. 4, with a reception 5-7 p.m. The exhibit will be open through Sept. 26. Loosely translated from Latin, Artamants means "lovers of art."A collaborative of local artists, Artamants has been gathering weekly for over a decade to paint, share techniques and camaraderie. Members include Nabuko Bassett, Beverly Denny, Flo Hosa Dougherty, Sheila Duffy, Marie Dwyer, Tom Gerend, Jennifer Goude, Mayanna Howard, Betty Hummer, Darlene Hungate, Janet Jackson, Jo Ledbetter, Sally March, Burt Rawlings, Susan Rivera, Virginia Roach and Kathy Squires. 501 N. Main St., 541-2154, las-cruces.org/museums
The New Mexico State University Art Gallery will open its first exhibition of the 2009-2010 season, "Of Water and the River: Meditations on the Rio Grande," with a reception at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11.The exhibition, which is an installation of photographs, maps, artist's books and drawings, will run through Oct. 24. Created by San Diego artist Joyce Cutler-Shaw, the exhibition is a celebration of the Rio Grande and explores the history, engineering, nature and the politics of water. D.W. Williams Hall, University Avenue, 646-2545, www.nmsu.edu/artgal
Dennis Lujan has announced that his two-year-old In Effect Gallery will cease to exist as a gallery as of Sept. 1. Lujan says the purpose of the gallery was never to make money but to provide space for artists who otherwise tend to get overlooked in the art community. But personal and family health issues are requiring more of his time, he says, than he can make available while still operating the gallery. Lujan will retain the property, but it will now serve entirely as his family's residence and his studio. "I plan on hosting three or four open studio tours yearly, but am no longer able to commit the time necessary to operate a gallery in the manner I want," he says. Lujan will not be leaving the Las Cruces art scene, but continue to show work in other local galleries, in addition to the studio tours.
Got fruit? "Falling for Food," an exhibit of works depicting fruits and vegetables of the season by the Ten O'clock Club artists, opens at the Big Chair Cafe & Thierry's Pastry, 2701 Picacho, Sept. 10, 10 a.m., The exhibit can be seen during all cafe hours, 7:30 a.m.-3p.m., Monday through Friday, through Nov. 9.
The New Mexico Watercolor Society, Southern Chapter, will hold its monthly meeting Sept. 13, 2 p.m., at Good Sam's, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Catherine Brenner, president of ArtForms, will talk about "Art Fusion 575," an upcominglocally produced Public Television program about art in Southern New Mexico. Award winners from previous watercolor exhibitions will also show and talk about their paintings. 647-1193.
In conjunction with the continuing 2009 Summer Exhibition at the Preston Contemporary Art Center, abstract painter Diane McGregor will be featured in the latest of a series of Artist Dialogues on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. McGregor lives and works in her studio located on five acres of high mountain desert outside Santa Fe. Nature has always been a significant factor in her environment and inspirational to her work. McGregor methodically weaves together horizontal and vertical brushstrokes, generating a grid-like structure. She uses fan brushes, giving a delicate complex weave to the web. As the composition gradually emerges from the matrix of layered brushstrokes, the artist intuitively responds to the subtle balance of form, color and texture that has been created. 1755 Avenida de Mercado, Mesilla, 523-8713, www.prestoncontemporaryart.com
The 2nd Annual What's Art? Convention, "Exploring the Creative and Green Economy of Southern New Mexico," and the What's Art? Street Festival, will take place Oct. 2-3 at Alma d'arte Charter High School, 404 W. Court Ave. The event includes workshops on selling, insuring and collecting art, art in schools, demos of art — including an ice sculpture — and a reception for John Villani, author of 100 Best Small Art Towns in America.. 646-2391, talkingstick.info.
Sierra County Art News
A new exhibit, "Bounty and Beauty: a Harvest Festival at Percha Creek Traders," is scheduled at the Percha Creek Traders gallery in Hillsboro on Sept. 5. All merchants in the small town will be open that day, including the two local restaurants.
The September Art Hop in downtown T or C will be Sept. 12, 6-9 p.m. www.torcart.com torcgalleries@gmail.com
"Force of Nature," an exhibit of works by Susan A. Christie, will be on exhibit at RioBravo Fine Art, 110 Broadway in T or C, with an opening reception for the artist Sept. 21, 6-9 p.m. The show consists of a new collection of ink and water media paintings from a year-long "Artist in Residency" at the gallery. 894-0572, riobravofa@gmail.com, www.riobravofineart.net