Archive for March, 2009

Who: White Sands International Film Festival
What: 2009 Festival Program
When: April 23-26, 2009
Where: Las Cruces, New Mexico
Contact: cfaivre@las-cruces.org, (575) 541-2444

Selections were announced today for the Fifth Annual White Sands International Film Festival, which runs Thursday April 23rd through Sunday April 26th and features local talent. WSIFF will screen over 45 independent documentary and narrative films at the new Cineport 10 and will conduct a series of informative and exciting panels led by industry experts. Weekend events will comprise of an opening night bash hosted by Risottos and after parties by the Azul Nightclub at Hotel Encanto on Friday and Saturday night.

New Mexico film highlights include The Land of Space and Time, by award winning filmmakers Michael Lennick and Shirley Guilliford. This is a sophisticated and compelling story of the development of the United States Space Program and features Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range. Also included in the program is How the West Was Lost, a documentary about the locking up of 300,000 acres of New Mexican land, written and directed by Las Crucesan Erik Ness.
In addition, WSIFF will screen animations by NMSU’s Creative Media Institute.

WSIFF will also conduct panels by industry experts such as actor Jamison Jones (24, He Was A Quiet Man) who will teach the “Business and Art of Acting”, as well as Casting Directors Donn Finn (Titanic, L.A. Confidential) and New Mexico’s own Jo Edna Boldin, who will host “Auditioning for T.V. and Film”. Finally, WSIFF will offer a “Conversation With Mark Medoff”, an Oscar Nominated and Tony Award winning writer (Children of A Lesser God, 100 MPG), which discusses screenwriting and
directing, followed by a Q&A with Mr. Medoff.

Other participants in the festival include screenwriters Kathy Gori & Alan Berger (I Love You Phillip Morris), author and professor, Dr. Sam Smiley (Playwriting, The Structure of Action), Jon Hendry, IATSE Local #480 Union Leader, and Bill Hanson from Apple Computers.

Guests can view the full schedule and purchase passes and tickets at WWW.WSIFF.COM. Tickets are also available at www.whitemusicbox.com. (Day Passes sold day of festival at Allen Theatres Cineport 10; Rush tickets available if seating is available).

For a complete listing of events in Las Cruces, visit www.lascrucescvb.org.

Basic Dowsing Class
April 4, 1-3 p.m.
Learn the basics of dowsing (questing, divining, witching), how to use the four basic dowsing tools and the benefits associated with dowsing. The cost is $15 per person and tools will be available. Register early.

Harvest Cooking Class
April 7, 2-4 p.m.
The recipes for this month’s class include asparagus, garlic and grapes. Carol Koenig is the chef and pre-registration is required. $30.

Lecture Series
Windows to the Past: History in a Digital Age
April 9, 7 p.m.
State Historian of New Mexico Estevan Rael-Galvez will talk about the New Mexico Digital History Project. A native of northern New Mexico, Rael-Galvez is a recipient of numerous fellowships and received his B.A. in Literature and Ethnic Studies from the University of California-Berkeley and his M.A. and Ph.D. in American Cultures from the University of Michigan. Admission is a suggested donation of $2.

New Exhibit
Retablo, Metamorphosis, Vision: The Artwork of Virginia Maria Romero
Opening April 10
This exhibit shows the stylistic evolution of a popular regional artist. Featuring traditional retablos and paintings from her earlier work, the exhibit also displays some of Romero’s more recent work, which incorporates local wildlife and Native American symbols with traditional saints. The show will be in the museum’s Arts Corridor through Aug. 2.

Youth Songwriting Workshop
April 18, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Western Music Association Youth Songwriting Workshop is for ages 12 to 18 and is limited to 16 students. Participants are encouraged to bring song ideas, works in progress, or instruments, if they would like. Writing materials will be provided. The cost is $20 and pre-registration is required.

For more information, or to register for a workshop, please call (575) 522-4100.  Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Regular admission: $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, and $2 for children ages 5 to 17.

For a complete listing of events in Las Cruces, visit www.lascrucescvb.org

The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery located at 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla, NM , across from the Fountain Theatre, will feature during the month of April, 2009, Joyce Ann Key, a local artist and business woman who is known for rearranging images infusing them with energetic color.  Some artist paint what they see, Joyce Ann paints what she dreams.
 
Also featured is Sally Quillen a local artist and teacher, known for her Georgia O’Keefe flower-style and bold colorful figurative paining’s.  She most recently is using acrylic base paint and adorned with glass beads.
 
They are also proud to announce the two newest artists, JoAnn Milam and Bert Rawlings who have joined our group.
 
JoAnn a prolific pastelist depicting terrain on canvas.  She is a native New Mexican, is deeply invested in the mysteries of landscape, how winding roads curve around vast panoramas of land and sea as depicted in her pastels.
 
Bert, born New Mexican landscape painter, known for his boldly colored landscape works and impressionistic brush strokes.  He works primarily in acrylics.