Archive for June, 2009

Who: Benjy Rivas and the BBR Band
What: “Every Other Tuesday” Performance Series
When: Tuesday, June 16th
Where: The Rio Grande Theater
Contact: (575) 523-6403

Benjy Rivas And The BBR Band to replace the Tuco John Band for the “Every Other Tuesday” Performance Series at the Rio Grande Theater

Due to a death in the family of one of the musicians, local Jazz and Blues favorite, the Tuco John Band, has had to cancel their upcoming show the Rio Grande Theatre. Replacing them for the Every Other Tuesday event, on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, will be Benjy Rivas And The BBR Band.
Benjy is perhaps best known locally for his radio program The Back Porch, heard on KRWG Sunday evenings from 6 to 8pm. Like the programming of his radio show, Benjy’s band is an eclectic mix of folk, bluegrass, blues and a splash of old-fashioned acoustic rock. A staple of the local music scene for decades, Benjy and his BBR Band are crowd pleasers and a perfect addition to the Every Other Tuesday line-up.

“Every Other Tuesday” is a free performance series produced by the Doña Ana Arts Council beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Historic Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces, NM.  For more information contact DAAC at 523-6403 and for a list of upcoming events go to www.riograndetheatre.com.

Who: White Sands National Monument
What: Free Admission on three weekends this summer
When: June 20-21 (Father’s Day Weekend), 2009, July 18-19, 2009, August 15-16, 2009
Where: White Sands National Monument (located roughly 45 miles east of Las Cruces on U.S. Highway 70 between White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base.)
Contact: (575) 479-6124

White Sands National Monument to Waive Entrance Fees on Three Weekends this Summer

White Sands National Monument will join 390 other national parks across American and offer three fee-free weekends during this summer.

“We want to encourage everyone to visit White Sands National Monument this
summer,” said  Superintendent Kevin Schneider.  “During these tough
economic times, this is a great opportunity for families to explore the
spectacular geology, plants and animals, and the incredible night sky of
the White Sands for free.”

The entrance fees will be waived on the following weekends:
            June 20-21 (Father’s Day Weekend), 2009
            July 18-19, 2009
            August 15-16, 2009

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the National Park
Service would host the fee-free weekends during a June 2 visit to Cuyahoga
Valley National Park in Ohio. The intent is to encourage Americans to visit
their national parks and to promote local and regional tourism.

During these weekends, White Sands National Monument will waive the $3
entrance fee per adult (anyone age 16 or older). The entrance stations will
be open and staff will be available to provide maps, answer questions, and
sell annual passes. The fee waiver does not include other fees such as for
camping or special use permits.

White Sands National Monument hosts a free ranger guided nature walk called
the Sunset Stroll every evening at 7:00 PM.  Visitors meet the ranger at
the Sunset Stroll Trailhead located 5 miles from the Entrance Station on
the Dunes Drive.  On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings at 8:30 PM,
there is also a free evening program at the amphitheatre in the Heart of
the Dunes.   A variety of topics are offered, including:  Plant
Adaptations;  Geology of the White Sands;  Ranching, Railroads, Mining,
Monument, and Murder:  the Tularosa Basin at the Turn of the 20th Century;
White Sands WILD Wildlife.    Both the Sunset Stroll and the evening
program are free programs.

The bookstore at White Sands National Monument will also offer 20% off all
merchandise during these three weekends.   The Western National Parks
Association (managers of the bookstore) is pleased to offer the discount in
support of the National Park Service and this unique opportunity for the
public.

More information on the fee waivers and concession discounts can be found at: http://nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

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

Who: Rio Grande Theatre
What:  Tuco John Band
When: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Where: Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall
Contact: (575) 523-6403

Tuco John Band to play for Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande Theatre

Local Jazz and Blues favorite, the Tuco John Band, is scheduled to take the stage at the Rio Grande Theatre for the Every Other Tuesday event, on Tuesday, June 16, 2009. With a name taken from the movie The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and made up of members John Busby, guitar; George Aiuvalasit, chromatic jazz harmonica; Phil Holmes, bass and Theo Holtzhausen, drums, Tuco John is predominately a jazz quartet, playing standards from the 30s, 40s and 50s, they also perform blues originals peppered with classic rock and soul tunes mixed in.

The band has been seen performing such well-known standards as Ain’t Misbehavin’, Route 66, Bye Bye Blackbird and Mack The Knife at such diverse locations as the St. Claire Bistro, Red Mountain Café, Hotel Encanto and the Mesilla Jazz Fest. This summer will find the band performing at the Jazz and Blues Society and in the Las Cruces Music In The Parks Sunday Night Series.

“Every Other Tuesday” is a free performance series produced by the Doña Ana Arts Council beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Historic Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces, NM.  For more information contact DAAC at 523-6403 and for a list of upcoming events go to www.riograndetheatre.com.

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

Who: Rio Grande Theatre
What: Screening of Becoming Edeardo
When: June 26, 2009
Where: Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall
Contact: (575) 541-2215

The Rio Grande Theatre Hosts The Final Edit of Rod McCall’s Indie Feature
Becoming Eduardo

Almost a year after the rough cut of Rod McCall’s independent feature film Becoming Eduardo was first screened, the final edit of the cinematic achievement, filmed exclusively in Southern New Mexico, will return to the Rio Grande Theatre on June 26, 2009. Shot last summer in Hillsboro and Truth or Consequences and based on a novella by LouAnne Johnson (Dangerous Minds), Becoming Eduardo features young newcomers Julian Alcaraz, Elizabeth Blanco and Mike Dunay alongside film and television veterans A. Martinez, Holly Riddle, Josh Cruze, Gary Perez and Elizabeth Peña.

Filmed in association with The Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University (where McCall is an instructor), Becoming Eduardo features rookie actors Mariah Talent and Adrien Gloria from Alma d’Arte, the Las Cruces High School for the Arts, as well as the director of Alma d’Arte, Irene Oliver-Lewis. Several of McCall’s students acted as production assistants on the film.

Eddie Corazón (Alcarez), a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent and secret reader, who attends an alternative high school in rural New Mexico, now walks a thin line between tragedy and glory as he searches for his place in the world. Torn between the violent macho world of his best friend T.J. (Dunay) and the academic world inhabited by understanding teachers and a bewitching college-bound beauty named Lupe (Blanco), Eddie finds himself pulled in opposite directions, but realizes that the course of his life is, indeed, up to him. Making the right decision, however, is much harder than it seems.

The screening will begin at 7pm with a Q&A with the filmmakers following. It is recommended that those planning to attend the screening come early. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased on-line through www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or www.BrownPaperTickets.com.

For more information, contact the Doña Ana Arts Council at (575) 523-6403 or visit us at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com.

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

Who: Las Cruces Museum of Art
What: Lecture on European and American Art Collectors
When: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Where: Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall
Contact: (575) 541-2215

On Saturday, June 20th Debbie Rindge and Mireille Dohmen will present their joint lecture “Collecting Art: Europe and the United States, a Cross-Cultural Perspective” at the Rio Grande Theatre, beginning at 12:30 pm.  Presented in conjunction with the “Las Cruces Collects” exhibit currently on display at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, the lecture will discuss the similarities and differences between European and American collecting sensibilities.  A short history of collecting (on both sides of the Atlantic), images of collectible works of art, stories about well-known collectors and the legacies they left behind will be included.

Debbie Rindge is an art historian and the owner of Mirari Fine Art Consulting in Las Cruces. She received her Ph.D. in American Art History from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her publications include catalogues of the collections of American art in the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Mireille Dohmen worked as a kindergarten teacher for over 20 years.  After marrying surrealist Leo Dohmen (1929-1999), she managed the Gallery Den Tijd and organized exhibitions of contemporary art.  For the past ten years, she has been working on a retrospective of her late husband’s work for the Museum of Photography in Charleroi, Belgium.

 The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall in Las Cruces.  Exhibition hours for “Las Cruces Collects” are Monday-Friday, 10AM – 4PM, and Saturday, 9AM – 1PM. Admission is free. Funded by the City of Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 North Main Street, at the north end of the Downtown Mall. Call 541-2137, or visit http://museums.las-cruces.org, for more information on museum exhibits and Studio Program art classes.

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

Who: Las Cruces Museum of Art
What:  Las Cruces Collects exhibit
When: June 5 – August 22, 2009
Where: Las Cruces Museum of Art, 491 North Main Street, at the north end of the Downtown Mall
Contact: (575) 541-2215

 “Las Cruces Collects,” opens Friday, June 5th from 5-7 pm, at the Las Cruces Museum of Art.  The exhibit offers a rare look into the private art collections of area residents.  Featuring art works ranging from European Old Masters to American Contemporary, in a wide variety of media and artistic styles, this exhibit sheds light on the passions motivating collectors of fine art.  Organized by the Las Cruces Museum of Art, “Las Cruces Collects” will be on display through Saturday, August 22nd.

In a community as dedicated to the arts as Las Cruces, it should come as no surprise that the area’s art collections are as diverse as its residents.   Made possible through the assistance of Sally and Glenn Cutter, works are on loan are from the private collections of J. Paul Taylor; Kent F. Jacobs and Sallie Ritter; Gayle and Delano Lewis; Stephanie and Mark Medoff; Toby and Richard White; Mireille Dohmen; and Mary Streett.  The exhibition includes Civil War antiquities, Pueblo pottery, Surrealist sculpture, African and Mexican folk art, religious iconography, and many other surprises.

Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 10AM – 4PM, and Saturday, 9AM – 1PM. Admission is free. Funded by the City of Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 North Main Street, at the north end of the Downtown Mall. Call 541-2137, or visit http://museums.las-cruces.org, for more information on museum exhibits and Studio Program art classes.

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

The Doña Ana Arts Council and the Rio Grande Theatre are pleased to provide the following information concerning activities throughout the month of June, 2009. For clarification, photos or additional information, please contact the Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at 575-523-6403.

A Night Of Music In Memory Of David Diaz
The memory of late musician David Diaz will be celebrated at the Rio Grande Theatre, June 19, beginning at 6pm. Scheduled to perform are Diaz’ band Nosotros, along with a Jazz Tribute and the youth band founded by Diaz in his final days, Regardless. A light dinner and dessert will be served between sets and all proceeds from the event will go to the David Diaz Music From The Heart Endowment, created to provide musical instruction to underprivileged children. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling (575) 571-7170.

Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande Theatre – Schedule for June 2009

June 2 – Celestial Sounds Women’s Chorus
The concert features a variety of music from classical to contemporary including music by Cole Porter and two selections of poetry by Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost set to music.

June 16 – Tuco John Band
A very special engagement with the local Jazz quartet that specializes in standards from the 1930s through the 1950s, with classic rock and old soul tunes thrown in to mix things up a bit.

June 30 – Starlight Children’s Theatre HMS Pinafore
The Gilbert & Sullivan classic is adapted for children and presented by a cast ranging in age from Kindergarten through 8th Grade, as part of the Starlight Children’s Theatre Summer Workshop.

Please note: Every Other Tuesday performances always begin at 5:30 p.m. and are free to the public.  For more information contact DAAC at 523-6403. 

On Exhibit Throughout the month of June

Society of Layerists in Multi-Media
A Summer Exhibition featuring the works of the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM) will fill both the El Paso Electric and the Caroline de Mesilla galleries, beginning with a reception for the artists to coincide with the First Friday Downtown Arts Ramble, on June 5, 2009, beginning at 5pm. SLMM is a society of equals designed to encourage creative expression and dynamic growth through many overlapping artistic and holistic disciplines. For more information visit www.slmm.org

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