Archive for June, 2010

Harvest Cooking Class
July 6, 2-4 p.m.
Enjoy a variety of creative recipes in our monthly cooking class. This month’s recipes feature tomatillos, poblano chile peppers, and cantaloupe. Carol Koenig is the chef. Pre-registration is required. $35.

Monthly Lecture Series: Hiking Apacheria & New Mexican Ranches
July 8, 7 p.m.
Historian Jerry Eagan presents “Hiking Apacheria & New Mexico Ranches: Sites & Signs of the Apaches in Southwestern New Mexico.” Eagan, a retired civil servant and U.S. Army combat veteran of the Vietnam War, has hiked and studied various Apache trails and sites throughout the Southwest. Admission is a suggested donation of $2.

Ice Cream Sunday
July 18, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Museum’s most popular event of the summer features ice cream making demonstrations, living history, and the annual ice cream sandwich eating contest & race. Caliches will provide a free 5-ounce scoop of their frozen custard to the first 600 visitors who pay admission. Also sponsoring activities and providing treats are Price’s Creameries and Southwest Dairy Farmers. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children 17 and under.

Camps for kids

Southwest Art Camp
July 6-8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.       
Ages 8-12
Cost: $75  
Create a masterpiece! This three day camp will embrace the rich history of art making in New Mexico. Each day will focus on drawing, painting or pottery. Children will have the opportunity to learn the basics of each medium and create an assortment of artworks to take home. Come explore art making, New Mexico style! Please bring lunch each day. Pre-registration and a non-refundable class deposit of $20 is required. Deadline for class deposit is June 30.

Cowboy Life Camp
July 13-14, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Ages: 6-10
Cost: $40
Put your spurs on and grab your bandana! Come learn about both the Old West and modern ranching in New Mexico. Take roping lessons, create your own brand, stamp leather, and learn how to tell a tall tale.
Pre-registration is required.

Farming and Gardening Camp
July 20-21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ages: 6-11
Cost: $50       
Where do your fruit and vegetables come from? Discover the science and history of farming in New Mexico through hands-on lessons in the Museum’s Greenhouse and the Children’s Garden. Learn how early Native Americans farmed. What new foods did the Spanish colonists introduce?  Take home plants and seeds to start your own garden. Children should dress in clothing that can get dirty and please bring lunch each day. Pre-registration is required.           

Rural Cooking Camp
July 27-29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ages 9-13
Cost: $75     
Would you like to prepare delicious food in an old-fashioned setting? Come explore country cooking at the Museum. We will whip up butter by hand, bake bread, harvest vegetables, use an horno and do some Dutch-oven cooking. The three-day camp will follow a plant’s journey ‘from the soil to the table’ and also introduce themes of organic and sustainable agriculture. 
Pre-registration and a non-refundable class deposit of $20 is required. Deadline for class deposit is July 16.

For more information
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum 
4100 Dripping Springs Road
Las Cruces, NM 88011
(575) 522-4100.
www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org

Friday & Saturday, July 9 & 10
Missoula Children’s Theatre presents “King Arthur’s Quest“
The age of Romance and Heraldry are turned on their ear when characters from legend, including Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred and Morgan le Fay, take center stage as Missoula Children’s Theatre brings their annual production to Las Cruces, starring local children ranging in age from 5 to 18. Showtimes for King Arthur’s Quest are 7pm on Friday night and 2:30pm on Saturday. Tickets are $6 for adults and $2 for children. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com.

Saturday, July 24
KRWG presents Steve Smith & Hard Road
Steve Smith and Hard Road evolved into a full working group as a result of the success and chemistry of the musicians who came together to work on Steve’s original live studio recording Hard Road, released in 2004. At the heart of Hard Road is the song-writing team of Steve Smith, one of this generation’s mandolin masters, and Minnesota songbird Chris Sanders. Joining them onstage on select dates are guitarist Aaron McCloskey, banjo player Bill Evans, bass player Bill Amatneek and fiddler Megan Lynch. Showtime is 7pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door for adults; $7.50 in advance, $10 at the door for 12 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets call (575) 646-2222.

Saturday, July 31
Premiere Entertainment presents Sounds of Motown
Spend an evening reliving some of the greatest hits of the Motown era, featuring number one R&B and Soul classics by such artists as the Four Tops, Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations and many more. Direct from Las Vegas this electrifying musical experience features the unique style and versatility of Ronnie Rathers, former member of the Funk Brothers (who provided session work for 135 #1 Motown hits) and regular performer with such artists as Ray Charles, The Average White Band, Chubby Checker, Tavares, The Drifters and Percy Sledge, to name just a few. Tickets are $25 general admission and $40 VIP (which includes hors d’oeuvres and a meet and greet with the musicians). A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces. For more information, call (915) 630-2206 or visit www.pre-e.com

Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande Theatre Schedule for July 2010
July 13 – Tuba Four
July 27 – Lilis Urban
Please note: Every Other Tuesday performances always begin at 5:30 pm and are free to the public.  For more information contact DAAC at (575) 523-6403.

On Exhibit in the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries
Students of the Career Art Path (CAP) Program
Every year, during the month of June, the Dona Ana Arts Council sponsors a two-week series of hands-on workshops for kids in grades 6 through 9. Called the Career Art Path (CAP) program, the workshops are set up so that students can explore possible careers in exciting creative industries, including printmaking, sculpture and digital photography. For the first time ever, an exhibition of works created in these workshops by the talented students will run for an entire month in both the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries. The show will run through the entire month of July, 2010, beginning with an artist reception on July 2, from 5 to 7pm, as part of the Downtown Art Ramble.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main, in Las Cruces, NM. For clarification, photos or additional information, please visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or contact the Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at (575) 523-6403.
 
 

Las Cruces residents are invited to attend the City of Las Cruces 4^th of July celebration at the Hadley Complex, 1605 E. Hadley, July 3^rd-4^th.  

The festivities kick off with the City of Las Cruces Electric Light Parade, presented by Wells Fargo and El Paso Electric Co., on Saturday, July 3^rd at 9:00pm at the corner of Madrid Avenue and Solano Drive (Apodaca Park). The parade travels south on Solano, turns left on Hadley, left on Walnut and ends at the corner of Walnut Street and Spruce Avenue (Sierra Middle School).

Following the parade, tribute band Journey Unauthorized will perform at 10:00pm. The celebration continues on July 4^th with the following events:

• 4:00pm – Local Bands
• 8:00pm – Clay Walker
• 10:00pm – Mayor Ken Miyagishima’s Welcome

           Annual Fireworks Display

Fireworks are prohibited in the event area and along the parade route. The events are free! Parade entries are available at the Public Information Office inside City Hall, 700 N. Main Street. It is free to enter! The theme is Patriotism! Alive in Las Cruces. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 30^th.

For more information contact the Public Information Office at 575/541-2200. The TTY number is 575/541-2182.

Las Cruces, NM –The Branigan Cultural Center in partnership with the Las Cruces GFWC Progress Club will host two “Block Parties” in preparation for the annual commemorative art exhibit to honor those lost on 9/11/2001.  A dramatic new format for the 9^th annual 5,000 Flowers exhibit is planned.  Two wood towers will represent the World Trade Center.  Small wood blocks will be painted with ten flowers each and then placed on the towers. 

The block parties are planned to complete enough blocks to cover the first tower. Anyone interested in participating in the project is invited to drop in during a “Block Party” to complete one or more blocks.  All paints and materials will be supplied.  The parties are free and open to the public, no registration is required.

5,000 Flower Block Parties will be held at the Branigan Cultural Center on Thursday, July 8, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and repeated on Saturday, July 17, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  For more information contact Rebecca Courtney at mlcourtney@comcast.net  or call 575-522-8243.

The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. New gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2154 or visit the Center’s web site at las-cruces.org/museums.

Las Cruces, NM —  A new exhibition, “Fire & Fiber” opens Friday, July 2, 2010 at Branigan Cultural Center, and runs through Saturday, July 30. The show displays works by the Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces, collaborating with a variety of fiber artists. Over twenty-five works will be displayed. An opening reception will be part of the First Friday Ramble, July 2 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces.   For more information about exhibits, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2154 or visit the Center’s web site at las-cruces.org/museums

Image:  “Forest Rhythms”

Ceramic by Randy Summers, Fiber by Jeannine Summers

During the1860s, La Cueva was home to a man by the name of Agostini-Justiniani, “El Ermitano”, the Hermit. Agostini was born in 1800 to a wealthy Italian family. As a young man he studied to be a priest but for unknown reasons decided against taking his vows. He spent his life traveling, mostly by foot, through Europe, Mexico, South America, Cuba and the United States. In 1869 he made his home in La Cueva, a natural shelter in the Organ Mountains (presently located in Dripping Springs Natural Area).

Come to the La Cueva picnic area at 7:00 pm on June 25th, 2010 and meet this historical personality for a program that will last approximately an hour. Scott Green, Education Coordinator for The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, will bring the character of the Hermit back to life in a living history reenactment program about this mysterious man.

The Dripping Springs Natural Area is located 10 miles east of Las Cruces, on the west side of the Organ Mountains. From Exit 1 on Interstate 25, take University Avenue/Dripping Springs Road east to the end.

For further information, call McKinney Briske at BLM’s office at 575-525-4334.

A $3.00 vehicle pass will apply, but no extra fee will be charged for the program.

In protection against his solitary lifestyle, he told his friends in Mesilla to watch out for his safety by saying, “I shall make a fire in front of my cave every Friday evening while I shall be alive. If the fire fails to appear, it will be because I have been killed. I shall bless you daily in my prayers.” One Friday night in the April of 1869, the Hermit’s fire was not seen. A group from Mesilla came up the mountain and found the Hermit lying face down, stabbed in the back.

On his gravestone in the Mesilla cemetery the following is written in Spanish:

“Juan Maria Justiniano, Hermit of the Old and New World. He died the 17th of April, 1869, at 69 years and 49 years a hermit.”

The Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla, NM will showcase six artists working in various mediums in the gallery’s 2010 Summer Exhibition opening Friday, July 9 with a reception for the artists from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  The exhibit, a colorful celebration of the second anniversary of Preston Contemporary Art, will run through Saturday, Sept 25.
 
Preston Contemporary Art has “gone green,” effective with this exhibition; postcard announcements have been replaced by a PCAC e-letter.  To receive announcements of gallery openings and events, email bschranz@prestoncontemporaryart.com with your request to be added to the gallery email list.
 
Included in the 2010 Summer Exhibition are works by Ho Baron, sculpture; Judith Content, fiber; Richard Heinsohn, painting; Tom Millea, photography; Lewis Ocepek, mixed media; and Valente Francisco Saenz, painting.
 
Palo Alto, CA artist Judith Content discovered the textile arts while a student at San Francisco State.  There began her work on the striking wall hangings, deeply textured and colorful, demonstrating artistry that has now received recognition for decades. Today she creates hand-dyed, pieced, quilted silk wall pieces for corporate and residential environments. Her current work explores a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Japanese dye technique called arashi-shibori.  She says the pieces are inspired by the interplay of light and shadow as fog descends and dissipates along the Pacific coast. Her works display the colors, patterns and textures of stone, sky, fire and water. Content’s works are found in corporate installations that include the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Tropicana Products, AT&T, Chevron Corporation, and Lourdes Hospital, KY. Her textile pieces are also in the collections of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; the Museum of Art & Design, NYC; the International Shibori Collections, Nagoya, Japan; and the Women Beyond Borders Contemporary Art Collection and numerous private collections.
 
Tennessee artist Richard Heinsohn explains that using the language of abstraction in painting allows him to express fascination with the mysteries of life and to convey this intrigue to others. His approach is expressive and as chaotic as it is ordered. His intuitive style connects him to the universal energy that exists between all matters, bringing the viewer into the explosive and exciting paintings.  Working actively, he applies large amounts of paint with his hands, pieces of wood and improvised tools, and he suggests that making these images is somewhat like automatic writing.  He sometimes includes objects like wood scraps, worn-out gloves or discarded toys “to further indicate how we are interwoven into a multidimensional flow of things. The vivid colors and simple shapes are meant to provoke contemplation of the vast process and our tiny place in it, and to stimulate meditation of the human spirit.” Heinsohn was awarded a BFA from the University of Georgia, Lamar Dodd School of Art,  Athens. He worked in New York City for 15 years, exhibiting at the Allan Stone Gallery with notables that included Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline.  Now living in Tennessee, he was recently selected as the “Critic’s Pick” in the Nashville Scene for his solo exhibition at the Estel Gallery; he has also served as a guest lecturer at the Pratt Institute, NYC and was featured in a PBS feature shot on location in his studio.
 
Tom Millea’s photographs on display at the Preston Contemporary Art Center are his most recent explorations in a career that has placed him among the leaders  of artists and curators working in the photographic medium. He was one of the very few photographers to reintroduce platinum printing, an older process that basically had to be reinvented with the introduction of new chemistry to the process.  Living in Carmel Valley, CA, he began the first of his large bodies of work – The Carmel Valley Series. Another widely exhibited body of work done in the small town of Death Valley Junction, photographs of people and the landscape, won the Friends of Photography Ruttenberg Grant in 1982. He currently continues work on Women in Black Velvet, a series of portraits and figure studies.  In 1989, Millea began to study digital printing, finding these a strong compliment to his platinum prints.  Photographs in this Preston exhibition are from his newest project, The Book of Palms.

An interest in the spiritual potency of ritual icons as they are expressed in various cultures is the basis for the current body of mixed media works of Las Cruces, NM printmaker Louis Ocepek. “The mixing of media encourages the creation of rich layers of color and texture, which form a lush spatial backdrop for detailed graphic and linear elements,” he says.  Ocepek uses both conventional and digital media to create relief constructions, digital prints and illustrations. Other artworks include screen prints created by successive overprinting of multiple stencils.  Ocepek taught at New Mexico State University from 1985 until 2001.   He served for six years as art department chair and won the Westhafer Award for Excellence in Teaching.  His book Graphic Design: Vision, Process, Product was published in 2002.  Ocepek’s works in graphic design, illustration and printmaking have been published and exhibited internationally and are included in numerous corporate, institutional and private collections.
 
Sculpture has been Ho Baron’s passion for more than 30 years, though he has also found expression in a variety of visual arts and broadcast media. Sculpture’s tactile aspects, its challenges and varied methods in producing each piece hold his continued attention, he says.  He abstracts the human form with unique motifs of surreal imagery.  “They are intuitive translations of a fluid-like imagery, an impulsive metal flow that unfolds in an arduous sculptural process and evolves from a lump of clay into a humanoid of bronze, cast stone and sometime resin.” Born in Chicago, Baron was raised on the Mexican border in El Paso, TX. His body of work of more than 300 pieces includes sculptures at the Baltimore American Visionary Art Museum, El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of Archaeology, and El Paso Public Library. “On the Upside Down,” in the Preston exhibition, was temporarily installed on the border of the United State and Canada in view of all who drove to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
 
The Taoist belief that every living thing has a place in the natural order of things and each person has a destiny to fulfill is the philosophy that has guided emerging artist, Valente Francisco Saenz of El Paso, TX in his development as a painter. Crisis, both local and worldwide, has heightened his concern for contemporary global issues, the focus of his current body of work.  Using richly hued acrylics, Saenz paints geometrical forms, as well as historically referenced imagery, both mystical and philosophical. His current work includes symbols related to unity, to progress and prosperity, inspired by the Chinese IChing, as well as Masonic and Celtic imagery. Saenz’s work has been exhibited at the Universidad Autonoma a de Cd. Juarez, Mexico; Marchand Arte Contemporaneo, Torreon, Mexico; Commermex Bank gallery, Juarez; El Paso Community College; and the Mexican General Consulate gallery, El Paso.
  Preston Contemporary Art is located at 1755 Avenida de Mercado (at the end of Calle de Mercado) in Mesilla, NM.  Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 1 – 5 pm and other times by appointment. For information, call 575-523-8713 or visit the website www.prestoncontemporaryart.com.

The First Annual Plein Air Competition & Community Arts Festival September 11 & 12, 2010

Following a popular trend which draws upon the French expression en plein air, meaning “in the open air,” the Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC) proudly presents the first Color Las Cruces Plein Air Competition and Community Arts Festival, September 11 & 12, 2010. The premiere event will be two full days of ongoing activities in Downtown Las Cruces, featuring an artist workshop, a “Quickdraw” competition, two Plein Air competitions, a VIP Artist Reception and a Citywide gallery hop.

 During the event weekend, juried artists will compete for cash and merchandise prizes in one of two Plein Air categories. To compete, artists will go to an outdoor location in Las Cruces during a four-hour period on Saturday morning, where they will begin and complete a painting, then return with the finished piece. A Quickdraw competition will also take place during the Farmer’s Market, in front of the Rio Grande Theatre. These artists will have one hour to complete a drawing or painting and finished work will be displayed and judged by the public for prizes. Artists can register prior to the competition at the theatre.

Winners of the two Plein Air categories will be announced Saturday evening at the VIP Artist Reception at the Rio Grande Theatre, where attendees can meet the artists, sample food from the best restaurants in town, enjoy wine from local wineries and take in a live performance on the theatre stage. A public exhibit and sale of completed paintings will take place in participating galleries on Sunday afternoon, from noon until 4pm, with artists in attendance.

As an added treat, on Thursday, September 9 and Friday, September 10, Denver artist Kevin Wechbach will give a two-day Plein Air workshop, which is open to artists of all levels. Wechbach will also act as guest judge of the Plein Air competition on Saturday. The class size will be limited for personal instruction and a fee will be charged for the workshop, so attendees should contact the Doña Ana Arts Council immediately to reserve space.

Color Las Cruces is sponsored in part by the City of Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, The New Mexico Tourism Department, the Frame and Art Center and Out Of The Blue. For artist entry applications, workshop enrollment and/or any general information, call (575) 523-6403 or visit www.Las-Cruces-Arts.org.

July 3

9:00pm     City of Las Cruces Electric Light Parade
Begins Corner of Madrid Avenue and Solano Drive to Hadley Avenue to Walnut Avenue to Spruces Avenue.
Pepsi, Food, Arts & Crafts available on the parade route.

Fourth of July Street Fest
1600 E. Hadley Ave. Meerscheidt Recreation Center.
Food, Arts & Crafts, Beverage Vendors

10:00 pm    In Concert: Journey Unauthorized – R & R,  
Ron T. Galla T-ball Field, 1605 E. Hadley Ave.

July 4

5:00am    Fourth of July Fun Run
Triviz Multi-purpose Path

Fourth of July Street Fest

4:00 pm    Local Bands

 8:30 pm    In Concert: Clay Walker – Country
Ron T. Galla T-ball Field, 1605 E. Hadley Ave.

9:30 pm    Mayor’s Comments and Welcome

10:00pm  Annual Fireworks Display
Ron T. Galla T-ball Field, 1605 E. Hadley Ave.

Mike Beckett, owner of COAS Bookstore and long time Las Cruces supporter, has been appointed to the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Advisory Board by Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.

As a native of Las Cruces, Beckett had become a strong voice in the Las Cruces community. After graduating from New Mexico State University, Beckett went to work for his father in the family book business. Twenty years later, he bought the business from his father and he and his wife currently operate COAS Bookstores. He has served as president of the Las Cruces Downtown, chair of the City of Las Cruces’ ad-hoc committee on economic development for the strategic plan, is currently on the board of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce and is an incoming board member of the Las Cruces Rio Grande Rotary Club.

“I have always loved the Las Cruces community for its people, diverse culture and livability,” said Beckett. “As a member of the CVB advisory board, I hope to bring a fresh perspective.”

The Mayor also reappointed current members Dr. Janet Green and Mark Santiago.

Green is head of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at New Mexico State University. She served as the Cabinet Secretary of Tourism under former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson from 1995-2002.  She was also the recipient of the 1998 Tourism Association of New Mexico’s ‘Professional of the Year award.”

Santiago is the Director of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum and a member of the Las Cruces Rotary Club.

All CVB Advisory Board members are appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the City Council, and serve a three year term with the Mayor having the option to appoint them for a second term.  The board meets the last Wednesday of the month from September through May.