Archive for the ‘Exhibit News’ Category

Who: Billy Name
What: Photographs on display 
When: February – April 2010 
Where: Las Cruces Museum of Art
Contact: (575) 541-2137

Billy Name Photographs at Las Cruces Museum of Art
 
The “Warhol & Pop Art” exhibition, now showing at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, includes photographs by noted photographer, and member of the Warhol entourage, Billy Name.  Name was Andy Warhol’s in-house photographer and he recorded daily life at Warhol’s studio, the Factory.   
 
In 1963, at the request of Andy Warhol, Billy Name began documenting life at the Factory, where he also lived.  Name’s photographs offer rare insight into the glamorous life lead by Warhol and his associates. “We are excited to include Billy Name’s work in this exhibition,” said Museum Manager Lisa Pugh. “It offers us a behind-the-scenes look at Warhol’s New York City studio and his ‘Superstars’.”  Name was also responsible for the silver decorating scheme of the Factory. 
 
Organized by the Las Cruces Museum of Art, “Warhol & Pop Art,” features twenty works by Andy Warhol as well as art by Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, and Roy Lichtenstein, is on display from Friday, February 5 through Saturday, April 3.  Photographs by Billy Name are on loan from the artist and are available for sale through the Museum of Art.
 
Funded by the City of Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 N. Main Street, at the north end of the downtown mall.  Exhibits are accessible and free of charge.  For information, call (575) 541-2137 or visit the website http://museums.las-cruces.org
 
In addition to the exhibition, there will be a large number of events, throughout Las Cruces and Mesilla, as part of, “For the Love of Arts month,” sponsored by ArtForms. “For the Love of Art month,” will include a variety of special art exhibits, performance art events at area restaurants, galleries and businesses that are expected to take place throughout the month.
 
“There will be arts in all forms for this celebration,” said Cheryl Fallstead, event coordinator. “You can find jewelry, collage art, photography and sculpture, just to name a few.”
 
An ArtForms member show, featuring paintings, sculptures, photography and multi-media works, exemplifying the variety of art created by artists in Las Cruces, will be held at Branigan Cultural Center, located at 500 N. Water Street, on Feb. 5 at 5 p.m., and will run through Feb. 27. 
 
In conjunction with the month long event, artists all over the city will be opening their studios and galleries, offering new works for sale the weekends of Feb. 13 and 14 and Feb. 20 and 21. The public is encouraged to visit the studios, view art, meet artists and see demonstrations. Maps and venue lists are available at the Las Cruces Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, located at 211 N. Water.
 
Fallstead said “For the Love of Art Month,” began when a group of ArtForm members got together and came up with a way to promote the arts in Las Cruces.
 
“We really wanted to make Las Cruces a destination location for the arts,” said Fallstead.
 
For more information, contact the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau at (575) 541-2150, or by email at media@las-cruces.org
 

Who: The Preston Contemporary Art Center
What: 2010 Winter Exhibition 
When: January 15, 2010
Where: The Preston Contemporary Art Center
Contact: (575) 523-8713

2010 Winter Exhibition Opening Friday, Jan 15 at Preston Contemporary Art Center, Mesilla

Preston Contemporary Art Center will showcase five artists of various mediums in the gallery’s 2010 Exhibition opening on Friday, Jan 15 with a reception for the artists from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  The show, which has a definite international flavor, will run through Sunday, March 28.

The exhibition includes works by Malaika Zbesheski Charbonneau, mixed media on canvas; Dan Davidson, painting and drawing; Amy M. Lam Wai Man, mixed media; Alan Weinstein, painting; and Peter Zelle, glass sculpture.

People and places visited have become an inspiration for the abstract mixed media paintings of Malaika Zbesheski Charbonneau, who will exhibit works from two series, “Cities” and “Conversations.”  Both are directly influenced by empirical knowledge, but what she paints cannot be strictly measured.  Charbonneau says that she paints memories of cities in which she has lived or found as destinations of travel. Frequently employing physical maps as an underpainting, she embellishes, pronouncing and accentuating the areas that to her are most influential, and thereby romanticizing the dynamics of the environment.  Born in El Paso, TX, Charbonneau now resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
 
The structure of the I Ching, the Chinese “Classic Book of Change,” encompasses both the positive energy of “yang” and the negative energy of “yin.” Since 2004, Dan Davidson has used the ancient oracle as both the content of his artwork and a guide to “a better approach to painting, without theory or isms.” Working with graphite, ink, chalk and watercolor on paper, Davidson presents works that fit into three groups, depending on their functions related to the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams.  Some pieces visualize the hexagrams and their geometric components; a second group of paintings associates pictorial symbols to the hexagrams or their combinations.  In the third group, Davidson’s imagery reflects the history of art to offer a fresh perspective of current trends.  A world traveler, he currently resides in Las Cruces, NM.

The human body, encompassing the mind and its relationship with its physical entity, is the point of inquiry for Amy M. Lam Wai Man’s mixed media works.  Man’s artworks communicate the human experience as a reflection of her own extensive experiential base. Some pieces pay tribute to her heritage as a Chinese American, born in Hong Kong, raised in Los Angeles and residing in Las Cruces, NM since 1996.  She suggests that her use of human images, text and format present her “very Westernized comprehension” of her own place in the world.  An accomplished writer, poet, and performance artist, Man also brings literary components to her creative process. Her wall pieces and hanging banners present conceptual views of the human body, both inner and outer selves, and reflect another strong influence, the medical establishment, both as friend and adversary.

Alan Weinstein’s landscape pieces in the Preston exhibition are among his most recent paintings, continuing a body of work initiated a decade ago.  He explains the manner in which these landscapes have expanded for him.  “Works grew by joining canvases. The calligraphic vocabulary began to embrace the figures of my drawings and earlier paintings. I explored frieze-like ideas with their lateral movement and absence of central focus. Then, for a time, my obsession shifted to the expansion of the image itself, the awareness of peripheral vision, the balance between complexity of sight and the clarity of color.” His new works find impact by integrating cut-canvas elements into simplified saturated fields. Their vibrant colors draw viewers into bright abstract landscapes of fields and forests. Born in Toronto, Canada, Weinstein works and resides in both Iowa City, IA and on woodland acreage outside of Toronto.

Minneapolis, MN sculptor Peter Zelle has worked with glass, clay and steel for 30 years.  He approaches his work intuitively, responding to the way materials react with each other in space. Recently, Zelle has combined glass and steel to create a series of small houses. He says, “As I moved around the pieces, I was intrigued by the shadows created by the steel and the depth and reflections within the glass.” Other new works are life-size abstract figures of welded steel and cast glass, partially inspired by a board game he plays with his kids, in which various characters move across a landscape. Each character has a unique profile, specifying his individual powers and possible moves. What interests Zelle is this notion of uniqueness and the individual way each piece activates space. As he adds and removes materials, he encounters the fine line between sculpture and ornamentation, defining the abstract as opposed to the decorative.

Artists’ Dialogue Saturday, Jan 16

An Artists’ Dialogue presentation featuring Maiaika Zbesheski Charbonneau, Alan Weinstein and Peter Zelle will be held at the gallery on Saturday, Jan 16 beginning a 1 pm.  The free event invites audience members to join the artists in conversation about their works in the 2010 Winter Exhibition.

The Preston Contemporary Art Center is located at 1755 Avenida de Mercado (at the end of Calle de Mercado), Mesilla, NM.  Visit the website www.prestoncontemporaryart.com <http://www.prestoncontemporaryart.com> or call 575-523-8713.  Hours of operation are Wednesday – Sunday, 1 – 5pm; galleries are closed on Monday and Tuesday, except by appointment.

Who: The New Mexico Watercolor Society
What: Exhibit at the Rio Grande Theatre Galleries 
When: November 2009
Where: The Rio Grande Theatre
Contact: (575) 523-6403

The New Mexico Watercolor Society – Southern Chapter, brings a wash of colors to the Rio Grande Theatre Galleries

The New Mexico Watercolor Society – Southern Chapter, will kick off November with an exhibition featuring the works of 24 local watercolorists, as part of its 2009 Fall Membership Show, in the galleries of the Rio Grande Theatre. The exhibition, featuring large and small works on a wide range of subjects and using varied techniques, will take place in both the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries. The show will run through the entire month of November, 2009, beginning with an artist reception on November 6, from 5 to 7pm, as part of the Downtown Art Ramble.

Exhibitors include both new and long-term members; artists with local, regional and even national reputations; and accomplished and aspiring artists.  The show includes work from the following members:  Donna Ayres, Callie Barker, Lynn Berkeley, Pat Bonneau-White, Nancy Frost Begin, Beegee Brandhorst, M. Randall Brown, Gail B. Cunningham, June M. Decker, Juliet De Laricheliere, Penny Duncklee, Mayanna Howard, Melanie Stone Jack, Hope K. Newhouse, Mary McCoy, Marie Siegrist, Penny Thomas Simpson, Lois V. Smith, Arlene Tugel, Janey Walch, Laurel Weathersbee, Donna A. Wood, Phil Yost and Karla Kay Ziehl.

The Southern Chapter of the New Mexico Watercolor Society was founded in 2001 to serve the seven southern counties of New Mexico.  Monthly meetings, which are open to the public, are held in Las Cruces and include interesting and stimulating painting-related programs.  The New Mexico Watercolor Society’s  purpose is to elevate the stature of watercolor as an important painting medium and to educate the public to this effort.  Its ultimate goal is to make New Mexico known nationally for its watercolor artists.  You may get further information about The New Mexico Watercolor Society, Southern Chapter, via the NMWS website at: www.nmwatercolorsociety.org.

The Rio Grande Theatre galleries, located in the lobby of the historic Rio Grande Theatre at 211 N. Main in Las Cruces, are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.  For more information, contact the DAAC office at (575) 523-6403.

Who: The Mesilla Fine Arts Gallery
What:  Exhibit & Reception with Artists of the Month
When: November 14, 2009
Where: The Mesilla Fine Arts Gallery
Contact: (575) 522-2933

Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery’s November, 2009, featured artists are Hetty Smith and Lupe Apodaca.

Come to a reception and meet the artists Sat. November 14th, 1-3 pm.  Refreshments will be served.

Hetty has spent a life time in Europe capturing unique designs to compliment her unusual stained glass pieces.  She also offers original infused glass art jewelry at affordable prices.

Lupe retired cosmetologist, instructor, beauty salon manager and owner, now finds joy and inspiration in her rough and simple southwest adobes.

In addition, the 30 artists of the Gallery offer art in many media’s which include original paintings, encaustic, infused glass art jewelry, handmade cards, stained glass, photography, affordable prints and miniature paintings.

The Gallery is located at 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, across from the Fountain Theatre.  Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-5 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm.  For details call 575-522-2933 or visit our web site:  http://ftp.zianet .com/mvartgallery/home.shtml.

Who: The Branigan Cultural Center
What:  “Abraham Lincoln: Self-made in America” exhibit
When: November 20-December 18, 2009
Where: The Branigan Cultural Center
Contact: (575) 522-4100

“Abraham Lincoln:  Self-Made in America” Exhibit coming to Branigan Cultural Center

Las Cruces, NM –It is with great pride that Branigan Cultural Center announces that it has been selected as one of forty institutions nation wide to host “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America.”  The world-class traveling exhibit, organized by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, will be in Las Cruces November 20 – December 18, 2009.  The next nearest stops for the exhibit are in Dallas, Denver, and the Los Angeles area.

 “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” was created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of America’s greatest presidents.  The “We, the People” program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, provided major financial support for the exhibition and accompanying programs.  The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and the History Channel provided additional financial and in-kind support.  

The exhibit covers Lincoln’s childhood, his self-education, his careers as a surveyor and lawyer, his family life, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, the 1860 Presidential election, the Civil War, the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his assassination, and other important periods and events in his life.  The reproduction artifacts on display, all modeled from originals in the Presidential Library and Museum, include:  Lincoln’s favorite books; his son Tad’s toy cannon; the nameplate from his Springfield home; his stovepipe hat, which he used like a briefcase to hold important papers; a Presidential campaign banner; an axe that Lincoln used to chop wood; the bloody gloves found in Lincoln’s pocket the night of his assassination; and many other unique and interesting items.            

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a subsistence farmer, came of age during a dramatic transformation in America’s economic life.  Like many of his contemporaries, he embraced a new emphasis on personal initiative, risk-taking, and ambition.  He was only 22 when he left his family home to find his own way.  After enduring a series of personal failures in business, he became a prosperous attorney, devoted husband and father, successful politician, and, finally, the 16th President of the United States.  While Lincoln benefited from close association with a number of powerful friends, his own talents and ambitions combined with hard work and a dedication to self-improvement to produce a unique American specimen – the self-made man. 

The American Library Association of Chicago and the Tribeca Film Institute of New York made strong contributions to the exhibit programming.  Locally, the Branigan Cultural Center will work with Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and NMSU faculty to provide supplemental programming for the exhibit.

For more information about the “Abraham Lincoln:  Self-Made in America” exhibit, visit  www.alplm.org/learning_station/exhibit.html  Additional information will be added to the Cultural Center’s web site, www.las-cruces.org/museums  in the coming months.

Events planned in association with the exhibit include:

November 14, 2009: Screening of 1939 Movie “Young Mr. Lincoln” at Fountain Theater

November 20, 2009: Opening Reception, featuring 1860 Union Army Color Guard escorting President Lincoln (in a Chautauqua performance) and opening remarks by Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley former Chief Historian for the National Park Service and current NMSU professor.

December 2, 2009, “Read More About Him”, a discussion of Abraham Lincoln biographies available that delve deeper into the life of one of America’s greatest presidents.

December 5, 2009 at 1pm, Dwight Pitcaithley will speak on Abraham Lincoln’s connection with New Mexico.  BCC Shannon Room

December 6, 2009 at 3pm, the Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will perform a concert of music favored by Abraham Lincoln.  BCC Shannon Room

December 12, 2009 at 3pm, the Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will perform a concert of Civil War period music.  BCC Shannon Room

Book displays at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Who: Sue Nichols
What: Rio Grande Theatre October Artist of the Month
When: October 2009
Where: The Rio Grande Theatre
Contact: (575) 523-6403

The Renaissance comes early to the Rio Grande Theatre Galleries! 

Though the annual Renaissance ArtsFaire doesn’t kick off until early November in Las Cruces, one artist has dedicated the month of October to the exploration of that diverse contemporary celebration of yesteryear in the galleries of the Rio Grande Theatre. Alamogordo painter Sue Nichols will present a series of bright, richly textured paintings, entitled Depictions Of The Renaissance, in the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries. The show will run through the entire month of October, 2009, beginning with an artist reception on October 1, from 5 to 7pm, as part of the Downtown Art Ramble.

Sue Nichols is a figurative painter who finds inspiration in any number of places, from a casual comment to a song. Or, as in the case with this exhibition, an anachronistic moment in time which has become a cultural phenomenon. “The Renaissance Period captures the modern imagination because it reflects in many ways our own values,” Nichols says of her one-of-a-kind show. “This exhibition explores our contemporary conceptions of the Renaissance and the values we have projected onto it–a dialogue between past and present. The unique aspect of the paintings represents scenes that would have been common 500 years ago. Specifically, it is a depiction of an idealized/ romanticized period which has struck a chord with contemporary society as exemplified by the multitude of Renaissance Fairs and Festivals that are held every year.”

The Rio Grande Theatre galleries, located in the lobby of the historic Rio Grande Theatre at 211 N. Main in Las Cruces, are open Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., and 9:00 a.m. – Noon on Saturdays.  For more information, contact the DAAC office at (575) 523-6403.

Who: The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
What: New schoolhouse exhibit
When: October 8 – July 18th 2009
Where: The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
Contact: (575) 522-4100

Museum exhibit explores rural schoolhouses

LAS CRUCES — They are unofficial monuments to the beginnings of public education in New Mexico, dotting the rural landscape in our vast state. They are all shapes and sizes. And while some have found new life as museums or community centers, many others are crumbling back into the New Mexico landscape.

The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces has created an exhibit that pays tribute to many of these historic structures. “Building for the Future: Rural Schoolhouses of New Mexico: 1880-1965,” takes visitors on a tour of the state where they will encounter more than 30 schoolhouses from various small communities. The exhibit opens with a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 8, and will be on display through July 18, 2010. Former state Representative and longtime New Mexico educator J. Paul Taylor of Mesilla will be the speaker at the opening.

“There is a lot of nostalgia attached to these old buildings and it’s something that people really enjoy,” said David Lundy, the museum’s exhibit curator. “This exhibit also is a way for us to document these schoolhouses. A lot of them are disappearing.”

By the 1950s, many of these rural schools (including the classic one- or two-room schoolhouse) were largely a thing of the past. Drought, the Great Depression and shifting populations left many of them vacant, while some smaller, more isolated schools were merged into larger ones.

The exhibit tells the story of these iconic structures through a mix of historical images, contemporary photographs of surviving buildings, and objects from the museum’s collections. Text panels describe the beginnings of public education in the state which led to a boom in building schoolhouses between 1891 and the beginning of World War II. Other panels describe how these schools were built and used.

“It’s interesting to see the sheer variety, from the sizes, to the architecture, to the materials used,” said Lundy. “Adobe structures were always popular. They go from very humble log schoolhouses, to brick and block buildings that you would expect to see in big cities back East.”

From the Goodson Memorial School in remote northeastern New Mexico, all the way to the Lake Valley School near Hillsboro, Lundy logged more than 2,500 miles photographing surviving structures across the state. Some are ruins and some are still intact, but all are witnesses to a unique part of New Mexico history.

For more information, call (575) 522-4100, or visit www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.

Who: New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
What: “Bracero Memories” Exhibit
When: August 28, 2009
Where: New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Drippings Springs Rd.
Contact: (575) 522-4100

New “Bracero Memories” exhibit at the NMF&RH Museum

 A controversial labor program that brought millions of Mexicans across the border to work in U.S. fields is the subject of a new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.

“Bracero Memories,” opens in the museum’s Legacy Gallery on Aug. 28 and will be on display through Jan. 18, 2010.

Mainly through historic photographs, the exhibit tells the story of the Bracero Program, a temporary guest worker program for millions of Mexican laborers between 1942 and 1964. The program marked a significant chapter in American and Mexican cultural history and relations. After the U.S. entered World War II, there was an immediate need for labor to fill the jobs left by Americans who went off to fight. The practices of that time are relevant to current debates about illegal immigration, farm labor issues, and proposed guest worker programs.

“This is a significant part of the history of New Mexico and the Southwest,” said David Lundy, the museum’s exhibits curator. “It’s a topic we’re excited about sharing.”

The traveling exhibit was produced by the University of Texas-El Paso Institute of Oral History and the UTEP Centennial Museum. The Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum has supplemented the exhibit with historic photographs from New Mexico, as well as a replica of living quarters that includes several objects from the museum’s collections.

“To give museum visitors a better feel for what it was like for the Bracero workers, we’ve created a vignette … a replica of the living quarters from the late 1940s, early 1950s,” Lundy said. “The employers had to provide room and board for the workers.”

A reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 10. Filmmaker Patrick Mullins will show his award-winning 2008 documentary “Bracero Stories” at 7 p.m. “Bracero Stories” draws on interviews and photographs collected by the Smithsonian Institution’s and the University of Texas-El Paso Institute of Oral History’s Bracero Oral History Project to recount first-hand experiences of workers and program administrators to see the workers behind the official policies and programs. Admission is a suggested donation of $2.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Regular admission is $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2 for children ages 5 to 17. Children 4 and under are admitted free.

For more information, please call (575) 522-4100.

Who: Branigan Memorial Library
What: New Picturing America Art Exhibit
When: September 2009
Where: Branigan Memorial Library
Contact: (575) 528-4005

Picturing America Exhibit at Branigan Memorial Library

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave., will host a print collection of America’s most notable art works.

The “Picturing America” exhibit will help visitors understand American democracy and allow them to experience America’s history through art.

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded an important grant to the library, which will bring works of American art to schools, libraries and communities throughout the country.

The exhibit will be in the library’s Terrace Gallery during the month of September. 

For more information call 575-528-4005. The TTY number is 575-528-4008.

Who: New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
What: New Art Exhibit, Documentary Screening & Ribbon cutting for Eagle Ranch
When: August 13, 2009
Where: New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
Contact: (575) 522-4100

Border Artists unveiling of ‘The Art of Cultivation’, a Documentary film screening & Eagle Ranch ribbon-cutting all set for Aug. 13

The opening of a new exhibit featuring some of the region’s top artists highlights a busy evening at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum on Aug. 13.

The exhibit, “The Art of Cultivation: Agriculture in the Mesilla Valley,” opens in the museum’s Arts Corridor and features the work of The Border Artists. The reception is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and admission is free.

The artists were tasked with creating fine art that demonstrates the diversity and flavor of agriculture in the Mesilla Valley. Established to promote the quality and diversity of fine arts in the border region, the Border Artists have been active in the regional art community for almost 20 years.

Artists who are active in the organization include Carolyn Bunch, Tauna Cole, Janice Cook, Sherry Doil-Carter, Tom Gerend, Winfrey Hearst, Annetta Hoover, Suzanne Kane, Tony Lazorko, Cassandra Lockwood, Joyce Macrorie, Rosemary McLoughlin, Diana Molina, Virginia Ness, Jeanne Rundell, Jo-An Smith, Dan Tapper, Scott Weaver, Bob M. Willis and Sandy Zane.

The exhibit will be in the Arts Corridor through Dec. 6.

Two more events are planned for Aug. 13. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce will have a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Eagle Ranch Mercantile, which now consists of a gift shop, snack bar and family room. Wine tasting, featuring award-winning Heart of the Desert wines, also will be part of the celebration.

The final event on Aug. 13 is a showing of the documentary film, “Betty LaDuke: Art Reflecting Life.”  The film begins at 7 p.m. in the theater and admission is a suggested donation of $2.

The film profiles LaDuke, the artist whose work is featured in the current “Dreaming Cows” exhibit on display in the North Corridor of the museum. The documentary gives a deeper profile of the artist and the inspiration behind her colorful works.

For more information about the museum and its programs, call (575) 522-4100.