OPPORTUNITIES
Artists/Photographers
Open Call for Art: “Creatures of the Gila” art show, to be held Sept 1-10, at the Grant County Art Guild Studio, 200 W Market in Silver City. Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m., July 23. This is an open call, you need not be a Guild member to enter the show. All entries must depict, or be inspired by “Creatures” (mammals, fish, birds, insects or reptiles) who live in the Gila River watershed. All mediums and styles are welcome. Prizes to be awarded include $250 for Best in Show, $50 first place. Info: gcag.org.
Otero Arts in Alamogordo is seeking artists for month long First Friday Art Exhibitions in 2024. All exhibitions are held at Otero Artspace located at 1118 Indiana Avenue in Alamogordo. The Artspace is large with ProPanels and professional lighting to create an excellent presentation. To apply visit oteroarts.org. With your application include five images of your work in jpeg format and an artist’s statement or bio.
The Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC) is seeking nominations for its 2023 Community Arts Awards, which honor individuals and organizations who are actively involved in promoting and enhancing the visual, performing and literary arts in the community through leadership, support and advocacy. The deadline to submit a nomination packet is 5 p.m. on Friday, July 15. Awards will be presented at DAAC’s 36th annual Community Arts Awards reception. Nomination forms are available on-line at www.daarts.org, by calling 575-523-6403 or by emailing gallery@daarts.org.
Stage/Film
Is there a play you always wanted to direct or produce? Silver City Community Theater is soliciting proposals for the 2023-2024 season. The kick-off takes place in August-September at El Sol. Info: aryann@silvercitycommunitytheater.com.
SILVER CITY
• The Silver City Art Association First Friday Gallery Walk is from 5-7 p.m., July 7. During First Friday walks, SCAA downtown galleries stay open until 7 p.m. to hold receptions, and feature art demonstrations or other special activities. For a map showing SCAA downtown gallery locations, look for the big red dots, or to find out more about SCAA galleries, studios and independent artists, see silvercityart.com.
• At Light Art Space gallery “GRACE: Expression Through CLAY” is the juried exhibition for the CLAY Festival this year. Juror George Rodriguez chose 34 works by 27 clay artists from around the United States and Mexico. The CLAY Festival reception and artist talk is 6-8 p.m., Saturday, July 15 with a juror talk following at 7 p.m. Rodriquez’s work will also be on display. Also on view at the gallery is work in various media by the Light Art Space Artists: Joel Armstrong, Joe Huebner, Karen Hymer, Kathleen Koopman, Rhonda Munzinger, Art Peterson, Susan Porter, Eric Renner, Nancy Spencer, and Juan Velasco. The gallery is open 11 a.m.05 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (until 7 p.m. on First Fridays); 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday; and by appointment. Info: lightartspace.com.
• At a)s p...”A”© e Studio•Art•Gallery is a new exhibition titled “Mushroom Invasion” by Christopher “Moppy” Thomopoulos. Spreading love with his colorful fungi/mushroom art and nature inspired creations Moppy uses art as a way of healing and hopes to inspire others to create. The gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday to Sunday, 110 West 7th St., in Silver City. Info: aspace.studiogallery@gmail.com, 575-538-3333.
• The Grant County Art Guild Gallery features the work of clay artist Judy Menefee for July for the CLAY Festival. Menefee is known locally for her Mimbres inspired clay art, which includes jewelry as well as functional and decorative art. Extended hours and reception are 5-7 p.m., July 7. The GCAG Gallery is located at 316 N Bullard. The STUDIO is at 200 W Market, both in Silver City. Info: gcag.org.
• “Two Friends Under the Influence” art exhibition happens July 10-16 at the Grant County Art Guild STUDIO, at 200 W. Market St. in Silver City. This exhibition features the work of internationally recognized clay artists, Marko Fields and Diego Valles. Valles and Fields exhibit their work along with select works by some of the artists who have significantly influenced and encouraged their growth and artistic development. These artists include Carla Martinez, Oscar Gillespie, Lidia Quenzado, Patrick Teddy, Mike Negishi-Laidlaw, Suzann Beck, Dan Beck, Jesus Armando Trivizo and others. There will also be a small trunk show of select works by master potters of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico.
DEMING
• “Cars, Cars, and More Cars” is the title of the July 2023, exhibit at the Deming Art Center. The exhibit will feature local artists and their impressions of the wheels that all of us depend on to get from here to there. There will be a time to meet the artists from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, July 2. Deming Art Center is at 100 S. Gold St., Deming. The gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday. Info: 575-546-3663 and at www.demingarts.org.
ALAMOGORDO/TULAROSA
• Otero Arts presents the work of oil painter Dan Pilgreen in an exhibition of his landscapes and abstracts, “Synapse: Artist Interrupted.” Pilgreen says he works in oils “to create complex images of form and textures to express excitement and rhythm surrounded by strong color.” The opening reception is 5-7 p.m., Friday, July 7. The exhibition continues through the month of July. The gallery will also open throughout the month 1-4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Otero Artspace located at 1118 Indiana Ave. in Alamogordo. Info: oteroarts.org.
CLOUDCROFT
• The Cloudcroft Art Society’s Gallery invites everyone to the 4th of July Art Show and Sale in the back room of the old red schoolhouse/library at the east end of Burro Street where it intersects Swallow Place in the historic village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Show dates are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday July 1 and Sunday July 2. The exhibit features both two-and three-dimensional original art works by CAS members to include paintings in several media, photography and photo art, pottery, wood and gourd art, greeting cards, fiber art, jewelry and more.The Cloudcroft Art Society is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote individual creativity and understanding of the visual arts and to provide a showcase for area artists. CAS serves Cloudcroft, the surrounding Sacramento Mountain communities and the Alamogordo-Tularosa area. Info: sznana@totacc.com.
LAS CRUCES
• Sonya Fe, whose work more often than not focuses on women and children, has a solo exhibit at the Doña Ana Arts Council, July 24. The exhibit, entitled “RAW,” will include more than two dozen pieces, many of which have not been exhibited previously, primarily, according to Fe, because of their graphic subject matter, such as child abuse. In commenting on her work, Fe states that she wants “the viewer to feel, see and understand what I am saying – to not be left behind.” The Doña Ana Arts Council Gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday – Friday. Info: 575-523-6403.
• Coy Lowther, featured in July at Agave Artist Gallery, lives and works in Southern New Mexico. Her paintings and drawings are often a mix of realism juxtaposed with boldly graphic lines. Her themes follow people and nature. Then she hops into the realm of Dia de Los Muertos to capture movement and the fullness of life. When she isn’t in her studio, Lowther creates murals in the community. To view her art, the gallery is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday to Monday at 2250 Calle de San Albino, Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon from 11 am to 5 pm. Coy can also be found on Instagram @coys-art or coysart.com.
• Three art exhibitions at New Mexico State University’s Art Museum. run through Sept. 16. “Cara Despain: Specter,” is on view in the UAM’s Contemporary Gallery, is an immersive multimedia exhibition featuring work by Miami-based artist Cara Despain. “Agnes Martin & Karen Yank: Meditations on Mentor and Student” is on display in the Bunny Conlon Modern & Contemporary Art Gallery. This exhibition explores the work and intersecting lives of the artists Agnes Martin and Karen Yank. For nearly 17 years. “Wild Pigment Project” curated by Wild Pigment Project’s founding director Tilke Elkins is on display in the Mullennix Bridge Gallery. This group exhibition, which originated at form & concept gallery in Santa Fe, brings together painters and dyers, ink-makers and ceramicists, researchers, scientists and traditional cultural practitioners to explore pigments found in plants, minerals and the industrial waste stream. The project promotes ecological balance and regenerative economies through a passion for wild pigments, their places of origin, and their cultural histories. Info: uam.nmsu.edu, call 575-646-2545 or email artmuseum@nmsu.edu. The University Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 1308 E. University Avenue.
• “From Mesilla to the Mountains” is an exhibit of local scenes painted outdoors by watercolorist Arlene J Tugel. The show runs from July 7 through Aug. 7 at the Mas Art Gallery, 144 Wyatt Dr, Las Cruces. The opening reception 4-7 p.m. on Friday night, July 7 during the First Friday Ramble. A second reception will be held on Friday night, Aug. 4. Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
A resident of Las Cruces for 25 years, Tugel said “my preferred medium is watercolor because it allows me to reveal the play of light and shadow across the land. My paintings show how light in the Southwest creates magical landscapes.” Info: www.masartllc.com or 575-526-9113.
• The Las Cruces Museum of Art, is featuring “ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN: Transforming Paper to Sculpture,” featuring innovative artwork of Santa Fe artists Kevin and Jennifer Box. Through a laborious process using the lost-wax technique, Kevin Box transforms both large- and small-scale paper origami pieces into metal sculptures. The exhibition is on view through September 23. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 491 N. Main St. Info: www.lascruces.gov/museums or 575-541-2137.
• A photo exhibit captures the world of hummingbirds at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. “Grace in Motion” which features photography by Nirmal Khandan.
The exhibit features 36 portraits of hummingbird species common to the region interacting with local flora.
The show is free but regular museum admission is required to see the rest of the museum. The show will be on display through July 30 in the Arts Corridor at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces. Info: www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.
• The Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, across from the historic Fountain Theatre features two local artists for the month of July: Linda Hagen and Hetty Smith. Hagen, who paints in oils, moved to Las Cruces from Ohio in 2004. She instantly connected to the light and landscape of New Mexico. Smith’s love for stained glass started a long time ago while growing up in Holland. Beautiful homes, apartments and churches in Europe were decorated with unique stained glass in the windows, which inspired her creativity. The gallery also welcomes new artist, David Stevenson. Stevenson has been a photographic artist for 45 years. He began work with two stock photography agencies, and doing shows and exhibitions in upstate New York.
First American Bank in Mesilla, is well represented by gallery members who rotate the galleries artists’ work monthly. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Info: 575-522-2933, www.mesillavalleyfinearts.com.
