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Art, art and more art in February

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The onset of the new Roaring ‘20s is ArtForms Artists Association of Las Cruces’ 22nd annual For the Love of Art Month. You will love it, too!

The entire month celebrates a panorama of the incredible array of work by amazing artists of every style and medium who have chosen to make their homes and share their talents in Las Cruces, Mesilla and the environs. Visit one gallery, one show during the month, or take the Bulletin challenge and see them all. You will come away possibly with some wonderful art for your own personal space, and certainly with a deeper appreciation of how fortune we are to share this valley with so many unique and powerful creative spirits.

Here is just a sample of what you will be able to see in the area during For the Love of Art Month.

Get ArtForms’ 2020 For the Love of Art Month event guide for a complete list of events throughout the month, including maps, directions, dates and times. You’ll also find the guide on their website, www.artformsnm.org.

The Las Cruces Bulletin will be highlighting artists, artwork and exhibitions related to For the Love of Art Month throughout February.

  • The Downtown Art Ramble will be Friday, Feb. 7. Sponsored by the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership, the ramble is a self-guided tour of the galleries and other businesses and restaurants in downtown Las Cruces. And, it now includes the Mesquite Historic District, as well. Refreshments and live entertainment will be found all along the way. For more information, visit https://downtownlascruces.org/art-ramble/.
  • The New Mexico Watercolor Society Southern Chapter February 2020 meeting will be followed by a presentation by artist Jacques Barriac entitled “Chinese Painting and Mounting on Rice Paper.” The presentation is 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, at Good Samaritan Society Village (social center), 3011 Buena Vida Circle. The event is free and open to the public. Using modern materials, Barriac, a watercolor artist from El Paso, will demonstrate how to mount a very thin Chinese painting on a rigid backing. He will also review various aspects of Chinese watercolor paintings, including traditional and Western Chinese painting techniques, brushes and the great many papers that can be used. Visit nmwatercolorsociety.org.
  • Agave Artists cooperative gallery celebrates the works of five new artists, as well as its six-month anniversary, during a reception, 4-7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 8, at the gallery, 2250 Calle de San Albino in Mesilla. The new artists are Lucie Raine, photography; Betty Krebbs, pastels; Ken Krebbs and Sonya Fe, oils; and Gael Guyotte, jewelry and small sculpture. Also as part of For the Love of Art Month, Agave Artists will host a plein air painting session, 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, featuring member artists Leslie Toombs, Paul Vakselis and Ana Maria Uranga in Josefina’s Garden at the gallery’s side yard, accessible through the cafe patio or at the gallery. Bring your art supplies or just yourself. Ask questions and enjoy some refreshments. Children are welcome. Contact Wendy Weir at 575-339-9870 and agaveartists@gmail.com.
  • Impressions Studio, 4116 Calle Belleza (Sonoma Ranch area): Marj Leininger, “Gypsy Sage Artist,” and Kim Miller, “Forever Flowers Yard Art,” are sharing resources, creativity and encouragement during For Love of Art Month. They work in a range of media, including watercolor on yupo, acrylic, colored pencil and draped figures to reclaimed-glass-designing-yard-art such as totems, flowers, birdbaths/feeders and solar cholla cactus. Their work can be seen at Impressions Studio 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each Saturday, and noon- 4 p.m. each Sunday in February. Look for the blue flag. Call 575-520-9245.
  • Tombaugh Gallery The gourd artists are back, this time showing off their spirit animals. Each of the four featured Southwest artists has a unique style, but each gourd will embody the essence of an animal – turtles, giraffes, dragonflies, bears, cats, dogs and horses are all represented. The work encompasses everything from carving to painting, pyrography to embellishing with clay. Featured artists are Sylvia Henrickson, Steph Ross, Brenda Blackwelder and Terry McCatherin. An artist reception will be held 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at the gallery, 2020 S. Solano Drive. The show continues through February. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday. Call 575-522-7281.
  • Mesquite Art Gallery in Las Cruces features the work of The Southwestern Calligraphy Guild in February. The guild studies calligraphy, as well as related paper arts, including bookbinding, marbling, journaling, watercolor and more. The exhibit opens Thursday, Feb. 6, and continues all month. An artist reception will be held 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, during the Friday Art Ramble. Call 575-640-3502.

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  • Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, 2470-A Calle de Guadalupe, across from the historic Fountain Theatre in Mesilla, features two local artists in February: Ray Baird and Kurt Van Wagner, and introduces the gallery’s newest members, Linda Hagen and Brent Flenniken. Baird’s work as an oil painter can be described as impressionism, and he uses translucent, complementary colors that represent his feelings, rather than a true representational image. Van Wagner has emerged as an accomplished self-taught, digital artist. He transforms his personal photographs into collectable works of art. The gallery will celebrate For The Love of Art Month 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. Refreshment will be served. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Call 575-522-2933 and visit www.mesillavalleyfinearts.com.
  • Trails End Gallery, 1732 N. Mesquite St., will feature the work of artists Robert Highsmith, Gary Biel, Patricia Black, John Glass, John Schooley, Virginia Romero, Penny Simpson, C.C. Cunningham, Nancy Frost Begin, Susi and Richard Bergquist, Linda Hagen, Jeri Desrochers, Linda Gendall, Rhoda Winters and Jerry Hernandez. Call 575-650-1556.
  • New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum’s Arts Corridor features “Local Color: Landscape and Architecture,” with the works of members of the Mesilla Valley Weavers Guild, continuing through Sunday, April 5. The guild includes weavers, spinners, knitters, basket makers and others interested in the textile arts. Members draw inspiration from the southwest landscape and the environment in which they live. The museum is located at 4100 Dripping Springs Road. Call 575-522-4100.
  • In Effect Gallery presents its fifth annual Erotica art show and sale, 6-10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14. Additional showings will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15-16. The show will include guest artist John G Hynes from New York, and other artists. Local Taos Pueblo artist Dennis Lujan owns In Effect Gallery and has been producing art shows since about 1990. “’Erotica’ has truly evolved over the years,” Lujan said. “Our inaugural show in 2016 was actually one of the first ‘pop-up’ shows in town, and certainly the first erotic pop-up. Response from both artists and attendees was so strong that we decided to do it again…and again…” The show began with Lujan’s art and added more artists “finding the ways to show that rare side of a new idea about body that are normally left unseen in this area,” Lujan said. The show will feature the works of 25-30 artists from the area and across the country and will include more than 120 pieces in many media and styles. There will also be marshmallow roasting on the patio, weather permitting. In Effect Gallery is located in Lujan’s home, 3390 Apple Cross Place. Contact Lujan at 575-640-8485 and dennis_lujan@yahoo.com.
  • Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., will present a discussion by artist Victoria Chick concerning her work during an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, for her solo exhibition, “New Eyes on New Mexico.” From a City of Las Cruces news release: “As a transplant from another state, Chick wonders about the indigenous people and settlers who sought to establish a relationship between themselves, the wildlife and the landscape. By asking questions and listening to the stories and practical wisdom of native new Mexicans, she has developed a more intimate awareness of her new home. Using a cat motif to reflect her observations as an outsider, Chick weaves together a new portrait of this dynamic region.” Branigan Cultural Center is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. Call 575-541-2154. Visit www.las-cruces.org/1528/Branigan-Cultural-Center.
  • Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave., hosts “The Fabulous Fifties!” beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Roadrunner Room. Learn about fashion and culture of the 1950s, including music, clothing, hats, hula hoop contests, Twist lessons and more. Presented by Sheri A. Gaines, the event is free to the public. Call 575-528-4005 or email library.reference@las-cruces.org.
  • Las Cruces NM Artists & Art Showcase on Facebook is a newly created showcases of local artists’ work, focusing on local undiscovered artists and artisans. The site was created as digital art by Robert Paquette, a long-time volunteer for many Las Cruces community-service organizations.
  • Doña Ana Arts Council continues its “Classical Drinking” series with Erik Unsworth on double bass, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, during the Experience Mesilla Arts Hop at the DAAC Arts and Cultural Center, 1740 Calle de Mercado in Bulletin Plaza. The cost is $15 at the door or online at www.daarts.org. A cash bar, including cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, will be offered by Dry Point Distillery. DAAC’s February calendar includes many other classes, seminars and music events, like Body Toning and Strength Building, Get ArtRageous! Watercolor Valentines, artist workshops led by local artists, Feed Your Mind: Art in Paris, Feed Your Mind: Impressionism, Get ArtRageous! Getting Your Work Seen Online: A Template Website Approach, Film Festival Survival Skills and Promoting Art in the Mesilla Valley. DAAC’s monthly educational and networking meeting will be held Feb. 28. Call DAAC at 575-523-6403. Visit www.daarts.org.
  • NMSU Art Gallery. The new gallery at the intersection of University Avenue and Solano Drive opens with its first exhibition in February: “Labor: Motherhood & Art in 2020.” The exhibit opens Friday, Feb. 28, and continues through May 28. An opening reception will be at 6:30 p.m., Feb 28. A curatorial walk-through will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. The show and reception are free and open to the public.

The show features the work of artists Tracey Baran, María Berrío, Patty Chang, Lenka Clayton, Amy Cutler, Joey Fauerso, Tierney Gearon, Kate Gilmore, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Mary Kelly, Justine Kurland, Marilyn Minter, Laurel Nakadate, Hương Ngô and Hồng- Ân Trương, Yoko Ono, Catherine Opie, Laurie Simmons, Wendy Red Star and Mickalene Thomas. The exhibit, including a wide range of “planned interactive and engaging programming, will take a purposeful look at motherhood in its various forms. It is curated by museum Director Marisa Sage and New York-based photographer and filmmaker Laurel Nakadate. Contact Sage at 575-646-2545 and misage@nmsu.edu. Visit uag.nmsu.edu and www.facebook.com/pages/NMSU-Art-Gallery/117985254932647?ref=hl.


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