Art in the Garden returns

After a three-year interval, Art in the Garden, a Picacho Hills-based art event, will return 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, May 7.

The event is free and open to the public, the Artists of Picacho Hills (AoPH) said in a news release. AoPH artists have organized and hosted the event since 2011.

There will be a welcome booth behind Santa Fe Restaurant, 1338 Picacho Hills Drive, where patrons can pick up maps to guide them through the event.

For the event, AoPH reaches out to residents in the Picacho Hills area to select six gardens that represent the natural beauty of southern New Mexico landscaping and are accessible to the public, the news release said. Each homeowner hosts two-three artists in his or her garden during the event. Artists display artwork to sell and some demonstrate their art practice to the public.

Participating gardens will also have a garden host and a master gardener on site to answer questions about plantings and other garden-related matters, AoPH said.

 "We are excited to bring back Art in the Garden,” event co-chair Paul Maxwell said. "We have six beautiful homes and gardens and 17 Picacho Hills artists showing their beautiful creations. Painters, jewelers, ceramicists, weavers and crafters will be showing and selling their art at this event. Something for everyone!"

Laurel Weathersbee, new to the group, is the other event co-chair, AoPH said. She is a signature member of the Southern Chapter of the New Mexico Watercolor Society and an art educator.

 Weathersbee "brings a lot of organizational skills to our group," AoPH President Karen Conley said. "Paul Maxwell also has a history of organizing events, including our neighborhood gallery where local artists paint outdoors and auction the work for charity. I think the event is in good hands."

 AoPH was founded in 2008 by artists living in the Picacho Hills community with a shared interest in promoting the arts, the news release said. AoPH hosts a fall show, “Holly Day House,” that raises money for charity and is sponsored by local businesses.

Contact Maxwell at pmaxwell@bnsl.org and Weathersbee at laurel.weathersbee@gmail.com.

Visit www.artistsofpicachohills.com to see the artists' work.