By Elva K. Österreich
- New Mexico Arts, a division of New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, has offered two residential fellowships to support the work of local and national artists. Las Cruces-based artist Marcus Xavier Chormicle is one of the artists chosen for an Artist-in-Residence program at the Lincoln Historic Site. His residency is from Feb. 23-April 5. Chormicle is a multidisciplinary, lens-based artist as well as a multidisciplinary musical composer and performance artist who creates work that focuses primarily on family, memory and the intersection of class, race and history in the American southwest. While in residence, Chormicle will explore the legacy of the Oryx species in southern New Mexico as it relates to colonizing histories of land and peoples in the region. The other fellowship goes to Dylan McLaughlin, Diné multimedia artist, educator and researcher who looks critically to share stories of ecological extraction and climate change, with special attention to their impact on Indigenous communities, through his creative practice. He will be in residence from April 26-June 7.
- The Las Cruces Museums have two exhibitions investigating how artists relate to the natural environment. “Connection : : Conjunto” is at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., and features artwork from The Border Artists in which they consider the connection between artists, the natural environment and the community in which they live. At the Museum of Art, “The Desert Was Red and Red the Dust Was Raised,” at the Museum of Art, 491 N. Main St., uses abstraction to consider the relationship between the desert landscape and how it influences an artist’s imagery. The exhibitions run through March 23. The museums are open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. There is no admission charge. Info: LasCruces.gov/museums or call 575-541-2154.
- Art lovers in the region have an opportunity to experience 40 years of boundary-breaking artwork by conceptual multimedia artist Celia Álvarez Muñoz. More than 35 of her works are on display at the University Art Museum at New Mexico State University. “Celia Álvarez Muñoz: Breaking the Binding” will include large-scale immersive installations, photographic series and book projects, and run through March 2. Info: UAM.nmsu.edu.
- Agave Artists Gallery’s newest member is potter George Holland, the January Artist of the Month. Holland works in Celadon (Chinese) and Raku (Japanese) pottery styles. He will discuss how these techniques differ from other types of pottery making. The gallery is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday to Monday and until 8 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month at 2250 Calle de San Albino. Info: 575-339-9870.
- 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 January: Sue Ann Glenn and Yvonne Postelle. Glenn, a watercolorist, brings to life ordinary objects and scenes. Postelle works primarily in oils as a landscape painter. First American Bank in Mesilla is beautified 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, or online at MesillaValleyFineArts.com.
• At Branigan Cultural Center “The Amadors: Family, Culture, and Identity in Early Las Cruces” exhibit follows the Amadors’ experience of Mexican families living along the U.S. side of the international boundary following the Mexican American War, as they adjusted to new social, economic, educational, and political systems of the U.S. while holding on to their Mexican identities and cultural values. The museum is open from 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday. Info LasCruces.gov/Museums or 575-541-2154.
