Las Cruces Arts Fair celebrates six years in the Mesilla Valley

For the Las Cruces Bulletin

Each spring since 2011, the Doña Ana Arts Council has brought together fine artists from around not only New Mexico and the Borderlands, but the country and indeed the world, to exhibit and sell their work in the grand ballroom of the Las Cruces Convention Center for the annual Las Cruces Arts Fair.

Opening Friday, March 18, and running through Sunday, March 20, at the Las Cruces Convention Center, the Las Cruces Arts Fair returns for its sixth year, presented by the Doña Ana Arts Council bigger and better than ever before.

This year, the Las Cruces Arts Fair features 101 artists – some familiar faces from previous fairs, others making their LCAF debut – selected by a jury of local artists and professionals and working in nearly every media imaginable.

“Featuring artwork in a variety of media, the Arts Fair has something for everyone,” Kathleen Albers, Doña Ana Arts Council executive director, said in press materials. “Fiber artists create intricately patterned hand-woven clothing. There are hand-painted silks and wonderful leather accessories. There is a remarkable selection of jewelry created by artists working in glass, gold, silver, and gemstones. In the world of two-dimensional art – you will find breathtaking landscapes, intimate indoor scenes, wildlife art and abstract fine art.

“The mixed-media division is always exciting with unique compositions created from paper, wood, leather, metal, and other materials. Glass artists, using a variety of techniques, will dazzle you with their light-filled creations. Your journey through the Las Cruces Arts Fair won’t be complete until you take the time to visit with ceramic artists who decorate their fragile pieces with fanciful designs. Visitors will find furniture, yard art and decorative accent pieces. Imagine adding one of these masterpieces to your personal art collection.

“Visit the Las Cruces Arts Fair; learn more about the world of fine art, discover new artists, and just maybe you will find something that you can’t live without.”

This year, as in previous years, many of the fair’s artists come from right here in the Borderlands. Locally, Las Cruces is represented by eight artists: Anthony Lazorko, Ben Hoffacker, Sally Quillin, Michael Stephens, John Harris, Michael Nail, Kathe Stark and Penny Simpson. Coming up from the Pass City to represent El Paso are artists Krystyna Robbins, Candy Mayer, Pam Schuster and Tamara St. Jean. Making the trek down from Silver City are Mary Giardina, Ginny Wolf, Donna Foley and couple Jeff and Debbie Kuhns.

Opening-night festivities kick off at 5 p.m. Friday, at which time attendees can stop for a cocktail in the convention center’s cantina before perusing the works donated by participating artists available at the fair’s silent auction to the sounds of flamenco ensemble Euterpe.

Throughout the weekend, art-lovers will be treated to live music from Leo Garza’s “Trio Romantico”, as well as the binational, El Paso-Ciudad Juárez flamenco-guitar ensemble Euterpe, which wowed audiences at last year’s festival, along with an October performance at the Rio Grande Theatre, part of the arts council’s popular 2015-16 New Mexico Heritage Performance Series.

On Saturday and Sunday of the fair, a number of the fair’s participating artists will offer demonstrations of their creative processes; when you need a break from browsing for a new masterpiece for the home or office, stop off and see these masters at work.

This year, the Las Cruces Arts Fair has even added something for the non-shopping, sports-loving husbands and wives to step away from the arts: a “Sports Den” near the entrance where basketball lovers can kick their feet up and relax with a March Madness game, running all weekend.

Proceeds from ticket sales and the silent auction benefit the Doña Ana Arts Council, which since 1971 has offered special events, educational programs and opportunities for the Mesilla Valley’s up-and-coming artists as a way to further its mission of ensuring the arts – visual, performing, literary and other – are an integral component of local education, economic growth and communitywide development, “broadening the vision of the arts in the greater Mesilla Valley.”

The Las Cruces Convention Center is located at 680 E. University Ave. Hours for the Las Cruces Arts Fair are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6 per person. For more information about the Las Cruces Arts Fair, including a list of participating artists, and the programs and events offered by the Doña Ana Arts Council, visit www. daarts.org or call 5236403.

Zak Hansen is a freelance writer and journalist living in Las Cruces, New Mexico – for now. He can be reached at zacharyjohnhansen@ gmail.com.

‘Visit the Las Cruces Arts Fair; learn more about the world of fine art, discover new artists, and just maybe you will find something that you can’t live without.’

KATHLEEN ALBERS

Doña County Arts Council executive director