Some April Dates

Ongoing in April

• April is National Poetry Month! all month long, so expect poems and poetry related posts on that "craft or sullen art.
• "Cibola's "March Mudness" exhibit runs through April (would that make it "April M(a)udacity"?
• April, 2007 issue of Lunarosity, an online literary journal, also calling for poetry, short fiction and creative non-fiction submissions for fall 2007.
• MasterWorks of New Mexico Spring Art Show in Albuquerque,  a month-long event beginning March 30 and continuing throughout April at Expo New Mexico, the State Fairgrounds, Hispanic Arts Building; includes four juried art exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and a  "Paint-In" with still lifes and live models open to all aspiring or experienced painters.

• Call for Artists & Artisans for the 2007 Mountainair Arts Tour. Email MMACtour@Mountainair-NM.com or Call . Registration form and more details online.

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April Dates

• April 1 - April Fool's Day (no, the following April 1 listing is not a joke). Top 100 April Fools Day Hoaxes (as judged by notoriety, absurdity, and number of people duped).
• April 1 - Notations: an exhibit by Rainbow Artists opens at UNM School of Music, 310 Washington SE; reception 3-5 p.m. Works on exhibit until May 31: 9-7 Mon-Thu, Fri 9-6, Sat 9-3. Phone 266-3474 or 575-5556.

April 2 - exhibit of 40 pastel artists, Arts AllianceGallery, Courtyard at San Mateo and Lomas, Albuquerque.
• April 3 - Chamber of Commerce, 11:30 am, lunch meeting, Shaffer Hotel Conference Room
• April 4, 1st Wednesday Potluck, Denise & George Roberts, starts 5/5:30 pm, S. Main. Bring offering to penates et lares of hospitality among exiles, preferably not burnt.
• April 5 - NEW Bookmobile - April 5, 2:30-3:45 pm, in front of Mountainair Community Library
• April 6 - Mountain Friends Buyers' Coop (from Shop Natural - leave order & payment at Meds & More for Tom Willmon) and S.H.A.R.E. (847-0104) ordering deadlines
• April 6 - Peace & Sustainability Fair, 11 am - 7 pm, UNM Student Union. Contact: Susi Knoblauch, Office of International Programs and Studies, 2111 Mesa Vista Hall, UNM, call 505-277-4032 or email chknob@unm.edu
• April 7 - Open House & forge art demo at Dragon Ash Forge
• April 8 - Easter Sunday, always the sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox.
• April 11 - 10 am, Biomass Plant hearings, Estancia Community Center
• April 12 -  6 pm, meeting with Rhonda King about Biomass Plant, Estancia Community Center
• April 13-15 - Performance at Harwood Art Center, 5th Annual Celebration of National Poetry Month. , 1114 7th St. NW at Mountain Road, 505-242-6367
• April 14 - ATC Workshop at the Wayward Elf (Ruth Ballen's studio). Contact Meg Chobanian. More about ATCs - descriptions, examples, ideas, instructions, etc.
• April 21 - S.H.A.R.E. box pick up day, Nazarene Church, 9 am (approx)
• April 22 - Earth Day (Think Global - Act Local: It's more complex & less nimby than biomass)
• April 22 - Mountainair Gymkhana Rodeo, starting 7 am, rodeo grounds off NM 55 S. Call Sonja Greene, 847-0535, or Red Kingston, 847-2708. Don't miss this one - see the turnout for yourself and the enthusiasm this event generates...

Contribute and add to April calendar by posting additions, corrections, expanded descriptions, links, etc as comments, where I will also be posting dates as they come to my attention

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In My Craft or Sullen Art

In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labor by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.

(Dylan Thomas, 1914-1953)

24 tees, call for calendar entries and more

Yes 24 tees - not 76 trombones nor 110 clarinets. Just 24 tees - white, pristine and ready for embellishment. Awaiting your artist's touch. Pick your tee up from Celeste Simon, mixedmediamail@yahoo.com or call 847.0105. Then surrender yourself to the joy of embellishment. It will be a work of art, so don't forget to sign it. If the way it turns out really disappoints you, you can always sign it with your mother-in-law's name or that of some loathsome toad, although too many same name tees might make tee officials a wee bit suspicious...

Decorated tees will be auctioned off during the Mountainar Arts Tour, Saturday June 9th. At least 6 have already been taken. Excitement and interest are building. Tarry not in putting your name on a tee before they are all gone. A "how to embellish a tee" thread is definitely in order.

I am assembling an April calendar and would like your input. Please send me your event, activity, workshop, yard garage or other sale, deadlines, etc. dates. I'd rather not publish it on April Fool's Day lest some of you get the wrong idea (actually I have something else in mind for the occasion).

The scope of the calendar runs from regional and local art happenings to purely local community activities such as coop grocery order, meetings, and the gymkhana rodeo. Although I blog more than a fair dab of 'burque doings as the road between here and there is well traveled, I would like the blog to cover more non-abqq area doings. By definition, the Internet networks & par excellence at that. Better we network with the surrounding hinterland we are part of than ever to be minion and shabby handmaid to the urban core. So send me your news and dates for Socorro & environs, Estancia, Moriarty, Edgewood, and other East Mountain locations.

Excellent response to Blogzibit. It has been suggested that I announce blogzibits on NM Culture List. Equally excellent idea and wonderful promotion for local art and artists. Geree's ATCs, Floorcloths & more, Part II will be next week, followed by a multiple artist ATC blogzibit to rev you up for the April 14 ATC workshop. A short Blogzibit is shaping up for LeRoy Simmon's forge art - to be published before his April 7 Open House and forge art demo.

The Thursday oil painting group is going strong and settling nicely into its new location at the Methodist Church. Good light and plenty of workspace. Six painters gathered last Thursday - Shirley Simmons (back from warmer climes - if only she'd known there would be more snow), Addie Draper, Wana Beth Fox, Ruth Ballen and two unfamilar faces, one no doubt Cassie. Wana Beth had prepared examples and a lesson on painting animals at the request of two young visitors who did not show. Perhaps when works near completion, a Blogzibit would be in order.

I put a word in for drawing classes but seemingly to little avail as "just show up and do your thing" seems the overarching directive. I for one have always wanted to learn to draw. If I do my own thing, it would be writing or riding.

Blogzibit: Geree McDermott (Part 1)

Geree's earlier art in Mountainair focused on floorcloths, which were bright colored, hyperreal to non-expressionist, whimsical, often featuring cats (especially Buffy) and dogs. Sable & Friends (on left) features my Welsh mare Sable (who is not really purple) and memorializes "friends," Arnie, Cleo & the Commander. However, floorcloth sales did not take off locally as hoped, Geree moved her efforts online with better results and could indeed be a model for self-representing artists to follow in selling and promoting work online. She also assembled and sold online instruction guides and DIY kits for making floorcloths, as well as putting her designs on functional art pieces.

Much of her current output has been ATCs - or rather ACEOs as she has been selling them on eBay as well as trading. Indeed, the current resurgence (or continuation) of local ATC interest traces directly to Geree's contagious enthusiasm for this medium. Early cards used the same and similar designs as the floorcloths, but the ease, convenience, compactness and especially economy of the medium invites experimentation.



Sunflowers, above, done for the Poets & Writers Picnic at the 2006 Sunflower Folk Art Day, show the next stage in Geree's ATC/ACEO experiments. They are thick, textured acrylic layers applied with a glue gun.

The following acrylic abstracts show various styles, textures, and palettes ranging from Geree's favorites of brights colors to pastels and darkers ranges. Clicking should bring up an enlarged image. Top to bottom & left to right: Tropical Sunrise; Static Energy; The Other Side; Sweet Twilight; Cicuitboard; Mesas

[In the interests of loading speed and formatting ease, the rest of the blogzibit will be in a separate post]

Art Definitions - a new participatory thread

Submitted by Geree McDermott ...

The other day, Vanessa and I were discussing the definitions of certain art terms with some other artists. I thought it was interesting that we each had our own idea of what each term meant, such as "Outsider Art." (What's your definition?) Vanessa shared that she had come up with a new term: "Contemporary Folk Art." A great term to describe many exciting new styles.

I would like to share a term I came up with to describe one of my own styles and the style in which the featured ATC, "Artist's Easels" is painted. I call it, "Non-representational Interpretive Abstract." First, let me define 'abstract' and 'non-representational.' Abstracts are always of something real but painted to look unreal. (If you know my work, you know that I like to abstract dogs and cats in bright colors. (All cartoons are abstractions, of course.) Non-representationals on the other hand are of nothing. They are simply layers of paint in pleasing arrangements that represent nothing real. To show you how they work together, take "Artist's Easels" as an example. When I started painting the composition, it was about nothing, so it was intended to be 'non-representational.' But when it was finished, I could see the floating easels so I 'interpreted' the composition to resemble something real to me which made the painting an 'abstraction' of artist's easels.

Do you have an unique term to describe your style? Please share it here.

Now, here are two terms for which we each probably have different definitions: "Crafters and Artists." What makes a crafter and what makes an artist? I've been thinking about this and to me an artist is someone who creates from within something new and unique and entirely their own. While a Crafter recreates from patterns, instructions, and kits something that was actually designed by someone else. So if you needlepoint your own design, you're an artist, and if you needlepoint from instructions you're a crafter. What do you think? Am I close? How do you define these terms?

What you think about my definitions?  If you have your own definitions, please take the time to share. Who knows? This could be the beginning of the "The Mountainair Dictionary of Art." How cool would that be?

Thanks,
Geree

 

2007 Mountainair Arts Tour, MMAC press release

Submitted by the MMAC Arts Tour Committee

The Manzano Mountain Arts Council, based in Mountainair NM, sponsors public cultural, educational, and recreational events throughout the year. The highlight of the event calendar is the annual Mountainair Arts Tour on June 9, 2007. Please mark your calendars and make note of this year's change in scheduling from late May to early June.

The Mountainair Arts Tour celebrates both town and its art by providing an opportunity for local artists, artisans, food vendors, retailers, musicians, writers, historians, restauranteurs, hoteliers, and residents of all ages to share their unique Mountainair wares and hospitality with visitors from all over New Mexico and more distant locations.

Studios, galleries, street-side booths, schools, community centers, retail businesses, and churches will open their doors to exhibits, performances, art displays, food and craft sales, historical tours, antique auto excursions and more.

This year's Arts Tour is one day only, Saturday, June 9, 2007. Likewise, Mountainair Sunflower Folk Art Day, running concurrently with the 10th Annual Poets & Writers Picnic, Saturday, August 25, 2007, will be a one day event. Each event will begin at 10am and end at 6pm with a wine and tapas reception featuring local New Mexico wines and live music.

Artists, crafters, and vendors interested in joining the festivities should email the Manzano Mountain Art Council at MMACtour@Mountainair-NM.com, phone Cibola Arts at 505.847.0324 for an application, or mail a request to MMAC, PO Box 534, Mountainair, NM 87036.

Ed notes: active links added by Mountainar Arts

If the MMAC provides me with a copy of the updated registration form, I will post it for your convenience. The above does not include vendor and exhibitor registration fees. At last notice, fees were $25/ per booth, exhibit or participating studio, with a reduced rate of $35 for both events available to those registering for both Tour and Sunflower. You will need to email or call to confirm as I do not have updates on this - but will post them when I do. The unofficial word on the street is that indoor venues are The Dr Saul Community Center and StoneTree Gallery, once again generously donated by Jess Davidson.

As tour season approaches, I hope to keep you informed with regular updates, special features, and many pictures of tour venues and other local sights.

Although web sites for the 2005 & 2005 tours are no longer available, you can visit the Fall 2003 Mountainair Studio and Gallery online and last year's tour on the blog by checking April & May 2006 archives as well as recent tour related messages for links.

Please post your questions, concerns, and suggestions as comments to this post.

Mountainair gardens: a correction & an offer

Contrary to information in an earlier post, there will be no "garden competition" this year, due to Town Hall being too short handed to run the competition.

However, if a civic minded organization or individuals would offer to take over the competition (there may have been some vain hope that Jubilee would), the garden competition could be resuscitated. Spring is, after all, the traditional time of the year for rebirth and for dead shoots and roots to find new life. Everyone I've spoken with really likes the idea. With as many talented and dedicated gardeners as there are here, it could still take off and be something - even if last year's competition was neither well publicized last year nor even widely known about.

Meanwhile, here's my offer: a virtual garden show & tour of local gardens. Send me pictures of your gardens to post on the blog. I can't pony up prizes, let alone enticing cash one. Just recognition...  Send pictures showing the stages of your garden. I'll for and publish images and articles on desert / high country gardening. At the end of the gardening season, Mountainair Arts can publish a special "Garden Issue" and even promote it a bit more than just the usual bloggerly notes.

Watcha think? Let me know...
 
 

Benefit Luncheon

Due to a house fire, James, Veronica, and Demy Lopez have lost their home and all their belongings. The March 24 (this coming Saturday) benefit luncheon will raise funds to help them replace the most necessary items and get back on their feet again.

Date: March 24, 2007
Time:10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Place: The Chuck Wagon, W, Hwy 60, Mountainair

Menu: your choice of Frito pie, posole, or chili and beans, with dest and drink
Price: $6/person

Is it time to clean out closets? Do you have clothes or household items to spare? Call 505-847-0046 and ask what the Lopez family might need.

Location change for Thursday painting group

The Thursday oil painting group will be meeting at the Methodist Church, same time as usual, 10 am. The use of Cassie's mother's house was much appreciated, but the newl location has better light and more space. Maybe when details are finally sorted out & set straight with the campgrounds, local artists can think about permanent studio, class and display space there. Good for the town... good the local art community... good for everyone...

One of our most promising and rewarding art activities: check it out - give it a shufti. Come ready to paint. I may have referred to it as a "ladies painting group," but gentleman painters are no doubt equally welcome.

More good news - Shirley and Wray are back from their sojourn in parts warmer, so Shirley will soon be re-joining the Thursday group.
 
 

Around town & on the net

Did you know about the Mountainair garden competition? I didn't - not until today at any rate. It started last year, run by either the town or Jubilee or both. The details are a tad unclear - sign up is now at Town Hall, but judging as yet undetermined. Last year was in October, leaving more than a few gardening enthusiasts grumbling about August being a better time. Call 847-2321 or Email mountainairmayor@uphi.net

Mountainair's local event at the recently spruced up rodeo arena is - I said it before and am saying it again - A BIG DEAL - whether you call it gymkhana or playday. More people come from greater distances than for any arts tour ever hosted here. Last weekend's classes started at 7 am and were still running at dark that night. Huge gate with particpants from here and across the state, some from out of state, and vendors as well, not all were selling Western riding related items either - food, jewelry - adverising banners hung about. Definitely worth a more detailed report that will be forthcoming. This could be just the place to sell Western art, decorated tees, cards, demin based altered couture (though you might want to call it something else for the occasion...). Just the place too to set up a table with flyers for other Mountainair events and visitor features... coordinate... network... Interested? You should be. Contact Sonja Green 847-0535.

Congratulations to Marie Autrey (17) for her winning ways barrelracing. She's the one I was referring to when I asked about local athlete best known nationally.

Touriana... I've asked for, been promised, but not yet received information on the April ATC workshop or tour updates - press release, post card, updated registration form, etc. Dilatory correspondents are the bane of diligent bloggers.... To tide you over, however, here Links to blog pieces on last year's tour: "SA closer look at Broadway," and "Off-Broadway Art: touring studios." Join me: we'll nudge & nag them until they come through...

Check out comments / suggestions for 2007 Tour at http://mountainairarts.blogspot.com/2007/02/local-all-localand-almost-nothing-but.html & http://mountainairarts.blogspot.com/2007/03/2007-tour-image.html

Biomass meeting updates...
Another air quality hearing set for April 11 at10 am at the Estancia Community Center. This was 1st announced as being 12th then superceded by another announcement, so you might want to contact Addie, addiemdraper@mac.com, to confirm dates and times) April 12, also at the Estancia Community Center, 6 pm, meeting with Rhonda King. According to Addie, "If you can only make one meeting the Rhonda King meeting is the most important. There is also a 'pre-meeting' April 5 at Marilyn Conway's house to discuss questions/statements to give to Rhonda."

More on Contemporary Folk Art (part of encouraging our very own "off kilter" approach to folk art)

‘There's no such thing as too gaudy' - from IdahoStatesman.com - Love of anything sparkly and glittery: Every year Deana Chandler-Haas donates her Mexican folk art-inspired, glittery, sequined icons teeming with bottle caps and beads to Flying M's Valentines...

FOLK ART APPRECIATION - Lexington KY - That Thursday night last month at the Kentucky Folk Art Center, there were as many people in jeans and sweatshirts as in suits and ties.

Needles and Pins: Textiles and Tools Exhibition Explores Textiles ... By Virginia Santa Fe, NM-Rare and never before seen textiles will be on display in Needles and Pins: Textiles and Tools selected from the Museum of International Folk Art’s vast collection of more than 20000 textiles. It's news as far away as Savoie France - we do live in a global village!

Picked up in the blogosphere...

Mountainair by Tamra (Clint).

Last summer, Cynthia and I took a field trip to Mountainair and saw this little house. Mike and I went back to look at it two days before we left for Cairo. It stayed with us. Now we are in the middle of buying it.

Anyone know the Hays or meet them while they were here? We share stomping grounds on three continents: I'm looking forward to sharing 'aish baladi and a skin of vino tinto with them when they show up. And linked to Mountainair Arts too! How about that - I'll return the favor next editing blogger layout. Hays Travelogue - http://haystravel.blogspot.com/index.html

Mail Art Call - Frida Kahlo's 100 Years 1907-2007 By manekineko ... talks, cinema, dance, and mail art). Size: postcard, A4 and/or envelopes - No jury, no return -Documentation and catalogue will be send to all after the show, which is in Jaca (foothills of the Pyrenees, Huesca), Spain, 2-15 July and on the internet at Mail Art (http://www.mailart.org/), a blog showing art activities from around the world but primarily focusing on works from the genre known as mail art - resource to mail artists and any other people interested in collaborative art. mail art calls; general mail art news; home to the Small Art Project. Besides, wouldn't it be cool to participate in a show hosted in another country? Super cool for me if you do because I used to live in Jaca - another small mountain village.

Here's another international art opp online - thanks to Geree for sending this along:

ArtPeriscope.com Art Project: 2nd Internet Artwork Competition

Every artist is permitted to submit three artworks in one of the chosen formats: painting, graphics, computer graphics, monochromatic photography (black and white photography ) , college, drawing. All submitted artworks must be copywrited. Maximum capacity of the submitted artwork should not be larger than: 800 px ( width ) and 600 px ( height ), resolution 72 dpi. Participation in the competition is free. The jury made up of experts will choose the artworks to qualify tothe next step of the competition.

Artists who qualify will be contacted via e-mail. Every qualified participant will have to make a payment of 35 euro (47 USD or 24 GBP) for the organizers of the competition. All accepted artworks will be shown on our website for 6 months.

From all qualified artworks the jury will select a winner who will receive a grand prix cheque for $1000 and who will be able to present 20 artworks on our website for the period of one year. Runner-ups prizes: five 1st prizes of a yearly promotion and s0howing 12 artworks on our website five 2nd prizes of a 6 months promotion and showing 12 artworks on our website five 3rd prizes of a three months promotion and showing 12 artworks on our website.

All qualified artworks that did not win will be shown on our website for the period of six months. All winning artists will receive a certificate of participation. Organizers will also ask authors of the awarded artworks to send them again in much higher resolution. These artworks will be printed to dimensions of 100cm - 70cm and exhibited in Gaudemater Gallery in Czestochowa, August 2007. All invited participants will receive a photo album from this exhibition.

Dates and deadlines: deadline for receiving all artworks is March 31, 2007.
Review results 5th of April 2007. Final results 15th may 2007. Organizers of the competion maintain all rights to use the artwork images in all media forms - electronic, printed or otherwise. By entering the competition you are accepting terms and conditions of the competition.
http://www.artperiscope.com/index.php?page=competition&show=entry&lang=eng

Artperiscope.com Team

Folk Art - something different

Harvest Sunflower 1992 , Chen Lian Xing (b.1957/Chinese),

Watercolor, Red Lantern Folk Art, Mukashi Collection

Sunflower Folk Art Day will be upon us (though not as soon as the Arts Tour) and looking to stay "folk art" after all. Keep those sunflower quilts coming...

Rather than the yadda yadda collection "what is folk art" pages and essays, I thought off the wall examples would be more fun... like the Beer Can House in Houston that makes Pop look almost tame, eh?

A prime example of Houston's rather off-kilter approach to "folk art", the Beer Can House (222 Malone) is the culmination of 18 years of hard work, dedication, and drinking. The marriage of a working class sensibility and an unabashed passion for beer.

It's not just Houston, Austin is the home of a wonderful Art Car Parade, won in 2002 by one of my all time favorite exemplars of "contemporary sunflower folk art," a sunflower art car.





What do you say we too cultivate "off kilter" approach to folk art? This does not mean neglecting traditional forms such as quilts, pottery design, ironwork (i.e. LeRoy Simmons wonderful forge art sunflowers), etc.

2007 Bechtel Prize to be Awarded by Teachers & Writers Collaborative]

From the NM Culture announcement list:

2007 Bechtel Prize to be Awarded by Teachers & Writers
Collaborative

Teachers & Writers Collaborative will award the 2007 Bechtel
Prize in recognition of an exemplary article or essay
related to:

* Creative writing education,
* Literary studies, and/or
* The profession of writing.

The winning essay will appear in Teachers & Writers
magazine, and the author will receive a $3,500 honorarium.
Entries selected as finalists for the Bechtel Prize may also
be published in Teachers & Writers. The authors of finalist
essays selected for publication in the magazine receive a
small honorarium.

Possible topics for Bechtel Prize submissions include
contemporary issues in classroom teaching, innovative
approaches to teaching literary forms and genres, and the
intersection between literature and imaginative writing.

Please review the submission guidelines that appear below,
read previous winners of the Bechtel Prize at
http://www.twc.org/bechtel_prize-archive.htm before writing
and submiting your entry for the 2007 prize. Please note
that the receipt deadline for 2007 Bechtel Prize submissions
is 5:00 PM (Eastern), Friday, June 29, 2007. Submissions
will not be accepted after the deadline.

If you have any questions after you review the guidelines,
please write to editors@twc.org or call 212-691-6590.

2007 Bechtel Prize Submission Guidelines

1. Submissions should relate to creative writing education,
literary studies, and/or the profession of writing.

2. Submissions must be previously unpublished and under
5,000 words in length.

3. Submissions must be typed, paginated, and double-spaced.

4. Submissions will be judged anonymously. The author's name
and address must not appear anywhere on the essay/article.

5. Two copies of the entry must be submitted. One copy
should include a cover page with the following information:
the author's name, mailing address, e-mail address,
telephone number, and the title of the submission. The other
copy should include a cover page with only the title.

6. Authors of the Bechtel Prize winner and finalists must
permit Teachers & Writers Collaborative to publish their
submissions in Teachers & Writers. Teachers & Writers
Collaborative reserves the right to edit the submissions for
publication.

7. Please mail entries to: The Bechtel Prize, Teachers &
Writers Collaborative, 520 Eighth Ave., Ste. 2020, New York,
NY 10018.

8. There is no entry fee.

9. Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM (Eastern),
Friday, June 29, 2007.

10. Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines
will not be reviewed for the Bechtel Prize. Submissions
cannot be returned to the authors.

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ATCs, Encounters, Mail Art, movies, and more...

Stacia Robin visited Mountainair Saturday for breakfast at the Shaffer with Meg Chobanian, Geree McDermott, and myself: Stacia penned us in for a mid-April ATC workshop to be held at Ruth Ballen's studio,The Wayward Elf. Stacia is willing to do a second workshop later the same day, so we (not an editorial we) are planning accordingly. As soon as Stacia sends me the asked-for list of possible workshops, all reasonably priced I might add, I'll post them here for feedback and comments.

Geree brought up her idea about making ATC poster to sell with 9 ATC by local artists and artist information. Fund raiser and artist/ Mountainair / arts tour promo. Here's a smaller version (4 cards on 8 1/2" x 11" card stock) made (assembled by Judy Mowris, mounted & shrink wrapped by Jess Davidson) last year for the town to gift visiting mayors: (click here to see poster - right click to open in new window or tab)

Mail Art: submitted by Judy Mowris (our Loma Parda correspondent?)

This is a really intriguing idea! My friend Dee has sent me an address to send a piece of "mail art" to a benefit at the Claremont Graduate University. Exhibit visitors can purchase the mail art piece they like... As I understand it, you create a piece of artwork on a US mail envelope. Any size envelope, put in cardboard to keep from being folded. Then, these pieces of artwork are sold for a particular benefit. How can we do more with this idea? Being far removed, it seems like a great way to get outside art to our community. Need to think about this some. I just got the info from her and started doing some internet research. Somehow this could be a good thing - just not sure how right now! Passing the idea on for thought:) Even mentions ATC's..etc ... Maybe we could each contact out of area friends to create mail art (might have to have a short write up to explain the process) and these pieces received via Eddie at the post office, could be auctioned off to buy mural paint or art supplies.

Great idea, Judy. I hope we can do something with it. If not, then at least let's use to make our mail more lively, spreading random acts of kindness and beauty through the mails...

Mail Art Links
Mail-Art was created in the 60's from Fluxus, and Dada, was begun by artists who did not believe art should be limited to the gallery and museum walls. It has the aim to create possibilities for direct exchange of art, ideas and information between artists in different countries, without going through the established art markets.

• Mail Art - Dragonfly Dream
• Mail art - Wikipedia
• The Electronic Museum of Mail Art: The envelope is the museum. FAQ, gallery, library, and links.
• Mail-Art: A German mail art site with history, techniques and exhibits about the art form. Message board for active projects.
• Mail Art Postcard Exhibition: A blog by Mick Boyle of Pennsylvania detailing various mailart calls and correspondence.
• Mail Art Links. Home page for MAIL ART projects in Luxembourg / with gallery of postcards, envelopes, artistamps and rubberstamps.

Celtic Colors Art Show

Sunday March 18, 2-6 pm, Edgewood, Wildlife West Pinto Bean Barn. Fine art bargains, silent auction, tea & crumpets & scones

Dennis Fulfer writes:

I just read the April 2007 issue of New Mexico Magazine and it had an article about Alton Walpole, and Mountainair Films. Apparently he grew up here in Mtnair and now is a big wig in the movie industry, doing line production for people like Val Kilmer and others. Couldn't find any info online about this article but thought it may or may not be blog worthy. Just an interesting thing about Mountainair

Community and other not-art news & notes

This one is not about arts: if that is how your vision tunnels, then just skim and wait for the next one. This one has dates, news, information on GED classes & Open House, letter writing campaign for after school program funding, a Job Fair in area, a local financial planning workshop - no fee but the sponsor wants your investment dollar (for me, surely an ultimate oxymoron), annotated links to area news in the Valencia News-Bulletin and the MountainView Journal, and maybe more, depending on what I come up with by the time I hit the send button.

GED in Mountainair - Open House at UpHi, March 24th, 10 am - 2 pm. Sign up/ recruiting [is this the army or what?] at UpHi March 12-26, 5:30-7:30 pm. Free classes start March 27th. Call Joan Page, 847-2450 for more information about the GED program (run through UNM Valencia Adult Education program). The course structure is classes in the UpHi classroom + computer/online study hall using the UpHi public access computers to access Valencia's and many other online GED self-study and practice sites. NM GED Fastsheet. Pass it on...

If you are not a class & course person (or you know someone who is not - take heart, taking a GED course is not a prerequisite for taking the test, but there are also man, many free online GED study resources and practices tests for those going it on their own. Self study means total flexibility but does require motivation, study skill, and a monster work ethic - not a decision to be made lightly...

Anne Ravenstone recently (Mar 6) appealed to Mountainair Public Schools Advisory Council and parents of students in the school system to write letters to legislators for after school program (ASPIRE) funding. Why direct such an appeal exclusively at parents? After school programs benefit the entire community. Next time, Anne, think connectivity & community network: ask me to plug it for you here too. Ditto for the school program. Internet = virtual networking. So, dear readers, if you are want to help out here and write letters, e-mail Anne for details - perhaps a sample letter as well. You can call her at the Mountainair Elementary School or even drop by. Don't overlook writing letters to area newspapers either. Have the after school program folk looked into emailing an online petition as a way to gather many names (comments too depending on the online petition host)?

"Gobs of Jobs" Career Fair in Moriarty at the Civic Center, Thursday March 15th, 10 am - 3 pm. Featuring Jobing.com, Central NM Workforce Connection, the NM Department of Labor, and, hopefully, oodles potential employers looking to hire locally for local jobs that pay well, offer benefits and opportunities for advancement . Well, that last part might not be so realistic. Looking? Go see for yourself. Sponsored by the City of Moriarty and the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce.

A free financial seminar, Thursday, March 22nd @ 6:00 p.m., Ancient Cities Café in Mountainair. To register, call 505-888-7944 x114, Waddell & Reed, 6000 Uptown Blvd, NE, Ste 220, Albuquerque, NM 87110, conducted by Debi Caldwell, Financial Advisor, Waddell & Reed and covering: How to create a spending plan; Stock market/investing basics; Insurance basics; Retirement planning

Other area news

Santa Fe New Mexican

• State Environment Department holds public hearing on air quality construction permit for Estancia Basin Biomass Power Generation Plant - Mar-10-07.

• Richardson signs renewable energy bills, Santa Fe, NM, Mar 5,
  2007. Sunny, windy New Mexico is the "clean energy state," Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday as he signed into law two measures that encourage the production of energy from renewable resources..

From the Valenica County News Bulletin:

• "Rio Communities site chosen for hospital," 03-10-07, Belen, NM. Mountainair, parts of Torrance County and northern Socorro County would also be served by that location.
• "Torres brothers plead guilty in August death of Belen teenager," 03-10-07, Belen, NM. Mountainair brothers Joe Lionel Torres and Richard Torres Jr. pleaded guilty last week to charges related to the Aug. 11 death of a Belen teenager.

Want news about Mountainair in your mailbox? Do what I do: subscribe to Google News Alerts. Topix.net is another online news gathering source. Basically, they are the online equivalent of clipping services. Google News recently added an archives search service, somewhat streamlining and focusing the same procedure you would use on a regular (non-news) web search. Or if you already get more Mountainair news (oxymoron, or what?) than you want from flyers at the Post Office, Gustin's, the Laundrymat, Uncle Walter's, and other bulletin boards and windows about town, you can subscribe to alerts about people or on specific topics - barrel racing, artists trading cards, quilting, art tours, sunflowers, folk art, whatever. The alert is neither perfect nor totally comprehensive - google's information gathering software does not check off-line or non-mainstream minor / specialty press. Subbing is easy and so is unsubbing.

I already have a news alert for "Mountainair" and just subbed to "folk art," "arts tour," and "Estancia" + "biomass." I may change the last one to just "biomass" so I can see what the word on biomass is in the rest of the country, even the rest of the world. It's not to diss or be negative (I get accused of that - surely a blog post in itself) about biomass plant resistance. To the contrary, we should all applaud their willingness to counter what Paul Krugman describes as, "an almost seamless transition from denial to fatalism. That for 15 or 20 years the people would say, 'No, what you're saying is not happening.' And then almost immediately they'll turn around and say, 'Well, yeah, sure it's happening, but there's nothing that can be done about it.'" Next? Other sustainability issues? Inequality?

Doing calls for being well informed and making informed decisions, which in turn requires balanced, sound research that casts a wide & deep net, never flinching trom looking at what might contradict what we'd rather believe.

Late flash - new legislation, SB0880, is being worked out in Santa Fe that requires a new regulated facility to prepare acommunity impact assessment showing the present, future and cumulative impacts that granting a permit will have on public health, environment or traditional and sustainable cultural values. It also gives an individual the right to civil action if the tacilityf threatens individual health or safety. Follow SB0880 and other legislation at Bill Watcher

Peace and Sustainability Fair, April 6, 2007 on the campus of the University of New Mexico. organizations or groups directly involved with Peace/Nonviolence education or action in either the UNM or greater Albuquerque community are invited to have a display table OR contribute music, poetry, readings, dance, visual art. Apply to Susi Knoblauch, Office of International Programs and Studies, 2111 Mesa Vista Hall, UNM, contact: 505-277-4032 or chknob@unm.edu (along with a $10 deposit only if reserving a table, $25 for vendors). LAST DAY TO REGISTER: APRIL 2nd!

Evaluating web pages:

• Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask
• The Good, The Bad & The Ugly or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources

Do good with just a click a day:
The Hunger Site
The Breast Cancer Site
The Literacy Site
The Rain Forest Site
The Animal Rescue Site

Start an online petition:

• http://www.petitiononline.com/petition.html
• http://www.petitionspot.com/
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/
• http://www.gopetition.com/
• http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stamp/index.shtml

Write a letter:

• Write Your Elected Officials http://www.democraticmedia.org/getinvolved/ownershipAction_Congress.html
• Sierra Club - Take Action Toolkit - http://www.sierraclub.org/takeaction/toolkit/letters.asp
• Armchair Activist - Letter Writing Tips http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/Armchair/tips.htm
• MAP: Media Activism Center http://www.mapinc.org/resource/
• Effecting change through letter writing -- a concerned citizen challenges you! (essay by jazz musician Lee Metcalf) http://www.cslproductions.com/democracy/essays/letter-writing.shtml
• Become an Activist - Global Exchange Activist Toolkit http://www.genderwatchers.org/Activist.htm Virtual Activism (hey - that's what this is...)
  

and then there's Virtual Activism (that's us...)

• The Virtual Activist 2.0 - a training course http://www.netaction.org/training/
• The online activist, MoJones, April 28, 1997 - commentary: tools for organizing in cyberspace

St Patrick's Day Balloon Rallye

from our Valencia County correspondent, Robin desJardins

Greetings,

I'm not sure if this would actually qualify as a fileable report from an arts correspondent, but it is a local event, and has arts n crafts as a viable feature. I suspect that this feature will be represented by the Route 66 Art Society, and other local artists. This little balloon rally is a nice spoonful of the big event in 'Burque' sans all the big parking or crowd problems.

Main events happen down by the Valencia ' Y ' , at the recently completed Heritage Park. Get
up early, and drive a short way down the hill, with your camera and kids. And how about you can hit Smith's or other out of towm before you head back too!

The artwork on this ad was done, right before my eyes, by K.A. McCord, who shared in my
campus ceramics show, " Eight Hands," last year.

[submitted by RLD, March 10, 2007]

We get mail...

Since Dennis and Kristy Fulfer have been so helpful and generous with alternate computer access, I'd like to thank them and remind readers to support your local blog - and local enterprise, by shopping Avon - call 847-0439. Kristy is an Avon representative. Seems more realistic than sending you to Dennis with the suggestion that you buy a house... but feel free to do that too.

SHARE - Online Ordering Ends Friday, March 16th.

Robin des Jardins (aka Imagio Studios, builder of the arts council page that was -TACPTW, under the subheading, "no good deed goes unpunished") volunteered to be our Valencia county correspondent and sent Lorraine Doty's recent (monthly arts) column from the Valencia News-Bulletin.

Highlights include: Tomé Art Gallery is officially listed on the New Mexico Fiber Arts Trail (that makes THREE in the area)... Stacia Robin (our ATC workshopper & 2006 Arts Tour participant with the Rainbow Artists Exhibit) will be teaching a mask class there (at Tomé) March 25th and asked me to mention it on the blog in case anyone was interested. The cost of the class ($25) includes most of the supplies. All the students need to bring are a towel and any personal items they want on their mask or any ephemera they may want to use. Stacia will bring ephemera, paints, stamps, and other mask decorating goodies as well as material to make the mask. "Unmask Yourself," is a Mask Making Class, Sunday March 25th 1:00pm - 4:00pm Tomé Art Gallery 2939 Highway 47 Los Lunas, NM 505-565-0556 Interested students can call the gallery for more info or email her at purpleroseartworks@yahoo.com. Webpages: http://purpleroseartworks.blogspot.com/ http://picturetrail.com/stacia318. Also Stacia wants to hold a class in Mountainair again. She is thinking of something fun at minimal cost and would bring most of the supplies. Ideas include mixed media art doll, altered photos, altered hand casting, beeswax nature/recycle material collage, some sort of recycled fiber art. She writes, I" thought I might use you all up there as a testing ground for new class ideas I have to see what you think. And I mean that in a good way, I value the opinion of all of you and feel you would be honest and helpful in refining my ideas." ....

It's time to start painting doors for The Route 66 Society for the Arts annual display of decorated doors, Heritage Park, Valencia Y, Saturday April 28. Call Judy Smith 865-9229 for particulars... And at Magener Gallery in Magdalena, it's egg time again - 3rd annual decorated egg contest & show, March 31-April 1 & April 5-8. Call Yvonne 505-854-2151... Presidential Chamber Music Series, Macey Center, NMT, Socorro, 7:30 pm, March 19...Michael Chapdelaine, Albuquerque, St John's United Methodist Church, Arizona St NE, 2 pm - no admission, accepting offerings. Belen Art League Gallery (509 Beck Avenue) open again, 861-0217... from Ron at Pueblo Arts - The Belen Art League is having a sidewalk show the 31'st to celebrate the opening of the Becker Blvd. in Belen...

The Mountainair Community Library (847-9676) has been yet another helpful haven - not to mention how many blog fans I run into there and collect addresses, news, ideas from. So support your local blog by visiting the library. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; OPEN Tuesday 9-2; Wednesday 9-1; Thursdau 9-12; Friday 10-4; Saturday, 9-1. Always books for sale too. The rural bookmobile, part of the NM State Library system, visits once a month - schedule posted at the library and available on line. You might still be able to order books ahead by e-mailing west.bookmobile@state.nm.us

Earth Day is a little more than a month away. What are your plans? How will you be spreading the word about recycling, conserving energy, and other activities? Here's a related thought - "warm up" for Earth Day by using Lent to observe the season as a period to "give up" something to make the world a better place. Lent is the perfect time to give up or cut back on something that contributes to global warming. Think KISS: shop in town and take fewer road trips; turn of lights; unplug electronics at the wall; replace incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFL bulbs use only a fraction of the energy used by incandescent bulbs and significantly reduce our carbon emissions.

2007 Arts Tour & 24 Tees (in lieu of 76 trombones) - Celeste Simon's cool tour fundraising idea. I can't wait to hear more about it... so many possibilities... Opened up to the community, decorating tees could do for community involvement in the arts tour what Children's Sunflower Art does for community involvement in Sunflower. Here's a thought - maybe Stacia could do Tee Decorating Workshop.... unless someone could prevail on Celeste to do one...

---

Notes & Reminders

A word about the change in header image - "Artist Easels" by Geree McDermott - is, most appropriately an ATC or Artist's Trading Card.

The choice of artist is equally important. I don't want to wait until she is gone to remind readers how much Geree contributed to the arts community during her stay her in Mountainair. After having been a major worker and moving force in the 2003 Arts Tour (that revived the dormant event), she chaired the 2005 Tour and was an invaluable source of advice and cautions for me throughout the 2006 Tour. That she elected not to renew MMAC (arts council) membership is not grounds to overlook her contributions. More appropriately, it should be an occasion to reflect on the attrition rate and how to redress it.

Remember ATC from last year? Informal tailgate swap meets, workshops, the ATC montage that Vel Gilley gifted visiting mayors, the sunflower ATC display for Sunflower Folk Art Day, the "appreciation ATCs" made by local artists for featured readers at the Poets & Writers Picnic?

Sunflower ATC, Judy Mowris

Watch for the ATC comeback - a spring renewal. On deck: an April ATC workshop, demo and display at the Mountainair Arts Tour (June 9), and perhaps a table at Jubilee. I'll be doing ATC posts & postings pictures of ATCs as we approach these events. In the meantime, check out past ATC blogging:

• ATC Workshop & ATCs for Sunflower Day
• Art on the move - ATC Trading Meet
• more about Artist Trading Cards

REMINDERS: tomorrow is the ordering deadline for BOTH the Mountain Friends Buyers Group (Shop Natural Coop) and SHARE (Nazarene Church)., Pick up catalog and leave order (with payment) at the Meds & More Pharmacy window. SHARE flyers are available at CNMEC, Town Hall, the Library, and the Laundrymat. If you miss placing your order with Shirley Jones (shobomntnr@aol.com, 847-0114, 847-9750), you will still be able to order online but must forward Shirley a copy of your e-mail invoice.

(NOT REALLY) NEWS (ANYMORE) FLASH - (already posted as a comment to "2007 Tour image " post) The Thursday oil painting group has a NEW home. If you missed today - there's always next week. Cassie Castrop, another local painting enthusiast, offered her mother's house, which is near the Nazarene Church. Heading east on NM 55 from the blinker light, turn right on Piñon and then left on Ross just before the Nazarene Church. The house, bearing the sign "Kirkwood," is will be the third house on the right (churchside). Look for vehicles parked out front too – a sure sign something is going on. Same 10 am starting timeEveryone involved in the group speaks highly of the camaraderie and creative energy generated. There is even talk of expanding the days to accommodate those unable to attend on Thursdays.

Blacksmithing event - from Alan Clute
Blacksmithing by Southwest Artists Blacksmith Association: The SWABA monthly meeting will be Saturday April 7th in Mountainair at Leroy's shop, Dragon Ash Forge. There will be blacksmithing demonstrations in the morning, a potluck lunch provided by the wives of the blacksmiths, and a raffle in the afternoon. The blacksmiths bring items for the raffle and place them all on a table. As winning tickets are drawn in turn, the winner picks an item from the table.

Also, Leroy is soliciting artistic blacksmithing work for gates, furniture, staircases, railings, light fixtures, and the like. Call 847-0172

[Ed. note: You've surely seen LeRoy's work around town - notably the ship sculpture at the corner of Main and Broadway and, next to it, elegant forge art decorating Earthsong's nearby exterior (US60 across from the Baptist Church. If not, visiting the forge is a must. Alan has promised pictures and I promise to hold him to it. I also have LeRoy on the future blogzibit list]

Cibola's "March Mudness"exhibit opening Saturday showed a good turn out - better than for some recent, less than for some past exhibits. Turn out for openings varies according to what is going on - if a dead, dry weekend, then openings are a major social event with all the usual suspects rounding themselves up to make an appearance. This weekend's Fiery Foods & BBQ Show (Sandia Casino) was a alternate and competing draw. Others passes because of upcoming committments with a prior and more pressing call on their time. There were, of course, the ubiquitous Wal-Mart trips. Eats & road trips trump mud art.

Judy, Roy & Judy's ex are getting ready to help daughter Erin open a NEWcoffeehouse in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Making curtains and building bookshelves took priority. Presumably Judy is making the curtains and Roy the bookshelves and not the other way around. Celeste Simon, a relatively recent Cibola member, exhibited striking new work for the event. Drop-ins by area business owners, locals and otherwise were conspicuous by their absence. Other than Kristine Lauretsin's Napa Valley houseguest, out of town visitors were even more absent.

As noted previously, Steppin Out covered exhibitors/ exhibits so I see no reason to reinvent the wheel, especially as no one sent me wheel plans. March Mudness was also the public premier and screening for Addie Draper's recent foray into oils, so don't miss that. Mudness, despite a total absence of mud anywhere, runs through next month.

Other area media person, Gwen Roath, Stepping Out, made an appearance. When overlooked during introductions, I took the liberty of introducing myself (as the Mountainair Arts person), putting a face to the e-mail we've exchanged over the years. Jo Ann Dale of Earthsong Etc made a rare and welcome appearance. I'm happy to report that Jo Ann has plans for increasing Earthsong inventory and hours, especially weekends. She mentioned too that business had already been picking up. Earthsong has a primo location - poised to catch visitors as they enter town, well before they reach the "core" (Post Office, Cibola, etc). Long standing plans to open a coffee at the Manzanos location on NM 55 East have been on hold but are still in the works, with a spring opening anticipated. She too has promised pictures for the blog.

About town and blowing in the mountain air... name change for grocery to B Street Market (on the cutesy side but liveable with)... opening soon - Cowboy's and Rose's, western antiques, furniture, collectibles, on Broadway next to Treasures of the Gyspsy... I'm hearing over and over and from many directions how Mountainair needs more venues - and craft venues in particular - given time and coordination these artisans will surely make common cause, possibly leaving the "high art" hopefuls eating their dust...

Biomass reminder & more

Addie Draper wrote asking me to blog this to help get the word out (short notice for a Wednesday meeting...)

Hey all, Received the below from Sandy. A meeting is being held this Wed. March 7, at 12 -2:30 to take questions from the community. A group of us are planning to attend and if someone has questions that they want Alires to hear and can't attend please give me, Mary or Sandy a copy of them. Thanks! Probably the more that attend the better. Best, Addie

Begin forwarded message:
"Alires, Lawrence, NMENV" wrote:
Subject: RE: NSR Permit 3434 Estancia Basin Biomass Power Generation Plant

With respect to the NSR Permit 3434 for the Estancia Basin Biomass Power Generation Plant, the modeler (Sufi Mustafa), my supervisor (Lester Drapela) and I will be at the Estancia Town Hall next Wednesday March 7, 2007 from 12:00 noon until 2:30 to answer any questions from the community or anybody else that would like to talk with us. Please feel free to invite anybody to come. If anyone has any questions they can call me in Santa Fe at 955-8020. Lawrence Alires, NSR Permit Specialist, NMED/AQB

[Ed. note: I am delighted to have a new blog correspondent - much cheering, raucous, dancing on tabletops, etc. I even researched and prepared a section entitled "more than you ever wanted to know about biomass." You will no doubt be relieved to learn that a browser crash has spared you the bulk of this report. Still, the information hungry among you can google up "biomass blog" & "biomass" for your daily dose of information overload.]

Probably still more than you wanted to know...

The locally targetted, next to unreadable, shamefully anonymous biomass blog has not made it into google rankings, so here's a link to "The Lowdown on Biomass."

Here's what the browser crash spared (still on notepad):

Biomass Guidance - Conservation Policies - Sierra Club

Tree Power - Biomass Energy Crop & BioEnergy Working Group - links to blog, PBS Newshour special on bioenergy & much more...

Biomass Document Database collection of public documents of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program. This includes most documents prepared since 1980 by the Biofuels Technology Program, many of the more recent documents for the whole Biomass Program, and selected "related" documents that are relevant to the Biomass Program, even if not produced by it. Each citation contains a short abstract, and is coded to allow search by key words, author, and title.

As many documents as possible are attached as PDFs. However, many journal articles, book chapters, and other documents cannot be posted as PDFs because of their copyright status. These documents should be available from your library. The document database will indicate this while providing sufficient bibliographic information for you to locate them.

The Energy Story: Chapter 10, Biomass Energy (a Canadian educational website for children)

California Biomass Collaboration (based at UC Davis)

2007 Tour image

The 2007 Arts Tour image, "Fall in the Bosque," oil by Addie Draper, can be viewed at Cibola Arts along with other oils by Addie (I was particularly taken with the winter scenes). Oils are new medium for Addie, as prior work has been primarily water colors. The series of landscapes currently on view at Cibola are also the fruit of the "Thursday oil painting group," an informal gathering under the loose direction and tutelage of Shirley Simmons.

At present the group, like that famous boll weevil, is looking for a home. UpHi has offered space and queries are underway about space at the so far under-utilized campgrounds.

Public Art Announcements

New Mexico Arts, Art in Public Places Program & the University of New Mexico , Albuquerque , NM
Budget: $225,000.000
Receipt Deadline: Thursday, March 15, 2007, 5:00 p.m. MST

The Art in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts and the University of New Mexico seek to commission artwork for the new Architecture Building located on the main campus in Albuquerque , NM . The committee seeks a timeless, highly visual original artwork that will enhance the exterior of the building. The committee is interested in artwork that makes use of light in any or all of its forms including but not limited to projected images, LCD, neon, and natural light. While the selected artist may make use of any or all of the building’s exterior, the focus of the work should be on the main 25’ x 48’ wall that has been designated for this purpose.

The project is open to all artists residing in the United States . Artists must receive a prospectus to apply.

For more information or to receive a prospectus, visit the website at www.nmarts.org or contact New Mexico Arts, PO Box 1450, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1450, telephone 800-879-4278 (in-state) or 505-827-6490 or email aipp@state.nm.us. Please request prospectus #186.


New Mexico Arts, Art in Public Places Program & the New Mexico School for the Deaf, Santa Fe, NM
Budget: $53,750.00
Receipt Deadline: Thursday, March 8, 2007, 5:00 p.m. MST

The in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts and the New Mexico School for the Deaf seek to commission artwork for the new Early Childhood Development Center located on the campus in Santa Fe , NM . The committee seeks a timeless, highly visual original artwork that will communicate what it means to be a member of the deaf community while also expressing a childlike spirit. The committee hopes that the artwork will become a signature piece for the Early Childhood Development Center as well as the NM School for the Deaf. Artwork that includes interactive elements is encouraged. The selected artist may use any or all of the available area. The area includes the storytelling area, common room, waiting area, vestibules, main corridor, and the outside entryways. This project is open to all artists who are residents of the United States . Deaf artists are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information or to receive a prospectus, visit the website at www.nmarts.org or contact New Mexico Arts, PO Box 1450, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1450, telephone 800-879-4278 (in-state) or 505-827-6490 or email aipp@state.nm.us. Please request prospectus #185.

I've been quiet on the blog because of computer problems at home. I have an ancient laptop I can check email on. That's about it. I can't run blogger on it & all but the simplest of web pages either won't load or crash the computer (as in "this computer has just performed an illegal operation" and both browser and mail close). I reinstalled operating system (xp) but now have problems getting my product key code accepted. I don't even want to think about what or how many files - lessons, research, images, rough drafts of novels, essays, and so on - have been lost.

UpHi now makes a nominal charge for computer use, and as long as no one is waiting to use a computer, they are flexible about how long you stay on. Better deal than most cybercafes offer. Normally I'd be cranky about paying to use a computer and get online, but right now I am content just to be using a speedy computer not from the last century that doesn't require slow, complicated workarounds just to check and answer mail. Plus, crashes or other computer related problems are someone else's problem - not mine. No doubt, I have until school lets out before anyone expects me to vacate this computer. I am also worn out from and tired of the frustration and stress of worrying about what to do to get up and running again. For now I feel like playing Scarlet O'Hara and worrying about it tomorrow...

Needless to say, this puts ambitious plans such as blogzibits on hold for the nonce. So here are a few notes I've gathered here and there to tide you over...

Meg Chobanian will be off to an ATC swap next Saturday in Abq and has plans for nudging local atc interest with demos at Arts Tour and Sunflower. We had an atc flurry last year with meets and a nice splash for Sunflower at the Poets & Writers Picnic (sadly, 100% overlooked in mmac newsletter...). It's heartening to see Meg picking up from Geree McDermott, who originally came up with promoting Mountainair and local arts through ATCs as product identification association. Small town as center for small art...

from Dale Harris (not the whole long poetry announcement post):
March 2 - 7 pm. WOW Poetry Slam Final at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Admission. Presented by Harwood. Call 242-6367 or 246-2261 or go to abqslams.org

This weekend, batik exh