Reminders

I did have more in mind & jotted down to write but I have run out of time, so it will be the reminders and nothing more.

Lucky you - missing the stump speech on the virtues of shopping locally and supporting locally run purchasing networks. Short version: saves gas, saves time, saves the environment, supports the community, so do it.

Tomorrow, Friday June 1st, are the ordering deadlines for both S.H.A.R.E. (unless you order online) and the Mountain Friends Coop (local buyers' group for ShopNatural). Pick up your Shop Natural catalog at Meds & More - leave your order & payment there by Friday.

Our poetry correspondent checks in

Submitted by Dale Harris, May 24, 2007

Hope you are having a merry month of May. Here are some upcoming poetry events. If you read through to the end of the listings, there's a poem waiting.

Sat. May 26, 9 pm Goodbye Party for Gary Mex Glazner, Book Release and Band at High Mayhem Studios, 1703-B Lena Street, Santa Fe NMYep, it's true, Gary is moving to NYC where he'll be the manager of the Bowery Poetry Club and continue work with his Alzheimer Poetry Project. Come say bye and celebrate the release of his new book How To Make A Life As A Poet. Launch party for a new band Adobe Gilles, with Gary Glazner on mouth, Max Friedenberg on brain, Carlos Santistevan on bass, and Milton Villarrubia on percussion. Free entry with purchase of a High Mayhem CD, How To Make A Life As A Poet book, or suggested $5-10 donation.

Sunday, June 3, 3 pm, Acequia Booksellers, Crane's Bill Books reading by David Abel & Jeffrey Lee. Free admission. Acequia Booksellers is located at 4019 4th St. NW, Albuquerque, 890-5365, www.acequiabooksellers.com

David Abel works as a freelance copy editor and bookdealer in Portland, OR. He is a founding member of Spare Room, and the editor/publisher of Envelope. Recent live works include the videopoem/tableau "Frozen Sea" at the Collaborative Poetics Festival, the installation/performance "Permanent Red" with Tim DuRoche at the Modern Zoo, "Dr. Selavy's Dream" in the Richard Foreman mini-festival at Performance Works NW and appearances with JJ Mad poetry ensemble. Recent works include his poem "Threnos", designed and sewn on a thirty-seven foot ribbon by artist Katherine Kuehn, and a long collage essay "Conduction" which appeared in Conduit, an exhibition catalogue devoted to the work of Anna Hepler.

Jeffrey Lee is a writer and bookdealer living in Albuquerque. He is the publisher/editor of Crane's Bill Books and has also been a Weekly Alibi staff writer. Last fall he curated a land/language exhibition at THE LAND/an art site, an outdoor exhibition space near Mountainair, NM devoted to site-specific, environmentally low-impact, land-based art.

Wednesday, June 6th, 7:30 PM, Poetry & Beer welcomes Jen Rinaldi and Ebony "Isis" Booth (two of the 2006 National Slam Champions from Denver) at The District Bar & Grill, Free. Poetry & Beer welcomes, from Denver, Jen Renaldi and Ebony "Isis" Booth in a rare ABQ appearance. Jen and Ebony were part of the Denver Slam Team that won the 2006 National Championship. Come be dazzled by their flawless flows and heavy hitting words at the District (115 4th St. NW-downtown ABQ). As always the feature will be preceded by an Open Mike and followed by a "Boston Style" Poetry Slam. F
or more information, please visit, www.abqslams. org

Thursday, June 7, 7 pm Central Avenue monthly reading at Winning Coffee Co, 111 Harvard, 1/2 block south of Central in UNM area. Open mic and release of June issue of Central Avenue poetry journal. Free event. Special features are touring Denver slam poets Jen Renaldi and Ebony "Isis" Booth, your second chance to see them performing some very exciting work.

June 10, Sunday, Duende Reading Series in Placitas (1 pm?) featuring Art Goodtimes. See preview item in June issue of albuquerqueARTS with a nice photo of Art!

June 10, Sunday, Noon, Grants NM-- PAH Fest 2007 Screening with live poetry workshop readings of film Committing Poetry in Times of War. Free and all welcome to come out and see this movie and the great indy short films made by New Mexicans in this annual Project Accessible Hollywood Festival sponsored by Christopher Coppola's EARS XXI company.

June 16, 6:30 pm, KiMo Theater, Albuquerque-- WORD! KiMo Poetry Circus, featuring free public screening (and Albuquerque Premiere) of the feature documentary film Committing Poetry in Times of War, with free reception--meet the film makers and poets--at Windchime Champagne Gallery across Central Ave from the KiMo. Reception sponsored by albuquerqueARTS and Windchime Champagne Gallery. WORD! KiMo Poetry Circus sponsored by the KiMo Theater, Albuquerque Office of Cultural Affairs and Poetic Justice Institute. Free admission. Info: 264 6979 or committingpoetry@yahoo.com Information on the film at www.committingpoetry.com

Looking Ahead:

2007 SW Shootout Regional Poetry Slam
When: July 5th & 6thWhere: Preliminary Bouts at The District & Ralli's (downtown ABQ) with Finals at the Kimo Theater (downtown ABQ)How Much: $5.00 for Prelims and $10 for finalsABQ Slams and the International Poetry Institute present the 4th Annual Southwest Shootout Regional Poetry Slam. Started as a way of making sure the city and crew were ready for the 2005 National Poetry Slam, the SW Shootout has taken on a life of its own and returns to the Duke City with 20 teams from all over the southwest including the reigning National Champions, Denver as well as many other teams looking to sharpen their verbs against each other in preparation for the 2007 National Poetry Slam. Poets will be competing in two venues (Ralli's and the District-downtown ABQ) on Thursday, with the final 4 teams competing against each other at the historic Kimo Theater. This show is guaranteed to be the hottest show to hit ABQ since the 2005 National Poetry Slam. For more information, please visit, www.abqslams. org/swshootout

Check out this week's feature, work by Maureen Seaton and Nell de la Flor, on Fickle Muses, an online journal of myth and legend curated by Sari Krosinski www.ficklemuses.com

Here's my poem:

Caught on a rural highway
in May monsoon-like rains,
hail hitting us hard,
we pull into a gas station café.
Unseasonable, locals complain,
this week a thunderous downpour every day.
We drive a rental car,
complain at the pump about price as we fuel up.
Another driver is irate,
eighty bucks to fill his truck.
Global warming, we agree about the rain,
gasoline emissions, man-made climate change.
The local news carries a column
that decries such stuff as bunk.
We use the paper to cover our heads
as we dash to shelter.

Call for Artists: Art in Public Places Program

WHERE: Palace of the Governors, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe

WHEN: Deadline: 5:00 P.M. (MST) Thursday, June 14, 2007

The Art In Public Paces Program of New Mexico Arts and the Palace of the Governors – New Mexico History Museum seek to commission artwork fro the New Mexico History Museum currently under construction on the north side of the historic Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe.

The committee seeks a timeless, highly visual original artwork that will enhance the visitor’s experience to the museum while addressing the unique connection that exists between the people and place in New Mexico .

The selected artist may use any or all of the available space to illustrate this theme. Available space includes, but is not limited to, the exterior wall and landscaped area near an entrance, the floor in the crossroads gallery, main stairwell walls, and atrium walls as well as a roof top terrace. There is the option of suspended works in some of these locations. The museum also has river cobbles (rocks) used for the foundation from the 18th century available for artists who wis h to incorporate them into their work.

Media must be durable, low maintenance, permanent, safe for both children and adults and be ADA compliant. Additionally, the selected artwork may require certification by a licensed structural engineer a d a review by a professional fine art conservator at the selected artist’s expense.

Up to five finalists will be selected. This project is open to all artists who are residents of the United States . Artists must receive a prospectus to apply. The prospectus can be downloaded from the web site at http://www.nmarts.org/ or contact AIPP staff at New Mexico Arts, telephone 505/827-6490, 800/879-4278 (in state), or email http://us.f505.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=aipp@state.nm.us .

Tour Preview in Pictures

Here are the promised pix ... and finally... a list of 2007 Tour participants at the new "official" Manzano Mountain Arts Council page, a clever url if I do say so myself - even if less than original. hahaha. That's OK - getting an mmac web page up again is long overdue. Just remember - this is the original (and Himmel forfend, never ever official anything) one.

I'll be expanding the mmac list to include alt & etcetera participants as well processing all names to add images and links and posting here with other items of tour interest.

Dixie Boyle, local author - ranger & teacher too - will be signing Between Land & Sky at the Dr Saul Center. Another local author will also be signing her recently published children's book, Smokey Bear's True Story, at the Community Center.

More books... step across the street to the Mountainair Community Library and stock up at the book sale.

It's an elf invasion - Richard Ahlers, Ruth Ballen's (aka the Wayward Elf) brother will be visiting from Vermont intime to participate in the 2007 Tour. Richard will be exhibiting at Dr Saul while Ruth holds open house at her Limit studio, where some of Richard's custom knives, accessories, metalwork and wood items will also be available.

Now imagine a row of these, ends open, down Art Alley... white tents and a "tunnel of art"

Straw Mountain Studio's Judy Mowris created the "alt.tour.arts" banner. Look for it in the space formerly known as Art Alley, next to the Post Office. In addition to altered couture that includes decorated denims, shoes & more, wall hangings, painted glassware, and some closely guarded surprises, Judy will be joined by a few other artists... wood art, prints, sculpture, ceramics....

Summer and its events

When Memorial Day Weekend is on the doorstep, true summer is close at hand ... horse and dog showing people and no doubt other on the road to show folk all think of Memorial Day Weekend as a major event weekend. Three day weekend... three day events.

Once Rancher's Day, a Memorial Day weekend celebration of ranch life, kicked off summer events, the first panel of the summer tryptich - Rancher's Day, Firecracker Jubilee, Sunflower Festival. After a number of years in fade mode, Rancher's Day is gone, supplanted - perhaps somehow symbolically - by the Arts Tour.

MMAC passed on Memorial Day Weekend for rescheduling the annual Mountainair Arts Tour when it lost its traditional date of third weekend in May. Rationale: everyone on the road to somewhere else and too many people out of town. No doubt that includes too many of the already undersized volunteer workforce. Last year's tour was May 20 21 and this year's would have been May 19th. In other words, over already. I doubt anyone involved is really quite ready for it to be here yet. This year's tour is June 9th or the second Saturday of the month.

School's out. That means no children's art exhibit will grace the tour, hopefully forestalling last year's unfortunate hyperbole, '200 artists exhibit at Mountainair Arts Tour.' There was a student art display of sorts Friday May 18th accompanying a recital of sorts. I did get a rather too sketchy verbal report that I forgot to announce here in a timely manner, reminding me of Samuel Goldwyn's dictum on verbal agreements - not worth the paper they are written on.

Despite requests for a suitable, protected and easy to trundle about display case for student art, non was forthcoming. The sad truth may be that the artists and event organizers of Mountainair may prefer student art contained in press releases and within fenced school grounds, curated and assembled for display by somebody else without entailing actual physical effort or expense.

To date, the most effective and interesting public displays of student art are the Children's Sunflower Art for 'Sunflower Whatever' and regular, non-event dependent displays in the grocery store window. I do hope Scott and Judson will keep that practice going at the B Street Market.

As mentioned in a previous post, the tour is shaping up in its own 'southern exposure' way with a medley of echte, alt, ersatz & etcera. Colorful embellished tees, tents and a tunnel of art in Art Alley, local and visiting artists at the Community Center, in Art Alley and in studios and galleries about town, local authors a-signing, the usual folk art sculpture and architecture - Shaffer, Rancho Bonito, Gordon's 'critters' and more - that we are used to seeing daily, ATC demo & swap (albeit unconfirmed by organizer & singularly naked of details), the Jolly Roger & live guitar music at Joan Page's Olde Tyme Shoppe, exhibitors from as far away as Vermont. I have pictures of a tee, a tent, pirates, custom made knives (no, the knives are not with the pirates although one might think they should be) and more to post later. I'll also hunt up and post links to blog pieces loaded with about town pictures from Tour 2006.

After Tour comes Jubilee on Saturday June 30th, this year possibly just a skosh too close to the event preceding it. This sees a major change - Jubilee will be at the campgrounds on 60 rather than in the Community Park on Cedar. Otherwise, the menu is familiar, not significantly changed from traditional Jubilees in years past - Rotary Pancake Breakfast, mid-morning parade, basketball tourney, horseshoes, games, vendors, live music, Fire Dept's BBQ lunch, fireworks at the rodeo grounds at dusk, dance at the community center starting at 9 pm. Unlike the Tour or Sunflower, Jubilee is a traditional local event for local rather than tourist or daytripper consumption.

Yet Jubilee is in trouble due to volunteer burnout & a drastically shrinking committee - the "somebody else syndrome" - and perhaps further hindered by restrictions, expense and hazards associated with fireworks. Likewise, two arts oriented summer events already show signs of overloading the arts council. The "somebody else syndrome," based on the flawed assumption that yes everybody wants an event or activity to succeed but somebody else will get the word out, attend meetings and do the work, stalks every event and organization, bringing down the best conceived plans and intentions.

Guess what - "somebody" doesn't live here anymore.

Summer ends with Sunflower (still!) Folk Art Day, the last Saturday in August. Usually the last Saturday coincides with Saturday before Labor Day. This year it does not. School has started and there will be children's sunflower art about town and more than a few storefront windows done up sunflowerly. There may or may not be sunflowers filling road sides, yards and vacant lots. If not, then we settle for sunflowers of the art and folk art kind - and call it a "Mountainair Moment" of the sunflower kind. Retablos (not intuitively sunflower art unless you are Peruvian) and a sunflower quilt to auction plump out the "Folk Art" factor. Possibly the new ATC feature could be considered "contemporary folk art" as folk art roots are in popular forms. The Poets & Writers Picnic, predating sunflower as a local event, runs concurrently - this year celebrating its 10th year.

At some point Mountainair and overloaded volunteers may have to decide to do without one or more summer event. When the dust settles, I do hope no group is left event-deprived and that the outcome represents more than just tourism and the arts.

Promise... promise... lots of pictures with next post...

Mountainair Posters at Café Press

EDITOR'S NOTE: See how easy it is to submit material for posting to the blog - email me {vcrary@qwest.net or vcrary@yahoo.com } your copy. Then I post it to the original Mountainair Arts {the blog} by forwarding to my post-by-email address. Really so much easier than being a mast head contributor on a group blog {no longer an option anyway}, opening a blogger account, logging in to post and all that.

So send news {local & area - Mountainair mismo, Torrance & adjacent counties}, event announcements, fundraisers, garage sales, relevant internets links {urls, aka addresses}, digital image files, FYI notices and other items of interest.

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Joan Marie Poster Blog update 5/21/07

There is a new Cafe Press Store in Town!  It's on your computer so you don't even have to leave your home to place your order.  With gas prices today, I think it's wonderful to shop online, don't you?

http://www.cafepress.com/mountainairart

Here's what you'll see there: Your choice of the Mountainair Art & Artist Remembered 2007 in three sizes:

1]  23x34 large poster
2]  16x20 medium poster
3]  11x17 mini poster

You'll notice a few other products as well.

Note: he three poster images are exactly  .  They are at full bleed which means the image goes completely to the edge.  If you want to frame one of these posters, you may lose a bit of the print unless you add a larger piece of light weight cardboard or poster board to the back extending just enough to attach a mat or frame to.  I can add a solid color border edge to the two larger posters but it will shrink the ATC images just a bit to do so.

I would love to hear some feedback on these poster images...please!  Send an email with your comments to: joanshomestudio@yahoo.com

Although I'm in the final stages of this project, I am going to try to get just a few more products in that cafe press store just for fun.  I may also be changing a couple products that are already there so if you want something from the "other than poster catagory"...key phrase is better to order sooner than later!  Keep checking that store since I probably won't have time to update any further.

I would like to thank Geree for giving me this opportunity to do one last project before my departure from Mountainair.  I would also like to thank Vanessa for keeping everyone up to date on this project through the magic of blogging.

 And finally, I would once again like to thank all the artists who submitted images for this project.  YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL AND I WILL MISS YOU ALL!
 

Warmest regards to Mountainair folk...  JOAN MARIE

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Check out my other Café Press stores at:

http://www.cafepress.com/HolidayMarket
http://www.cafepress.com/jonet54
http://www.cafepress.com/jmspiritworks
http://www.cafepress.com/bloominbirds

Thanks!  Hope you have a great day!

So what is a Blog anyway?

Time for periodic 'what is a blog' post, more in the archives. This precedes the periodic & occasionally cranky "guidelines for this blog" post.

What is a Blog?

by Darren Rowse, February 5, 2005

So what is a Blog anyway? This is a question I am asked every week via emails, conversation and IM. If you’re reading this you may well be asking the same question. There are a number of ways I could answer this question ranging from the broad to the highly technical.

Here are a few definitions to get us started:

• ‘A weblog is a hierarchy of text, images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically, that can be viewed in an HTML browser.’ Source
  ‘A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.’ Source


• ‘From “Web log.” A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.”‘ Source


• ‘A weblog is kind of a continual tour, with a human guide who you get to know. There are many guides to choose from, each develops an audience, and there’s also comraderie and politics between the people who run weblogs, they point to each other, in all kinds of structures, graphs, loops, etc.’ Source


• ‘A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.’ Source


• ‘A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files). Blogs use a conversational style of documentation. Often blogs focus on a particular “area of interest”, such as Washington, D.C.’s political goings-on. Some blogs discuss personal experiences.’ Source.
  

So What is a Blog???

Confused yet? Don’t be - its really quite simple. To put it as simply as possible - a blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.

Have a look at the main page of my blog at here for an example. for a different example you might like to look at this one (another of mine).

Ok - now you are a seasoned blog reader - you’ve seen two already at least.

Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic - there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies - blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world.

Blogs usually have a few features that are useful to know about if you want to get the most out of them as a reader. Lets examine a couple briefly.

Archives - You might look at the front page of a blog and think that there is not much to them. A few recent entries, some links to other sites and not much else. However its worth knowing that there is a lot more going on under the surface that might initially meet the eye. For example in addition to the main page of this blog - at the time of writing this post there are over 520 other pages or posts below the surface that I’ve written over the past few months.

When I write a post like this one it goes to the top of the front page. As it gets older and as I add more current posts it begins its journey down the page until it disappears from it. This is not the end of its life however, because it goes into the ‘Archives’ of my blog. It sounds like a dusty dark place but its really just like a filing cabinet that is easily accessible in a couple of ways. You can read my ‘archives’ simply by looking on the ’sidebar’ (over on the left of this blog) at the ‘archives’ or ‘categories’ section. There you will see links to all my old posts which you can access either by category. You’ll see a category for ‘Advertising’ - click that link and you’ll see all my old posts on the topic of Advertising with the most recent at the top and the oldest at the bottom.

Comments - Not all blogs use comments - but most do. This blog is not a monologue but a conversation. You can give me feedback on almost everything I write simply by clicking the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of each one of my posts. This will take you to a little form where you leave your name, email and a link to your own blog if you have one as well as your feedback, comment, critique, question, essay on why you love my blog, promise of money…. etc). Try it now. Scroll to the bottom of this page, click ‘comments’ and fill in the blanks with a little introduction to yourself.

A great way to learn about blogs is to read a few. Leave some comments, ask questions and bookmark your favourites. An even better way to learn about blogs is to start your own. Ok - you might be laughing at me now - you think you are not web savy enough to have your own site? You wouldn’t know where to start? You don’t know how?

My Secret
Let me share a secret with you - three years ago I knew nothing about blogs, I had never used the internet for anything more than email, surfing and chatting to friends and I could only barely do any of that! But one day I discovered a blog and after surfing from one to another (blogs tend to link up to other blogs a lot) for a few hours I was hooked and wanted to start my own. I found that there are free blog services that almost anyone could set up in a matter of minutes. Really it is that simple. Literally millions of people blog from around the world. Its not just something for young people, or geeks, or cool folk, or Westerners, or even for people with their own computers - instead its something virtually anyone with access to a computer and the internet once or twice a week can start up.

Are you still confused? Would you like more information? Below are a few helpful articles on the topic - there are many more on the web - just do a search on your favourite search engine.

• Rebecca Blood has written a helpful history of blogging for those who are interested in learning more about the blogging evolution over the past few years.


• Harvard Law has a helpful article titled What makes a Weblog a Weblog


• Trudy Schuett writes a good article titled What is a blog and why do we need one?
  WordPress: Introduction to Blogging


• If you are new to blogging and want some hints on how to get started - keep an eye on my Blogging for Beginners Page for more ways to explore blogging.

Update/Reminder: Posters & ATCs

submitted by Joan Marie

OOPS! Just to clarify…the title of the poster is "Mountainair Art and Artists Remembered 2007". Yes, I have designed four different versions and two different sizes for Geree to choose from. She is still getting settled in Chile so I haven't received confirmation as to which one(s) to use.

Café Press policy allows me to upload only one image per product per store so I will only be uploading two of the four posters at one time. One will be 23x35 and one will be 16x20. Please note: A standard poster frame is 24x36 so understand that the large poster in Café Press will Not fit the standard size frame.

As I mentioned before, there are other online resources for printing a 24x36 size poster. I would need to know what the interest is in ordering from other sources before I set up an account and upload the images.Also, please note that the Café Press stores listed on the blog DO NOT have the poster(s) in them. Those are stores I set up for myself last year. As they are part of my email signature, I assume she just thought that was part of the blog update email. Ever so kind of you to advertise for me Vanessa…Thanks! {Ed. Note I knew they were part of the signature but figured that since Joan is making these posters, the very least I and other blog visitors can do is check out the goods in her other café press store}

I will keep updating as everything progresses. Thanks for everyone's patience! Joan MarieAbout ATC printing:If anyone needs ATC's printed before June 9th, please let me know as soon as possible. The prices range from $3.00 - $5.00 per sheet. Each sheet will print 8-9 ATC's. You can contact me at joanshomestudio@yahoo.com. Or call 847-2436 or 847-2538

{yet another Ed Note: the ATCs Joan printed for Wana Beth and me came out great and without our having to drive to Belen, fuss with printer settings or try to explain what we needed to someone unfamiliar with either ATCs or printing art}

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Check out Joan Marie's Cafe Press stores at:

www.cafepress.com/HolidayMarketwww.cafepress.com/jonet54
www.cafepress.com/jmspiritworks
www.cafepress.com/bloominbirds

Thanks! Hope you have a great day!

New Mexico clean energy issue - DESERT ROCK

from Susanna de Falla, UNM-VC colleague and NM environmental activist.

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This is an urgent  New Mexico clean energy issue which deserves support.  Thanks for your response, Susanna

CCAE Clean Energy Network <info@NMCCAE.org> wrote:

Clean Energy Network Members,

Donations needed to support Dooda Desert Rock! Please distribute this message widely.

The group "Dooda Desert Rock" (which means "No Desert Rock" in Navajo), a group of dedicated Navajo Nation residents who are ardently opposing the Desert Rock Power Plant, and who did a great job opposing the proposed tax incentive for Desert Rock at the Legislature recently, are maintaining their vigil at the plant site in Northwest New Mexico.

One can see some photos of their activities at http://www.desert-rock-blog.com/blog/TheDoodaNoDesertRockVigil. They are running out of funding for basic operations, however, and they need additional funds to counter current propaganda efforts by proponents of the plant (more about the propaganda below).

Donations to DDR can be made online at: http://www.desert-rock-blog.com/blog/DDROnlineDonationsandContributions. We urge people to help support this crucial opposition group. Even small donations will go a long way right now. DDR continues to face well funded propaganda by the proponents of the plant.

Recently, for example, radio spots have been running which state that the proposed Desert Rock Project is a clean power plant and the opposition to the project is misguiding the public with their stated concerns of increased pollution in the four corners area. The ad continues by saying, the plant would become cleaner as it continued to operate leading to pure air and water. This flies in the face of the fact that the draft air permit contains NO limits on mercury and ozone, and is insufficient in many other ways.

Additionally, the Daily Times, the local Farmington Newspaper continues to run ads daily supporting the Desert Rock Project. DDR needs money to counter these misleading ads that DDR believes are funded by Sithe Global International.

They would like to create a response to these ads, in Navajo, to appeal to the community and elders with acute information. This is a time sensitive issue because it is very difficult to reverse public opinion once it is formed.

Please consider donating!

Ben Luce, on behalf of the New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (http://www.NMCCAE.org)

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Editor's note: I strongly recommend that any and all readers interested and involved in area environmental issues look into the Desert Rock issue, read their blog and consider involvement New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy. Clean energy is not just a local issue.

"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."   Paul Wellstone
 

Mountainair Art & Artists Poster

submitted by Joan Marie, Joan's Home Studio.

I would like to thank all who submitted images for the Mountainair Art & Artists Remembered 2007 poster.  For the past two months I've been collecting, revising to size, and attaching these images to a 24x36 size poster as well as a 16x20 size poster. This project would have been completed sooner if I had permission to use all the artist's images.  Due to lack of permission, I had to remove some of the images.  The beauty of photoshop is that I can still modify a poster design to include the artist's images that have been removed once I receive permission.

The research online for poster printing options at reasonable prices are as follows:

1]  Café Press -                        16x20  $13.95
                                                23x35  $17.95
                                                11x17  $  4.99  (Ask me about custom mini posters)

2]  dotphoto.com                      16x20  $ 9.74  (Sale price – limited time)
                                                24x36  $17.24 (Sale price – limited time)

3]  pephoto.com                       16x20  $8.00
                                                24x36  $11.45

4]  perfectposters.com              16x20  $8.33
                                                24x36  $22.50

*** Posters will be available soon in a Café Press store at cost.  Check the blog for further
information as it becomes available. ***

I would also like to thank Vanessa – big time!  Keeping a blog running is a full time job in itself but bshe goes the distance in many other ways.  If it weren't for her dedication to the artist's community, none of us would know what's going on in Mountainair.

(Blue ribbon goes here)

I will be sending the poster images to Vanessa soon.  Please feel free to leave feedback.

Thanks again!
Joan Marie

 Check out Joan's new Cafe Press stores at:
http://www.cafepress.com/HolidayMarket
http://www.cafepress.com/jonet54
http://www.cafepress.com/jmspiritworks
http://www.cafepress.com/bloominbirds

Editors note:

I have the poster images and will be resizing for blog and header
In addition to different sizes, there are 4 versions:
Mountainair Art & Artists, Mountainair Memory (2), SW Artists Memory

Doesn't that tempt YOU to make a poster??

 

Sunday squibs

Drop by the B Street Market and take a gander at the changes if you have not done so recently. You'll be surprised — maybe even momentarily disoriented. The grocery is taking on a new look without losing its long familiar atmosphere and flavor. In addition to expanding the inventory, the B Street Boys, are widening aisles and making the store look airier and more spacious. Not to worry though — the cheese, the bacon and familiar monkey print are still there. Let them know what you think of changes as well as what you would rather not see changed. Thank them too for their contribution to the upcoming arts tour. Ask them what they have in mind for Jubilee. A recent blog commenter, Just Wondering (don't we all?), came up with the name B Street Boys for the new owners. I wish I had — am just pinching it but crediting sources (practicing what I preach to keep my creds in working order).

Kathleen Clute, who writes the Deer Canyon Homeowners newsletter yclept Chronicles when not composing, playing the piano or on the road, kindly let me know that the Deer Canyon Homeowners Association Open House will indeed coincide with Sunflower Folk Art Day (fie fie on the back row "faux art day" mutterers) rather than the annual Mountainair Arts Tour weekend. However, there will be an event scheduled for the tour weekend, one geared to prospective buyers and listing the tour as a 'main event' attraction for visitors. I do hope they won't be as disappointed as some in state daytrippers have been by past events. I'll try to remember to including latest Deer Canyon links here even if they too are portals to yet another species of gated community. Word has it that Alan and Kathleen will be developing an arts council web page too.

Bosque Farms explores setting up EMS service with volunteer staff, from Valencia County News Bulletin - Belen, NM.

Gayle Jones, the village of Bosque Farms clerk-administrator and Mountainair EMT and firefighter for more than 21 years, is heading up an effort to establish and emergency medical service in Bosque Farms. She is also a certified EMS instructor-coordinator through the University of New Mexico.

Mountainair and the informal economy — the topic of a Mountainair flea market and farmers' market comes up regularly, with various solid locations having been put forth. The lot on the US60W curve across from the elementary school is a perennial favorite. Main across from the Shaffer and the Iveys' lot on the corner of US60 & Roosevelt (recently become a used car lot —  the high  chain link fence was a clue) have also been put forth.

Last summer Jess Davidson made art alley available at no charge as an open air market for artists and artisans. It did not take off but is still a good idea and great location well worth cultivating, promoting, taking back to the drawing board for tweaking. My money (such as it is, not much) is on the Arts Tour giving it a the shot in the arm because of it being the premier alt.tour.arts location. Judy Mowris reports two tents booked for the alley and at least two, if not more, colorful alt.tour banners. Her "tunnel of art" dream (series of tents with adjacent sides opened up, connecting to make a tunnel) is on its way.

Bear in mind too that the ersatz element is part of the local informal economy and national flea market trend — part of any event here, not going away just for being short on aesthetic appeal. Think of ersatz as a true and authentic (as opposed to the pseudo populism inherent in co-opting folk art forms) populist manifestation, albeit less aesthetic. I'm with Jude agreeing with 'Just' about working together to dress up informal venues with attractive banners and signage.

On flea and farmers' markets elsewhere:
In the flea market's rise, an economic saga, "Part hobby mecca, part Five and Dime, flea market takes its place as an 'informal economy' thrives," by Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, September 16, 2004 ( The town described is not in NM but still sounds a lot like here)

 

AbobeUSA: International Conference in NM

ANNOUNCING ADOBEUSA 2007:
The Adobe Association of the Southwest's Fourth
International Conference in New Mexico

THE CONFERENCE
May 18- 20, Earth architecture specialists from as many as
15 nations will offer presentations on earth architecture at
the May 18-19, 2007 conference of the Adobe Association of
the Southwest on the campus of Northern New Mexico College
in ElRito, New Mexico. Distinguished guests will travel 45
miles northeast of Santa Fe, from Asia, Africa, Europe and
from South America. Sponsored by the Adobe Association of
the Southwest, this conference is the only one of its kind
in the United States and grew out of the Adobe Construction
Building Program at Northern New Mexico College in El Rito.
A committed and growing international community of
architects, builders, conservationists, historians,
geologists, environmentalists and scholars will share their
experiences. Presentations will cover the cultural,
historical and technical aspects of the global adobe
building tradition and focus on modern concepts in art,
solar power and earthquake durability.

WORKSHOPS
May 14-17 The workshops Building with Adobe, Improvised
Materials, Domes and Tools and Rammed Earth Methods and
Tools will be offered by the college in the week before the
conference.

TRADE FAIR AND EXHIBITS
May 18-21, The Association will host New Mexico's first
adobe Trade Fair and Exhibition for suppliers, builders,
designers and publishers free to the public. The will be
exhibits of the Northern New Mexico's campus programs,
including Spanish Colonial Woodworking and Weaving as well
as historical exhibits of local buildings.

ADOBE MUSTERS
May 18-19, We will have an on-site adobe making yard to
benefit the local community of El Rito and to fulfill a plan
for open air classrooms of handmade structures on the
campus. Parents and students from the areas high schools are
invited to tour the exhibits, the college campus' cultural
programs, participate in the adobe brick making and attend a
number of select conference presentations.

TOURS
May 21-22, Two tours are being offered after the conference;
"Adobe Building In Taos" and "Adobe Building in Chaco"

For more information please see: http//www.adobeasw.com

<http://www.adobeasw.com>

alt.tour banners

Submitted by Judy Mowris:

If any artist or studio would like an alt.tour.arts banner to
display during the art tour on June 9th, please let me know here on the blog no later than next Wednesday, May 16th. I am presently making a few street banners for the Desert Sunrise Coffeehouse on 4th St in Albuquerque so my time is budgeted. Jude

Arts Tour: echte, alt dot, ersatz, etcetera

Less than a month to the annual arts tour. True to form, tour hit speed bumps (perhaps more than even usual - therein lie tales not to be parsed) but is now picking up momentum and unveiling developments as it veers, swerves, lurches, dashing sprightly & headlong into final stages. All forms listed in title - echte, alt dot, ersatz, etcetera - contribute to Mountainair's annual Arts Tour. The more & the more varied the better. I hope to be adding to this list as the weeks dwindle into days and the tour is once more upon us.

echte, German adj. = genuine, real thing. In addition to echte tour usuals (studio & gallery open houses, exhibits at community center, silent auction), Tour 2007 introduces art tees (embellished by local and out of town artists) shown off during the tour before entering the silent auction, Artist Trading Cards (ATC) demo & swap table gallantly forging on despite original organizer taking French leave, ample exhibit at Celeste Simon's Broadway studio, Mixed Media Arts, by the painters of "Art Etcetera" - the famous or ought to be so Thursday painting group (they deserve an entire post all to themselves and will get one), and a post tour wine and tapas party at the community center. Tees & atcs (Sunflower warmup really) are creating quite a buzz and could end up each becoming event signatures.

B Street Market's "official" opening on June 9th, concurrent with and part of tour festivities, will have a spacewalk, clown, facepainting, balloon animals in the parking lot. Scott tells me there will be more going on in the store too - still in the planning stage. Someone told me that the Deer Canyon Homeowners' Association Open House is scheduled for June 8th & 9th and should bring a lot of new visitors to town for the festivities. This contradicts information on the "Deer Canyon folks" page, which puts their open house on the same day as Sunflower. Never mind - we'll get them for at least one - and let you know which.

Tour is further enriched by the efforts of alt.tour and etcetera - even ersatz though some may be loathe to admit it. Ersatz, more like our own cross-eyed bear, is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement. Often associated with really bad pseudo coffee during WW2, the English term often implies that the substitution is of unsatisfactory or inferior quality. This connotation does not necessarily exist in the German context.

Here the word covers the legion of miscellaneous & sometimes fleazey storefront, curbside, roadside efforts that spring up during events. "Ersatz" can morph into "etcetera" with a touch of humor and creative attention design and detail - perhaps enhanced by attractive homemade signage. Goes with the territory and the most we can hope for is eventually upgrading as local vendors take note of a (hopefully) clear correlation between attractive displays of quality items and improved sales. Until then, chalk ersatz in the quirky local color column and be gracious.

alt dot = alt.tour.arts (taking off from the classic news newsgroup designation) = alternate tour, arts (I did the naming - by whimsy, on a whim - picking alt. tour.arts over alt.arts.tour because it was an alternative track to the echte tour but hardly likely to become a hotbed of alternative arts, edgy and pushing the cultural envelope. Judy Mowris, leading the alt dot charge - complete with whimsical dancing folk art bird, will pitch her tent (literally & surely colorfully decorated) in Art Alley. As Judy's posted in comments, other local alt.tour artists are welcome to join her in Art Alley and - if they get on the stick & let Judy know - get a banner. This exhibition opportunity is thanks to Jess Davidson & his always generous support & even handed support of local arts and artists.

etcetera = all other genuine arts tour efforts not echte, alt (no dancing alt.tour banner) or ersatz. "Etcetera" overlaps somewhat with alt and includes studios and businesses open for occasion but not signed/ paid up for echte tour and flying own banner (if flying one at all). Some "etcetera" efforts (Senior Center, Dragon Ash Forge) regularly make it onto the echte tour map when tour day draws nigh and the map still looks thin. Best, however, not to count on that. Check in at the blog - let me know your details: I'll write you up and put you on the blog map.

Several of this year "etcetera" offerings are indeed promising. In particular, Joan Page's "Jolly Roger" flag, theme and acccompanying merchandise at her Out of Tyme Shoppe comes to mind. And there are bound to be all manner of pirate themed chocolate treasures for swashbucklers. Stay tuned & check back for more etceteras out there awaiting unveiling...

See, I told you - tour is coming together. And this is only part of the story....

Catching up - somewhat at least

Ooops, I'm behind posting even more than I thought. Unsure what to blame - some vile bug making rounds, allergies, incipient migraines or spring winds. After all, both the mistral in southern France & sirocco in N. Africa get cited - even legally - as extenuating circumstances. Whatever. Despites sense of being aesthetically and conceptually wrung out, fizzled rather than fizzy, I'll truck (or rather blog) on, hoping to make some sense - catch up before I brain fog out for the day.

Yes that also means delays in the promised monthly calendar. At least I took down the link sending you to the out-of-date April calendar. Filling in somewhat, minus out of town stuff, since I can already tell I am beginning to run out of gas for the day

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo - I don't know what local festivities have been scheduled - let alone times or locations. Please let me know so I can post information about them here. This major holiday for the Hispanic community commemorates the defeat of Napoleon III's French army by Texas born General Zaragosa at Puebla, Mexico, on the morning of May 5, 1862.

May 5 - Celeste Simon's one woman show opens at Cibola (going from mud to myth, one might say). Saturday reception.

Afghanistan scenery, more images at http://www.afghan-web.com/gallery/

May 9 - Community Potluck, 2nd Wednesday rather than usual 1st Wednesday, 5:30 pm, 609 Beal, ample street parking. BBQ theme - bring something to throw on the grill or a picnic style dish to share. This visiting archeologists/ preservationists from Afghanistan here to work and trainwith our National Park Service district are this month's special guests. Personally, I am beyond thrilled because one of my best friends and roommate at the American University at Cairo was Afghani - emtionally if not logically valid, it's a opp for surrogate hospitality. Local can indeed be as global as you let it. Want to try out an Afghani dish at the potluck? This has to be the first time SOAR (for Searchable Online Archive of Recipes, originally a Berkeley .edu database site) has ever drawn a blank. However, AsiaRecipe.com has an Afghan recipe page, as do "food down under" (presumably an Aussie page) and Anthropology of Food. Be a thoughtful host and bone up on Afghanistan at Afghanistan Online and Lonely Planet

Afghan Spice Rub

3 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoons ground cardamom
3 tablespoons cumin seed
1 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons tumeric

Grind all ingredients together with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container. Makes 1/3 cup. Can be rubbed into meat two hours before grilling

May 12 - Cowboy's & Rose's (collectibles & antiques with a Western flair) Official Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting (it's been open for business but this is the official hoopla & celebration). Music, refreshments.

RECOMMENDED - good deed clicks for the day

Feed the hungry with with a click at The Hunger Site http://www.thehungersite.com/. Tabs at
the top of the page take you to Breast Cancer, Child Health Site, Literacy,
Rainforest and Animal Rescue sites, where you can fund mamograms, vaccinations,
reforestation projects and feed abandoned animals with more clicks. You can also
subscribe to daily click reminders by e-mail.

And may we recommend... your local library. Books, audiobooks, videos, public access internet, government forms and documents, books from just about anywhere by interlibrary loan, donated free mags (box at entry), books for sale (selection continually updated - hardback $1 & paperback .50, so don't spend your used book dollars in abq or Santa Fe without checking here 1st), and . Library Hours are: T 9-12; W 9-1; Th 9-1; F 10-4; Sat 9-1. Monthly bookmobile visits, usually 1st Thursday of month. Hours may change somewhat at end of school year

Coming up - tour & alt.tour updates (spoiler - keep your eyes open for the Jolly Roger), atcs, Jubilee (if someone will send me a report), Sunflower Folk Art Day, and more.