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Jul

The August Show

An apt metaphor for The August Show at ART123 Gallery–opening Saturday, August 10 from 7 – 9pm (during ArtsCrawl)–is an illuminating prism. Showcasing 22 local artists and over 70 artworks in a variety of media, it provides an array of diverse perspectives into Gallup’s past and present.

Importantly, two-thirds of the featured artists are Native, representing the first peoples to call what we now know as Gallup home—as Diné artist Clint Holtsoi’s painting “We Never Left” reminds us—by sharing stories, beliefs and imagery from their cultures.

Zuni artist Dennis Dewa Jr. is quick to point out that the Zuni people are an essential part of Gallup’s history, diversity and community: “As I deconstruct the ‘diversity’ in the area, I find myself part of it,” he says. Dewa’s paintings reflect Zuni values.

By Dennis Dewa Jr.
We Never Left by Clint Holtsoi
By Adam Maria
By Kelly Stapp

For The August Show, Diné artist Adam Maria explores a new (for him) medium: pencil drawing. Maria’s drawings recreate historic photographs of Navajo people. “The people in the photos have stories to tell. The drawings hopefully show a bit of these tales,” he says.

Diné artist Adam Maria Indigenizes Gallup’s history by recreating historic photographs of Navajo people in pencil sketches and drawings. “The people in the photos have stories to tell,” he says. “The drawings hopefully show a bit of these tales.”

Diné artist Sage Addington also re-imagines historic photographs in a series entitled “Memory Lane,” combining past and present in digital art. “My Cheii told me about how much he has seen Gallup change through the years; dirt roads now pathed, bridges now made, and caves covered up,” she says. “I always wondered what it would be like to walk through old Gallup…the stories the streets could tell, the things the walls have seen, the Gallupians who have walked where I’ve walked, lived where I’ve lived, and strolled through the same memory lanes.”

A highlight of The August Show is a collaborative painting by the Gallup Art Club that speaks to the spirit of the Show and the heart of Gallup. As the
Club explains, “The artwork is a collaboration between four Gallup artists of four different ethnicities. It is done in a variety of styles, showing three different animals enjoying spring blessings and leaving in peace together in Gallup.”

To that end, Native artist Demetria Dale, who uses color to access emotions and lines to explore different perspectives in painting, sums up The August Show saying, “Art can bring many diversities together to create an inspiring community from our history.

By Meetch Dale
Collaboration by the Gallup Art Club

Hear directly from The August Show artists in an artist talk at 7:00pm on Tuesday, August 27 at ART123 Gallery (as part of the monthly 2^nd Look on 2^nd Street event, which runs from 6 – 8pm).

Jun

Square Off!

An interactive and collaborative exhibit at ART123 Gallery

gallupARTS is excited to announce Square Off!, an interactive exhibition at ART123 Gallery, opening Saturday, July 13 and running through Saturday, August 3.

Featuring artists Duhon James, Jason Redhouse, Mackenzie Cheama and Tasha N., Square Off! is a unique community collaboration. Everyone—artists, non-artists, kids, adults—are invited to help recreate four artworks, one by each of the four featured artists, on a larger-than-life scale. Your mission: to reproduce a portion of the artwork of your choice in a small square, which will be patched together with squares made by other participants to form a giant version of the original. The catch: you don’t get to know what the original artworks look like! The artwork images will be revealed when their composite versions are completed.

For now, we’re only revealing the titles and a small detail of each Square Off! artwork:

– Mackenzie Cheama is a Zuni tattoo artist. “It’s been a constant inspiration to me to try and create a place for myself that respects and reflects both of my communities—tattoo culture and my Zuni background.” The title of his secret Square Off! artwork is “Leave Your Legacy.”

– Duhon James is a Diné printmaker and artist from Ganado, AZ now living in Santa Fe. Duhon’s work focuses on storytelling, combining his interests in Diné culture and traditions, petroglyphs and hieroglyphs, and aliens and UFOs. The title of his Square Off! artwork is “Woshdee (Come in): Abduction Under Three Stars.”

– Jason Redhouse is a Diné artist with roots in graffiti and street art who developed his own style by traveling the country. “Everything I know is self-taught and learned from trial and error,” he says, crediting his “get-it-done upbringing” for his success. Jason’s Square Off! contribution is called “Purple Rain” and is accompanied by the following poem:

Colors of harmony. Shapes of peace.

A bird of beauty and grace.

Fearless. Swift. Courageous.

Time binds none,

But your mind.

Be free as the bird,

In the rain.

– Tasha N. Is a Diné mixed media artist. Tasha’s Square Off! artwork, “Na’nizhoozhi,” explores the concept of place. “I like to think that I am not only the result of the nurturing of my mother and family but also the land,” she says. “The land and places of my past and present continue to shape a large part of me and my thought process.”

Stop by ART123 during regular hours or a special event to Square Off! and create a square (or two!) to contribute to the collaboration:

– ArtsCrawl: Saturday, July 13 from 7 – 9pm

– 2^nd Look on 2^nd Street: Tuesday, July 23 from 6 – 8pm

– Regular Hours (Tuesday – Friday: 1 – 5pm and Saturdays: 12 – 4pm)

gallupARTS will celebrate the success of the Square Off! challenge with an Artist Reception on Saturday, August 3 from 2 – 4pm. Come by to meet Square Off!’s featured artists, see the completed collaborations, and enjoy light refreshments.

Mar

The April Show at ART123 Gallery

The April Show

gallupARTS is pleased to announce The April Show at ART123 Gallery, opening Saturday, April 13 and running through Tuesday, May 7.

Just in time for the beginning of spring, The April Show will highlight artwork that is inspirational and transformational. This mixed media show will feature a diverse group 20 local artists—photographers, painters, a jeweler, emerging artists, established artists, Native and non-Native artists.

Each artist has a unique take on The April Show’s spring theme. Jeweler Benjamin Sears creates wire-wrapped jewelry from stones sourced from the New Mexico desert and heritage mines. He also creates jewelry from electroformed leaves and other organic materials gathered from the landscape and turned into copper.

Electroformed copper pendant by Benjamin Sears.
By Alexis Callahan.

Photographer Alexis Callahan says, “As a gal from the mid-west and recent transplant to New Mexico, when I think of spring, storms come to mind. Storms are a renewal of the land for the coming year. The sky here is beautiful when storms roll in.”

Sage Addington celebrates new beginnings with work that reflects on her renewed relationship with her dad, which has grown through road trips. “Maybe it’s the thrill of just being around my dad or the beauty of New Mexico, but everywhere my dad takes me feels like a foreign planet,” says Sage. “The goal in enhancing and playing with the saturation in the already compelling photos of New Mexico is to give the looker the same bright, foreign, and enchanted feeling I get when I take road trips with my dad.”

Artist Ken Van Brett has a spiritual take on the theme. “The imagery in my work relates to the emergence of prayer, the cycle of seasons and transformation,” he says. “The feather portraits are a part of this on-going narrative, expressing the spiritual through the physical.”

By Ken Van Brott.
By Padma Komaravolu.
Little Water by JR Sanders.

Plein air landscape painter JR Sanders says he aims “to capture what nature reveals to me as I stand in front of her with a brush in hand. My work will be centered around this concept as spring comes to life in the Gallup region.”

Finally, artist Padma Komaravolu connected the theme to her culture: “I have been living in Gallup for 9 years but I am originally from South India. Every start of spring we celebrate a festival called Holi welcoming the new season, which is also the start of our New year.”

The opening of The April Show will be Saturday, April 13 from 7 – 9pm (during ArtsCrawl).

Additionally, an Artist Talk by Padma Komaravolu will be held in conjunction with The April Show as part of 2^nd Look on 2^nd Street on Tuesday, April 23. 2^nd Look from 2^nd Street runs from 6 – 8pm and the Artist Talk at ART123 will be at 7:30pm. Making the Artist Talk extra special, event attendees can sample Padma’s Ugadi Pachadi, the traditional Indian dish of neem flowers, mango, tamarind, jaggery, salt and chillies eaten to welcome Spring. The flavors of this dish—bitter, sour, sweet, salty and spicy—symbolize the essence of life. Padma will also set up a photo booth, where visitors can play with colors à la the Holi festival (where participants throw colored water on each other).

The April Show is on view through May 7.

ART123 Gallery is open Tuesday – Friday from 1pm – 5pm and Saturdays from 12pm – 4pm.

Feb

gallupARTS’ 5th Annual Youth Art Show

Lincoln Elementary
Six Directions Indigenous School
Christensen Home School

gallupARTS’ largest ever show of student artwork will range from pre-school students’ embroidery and sewing to self portraits by mid and high school students. This work comes from 14 schools, 15 teachers and 200 students who will participate from across McKinley County. Some schools are returning and will have participated in all 5 years of shows and others are entering for the first time. New this year are two charter schools and home schooled students. Across the board, you will see high quality and original artwork in many different styles and media.

The 5^th Annual Youth Art Show is held in March to coincide with National Youth Art Month and the opening is held in conjunction with the first ArtsCrawl of the season. gallupARTS is proud to help recognize Gallup’s up-and-coming generation of talented artists and their hard-working teachers who bring out students’ creativity. Please come out and see their work on opening night on March 9. The show runs through April 10.

Participating Schools and Teacher Name are:

Christensen Home School: Anna Christensen

Crownpoint High School: Cynthia Hanna

Crownpoint Mid School: Psyche Read

Gallup Mid School: Michael Gambil

Hozho Academy: Kelly Stapp

Lincoln Elementary: Jalal Quinn

Mariano Lake Community School: Stacey Hunkus

Miyamura High School: Tine Hayes

Navajo Elementary: Amy Braden

Six Directions Indigenous School: Sage Addison

Thoreau Mid School: Mark Ruschmeier

Tohatchi High School: Kelly Sari

Tohatchi Mid School: Melissa Novak

Twin Lakes Elementary: Amanda Penaloza

Jan

What is the 15 in 30 Challenge?

The 15 in 30 challenge is an invitation to 28 local artists to create 15 original, 2D artworks within a 30 day time frame, funded by a grant from New Mexico Arts.

Dana Aldis, who initially brought the concept to gallupARTS, first discovered the art challenge while living in Seattle, WA. Her first experience, called the Forgotten Works Challenge, invited artists to create 30 8” x 10” artworks in 30 days. She was hooked. She went on to participate in two more of the Forgotten Works Challenges, before bringing the Challenge idea with her to Moscow and Lewiston, Idaho.

The concept of the “art challenge” is pretty recent (in the last decade or so), perhaps due to the rise of social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Artists are now more able than ever to post and promote their work to a wide audience and to network with each other. By asking artists to focus on creating a series of works in a condensed timeline, art challenges are the perfect fodder for social media–artists can update followers daily, the challenge becomes a hashtag, and soon enough the idea is trending.

Some art challenges have very specific themes (Inktober or the Strada Easel Challenge) and others allow the participating artist free rein. The beauty of a the 15 in 30 challenge is that the artwork can be viewed and appreciated in-person and not just online, and purchased by the local community as well. It also gives the participating artists a local network of artists to connect with during and hopefully after the challenge.

And those aren’t the only reasons the 15 in 30 challenge is a fantastic opportunity for local artists. For the seasoned artist, it allows them to concentrate on a specific theme or concept for a limited series of artwork. The challenge provides a chance to try a new technique or expand on a subject they’ve been meaning to attempt. The challnege is also a great way for beginner artists to create and show a body of work and to be discovered by the community and their peers.

The 15 in 30 challenge is also an opportunity for the community. When else can you see 420 artworks made by 28 artists all in one place?! For the art lovers, it is a great opportunity to purchase a smaller, more affordable original piece of art (or two or three!) and start a collection. All artworks will be sold for between $25 and $50. The “15 in 30” show is a not-to-miss opportunity for the Gallup community to support local artists and grow our creative economy.

The 28 artists selected for the 15 in 30 challenge represent a wonderful mix of styles, techniques and experience. We can’t wait to show you the diversity of local talent. Expect to see collage, painting, drawing, and creative ways of filling a 5 x 7″ canvas. Look out for landscape, portrait, abstract and still life paintings! See what the artists are creating by following the #gallup15in30 hashtag on Instagram.

by Tasha N.
by Rita Hubbell
by Levon Loncassion
by Shawn Ahkeah

Mark your calendars for the Show Opening Saturday, February 9^h from 6:30-8:30pm. Meet the artists and learn more about their work.

The artists will also be available to share their experiences with the general public during 2^nd Look on 2^nd Street on Tuesday, February 19 from 6 – 8pm. Dana Aldis will present an Artist Talk that evening at 7:30pm.

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The August Show

Square Off!

Square Off!

An interactive and collaborative exhibit at ART123 Gallery

The April Show at ART123 Gallery

The April Show

gallupARTS’ 5th Annual Youth Art Show

gallupARTS’ 5th Annual Youth Art Show

What is the 15 in 30 Challenge?

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