October 7, 2010
The beady-eyed, fluffy creatures inhabiting the bins of fly fishing shops resemble toys – but their sharp hooks and precise details are a reminder that they are in fact gear for the skilled hands of fishermen.
The Plopper, Dragon Slayer, Royal Parachute and the Poundmeister are a few notable ties that Taylor Streit, founder of Taos Fly Shop, invented. “Ties are named all kind of crazy stuff,” said Streit, holding up a Mickey Finn.
“You can make up anything you want, call it what you want but the whole idea is that certain patterns are proven to be more effective bait,” added Streit, who is also the author of three fly fishing books.
Depending on weather patterns, season, water temperature and cloud coverage, fish might favor one insect and its corresponding bait over another. “Whatever’s most prolific at a certain time, that’s what they’ll feed on,” said Streit.
Most flies mimic aquatic insects – caddis flies, mayflies, stoneflies, midges – and all of their sub-groups, which may vary in size, shape and color. And, adding to the multitude of possibilities, flies are made that resemble these creatures at every stage of the life cycle from larva to adult. Flies are also made in the form of terrestrials such as beatles and grasshoppers.
Raw materials for fly tying include beaver and squirrel dubbing, turkey hackle, rabbit zonkers, hair stackers and gold mylar cord among others. “Sometimes people will take some hair from their dog, if it matches the color of some insect they saw on the water,” said fishing guide Daniel Gentle.
Gentle started his fly, the Crystal Serendipity, with a gold bead. The bead was chosen because it draws the fish’s attention and also creates weight–to sink the fly into the range of the deeper swimmers.
He then wrapped gold wire up and down the length of the bright green body, to add durability. Two four-inch pieces of peacock feather were wrapped behind the eye and became like a tiny, feather boa. After the excess was trimmed a zig zag tool tightened up the details and the caddis larva rendition was complete.
“That thing would catch fish in a bathtub,” said Streit.
Streit gleaned much of his expertise from fishing and tying with legendary, recently deceased, fisherman Frances Betters.
“He taught me to tie the ausable wolf, the famous fly he came up with. He found that woodchuck tail was the prime ingredient for that particular fly. Every time we saw a woodchuck on the road we’d pick it up. We used to pick all kinds of critters up off the road… porcupines…” says Streit.
Fly fishing dates back nearly two thousand years, according to www.flyfishinghistory.com and fly tying has evolved somewhat over the years. Traditionally hunters would kill game such as grouse, deer, elk and Hungarian Partridges for materials. Nowadays, natural materials are often used in combination with synthetics such as plastic and polyester.
Usually when tying a fly, fishermen will follow pre-set instructions in order to mimic a creature found in nature. Other times they’ll make an “attracter” or “stimulator” fly that looks like a non-specific flying creature and hope for a pleasant surprise.
Hot pink fur spiked up from the tip of Taylor Streit’s latest creation, and a splash of yellow circled its belly. “You’re gonna have to find a gullible trout to eat this one,” he said, with a chuckle.
Fly fishing is generally used for trout because they are so hard to catch, explained Gentle. “But you can fly fish for anything.” He whipped out some black feathery flies as examples of bait for pike, a pre-historic looking fish occasionally caught in our region. Because of the popularity of the sport, ‘catch and release’ is the favored philosophy of most guides. “If everyone kept what they fished, there would be no fish left,” said Gentle.
Once a respectable fly has been tied and appropriately selected for the conditions of the moment, there’s still no guarantee it will catch fish.
“It’s about making the fly look like a natural insect on the water. I tell people, ‘See that grasshopper? Look at it closely, how it moves, how is the water taking it… Fly selection is important but the ability to fish it is equally if not more important,” said Gentle.
“To see fish eat the fly is the best part,” said Streit. “To have a fly you made, throw it in the water and see the fish open its mouth and eat it, it’s amazing.”
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
On the Radio!
Hello Everyone,
This blog is predominantly my (partial) article but I must post this important news:
I will be on Art of the Song radio show this week, sharing a piece I wrote about using free form dance to access creativity.
Please go to www.artofthesong.org and find out if you can hear the show in your area this week. After that the show should be available on their website.
Thanks!
Tara
This blog is predominantly my (partial) article but I must post this important news:
I will be on Art of the Song radio show this week, sharing a piece I wrote about using free form dance to access creativity.
Please go to www.artofthesong.org and find out if you can hear the show in your area this week. After that the show should be available on their website.
Thanks!
Tara
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Potent Whisperings
For a chunk of my life, I avoided shy people, assuming they had nothing to say. Then one day I realized that if I quit blabbering for a minute, they’d often utter something that would blow my mind.
The etchings and pencil drawings in Sara Honeycutt’s show “New Drawings” at the New Gallery on 108b Dona Luz will not hit you over the head with irony, political statements or blasts of color. Like with a shy person, you must be silent for a few moments to invite their potent whisperings.
A three-year-old clutches a bowl of fresh-picked plums and offers a blessing through wide, innocent eyes. Two bare feet nuzzle and create a basket for an egg. A woman holds a mango to her face, her eyes closed in sublime appreciation. If you get close enough, you can feel the delicate touch of her subjects, taste their contentment.
“These are a reminder of that peace and comfort and simplicity we all have at particular times of our day or lives. Every person needs that – that’s what keeps us going,” says Honeycutt.
Honeycutt’s first child, India, was born four years ago and her energy parades through many of the works, whether she’s modeling or making marks of her own. Her scribbles dance along the top edge of a portrait and one line even wanders rebelliously down through the subject’s face.
“When she did that, it scared me to death,” says Honeycutt. “But then I kept it… I love having her marks in there.”
Scrawled beneath “Plums,” a portrait of India, are excerpts from Honeycutt’s journal, raw with emotion of new motherhood. “I used to just take off whenever I would feel trapped, just go out to the trails or across the country but now that I have every thing I’ve ever wanted I have no escape,” she writes.
“India, I’m so sorry I’ve been a beast for days. What mother can be an artist without family, child help or money… I know how to get us untrapped, except it’s almost 3 a.m. now, will I remember in the morning?”
When Honeycutt was nine she was faced with the decision of whether to be an artist or a writer. “Somehow I knew I couldn’t do both, and there were artists in my family so I knew it could be done and that I loved doing it,” she says. She worked as an illustrator for magazines, newspapers and books for over a decade, always making time for her personal expression whether through self-portraits or sketchbook journaling.
The writing she’s begun to include in her work is a long-awaited celebration of both her childhood passions.
In one of her etchings, an assortment of amorphous cookies cool on a wire rack. Beneath it she writes about baking cookies and muffins with India, at home “where love resides.” But domestic bliss is not without its strife. She writes on, “Money worry slumped on the couch next to food stamp papers. How much did you make last month? At home where we are… is no I to be taken down, degraded.”
Below this piece is one of India’s scribble drawings, made into an etching. Its spontaneity grabs the viewer – it’s like a woman whirling, untamed and ecstatic. Honeycutt says India’s prints are one of the gallery’s most popular items.
For more information call New Gallery, which also displays recycled art lamps and psychedelic monoprints by Jan Nelson, at 575 779-7657 or email saramaji@gmail.com
The etchings and pencil drawings in Sara Honeycutt’s show “New Drawings” at the New Gallery on 108b Dona Luz will not hit you over the head with irony, political statements or blasts of color. Like with a shy person, you must be silent for a few moments to invite their potent whisperings.
A three-year-old clutches a bowl of fresh-picked plums and offers a blessing through wide, innocent eyes. Two bare feet nuzzle and create a basket for an egg. A woman holds a mango to her face, her eyes closed in sublime appreciation. If you get close enough, you can feel the delicate touch of her subjects, taste their contentment.
“These are a reminder of that peace and comfort and simplicity we all have at particular times of our day or lives. Every person needs that – that’s what keeps us going,” says Honeycutt.
Honeycutt’s first child, India, was born four years ago and her energy parades through many of the works, whether she’s modeling or making marks of her own. Her scribbles dance along the top edge of a portrait and one line even wanders rebelliously down through the subject’s face.
“When she did that, it scared me to death,” says Honeycutt. “But then I kept it… I love having her marks in there.”
Scrawled beneath “Plums,” a portrait of India, are excerpts from Honeycutt’s journal, raw with emotion of new motherhood. “I used to just take off whenever I would feel trapped, just go out to the trails or across the country but now that I have every thing I’ve ever wanted I have no escape,” she writes.
“India, I’m so sorry I’ve been a beast for days. What mother can be an artist without family, child help or money… I know how to get us untrapped, except it’s almost 3 a.m. now, will I remember in the morning?”
When Honeycutt was nine she was faced with the decision of whether to be an artist or a writer. “Somehow I knew I couldn’t do both, and there were artists in my family so I knew it could be done and that I loved doing it,” she says. She worked as an illustrator for magazines, newspapers and books for over a decade, always making time for her personal expression whether through self-portraits or sketchbook journaling.
The writing she’s begun to include in her work is a long-awaited celebration of both her childhood passions.
In one of her etchings, an assortment of amorphous cookies cool on a wire rack. Beneath it she writes about baking cookies and muffins with India, at home “where love resides.” But domestic bliss is not without its strife. She writes on, “Money worry slumped on the couch next to food stamp papers. How much did you make last month? At home where we are… is no I to be taken down, degraded.”
Below this piece is one of India’s scribble drawings, made into an etching. Its spontaneity grabs the viewer – it’s like a woman whirling, untamed and ecstatic. Honeycutt says India’s prints are one of the gallery’s most popular items.
For more information call New Gallery, which also displays recycled art lamps and psychedelic monoprints by Jan Nelson, at 575 779-7657 or email saramaji@gmail.com
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Arte De Descartes
August 27, 2009
A mangled old shoe sole, a crushed pair of glasses and a flattened rusted spray can are among Stu Wittwer’s coveted stash of art supplies. Using screws and wire, he joins these and other precious found items together to create sculptures. “Movie Man” is a robot made almost entirely from parts of a deconstructed 16mm Bell & Howell projector, no longer functioning because its worn parts are no longer sold. The coiled filament light now perches at the end of a branch-like metal arm, facing the viewer as if to say “I’m back!”
Join Wittwer and over 50 other artists for “Arte De Descartes IX,” which translates to “Art from Discards,” the ninth annual recycled art show at the Stables Gallery on 133 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte. Opening reception is Saturday, August 29 from 4-8 p.m., with live music provided Sunshine Archestra, formerly the Sunshine Marching Band and Atzlan.
“A lot of these artists are obscure, they do their own things and don’t really use phones or email. They come out of the wood work for this show,” says Melissa Larson, organizer of this juried show. Larson is also the founder of Wholly Rags, a non-profit dedicated to local recycling efforts. The show is an opportunity to explore the more playful and fun side of recycling, she explains. In conjunction with the show will be a Recycled Fashion Fair on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 5-7pm and a Recycling Meeting on Saturday Sept. 12 at 1pm.
Featuring mostly local artists, the show also includes pieces from an Ohio artist who weaves fabric softener drier sheets; a Texan with a penchant for shredded tablecloths and a Minnesotan who makes gourd-headed spirit dolls. Invited artists include Erin Currier, Lydia Garcia, Starr, Ed Larson and Terrie Mangat.
Mangat is a local, internationally renowned quilt artist who uses a range of techniques to create her brilliantly colored and textured works. She is currently working on a piece about water and when I spoke with her, was in the midst of sewing 100 crystals into the fabric.
“I also use acrylic paints, beads, hand embroidery and sometimes leather,” she says. “I have a huge stash of stuff that I work from. It’s been accumulating since I was 11 years old, when I used to take the public bus (in Kentucky) to the fabric shops.”
Joel Lage, also an invited artist, has been making recycled art since 1970. His school bus art studio near Penasco is packed with reclaimed items awaiting resurrection. “If there’s an arroyo with no junk in it, I’ve already been there,” he says.
“Study Hall Fantasy” is an old school desk with a ceiling fan, a rudder and a fog light mounted onto it. “Pull Toy” is a five-gallon gas can riding in a wagon adorned with tin cans and brass parts. “My theme is to take mundane, common place objects and make them look precious,” he says.
Kelly Barrett’s work traverses many media and now includes improvisational performance art that aims to “translate the spirit of the environment.” She borrowed an outfit from a friend years ago (a practice she formerly eschewed) which she wore in tranquil natural setting in France. A spontaneous dialogue emerged between her and mother nature, her movements became a sort of dance, giving birth to a new creative outlet. Borrowed clothing continues to be a key ingredient in opening the dialogue channels.
A self-proclaimed pack rat, Barrett chose a box of maps collected during her travels around the world, as her material for a recycled art piece. She glued them on top of one another, compressed them in a flower press and then cut out shapes. The resulting installation is a glorious nature scene (with roads and interstate highways winding through if you look closely) attached to the wall with specimen pins.
Along with “Movie Man,” this year Wittwer will present a line of 100% recycled material necklaces. Some contain lockets encasing magazine images; one is made from a broken tape measure, with sections fanning out like sun rays. Some are macabre with hands and legs from his grandson’s broken toys as beads.
“Last year my grandkids sent me a box of their broken toys with a note that said, ‘Make something!’ I love that, it’s like getting a kit,” he says. “And now they’re starting to get into making things which is great.”
The show runs through September 12. For more information, visit www.whollyrags.org or call 575 751-9862.
A mangled old shoe sole, a crushed pair of glasses and a flattened rusted spray can are among Stu Wittwer’s coveted stash of art supplies. Using screws and wire, he joins these and other precious found items together to create sculptures. “Movie Man” is a robot made almost entirely from parts of a deconstructed 16mm Bell & Howell projector, no longer functioning because its worn parts are no longer sold. The coiled filament light now perches at the end of a branch-like metal arm, facing the viewer as if to say “I’m back!”
Join Wittwer and over 50 other artists for “Arte De Descartes IX,” which translates to “Art from Discards,” the ninth annual recycled art show at the Stables Gallery on 133 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte. Opening reception is Saturday, August 29 from 4-8 p.m., with live music provided Sunshine Archestra, formerly the Sunshine Marching Band and Atzlan.
“A lot of these artists are obscure, they do their own things and don’t really use phones or email. They come out of the wood work for this show,” says Melissa Larson, organizer of this juried show. Larson is also the founder of Wholly Rags, a non-profit dedicated to local recycling efforts. The show is an opportunity to explore the more playful and fun side of recycling, she explains. In conjunction with the show will be a Recycled Fashion Fair on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 5-7pm and a Recycling Meeting on Saturday Sept. 12 at 1pm.
Featuring mostly local artists, the show also includes pieces from an Ohio artist who weaves fabric softener drier sheets; a Texan with a penchant for shredded tablecloths and a Minnesotan who makes gourd-headed spirit dolls. Invited artists include Erin Currier, Lydia Garcia, Starr, Ed Larson and Terrie Mangat.
Mangat is a local, internationally renowned quilt artist who uses a range of techniques to create her brilliantly colored and textured works. She is currently working on a piece about water and when I spoke with her, was in the midst of sewing 100 crystals into the fabric.
“I also use acrylic paints, beads, hand embroidery and sometimes leather,” she says. “I have a huge stash of stuff that I work from. It’s been accumulating since I was 11 years old, when I used to take the public bus (in Kentucky) to the fabric shops.”
Joel Lage, also an invited artist, has been making recycled art since 1970. His school bus art studio near Penasco is packed with reclaimed items awaiting resurrection. “If there’s an arroyo with no junk in it, I’ve already been there,” he says.
“Study Hall Fantasy” is an old school desk with a ceiling fan, a rudder and a fog light mounted onto it. “Pull Toy” is a five-gallon gas can riding in a wagon adorned with tin cans and brass parts. “My theme is to take mundane, common place objects and make them look precious,” he says.
Kelly Barrett’s work traverses many media and now includes improvisational performance art that aims to “translate the spirit of the environment.” She borrowed an outfit from a friend years ago (a practice she formerly eschewed) which she wore in tranquil natural setting in France. A spontaneous dialogue emerged between her and mother nature, her movements became a sort of dance, giving birth to a new creative outlet. Borrowed clothing continues to be a key ingredient in opening the dialogue channels.
A self-proclaimed pack rat, Barrett chose a box of maps collected during her travels around the world, as her material for a recycled art piece. She glued them on top of one another, compressed them in a flower press and then cut out shapes. The resulting installation is a glorious nature scene (with roads and interstate highways winding through if you look closely) attached to the wall with specimen pins.
Along with “Movie Man,” this year Wittwer will present a line of 100% recycled material necklaces. Some contain lockets encasing magazine images; one is made from a broken tape measure, with sections fanning out like sun rays. Some are macabre with hands and legs from his grandson’s broken toys as beads.
“Last year my grandkids sent me a box of their broken toys with a note that said, ‘Make something!’ I love that, it’s like getting a kit,” he says. “And now they’re starting to get into making things which is great.”
The show runs through September 12. For more information, visit www.whollyrags.org or call 575 751-9862.
Questa Sends Four Volunteers to Iraq
March 19, 2009
Framed by silver ribbons dangling from balloons along the ceiling, Sgt. Celso J. Ortiz, Specialists Joseph Gallegos, Isaiah Quintana and Richard Sánchez stood before a packed Questa VFW hall Thursday (March 12) for a hometown send-off to Iraq.
The four are headed to Iraq in May to serve a tour of duty with the U.S. Army, following training in Santa Fe, California and Georgia that began March 14.
Spearheaded by Village Administrator Brent Jaramillo, the gathering, which drew close to 100 people, included a blessing by Father Dino Candelaria, speeches by local veterans and officials, live music by Conrad and Justine Sandoval and heaping platters of food.
A total of 800 soldiers from New Mexico will be deployed to Iraq between April and June, according to Col. Brian Baca, chief of staff of the New Mexico Army and National Guard.
“To volunteer to serve is an instant act of courage and bravery,” Questa Mayor Malaquías Rael, the evening’s emcee, told the crowd. “Leaving family, your country, your part of the world to go somewhere you might not be liked or supported … It’s not easy.”
Following Rael’s welcome and Bianca Castillo’s performance of the National Anthem, the honorees introduced themselves to a rapt audience. Sánchez will be heading to Iraq for his second deployment. During his 2004-2005 deployment, he worked in transportation, driving a five-ton truck, delivering everything from weapons to personnel.
“A few guys I went with the first time decided to go back. I feel bad if they go and I don’t,” he said.
“It will be harder this time because of the little one,” said his wife Elisa Sánchez, referring to their son, Andrew Sánchez, 11 months. “But we have great family support. And being a military wife, I was ready for it.”
Before his job with the National Guard in Santa Fe, Sánchez was a Questa Police Officer, and when he comes back from Iraq he will work for the police department once again. Joseph Gallegos will be taking a year away from his job as a wildland firefighter with the forest service, to serve his first deployment in Iraq.
“My heritage inspired me to join. My family has a tradition of public service,” he said.
In 2007, while on patrol with the forest service, Gallegos rescued the driver from an overturned vehicle that was engulfed in flames, according to Paul Mondragón, his supervisor. He earned an award from the forest service and went to Washington, D.C., in 2007 to accept it.
“I didn’t want to go (to the ceremony) though because I wanted to stay fighting fires. That’s the spirit carrying me from this community,” he said. “That’s what’s going to protect us over there: The strength we gather from these people.”
“(In Iraq) We will represent each and every one of you,” Gallegos told the crowd. “We’re your ambassadors and we’ll show the strength of New Mexico.”
Ortiz has been in the National Guard for 16 years and this will be his first deployment. He has been employed at Chevron Mining for the past 13 years and kept his job as lead electrician despite the recent layoffs. The company will hold his position until he returns in one year.
“I’m anxious to get through and get back,” said Ortiz, 44, who will be working in convoy security.
“It’s awful letting him go. It’s too long to be away from family. But he has to do what he has to do. I’m supporting him — all of us are,” said his wife, Billie Ortiz.
The couple has four children: 7-month-old Marissa Ortiz, 10-year-old Alyssa Ortiz, 11-year-old John David Ortiz and Santana Ortiz who is 14. Sgt. Ortiz’ second cousin, 20- year-old Isaiah Quintana, has been in the military working in transportation for three years.
“I can drive any military vehicle and transport anything,” he said. A Costilla resident, he graduated from Questa High School two years ago. Inspired by his cousin Leslie Maez, to join the military, he volunteered to go to Iraq because he “felt it was something (he) had to do.”
“All three of us will be patiently awaiting his return,” said Jacquelyn Sánchez, his girlfriend.
With assistance from her parents, she will care for their 8-month-old daughter Braelyn, and a baby expected in October. The gathering featured speeches by local dignitaries. Among them was Taos County Commissioner Dan Barrone, who took the microphone. He asked the men to stand and turn their backs to the audience.
“Who has your back?” he shouted to the room.
“We do!” the audience chanted back.
“Who has your back?” he repeated, even louder.
“We do!” cried the audience with peak enthusiasm.
Fr. Candelaria gave the men blessed St. Jude medals, Rosaries, holy water and prayer cards to send them off with “spiritual protection.”
“We invite you all to the same place in 12 months,” said Mayor Rael, as the ceremony closed and the audience descended upon the honorees with handshakes, hugs and blessings. “Hopefully the room won’t be big enough to house the people that show up to welcome you back.”
Framed by silver ribbons dangling from balloons along the ceiling, Sgt. Celso J. Ortiz, Specialists Joseph Gallegos, Isaiah Quintana and Richard Sánchez stood before a packed Questa VFW hall Thursday (March 12) for a hometown send-off to Iraq.
The four are headed to Iraq in May to serve a tour of duty with the U.S. Army, following training in Santa Fe, California and Georgia that began March 14.
Spearheaded by Village Administrator Brent Jaramillo, the gathering, which drew close to 100 people, included a blessing by Father Dino Candelaria, speeches by local veterans and officials, live music by Conrad and Justine Sandoval and heaping platters of food.
A total of 800 soldiers from New Mexico will be deployed to Iraq between April and June, according to Col. Brian Baca, chief of staff of the New Mexico Army and National Guard.
“To volunteer to serve is an instant act of courage and bravery,” Questa Mayor Malaquías Rael, the evening’s emcee, told the crowd. “Leaving family, your country, your part of the world to go somewhere you might not be liked or supported … It’s not easy.”
Following Rael’s welcome and Bianca Castillo’s performance of the National Anthem, the honorees introduced themselves to a rapt audience. Sánchez will be heading to Iraq for his second deployment. During his 2004-2005 deployment, he worked in transportation, driving a five-ton truck, delivering everything from weapons to personnel.
“A few guys I went with the first time decided to go back. I feel bad if they go and I don’t,” he said.
“It will be harder this time because of the little one,” said his wife Elisa Sánchez, referring to their son, Andrew Sánchez, 11 months. “But we have great family support. And being a military wife, I was ready for it.”
Before his job with the National Guard in Santa Fe, Sánchez was a Questa Police Officer, and when he comes back from Iraq he will work for the police department once again. Joseph Gallegos will be taking a year away from his job as a wildland firefighter with the forest service, to serve his first deployment in Iraq.
“My heritage inspired me to join. My family has a tradition of public service,” he said.
In 2007, while on patrol with the forest service, Gallegos rescued the driver from an overturned vehicle that was engulfed in flames, according to Paul Mondragón, his supervisor. He earned an award from the forest service and went to Washington, D.C., in 2007 to accept it.
“I didn’t want to go (to the ceremony) though because I wanted to stay fighting fires. That’s the spirit carrying me from this community,” he said. “That’s what’s going to protect us over there: The strength we gather from these people.”
“(In Iraq) We will represent each and every one of you,” Gallegos told the crowd. “We’re your ambassadors and we’ll show the strength of New Mexico.”
Ortiz has been in the National Guard for 16 years and this will be his first deployment. He has been employed at Chevron Mining for the past 13 years and kept his job as lead electrician despite the recent layoffs. The company will hold his position until he returns in one year.
“I’m anxious to get through and get back,” said Ortiz, 44, who will be working in convoy security.
“It’s awful letting him go. It’s too long to be away from family. But he has to do what he has to do. I’m supporting him — all of us are,” said his wife, Billie Ortiz.
The couple has four children: 7-month-old Marissa Ortiz, 10-year-old Alyssa Ortiz, 11-year-old John David Ortiz and Santana Ortiz who is 14. Sgt. Ortiz’ second cousin, 20- year-old Isaiah Quintana, has been in the military working in transportation for three years.
“I can drive any military vehicle and transport anything,” he said. A Costilla resident, he graduated from Questa High School two years ago. Inspired by his cousin Leslie Maez, to join the military, he volunteered to go to Iraq because he “felt it was something (he) had to do.”
“All three of us will be patiently awaiting his return,” said Jacquelyn Sánchez, his girlfriend.
With assistance from her parents, she will care for their 8-month-old daughter Braelyn, and a baby expected in October. The gathering featured speeches by local dignitaries. Among them was Taos County Commissioner Dan Barrone, who took the microphone. He asked the men to stand and turn their backs to the audience.
“Who has your back?” he shouted to the room.
“We do!” the audience chanted back.
“Who has your back?” he repeated, even louder.
“We do!” cried the audience with peak enthusiasm.
Fr. Candelaria gave the men blessed St. Jude medals, Rosaries, holy water and prayer cards to send them off with “spiritual protection.”
“We invite you all to the same place in 12 months,” said Mayor Rael, as the ceremony closed and the audience descended upon the honorees with handshakes, hugs and blessings. “Hopefully the room won’t be big enough to house the people that show up to welcome you back.”
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Wise Fool Valentine's Cabaret
Feb 11, 2010
For some, the body is perceived as an impediment to transcendence; for others, it’s the vehicle.
As they float, glide and twirl through space, members of the Wise Fool Circus surf the edges of human potential and seem to carry audiences along for the journey. The performance group has offered classes for nine of the 10 years they’ve made Penasco their home. Their educational offerings include an after school program which serves local youth at nominal cost to participants.
This Saturday, Feb. 13th at 7:30 pm Wise Fool presents a Valentines Cabaret at the Penasco Theater, located at 15046 State Road 75, with “every penny” of the proceeds benefiting this program. The multi-media show features acts by local acrobats, trapeze artists, musicians and students as well as a screening of two short films from the Taos Mountain Film Festival. Admission is $5-$20 sliding scale.
Chocolate truffles, wine and handmade Valentine’s Day cards will be available during intermission and folks also have the option of indulging in a special dinner at Sugar Nymphs Bistro, prior to the show, for which reservations are recommended.
This marks the first year that experienced after school students have formed their own official company. For Saturday’s event they have crafted an original show that incorporates acrobatics, dance and stilts. “It’s amazing to see them learn something that is challenging at first but then once they master it, it gives them such a sense of empowerment and pride in themselves,” says Penasco Theater Director Alessandra Ogren. “Along with strength and flexibility they learn a lot of practical life skills like cooperation and team work.”
Amber Vasquez of Taos Youth Ballet will perform on Saturday as well, along with Ogren who will dance through a whirling aerial hoop.
Dangling from the theater’s 19-foot ceilings on strips of polyester fabric will be aerial fabric dancer Christina Sporrong. Invented in the 1990’s this is one of the newest aerial arts. The beauty of the form is accentuated by the angles, shapes and ruffles created in the fabric as the dancer hoists and releases into various poses and phrases of movement. It is currently gaining popularity in gyms as a creative way to get a workout. “One routine is the equivalent of doing about 25 push ups, “ says Ogren who studied with Fred Deb, a teacher credited as being one of the form’s inventors.
For those itching to break out into some moves of their own, Kombucha Mirimba, will perform a set of Zimbabwean music. “This isn’t music where you sit in your seat and politely clap when it’s over,” says Cathy Underwood who formed the trio with fellow Dixon dwellers Nancy Levit and Marie Coburn two years ago. “It’s kid friendly, dance friendly village music.”
Some of the pieces they’ll play are traditional songs passed down over hundred of years through the mbira, a thumb piano which is one of Africa’s oldest instruments.
The band recently formed a non-profit for the purpose of teaching marimba to the wider community for a very reasonable sliding scale fee. They now have five marimbas available for their weekly classes, which are held Saturdays 10-12 noon for adults and Friday, 3-4 pm for youth. They also teach an elective class in the Dixon elementary school.
For more information on the benefit, call (575) 587-2726. For information on Marimba classes, call Underwood at (505) 579-9631. Sugar Nymphs Bistro 575 587-0311
For some, the body is perceived as an impediment to transcendence; for others, it’s the vehicle.
As they float, glide and twirl through space, members of the Wise Fool Circus surf the edges of human potential and seem to carry audiences along for the journey. The performance group has offered classes for nine of the 10 years they’ve made Penasco their home. Their educational offerings include an after school program which serves local youth at nominal cost to participants.
This Saturday, Feb. 13th at 7:30 pm Wise Fool presents a Valentines Cabaret at the Penasco Theater, located at 15046 State Road 75, with “every penny” of the proceeds benefiting this program. The multi-media show features acts by local acrobats, trapeze artists, musicians and students as well as a screening of two short films from the Taos Mountain Film Festival. Admission is $5-$20 sliding scale.
Chocolate truffles, wine and handmade Valentine’s Day cards will be available during intermission and folks also have the option of indulging in a special dinner at Sugar Nymphs Bistro, prior to the show, for which reservations are recommended.
This marks the first year that experienced after school students have formed their own official company. For Saturday’s event they have crafted an original show that incorporates acrobatics, dance and stilts. “It’s amazing to see them learn something that is challenging at first but then once they master it, it gives them such a sense of empowerment and pride in themselves,” says Penasco Theater Director Alessandra Ogren. “Along with strength and flexibility they learn a lot of practical life skills like cooperation and team work.”
Amber Vasquez of Taos Youth Ballet will perform on Saturday as well, along with Ogren who will dance through a whirling aerial hoop.
Dangling from the theater’s 19-foot ceilings on strips of polyester fabric will be aerial fabric dancer Christina Sporrong. Invented in the 1990’s this is one of the newest aerial arts. The beauty of the form is accentuated by the angles, shapes and ruffles created in the fabric as the dancer hoists and releases into various poses and phrases of movement. It is currently gaining popularity in gyms as a creative way to get a workout. “One routine is the equivalent of doing about 25 push ups, “ says Ogren who studied with Fred Deb, a teacher credited as being one of the form’s inventors.
For those itching to break out into some moves of their own, Kombucha Mirimba, will perform a set of Zimbabwean music. “This isn’t music where you sit in your seat and politely clap when it’s over,” says Cathy Underwood who formed the trio with fellow Dixon dwellers Nancy Levit and Marie Coburn two years ago. “It’s kid friendly, dance friendly village music.”
Some of the pieces they’ll play are traditional songs passed down over hundred of years through the mbira, a thumb piano which is one of Africa’s oldest instruments.
The band recently formed a non-profit for the purpose of teaching marimba to the wider community for a very reasonable sliding scale fee. They now have five marimbas available for their weekly classes, which are held Saturdays 10-12 noon for adults and Friday, 3-4 pm for youth. They also teach an elective class in the Dixon elementary school.
For more information on the benefit, call (575) 587-2726. For information on Marimba classes, call Underwood at (505) 579-9631. Sugar Nymphs Bistro 575 587-0311
Friday, May 21, 2010
Lenny Foster's Show of Hands
March 19, 2009
Sometimes all it takes is a glimmer of hope.
This weekend Lenny Foster will provide more than a glimmer, and all we have to do is show up – and open to the power of spirit, through beauty, prayer and poetry.
His photography exhibit, “A Show of Hands” runs Friday (March 20) thru Sunday (March 22) at Living Light Gallery on 246A Ledoux street. In conjunction with the exhibit will be other uplifting events, also at the gallery and all open to the public.
On Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m. a multicultural blessing will transpire, “with believers of varied traditions and non-believers too.” Sunday, March 22 brings a poetry reading at 3 p.m. with Veronica Golos, Connie Josefs, Pat McCabe; and Dora Mcquaid, whose work was recently published in an anthology called “Come Together, Imagine Peace.”
Friday’s opening reception is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and will include Native American flute music by Paul and Grace Jones.
“In the middle of the economic downturn, the idea came to bring the community together to survive and thrive by turning our attention and intention to peace, prayer and love,” said Foster.
“Being witness to magnificence for so many years through my photography has taught me that it’s possible for that (magnificence) to be the norm. That you can walk with that fullness – not lacking anything.”
Some of Saturday’s growing list of guests, who will offer blessings from their various traditions, includes Grandmother Jean, Rev. Stephen Wiard, Joannie Summerhays, Father Larry Brito and Rick Klein. Group chants will be led by Mia Cohen and Ziva Moyal from the Taos Jewish Center.
Krishna Madappa and several UNM students will be conducting a scientific experiment to see if the group energy harnessed at the ceremony affects the molecular structure of water.
“It will be crazy. It could be fifty people or it could be 500. You never know in Taos. I hope there will be Challah (Jewish ceremonial bread.) I love that part at Bar Mitzvahs: where someone touches the bread and then someone touches them and so on until we’re all connected,” said Foster.
Surrounding and supporting the blessing circle will be walls filled with over a decades worth of Foster’s photographs of hands. This will be the first time this body of work is shown together.
On one wall, a 106-year-old West African healer does a reading over a basket. On another, a baby suckles his mother’s breast and raises a tiny star-like hand towards his momma’s face. A cowboy grasps his hat to his suede vest. A Lama counts his mala beads. These images – of shamans, healers of many traditions, activists, elders and “everyday people who come from a place of love and service” – are a portal to spirit.
“She just showed up here one day,” said Foster, gesturing to “An Elder’s Prayer.” In the image, wrinkled fingers, adorned with silver, turquoise and stone rings, clutch a hand-carved cane.
“I had just moved into the space and she sat there and hung out while I unpacked. I know that angels come in different forms.”
Each grasping finger is as expressive and complex as a face. Energy, strength and compassion transcend flesh, muscles and skin.
The hand series sprouted out of a trip Foster took to West Africa years ago. He was visiting a healing village that 200 healers worked out of, and he experienced a shift. He had been a nature and landscape photographer for years and he suddenly became more entranced by people and their details.
“I started to photograph hands because I was more drawn to spirit than personality,” he explained. Later, he realized that in photographing their hands, he was also capturing his subjects’ physical centers: their core, their hearts.
When he’s behind the lens, Foster gets very quiet, still and mindful. “I don’t shoot hundreds of pictures of one thing. My intention is to get to the essence and then what needs to be seen reveals itself,” he said.
“As a photographer I have to focus on the right stuff – so when I don’t have the camera, I can still focus on what is beauty, what is grace, what is true,” he said.
He was inspired to go even more deeply into his passion after traveling to Washington D.C. to attend president Obama’s inauguration. And he hopes the weekend’s events will inspire others to do so as well.
“Now there’s no excuse not to. Instead of being afraid of going out of my comfort zone, why don’t I just dive down like a hawk diving for his prey? If I go down in flames, at least I’ll be doing my thing.”
For more information call (575) 737-9150 or visit www.lennyfoster.com
Sometimes all it takes is a glimmer of hope.
This weekend Lenny Foster will provide more than a glimmer, and all we have to do is show up – and open to the power of spirit, through beauty, prayer and poetry.
His photography exhibit, “A Show of Hands” runs Friday (March 20) thru Sunday (March 22) at Living Light Gallery on 246A Ledoux street. In conjunction with the exhibit will be other uplifting events, also at the gallery and all open to the public.
On Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m. a multicultural blessing will transpire, “with believers of varied traditions and non-believers too.” Sunday, March 22 brings a poetry reading at 3 p.m. with Veronica Golos, Connie Josefs, Pat McCabe; and Dora Mcquaid, whose work was recently published in an anthology called “Come Together, Imagine Peace.”
Friday’s opening reception is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and will include Native American flute music by Paul and Grace Jones.
“In the middle of the economic downturn, the idea came to bring the community together to survive and thrive by turning our attention and intention to peace, prayer and love,” said Foster.
“Being witness to magnificence for so many years through my photography has taught me that it’s possible for that (magnificence) to be the norm. That you can walk with that fullness – not lacking anything.”
Some of Saturday’s growing list of guests, who will offer blessings from their various traditions, includes Grandmother Jean, Rev. Stephen Wiard, Joannie Summerhays, Father Larry Brito and Rick Klein. Group chants will be led by Mia Cohen and Ziva Moyal from the Taos Jewish Center.
Krishna Madappa and several UNM students will be conducting a scientific experiment to see if the group energy harnessed at the ceremony affects the molecular structure of water.
“It will be crazy. It could be fifty people or it could be 500. You never know in Taos. I hope there will be Challah (Jewish ceremonial bread.) I love that part at Bar Mitzvahs: where someone touches the bread and then someone touches them and so on until we’re all connected,” said Foster.
Surrounding and supporting the blessing circle will be walls filled with over a decades worth of Foster’s photographs of hands. This will be the first time this body of work is shown together.
On one wall, a 106-year-old West African healer does a reading over a basket. On another, a baby suckles his mother’s breast and raises a tiny star-like hand towards his momma’s face. A cowboy grasps his hat to his suede vest. A Lama counts his mala beads. These images – of shamans, healers of many traditions, activists, elders and “everyday people who come from a place of love and service” – are a portal to spirit.
“She just showed up here one day,” said Foster, gesturing to “An Elder’s Prayer.” In the image, wrinkled fingers, adorned with silver, turquoise and stone rings, clutch a hand-carved cane.
“I had just moved into the space and she sat there and hung out while I unpacked. I know that angels come in different forms.”
Each grasping finger is as expressive and complex as a face. Energy, strength and compassion transcend flesh, muscles and skin.
The hand series sprouted out of a trip Foster took to West Africa years ago. He was visiting a healing village that 200 healers worked out of, and he experienced a shift. He had been a nature and landscape photographer for years and he suddenly became more entranced by people and their details.
“I started to photograph hands because I was more drawn to spirit than personality,” he explained. Later, he realized that in photographing their hands, he was also capturing his subjects’ physical centers: their core, their hearts.
When he’s behind the lens, Foster gets very quiet, still and mindful. “I don’t shoot hundreds of pictures of one thing. My intention is to get to the essence and then what needs to be seen reveals itself,” he said.
“As a photographer I have to focus on the right stuff – so when I don’t have the camera, I can still focus on what is beauty, what is grace, what is true,” he said.
He was inspired to go even more deeply into his passion after traveling to Washington D.C. to attend president Obama’s inauguration. And he hopes the weekend’s events will inspire others to do so as well.
“Now there’s no excuse not to. Instead of being afraid of going out of my comfort zone, why don’t I just dive down like a hawk diving for his prey? If I go down in flames, at least I’ll be doing my thing.”
For more information call (575) 737-9150 or visit www.lennyfoster.com
The First Step- Children's Art Programs
February 25, 2010
Sixteen preschoolers fix their eyes on the blob of turquoise ink oozing from Lucy Perera’s palette knife. After a brief discussion about other sticky things, ink rollers and favorite animals, the children embark on their own printmaking projects. Steering pencils through paper-like sheets of Styrofoam, they first create line drawings – inspired by the work of Dwayne Wilcox, whose exhibit they just toured at the Harwood Museum next door.
As part of the Harwood Museum’s Art in the Schools program, 17 classes per month from Enos Garcia Elementary School visit the Harwood for a tour and related art-making experience. This is one of several children’s programs offered at local museums, which supplement the art education they receive in school, and also provide museum education.
“These kids and teachers are not necessarily traditional visitors to the Harwood… But for God’s sake, the Harwood’s been here for 85 years, I think it’s our job if we’re in the community to try to provide opportunities for everybody,” says Perera who, as Harwood curator of education, coordinates the program with educational assistant Jayne Schell.
Serving Pre K through first grade at Enos Garcia, the Arts in the Schools program reaches a total of about 300 kids per month. Perera’s goal is to add one more grade each year until they are serving the entire school, which is Pre K through fifth grade.
“In big city museums you can see things like Egyptian exhibits which is great – but are you Egyptian? Can you relate to that? Here in Taos’ museums it’s their history, their culture, their art forms and they can make correlations to them,” says Perera.
Singing their ABCs and chatting with their buddies, the youth seem to enjoy the stroll down Manzanares street to and from the Harwood as much as their time inside the museum. Enos Garcia was targeted for this program largely due to its proximity to the museum.
Art lessons include everything from sculpture and collage to clay work and murals. Basic art materials are generally utilized in part so that teachers can feel empowered to lead art projects in their classrooms as well, even on tight budgets.
“Art is not difficult to do. You can use magazines, glue sticks, colored pencils and crayons to do really creative things,” says Perera.
The Harwood also offers additional ongoing programs geared to different ages of schoolchildren. They are all free of charge, with occasional exceptions.
Abby Salsbury and Alex Kurtz recently taught a three-week series on clay marionettes as part of the free Saturday morning Museum Adventures in Art class.
Their class’ creations are on display at the new Sidney and Gladys Smith Children’s Art gallery, which is just off the foyer of the Fern Hogue Mitchell Education Center where art workshops are held. Fanciful creatures dangling from the ceiling include a plaid mermaid, a red and white striped peacock with a mop of red curls and a furry one-legged being.
Beth Haidle, who has run the Friday after school program for teens for the last year and a half, says that having a designated art space really helps students shift into the creative zone.
“The environment – with stuff dripping off the walls and stacked on shelves –
is really conducive to surprising yourself and getting an idea and going with it…,” says Haidle.
Though her program’s current focus is on wearable art, students are welcome to pursue other projects as well.
“I’ve only ever seen (my students) be really kind to each other, encouraging each other. Having the bond over the fact that they’re doing something makes it less awkward to step out of their social circle and intermingle. They exchange advice about projects but it extends to advice on life, family and school,” she says.
The newest addition to the Harwood’s youth art programs is Family Play Date, which launched on February 7 and will be ongoing every Sunday from 1-4pm. It’s designed as a drop in open studio art experience for families of all ages where caregivers can work together with their children on art projects of their choice.
The grandmother of all the Harwood children’s programs, according to Perera, is Art in Museums, started by Ruth Ann Karch and Mary Ann Boughton in 1998. The program rotates among the Museum Association of Taos’ five museums – E.L. Blumenschein, Hacienda de los Martinez, Millicent Rogers, Taos Art Museum and The Harwood – offering a free weekly tour and lesson for pre-school children.
Though the program (now run by Boughton and Peggy Baucam) has been on brief hiatus, they will resume again on Wednesday March 10, from 11-12, at the Millicent Rogers Museum with a special kick-off event called Museums and Muffins.
Leilani Torres brought her children, now seven and 11, regularly to Art in Museums events over the years. “The staff was phenomenal, informative, and nurturing to young artistic minds. My sons formed friendships with several of the artists who instructed the Wednesday art programs. These friendships and experiences have increased their self-esteem and opened many doors for their futures,” she says.
The Millicent Rogers Museum has been busy with youth education programs as well. “We try to reach all of Taos County. Not only the municipal schools but also Taos Charter School, Taos Country Day School, Taos Pueblo Day School and the home schoolers,” says education curator Michael Martinez. Visits are arranged for schools on a case-by-case basis.
They are especially busy in February and March as schools descend on the museum to view the Anything is Possible children’s art exhibit. Following tours they receive an art lesson from a curriculum that follows the New Mexico benchmark standards set up by the New Mexico Department of Education. Depending on grade level, activities range from clay pinch pots to weaving to 3D santos construction.
Martinez’s goal for next year is to offer special sessions for high school students. Their curriculum will use the museum’s collection as a vehicle to study a variety of disciplines including history, anthropology and art history.
Educational programs have been part of Millicent Rogers for over 20 years. “We wouldn’t be where we are without the (volunteer) docents on the education committee. They put together curriculum, prepare and lead tours and art activities,” says Martinez.
The majority of these museum programs are operating on a shoestring, relying on grants, donations and volunteers to function. For more information, contact the individual museums.
Sixteen preschoolers fix their eyes on the blob of turquoise ink oozing from Lucy Perera’s palette knife. After a brief discussion about other sticky things, ink rollers and favorite animals, the children embark on their own printmaking projects. Steering pencils through paper-like sheets of Styrofoam, they first create line drawings – inspired by the work of Dwayne Wilcox, whose exhibit they just toured at the Harwood Museum next door.
As part of the Harwood Museum’s Art in the Schools program, 17 classes per month from Enos Garcia Elementary School visit the Harwood for a tour and related art-making experience. This is one of several children’s programs offered at local museums, which supplement the art education they receive in school, and also provide museum education.
“These kids and teachers are not necessarily traditional visitors to the Harwood… But for God’s sake, the Harwood’s been here for 85 years, I think it’s our job if we’re in the community to try to provide opportunities for everybody,” says Perera who, as Harwood curator of education, coordinates the program with educational assistant Jayne Schell.
Serving Pre K through first grade at Enos Garcia, the Arts in the Schools program reaches a total of about 300 kids per month. Perera’s goal is to add one more grade each year until they are serving the entire school, which is Pre K through fifth grade.
“In big city museums you can see things like Egyptian exhibits which is great – but are you Egyptian? Can you relate to that? Here in Taos’ museums it’s their history, their culture, their art forms and they can make correlations to them,” says Perera.
Singing their ABCs and chatting with their buddies, the youth seem to enjoy the stroll down Manzanares street to and from the Harwood as much as their time inside the museum. Enos Garcia was targeted for this program largely due to its proximity to the museum.
Art lessons include everything from sculpture and collage to clay work and murals. Basic art materials are generally utilized in part so that teachers can feel empowered to lead art projects in their classrooms as well, even on tight budgets.
“Art is not difficult to do. You can use magazines, glue sticks, colored pencils and crayons to do really creative things,” says Perera.
The Harwood also offers additional ongoing programs geared to different ages of schoolchildren. They are all free of charge, with occasional exceptions.
Abby Salsbury and Alex Kurtz recently taught a three-week series on clay marionettes as part of the free Saturday morning Museum Adventures in Art class.
Their class’ creations are on display at the new Sidney and Gladys Smith Children’s Art gallery, which is just off the foyer of the Fern Hogue Mitchell Education Center where art workshops are held. Fanciful creatures dangling from the ceiling include a plaid mermaid, a red and white striped peacock with a mop of red curls and a furry one-legged being.
Beth Haidle, who has run the Friday after school program for teens for the last year and a half, says that having a designated art space really helps students shift into the creative zone.
“The environment – with stuff dripping off the walls and stacked on shelves –
is really conducive to surprising yourself and getting an idea and going with it…,” says Haidle.
Though her program’s current focus is on wearable art, students are welcome to pursue other projects as well.
“I’ve only ever seen (my students) be really kind to each other, encouraging each other. Having the bond over the fact that they’re doing something makes it less awkward to step out of their social circle and intermingle. They exchange advice about projects but it extends to advice on life, family and school,” she says.
The newest addition to the Harwood’s youth art programs is Family Play Date, which launched on February 7 and will be ongoing every Sunday from 1-4pm. It’s designed as a drop in open studio art experience for families of all ages where caregivers can work together with their children on art projects of their choice.
The grandmother of all the Harwood children’s programs, according to Perera, is Art in Museums, started by Ruth Ann Karch and Mary Ann Boughton in 1998. The program rotates among the Museum Association of Taos’ five museums – E.L. Blumenschein, Hacienda de los Martinez, Millicent Rogers, Taos Art Museum and The Harwood – offering a free weekly tour and lesson for pre-school children.
Though the program (now run by Boughton and Peggy Baucam) has been on brief hiatus, they will resume again on Wednesday March 10, from 11-12, at the Millicent Rogers Museum with a special kick-off event called Museums and Muffins.
Leilani Torres brought her children, now seven and 11, regularly to Art in Museums events over the years. “The staff was phenomenal, informative, and nurturing to young artistic minds. My sons formed friendships with several of the artists who instructed the Wednesday art programs. These friendships and experiences have increased their self-esteem and opened many doors for their futures,” she says.
The Millicent Rogers Museum has been busy with youth education programs as well. “We try to reach all of Taos County. Not only the municipal schools but also Taos Charter School, Taos Country Day School, Taos Pueblo Day School and the home schoolers,” says education curator Michael Martinez. Visits are arranged for schools on a case-by-case basis.
They are especially busy in February and March as schools descend on the museum to view the Anything is Possible children’s art exhibit. Following tours they receive an art lesson from a curriculum that follows the New Mexico benchmark standards set up by the New Mexico Department of Education. Depending on grade level, activities range from clay pinch pots to weaving to 3D santos construction.
Martinez’s goal for next year is to offer special sessions for high school students. Their curriculum will use the museum’s collection as a vehicle to study a variety of disciplines including history, anthropology and art history.
Educational programs have been part of Millicent Rogers for over 20 years. “We wouldn’t be where we are without the (volunteer) docents on the education committee. They put together curriculum, prepare and lead tours and art activities,” says Martinez.
The majority of these museum programs are operating on a shoestring, relying on grants, donations and volunteers to function. For more information, contact the individual museums.
Ira Moscovitz featured at Taos Art Museum
July 30, 2009
When renowned painter, Ira Moscowitz was revved up and ready to go, he could finish a painting in a heartbeat. His light speed marks and brushstrokes are unconcerned with interpretation, dedicated solely to transmitting the vitality of the moment.
Moscowitz’s lithographs, hand-colored etchings and oil paintings depicting Southwest American Indian ceremonies he witnessed from 1944-1947 are on display at the Taos Art Museum through August 31. They pulsate with vivid details – dancers’ mouths clamp the area just below the heads of snakes and grasp their mid-sections, as they parade through a Pueblo in “Hopi Snake Dance.” Every muscle is in motion and immersed in prayer in “Buffalo Dance.” You can almost hear the beat of the drums and the shuffling of feet.
To celebrate and bring to life the man behind the easel, the Taos Art Museum will host its first-ever panel discussion on Friday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m. Comprising the panel will be Moscowitz’s daughter, Diana Gordon; his granddaughter, Nicole Gordon; Richard Lampert, owner of Zaplin Lampert Gallery in Santa Fe and art collector Roy Coffee Jr. Museum Director Erion Simpson will moderate the discussion.
After the 1940’s and 50’s many of the ceremonies he depicted closed down to the public, according to Simpson. Prior to their restriction, Moscowitz’s documenting of them was not only accepted, but actually encouraged by elders. “One of the medicine men he was really close friends with said, ‘You have to document this, other wise we’ll lose our culture because the young people aren’t interested,” recalls Diana Gordon.
Moscowitz (1912-2001) cultivated deep friendships with his Southwest subjects, according to Diana, including members of Navajo, Apache, Zuni and Taos Pueblo tribes. “My father was interested and interesting enough … and attuned to nature and people,” she says. He would often pack a carload of his American Indian friends, who were also frequent houseguests, into his 1939 Plymouth and head off to healing ceremonies.
“He would visually document the ceremonies, then when he got home he’d made drawings recollecting them and then make them into lithographs,” says Gordon. Her father, who she describes as very demonstrative and gregarious, would often describe what went on at the healings to the family when he got home. Diana recently (two weeks ago) discovered some of his vividly descriptive writings about his experiences, which she will share at the panel.
Diana Gordon, an only child born in 1944, has first-hand accounts of various Pueblo events she accompanied her parents to as a youth. “When you are a young person of a certain age, you end up running around with kids your same size,” she recalls. “You hear the drum, see the fire, check in with your parents once in awhile… The whole village participates, everyone’s out there drumming… the intensity of the drum envelops the place and gets into you.”
Gordon now lives in New York City where she has a full time job managing her parent’s artistic legacy. Her parents are both artists – her mother, Anna Barry Moscovitz was an accomplished painter in her own right, and Gordon will share some of her images, via computer, during or after the panel discussion. The couple went out painting for their first date and by day’s end Ira asked Anna Barry to marry him.
Moscovitz chose to pursue painting rather than follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a rabbi. Nonetheless, celebration of the sacred was the core of his life’s work. His 10 years in the Southwest came on the heels of several years in Palestine and Europe, documenting religious ceremonies and indigenous people.
For more information, visit www.taosartmuseum.org
When renowned painter, Ira Moscowitz was revved up and ready to go, he could finish a painting in a heartbeat. His light speed marks and brushstrokes are unconcerned with interpretation, dedicated solely to transmitting the vitality of the moment.
Moscowitz’s lithographs, hand-colored etchings and oil paintings depicting Southwest American Indian ceremonies he witnessed from 1944-1947 are on display at the Taos Art Museum through August 31. They pulsate with vivid details – dancers’ mouths clamp the area just below the heads of snakes and grasp their mid-sections, as they parade through a Pueblo in “Hopi Snake Dance.” Every muscle is in motion and immersed in prayer in “Buffalo Dance.” You can almost hear the beat of the drums and the shuffling of feet.
To celebrate and bring to life the man behind the easel, the Taos Art Museum will host its first-ever panel discussion on Friday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m. Comprising the panel will be Moscowitz’s daughter, Diana Gordon; his granddaughter, Nicole Gordon; Richard Lampert, owner of Zaplin Lampert Gallery in Santa Fe and art collector Roy Coffee Jr. Museum Director Erion Simpson will moderate the discussion.
After the 1940’s and 50’s many of the ceremonies he depicted closed down to the public, according to Simpson. Prior to their restriction, Moscowitz’s documenting of them was not only accepted, but actually encouraged by elders. “One of the medicine men he was really close friends with said, ‘You have to document this, other wise we’ll lose our culture because the young people aren’t interested,” recalls Diana Gordon.
Moscowitz (1912-2001) cultivated deep friendships with his Southwest subjects, according to Diana, including members of Navajo, Apache, Zuni and Taos Pueblo tribes. “My father was interested and interesting enough … and attuned to nature and people,” she says. He would often pack a carload of his American Indian friends, who were also frequent houseguests, into his 1939 Plymouth and head off to healing ceremonies.
“He would visually document the ceremonies, then when he got home he’d made drawings recollecting them and then make them into lithographs,” says Gordon. Her father, who she describes as very demonstrative and gregarious, would often describe what went on at the healings to the family when he got home. Diana recently (two weeks ago) discovered some of his vividly descriptive writings about his experiences, which she will share at the panel.
Diana Gordon, an only child born in 1944, has first-hand accounts of various Pueblo events she accompanied her parents to as a youth. “When you are a young person of a certain age, you end up running around with kids your same size,” she recalls. “You hear the drum, see the fire, check in with your parents once in awhile… The whole village participates, everyone’s out there drumming… the intensity of the drum envelops the place and gets into you.”
Gordon now lives in New York City where she has a full time job managing her parent’s artistic legacy. Her parents are both artists – her mother, Anna Barry Moscovitz was an accomplished painter in her own right, and Gordon will share some of her images, via computer, during or after the panel discussion. The couple went out painting for their first date and by day’s end Ira asked Anna Barry to marry him.
Moscovitz chose to pursue painting rather than follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and become a rabbi. Nonetheless, celebration of the sacred was the core of his life’s work. His 10 years in the Southwest came on the heels of several years in Palestine and Europe, documenting religious ceremonies and indigenous people.
For more information, visit www.taosartmuseum.org
Bonnie Lee Black and Jeffrey Haas present at SOMOS Writer's Series
January 14, 2010
When we dare to present our truth to the world, we never know the impact it will have.
“While I was writing my memoir, ‘Somewhere Child,’ at times I felt like I was doing heart surgery on myself without anesthesia – but it was worth it because it meant so much to people.” says Bonnie Lee Black. “I would open my mailbox and it would be filled with letters thanking me for writing this book. I still get emails from people saying how much it meant to them.”
This week’s installment of the SOMOS Winter Writers Series features Black reading from “Somewhere Child” and Jeffrey Haas who will read from his brand new book, “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther,” which was edited by David Perez and published in November 2009. The event is on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 pm at the Mabel Dodge Luhan Meeting Room on 240 Morada Lane; tickets are $8 and $6 for SOMOS members.
Though they tackle heavy subject matter, these are not stories of victims. They portray survivors and fighters who shifted the course of history as a result of their relentless pursuits of justice.
Black’s book follows her heart-wrenching struggles to find, and be a mother to, her daughter who was abducted – first at 16 months and then at five years of age – by Black’s ex-husband. He persisted despite repeated court rulings and settlements awarding her custody.
When the book was released, in1981, Black went on a coast-to-coast book tour where she was interviewed by print and broadcast media in all the major cities. “The book became part of a confluence of things that brought the issue of child snatching to the floor,” says Black.
She was later informed that ‘Somewhere Child’ was instrumental in creating the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the implementation of various laws around this issue. This will be the first time she will be presenting it at a SOMOS event.
During the writing process Black says she made a conscious effort to let go of anger and vengeance. “I had to go with something more powerful than hatred. The book’s power is because of the love that drove it,” she says. Her writing is engaging and vivid and seems to echo the rhythm of a determined heart.
At one point in the story, the FBI informs her that her husband and daughter were found in Rhodesia, a country exempt from extradition. Black flies there at age 23 (her first trip overseas) and court battles ensue.
In Africa she is reunited with her daughter for a period, but she must rebuild a relationship with a child that was brainwashed to hate her. Vignettes depicting these family dynamics are particularly poignant, impeccably written and are a testament to Black’s strength, creativity and devotion to her daughter. The picture she paints of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), a country she grew to love, brings elements of humor and joy to the story.
Black, who has been a writer and editor for 30 years, also wrote two other books about her subsequent experiences in Africa. Her most recent one, “The Patchwork Project: A Memoir of Mali” is about an economic development project she started in West Africa teaching women how to make patchwork quilts from traditional African fabrics. She also teaches English and creative non-fiction writing at UNM-Taos.
In “The Assassination of Fred Hampton,” Haas weaves together history, memoir and courtroom drama to document the events surrounding a pivotal 1960’s Chicago tragedy. Haas was one of several lawyers that brought a case to civil court in order to prove that Hampton’s murder was a conspiracy between the federal government and the Chicago Police Department and to provide compensation for the victims.
Hampton was a revered and charismatic leader of the Black Panthers, a group that grew out of the civil rights movement to address issues of racial inequity plaguing urban populations, such as housing, health care, education and police brutality. He had a knack for communicating with and coalescing the diverse groups within the black community and the progressive movement.
Hampton was 21 years old when he was shot and killed during a police raid at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 4, 1969, while he was still asleep in his bed.
“Two years after his murder, anti war activists raided an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania and found and distributed documents that demonstrated that FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover was conducting a secret war on the left – the Counterintelligence Program, or COINTELPRO. Its most aggressive and lethal tactics were used against the black movement, and the Panthers in particlular,” writes Haas in The Nation. “Cointelpro mandated FBI agents in cities with Panther chapters to “cripple,’ ‘disrupt’ and ‘destroy’ the Panthers and their breakfast (for children) program…”
This discovery, along with additional evidence, provided fuel for their case, which lasted 13 years and included an 18-month trial.
This was a deciding case in civil rights law, explains Haas. “It recognized a conspiracy between the federal government and the police and defined the requirements for proving conspiracy. It showed that there could be conspiracy even if people didn’t sit down in a room together, (plotting),” he says.
Haas spent years interviewing sources and perusing documents, including a 37,000 page court transcript, to accurately portray the events and to honor a man who dedicated himself to the betterment of his community. “He was never happy if someone else was being mistreated,” his father Francis Hampton says.
Haas points to the searing relevance of the book’s issues today. He cites the right wing’s (specifically Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) use of fear to inflate the power of the government and police to operate in secret, in defiance of US and international law, and with legal impunity. “What’s required is accountability, in the form of criminal prosecution, not only for those who carry out criminal policies but for those who formulate them,” he writes.
He also offers personal reflections on the explosive and energizing events that defined the 1960’s and the civil rights movement.
“There were some mistakes, and I have included my criticisms of our actions and myopia. But for many of my comrades… and me, it is the light, energy and fervor of those times, so well articulated and symbolized by the short but inspiring life of Fred Hampton, that has driven our lives and commanded us to pursue justice.”
For more information call SOMOS at (575) 758-0081 or visit www.somostaos.org
When we dare to present our truth to the world, we never know the impact it will have.
“While I was writing my memoir, ‘Somewhere Child,’ at times I felt like I was doing heart surgery on myself without anesthesia – but it was worth it because it meant so much to people.” says Bonnie Lee Black. “I would open my mailbox and it would be filled with letters thanking me for writing this book. I still get emails from people saying how much it meant to them.”
This week’s installment of the SOMOS Winter Writers Series features Black reading from “Somewhere Child” and Jeffrey Haas who will read from his brand new book, “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther,” which was edited by David Perez and published in November 2009. The event is on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 pm at the Mabel Dodge Luhan Meeting Room on 240 Morada Lane; tickets are $8 and $6 for SOMOS members.
Though they tackle heavy subject matter, these are not stories of victims. They portray survivors and fighters who shifted the course of history as a result of their relentless pursuits of justice.
Black’s book follows her heart-wrenching struggles to find, and be a mother to, her daughter who was abducted – first at 16 months and then at five years of age – by Black’s ex-husband. He persisted despite repeated court rulings and settlements awarding her custody.
When the book was released, in1981, Black went on a coast-to-coast book tour where she was interviewed by print and broadcast media in all the major cities. “The book became part of a confluence of things that brought the issue of child snatching to the floor,” says Black.
She was later informed that ‘Somewhere Child’ was instrumental in creating the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the implementation of various laws around this issue. This will be the first time she will be presenting it at a SOMOS event.
During the writing process Black says she made a conscious effort to let go of anger and vengeance. “I had to go with something more powerful than hatred. The book’s power is because of the love that drove it,” she says. Her writing is engaging and vivid and seems to echo the rhythm of a determined heart.
At one point in the story, the FBI informs her that her husband and daughter were found in Rhodesia, a country exempt from extradition. Black flies there at age 23 (her first trip overseas) and court battles ensue.
In Africa she is reunited with her daughter for a period, but she must rebuild a relationship with a child that was brainwashed to hate her. Vignettes depicting these family dynamics are particularly poignant, impeccably written and are a testament to Black’s strength, creativity and devotion to her daughter. The picture she paints of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), a country she grew to love, brings elements of humor and joy to the story.
Black, who has been a writer and editor for 30 years, also wrote two other books about her subsequent experiences in Africa. Her most recent one, “The Patchwork Project: A Memoir of Mali” is about an economic development project she started in West Africa teaching women how to make patchwork quilts from traditional African fabrics. She also teaches English and creative non-fiction writing at UNM-Taos.
In “The Assassination of Fred Hampton,” Haas weaves together history, memoir and courtroom drama to document the events surrounding a pivotal 1960’s Chicago tragedy. Haas was one of several lawyers that brought a case to civil court in order to prove that Hampton’s murder was a conspiracy between the federal government and the Chicago Police Department and to provide compensation for the victims.
Hampton was a revered and charismatic leader of the Black Panthers, a group that grew out of the civil rights movement to address issues of racial inequity plaguing urban populations, such as housing, health care, education and police brutality. He had a knack for communicating with and coalescing the diverse groups within the black community and the progressive movement.
Hampton was 21 years old when he was shot and killed during a police raid at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 4, 1969, while he was still asleep in his bed.
“Two years after his murder, anti war activists raided an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania and found and distributed documents that demonstrated that FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover was conducting a secret war on the left – the Counterintelligence Program, or COINTELPRO. Its most aggressive and lethal tactics were used against the black movement, and the Panthers in particlular,” writes Haas in The Nation. “Cointelpro mandated FBI agents in cities with Panther chapters to “cripple,’ ‘disrupt’ and ‘destroy’ the Panthers and their breakfast (for children) program…”
This discovery, along with additional evidence, provided fuel for their case, which lasted 13 years and included an 18-month trial.
This was a deciding case in civil rights law, explains Haas. “It recognized a conspiracy between the federal government and the police and defined the requirements for proving conspiracy. It showed that there could be conspiracy even if people didn’t sit down in a room together, (plotting),” he says.
Haas spent years interviewing sources and perusing documents, including a 37,000 page court transcript, to accurately portray the events and to honor a man who dedicated himself to the betterment of his community. “He was never happy if someone else was being mistreated,” his father Francis Hampton says.
Haas points to the searing relevance of the book’s issues today. He cites the right wing’s (specifically Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) use of fear to inflate the power of the government and police to operate in secret, in defiance of US and international law, and with legal impunity. “What’s required is accountability, in the form of criminal prosecution, not only for those who carry out criminal policies but for those who formulate them,” he writes.
He also offers personal reflections on the explosive and energizing events that defined the 1960’s and the civil rights movement.
“There were some mistakes, and I have included my criticisms of our actions and myopia. But for many of my comrades… and me, it is the light, energy and fervor of those times, so well articulated and symbolized by the short but inspiring life of Fred Hampton, that has driven our lives and commanded us to pursue justice.”
For more information call SOMOS at (575) 758-0081 or visit www.somostaos.org
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Warm and Cozy - Taos Wool Festival
October 1, 2009
One chilly evening my friend’s father lamented one of the drawbacks of evolution: We lost our fur. Thankfully, out of bare-skinned necessity were born a myriad of snugly innovations.
This weekend the 26th annual Wool Festival at Taos invites you to celebrate 400- plus years of textile tradition in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. Breeders, fiber artists, and a few of the furry four-leggeds that make all of this possible, will be on hand Saturday (Oct. 3) from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday (Oct. 4) from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Kit Carson Park, 211 Paseo del Pueblo Norte.
The event is presented by the Mountain and Valley Wool Association and entry is free of charge.
“The festival is really alive, really fresh, there is something for everybody,” says Merce Mitchell, a local fiber artist who has participated at the festival for the last 11 years. “Luckily we have the tradition, but it is being experimented with and expanded. People are doing the craziest things — spinning and knitting wildly! We are pushing the medium from craft to art.”
Over 60 vendors will display knitted, felted, woven and crocheted winter garments, tapestries, rugs and artworks. Yarns, both chemically and naturally died, and mounds of raw wool fleece will also be available, along with tools, equipment and books for both budding and advanced fiber artists. Exotic fibers to sink fingers into will include mohair, cashmere, alpaca, llama, buffalo and Angora rabbit.
“Because everyone is juried in, the quality of art is very high and vendors made everything in their booths,” says MVWA board member Liesel Orend. “A lot of them are ranchers who have raised the sheep and processed the wool themselves.”
The Fiber Critters Showcase offers a chance to visit some of the animals behind our beloved garments. Karen F. Young of Morningstar Alpacas has displayed her alpacas at the festival for the last seven years. Among her flock of 27 are six babies.
“Alpacas stand during the first hour after being born. It’s amazing to see them hit the ground, organize those long legs and figure out how to run,” Young says.
Alpacas come in 27 different colors and their fiber, shorn once a year, can be spun thin enough for a wedding dress. It’s a “medullated fiber,” meaning it has air pockets that enhance its insulating qualities.
Demonstrations of sheep-shearing, weaving, felting and other techniques will take place at individual booths as well as every half-hour at a central tent with a schedule posted outside. Watch also for displays on natural dyeing, carding and several spinning procedures, including one where angora yarn is spun straight from the rabbit upon someone’s lap.
Tempo music columnist Rima Ralff is also a local spinner who creates the colorful “Jewels” line of thick spun wool for La Lana Wools. The strands are playful and clumpy, with unpredictable twists and variations. Most often used for hat bands, purse handles, scarf ends and other embellishments on finished products, only the truly adventuresome attempt to knit it.
Mitchell also hand spins her own unique yarns.
“I spin because you can get a creative idea in your head and give it a really quick expression,” she says. “You can make a skein in just a few hours, as opposed to felting which can take up to two months to make a piece.”
A Handspun Yarn Show and contest will take place in the show tents on Saturday, alongside contests for Garment and Home Accessories and Fleece. Plenty of food vendors and live music will round out the day’s events. In conjunction with this year’s festival was the Earth’s Palette Natural Dye and Color Conference, which took place Sept. 26-28 at the Sagebrush Inn.
More than 50 people pre-registered and teachers included pioneers in the field such as Louisa Gelenter, John Marshall and Pamela Feldman. Workshops included Lichen Dyes, Navajo Natural Dyes and Cochineal Dyeing. Farmed in South America, the cochineal bug is the size of a small ant and when ground up into a powder and prepared as a tea, provides the foundation for colors from orange to purple. Its use dates back to the 15th century when it was coveted by the Aztec and Mayan people of Central and North America.
“The different colors come when you change the pH by adding a little acid or alkaline or adding some iron,” Orend explains. “When it was discovered, it was huge because it made the first brilliant scarlet red and everyone wanted that color.”
More than 30 in-depth workshops on everything from Andean Back Strap Weaving to the Art and Science of Knitting Button Holes are also conducted through the Wool Festival for a separate fee. They overlap somewhat with the Dye Conference offerings.
Galleries that will be having shows related to the Natural Dye Conference and Wool Festival include Millicent Roger’s Museum, Jewelz of Taos, Weaving Southwest, J Fine Art, Encore Gallery, La Lana Wools, The Taos Gallery, Wilder Nightingale Fine Art and RB Ravens.
Photo by Rick Romancito
For more information, call (800) 684-0340 or visit online www.taoswoolfestival.org.
One chilly evening my friend’s father lamented one of the drawbacks of evolution: We lost our fur. Thankfully, out of bare-skinned necessity were born a myriad of snugly innovations.
This weekend the 26th annual Wool Festival at Taos invites you to celebrate 400- plus years of textile tradition in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. Breeders, fiber artists, and a few of the furry four-leggeds that make all of this possible, will be on hand Saturday (Oct. 3) from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday (Oct. 4) from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Kit Carson Park, 211 Paseo del Pueblo Norte.
The event is presented by the Mountain and Valley Wool Association and entry is free of charge.
“The festival is really alive, really fresh, there is something for everybody,” says Merce Mitchell, a local fiber artist who has participated at the festival for the last 11 years. “Luckily we have the tradition, but it is being experimented with and expanded. People are doing the craziest things — spinning and knitting wildly! We are pushing the medium from craft to art.”
Over 60 vendors will display knitted, felted, woven and crocheted winter garments, tapestries, rugs and artworks. Yarns, both chemically and naturally died, and mounds of raw wool fleece will also be available, along with tools, equipment and books for both budding and advanced fiber artists. Exotic fibers to sink fingers into will include mohair, cashmere, alpaca, llama, buffalo and Angora rabbit.
“Because everyone is juried in, the quality of art is very high and vendors made everything in their booths,” says MVWA board member Liesel Orend. “A lot of them are ranchers who have raised the sheep and processed the wool themselves.”
The Fiber Critters Showcase offers a chance to visit some of the animals behind our beloved garments. Karen F. Young of Morningstar Alpacas has displayed her alpacas at the festival for the last seven years. Among her flock of 27 are six babies.
“Alpacas stand during the first hour after being born. It’s amazing to see them hit the ground, organize those long legs and figure out how to run,” Young says.
Alpacas come in 27 different colors and their fiber, shorn once a year, can be spun thin enough for a wedding dress. It’s a “medullated fiber,” meaning it has air pockets that enhance its insulating qualities.
Demonstrations of sheep-shearing, weaving, felting and other techniques will take place at individual booths as well as every half-hour at a central tent with a schedule posted outside. Watch also for displays on natural dyeing, carding and several spinning procedures, including one where angora yarn is spun straight from the rabbit upon someone’s lap.
Tempo music columnist Rima Ralff is also a local spinner who creates the colorful “Jewels” line of thick spun wool for La Lana Wools. The strands are playful and clumpy, with unpredictable twists and variations. Most often used for hat bands, purse handles, scarf ends and other embellishments on finished products, only the truly adventuresome attempt to knit it.
Mitchell also hand spins her own unique yarns.
“I spin because you can get a creative idea in your head and give it a really quick expression,” she says. “You can make a skein in just a few hours, as opposed to felting which can take up to two months to make a piece.”
A Handspun Yarn Show and contest will take place in the show tents on Saturday, alongside contests for Garment and Home Accessories and Fleece. Plenty of food vendors and live music will round out the day’s events. In conjunction with this year’s festival was the Earth’s Palette Natural Dye and Color Conference, which took place Sept. 26-28 at the Sagebrush Inn.
More than 50 people pre-registered and teachers included pioneers in the field such as Louisa Gelenter, John Marshall and Pamela Feldman. Workshops included Lichen Dyes, Navajo Natural Dyes and Cochineal Dyeing. Farmed in South America, the cochineal bug is the size of a small ant and when ground up into a powder and prepared as a tea, provides the foundation for colors from orange to purple. Its use dates back to the 15th century when it was coveted by the Aztec and Mayan people of Central and North America.
“The different colors come when you change the pH by adding a little acid or alkaline or adding some iron,” Orend explains. “When it was discovered, it was huge because it made the first brilliant scarlet red and everyone wanted that color.”
More than 30 in-depth workshops on everything from Andean Back Strap Weaving to the Art and Science of Knitting Button Holes are also conducted through the Wool Festival for a separate fee. They overlap somewhat with the Dye Conference offerings.
Galleries that will be having shows related to the Natural Dye Conference and Wool Festival include Millicent Roger’s Museum, Jewelz of Taos, Weaving Southwest, J Fine Art, Encore Gallery, La Lana Wools, The Taos Gallery, Wilder Nightingale Fine Art and RB Ravens.
Photo by Rick RomancitoFor more information, call (800) 684-0340 or visit online www.taoswoolfestival.org.
Pages of Discovery - The art of the book
January 7, 2010
It was a jewelry box. Elegantly raised on four claws, viney engravings wound around its metallic body. Doors opened from the top to reveal shiny treasures. It presumably functioned as such for many decades — until it fell into the hands of book artist Linda Gottlieb.
“That’s so eerie,” I say as she lifts the center door to reveal a collage of tiny heads made from sculpy clay.
“Thank you,” she says with an instant smile.
I pull open the other two doors and scrolls unravel towards the floor with Rilke poetry written in cursive upon them. Deep inside the box is a pair of black cloth children’s shoes, soles adorned with old maps and stamps. Wedged into the heel of one shoe is a tiny handmade book about searching. Story upon story unfolds as I touch, hold and open.
Gottlieb and a community of adventuresome book artists — including Jamie Ash, Maggi Younger, Joy Purcell, Josie Lenwell, Sara Jean Gray, Martha Daley, Gail Goodwin, Robbie Steinbach and Deitre Cameron — will exhibit their work for the January Shop and Learn Trunk Show at the Gift Shop at the Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico, 238 Ledoux St.
A reception, where artists will demonstrate and offer hands-on instruction in various bookmaking techniques, will take place Saturday (Jan. 9) from noon until 2 p.m. Admission is free. Each artist takes the medium and runs with it to her own, often very personal, realms.
Some are like journals that you’ll want to carry into a corner and read in privacy, others resemble modern architecture. A few are made of such alluring materials that the greatest joy is in opening and closing them. Ash brings a fascination with science and years of experience as a builder and general contractor to her bookmaking.
She constructed an aluminum-hinged book with glass pages the thickness of tiles. Images of brains appear on each page with different sections colored corresponding to which part of the brain is being used while reading the text.
My fingers delight in the singular sensation of turning glass pages. “Encyclopedia of Tides,” also by Ash, is like a tiny, private reading nook. Each of its three mini books has a hard cover of brass and fits snugly between velour walls of a bookcase. Plucking a book out, opening it and then slipping it back in its nook is its own meditation.
In “Prayer for the World,” Younger uses thick church window shaped pages to display images of humanity’s dark side juxtaposed with hopeful poetry and religious icons.
Tea bags line the pages of her other intimate poetry book. Like many of her peers, she weaves together both original and reclaimed images and text. These artists found one another, and a passion for bookmaking, through Norah Lovell’s revered University of New Mexico-Taos class on the subject.
“I took it the first semester she taught it and I never stopped,” Ash says. “There’s so much inherent possibility in the form and she was wonderful at teaching it.”
After Lovell moved to New Orleans, a core group of former students continued meeting and eventually became Taos Book Arts Group. They have grown to include new members and currently meet once a month to encourage one another and provide feedback and insight on works-in-progress.
“Most of us were already in love with books, whether literary texts, children’s pop up books or art books so when we took the class it was an opportunity to put that love into something we could create ourselves,” says Steinbach.
She used a box of century old glass plate negatives to create “Albuquerque 1906.” After scanning the negatives she printed them onto a strip of poly silk and attached them to the reel on the back of an old Kodak bellows camera.
If you crank the film sprocket, images scroll by. “Memento Mori” (this week’s Tempo cover image) pays tribute to creative women of Taos, including Máye Torres, Melissa Zink, Jeralyn Lucero and Sylvia Torres, with their golden-tinted images alongside other photos, some original and some found.
One of the older photos has a double exposure that gives a young girl two heads, one rising behind her. Words emerge with a certain punch when placed within the colors, textures and worlds these artists create.
As I stand to leave Gottlieb’s studio — its shelves lined with ancient medical texts, rusty flotsam and odd-shaped pharmaceutical bottles — I spot a toaster. It’s modestly disguised in varnished duct tape and yarn wound tightly around its cord. I pop out the book lodged in a bread slot and am treated to “Toast, the book.”
“Raisin toast, rye toast. Have a slice of mean toast.”
A piece of whole grain bread scowls. “And winter best of all toast!” reads the last page, beside a slice smothered in cream cheese.
“Take a moment to really see the piece,” writes Gottlieb in her artist statement. “You may perceive the magic of it, and you may recognize one of your own stories being read back to you.”
'Belladona I’ by Robbie Steinbach. Courtesy photo
The show runs through the end of January. For more information call Carolyn Hinske at (575) 758-9826, ext. 102 or e-mail chinske@ unm.edu.
It was a jewelry box. Elegantly raised on four claws, viney engravings wound around its metallic body. Doors opened from the top to reveal shiny treasures. It presumably functioned as such for many decades — until it fell into the hands of book artist Linda Gottlieb.
“That’s so eerie,” I say as she lifts the center door to reveal a collage of tiny heads made from sculpy clay.
“Thank you,” she says with an instant smile.
I pull open the other two doors and scrolls unravel towards the floor with Rilke poetry written in cursive upon them. Deep inside the box is a pair of black cloth children’s shoes, soles adorned with old maps and stamps. Wedged into the heel of one shoe is a tiny handmade book about searching. Story upon story unfolds as I touch, hold and open.
Gottlieb and a community of adventuresome book artists — including Jamie Ash, Maggi Younger, Joy Purcell, Josie Lenwell, Sara Jean Gray, Martha Daley, Gail Goodwin, Robbie Steinbach and Deitre Cameron — will exhibit their work for the January Shop and Learn Trunk Show at the Gift Shop at the Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico, 238 Ledoux St.
A reception, where artists will demonstrate and offer hands-on instruction in various bookmaking techniques, will take place Saturday (Jan. 9) from noon until 2 p.m. Admission is free. Each artist takes the medium and runs with it to her own, often very personal, realms.
Some are like journals that you’ll want to carry into a corner and read in privacy, others resemble modern architecture. A few are made of such alluring materials that the greatest joy is in opening and closing them. Ash brings a fascination with science and years of experience as a builder and general contractor to her bookmaking.
She constructed an aluminum-hinged book with glass pages the thickness of tiles. Images of brains appear on each page with different sections colored corresponding to which part of the brain is being used while reading the text.
My fingers delight in the singular sensation of turning glass pages. “Encyclopedia of Tides,” also by Ash, is like a tiny, private reading nook. Each of its three mini books has a hard cover of brass and fits snugly between velour walls of a bookcase. Plucking a book out, opening it and then slipping it back in its nook is its own meditation.
In “Prayer for the World,” Younger uses thick church window shaped pages to display images of humanity’s dark side juxtaposed with hopeful poetry and religious icons.
Tea bags line the pages of her other intimate poetry book. Like many of her peers, she weaves together both original and reclaimed images and text. These artists found one another, and a passion for bookmaking, through Norah Lovell’s revered University of New Mexico-Taos class on the subject.
“I took it the first semester she taught it and I never stopped,” Ash says. “There’s so much inherent possibility in the form and she was wonderful at teaching it.”
After Lovell moved to New Orleans, a core group of former students continued meeting and eventually became Taos Book Arts Group. They have grown to include new members and currently meet once a month to encourage one another and provide feedback and insight on works-in-progress.
“Most of us were already in love with books, whether literary texts, children’s pop up books or art books so when we took the class it was an opportunity to put that love into something we could create ourselves,” says Steinbach.
She used a box of century old glass plate negatives to create “Albuquerque 1906.” After scanning the negatives she printed them onto a strip of poly silk and attached them to the reel on the back of an old Kodak bellows camera.
If you crank the film sprocket, images scroll by. “Memento Mori” (this week’s Tempo cover image) pays tribute to creative women of Taos, including Máye Torres, Melissa Zink, Jeralyn Lucero and Sylvia Torres, with their golden-tinted images alongside other photos, some original and some found.
One of the older photos has a double exposure that gives a young girl two heads, one rising behind her. Words emerge with a certain punch when placed within the colors, textures and worlds these artists create.
As I stand to leave Gottlieb’s studio — its shelves lined with ancient medical texts, rusty flotsam and odd-shaped pharmaceutical bottles — I spot a toaster. It’s modestly disguised in varnished duct tape and yarn wound tightly around its cord. I pop out the book lodged in a bread slot and am treated to “Toast, the book.”
“Raisin toast, rye toast. Have a slice of mean toast.”
A piece of whole grain bread scowls. “And winter best of all toast!” reads the last page, beside a slice smothered in cream cheese.
“Take a moment to really see the piece,” writes Gottlieb in her artist statement. “You may perceive the magic of it, and you may recognize one of your own stories being read back to you.”
'Belladona I’ by Robbie Steinbach. Courtesy photoThe show runs through the end of January. For more information call Carolyn Hinske at (575) 758-9826, ext. 102 or e-mail chinske@ unm.edu.
Stray Hearts: Dedicated to Homeless Animal Care
Seth, a German Shepherd mix, furrowed his brow in concentration as Katie Gillis gave him commands, treats and praise. This was his third session and he could promptly “sit,” “stay,” “follow” and “look at me.”
“They astound you with their resilience and ability to bond,” said Gillis who volunteers at Stray Hearts Animal Shelter every day, rain or shine. She works with about six of the most difficult, shy or anti-social dogs per day. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, they’re willing to come around.”
Stray Hearts Animal Shelter was bustling on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 19) as dog after dog was walked, trained and cared for; cages were cleaned, bowls filled; buildings constructed and countless other details were tended to in service to the community’s stray animal population.
“Working together is the key,” said Dr. Holly Johnson, a veterinarian who has been volunteering her services one or more days a week at Stray Hearts since last December. “I’ve worked at shelters in other parts of the country. It’s the staff that makes the difference. These are tough jobs. Across the country there’s a high burnout rate. But these people are wonderful, both the employees and the volunteers. They are very astute in noticing changes in animal’s behavior and health and have been responsive to any suggestions I’ve made.”
Stray Hearts, a 501C-3 nonprofit, first opened its doors in 1991 and — aside from a hiatus due to a funding crisis from August to November 2004 — has operated continuously ever since. Taos’ original animal shelter was started in 1962 with land donated by the Wurlitzer sisters on Los Pandos Road, according to veterinarian Ted Schupbach.
He worked there in the 1980s and said the staff consisted, for many years, of one veterinarian. Stray Hearts currently employs 14 people and has from 35-40 volunteers, according to executive director Dave Noll. The shelter’s 2009 budget is $393,650 and the town of Taos and Taos County funds $195,000 of that amount; the rest comes from donations and adoption fees.
Taking in animals
On Tuesday (March 10) Stray Hearts had 85 dogs and 18 cats in its care. Rick Medina, sheriff’s lieutenant and supervisor for animal control in Taos County, said his office receives about eight to 10 calls per day that result in about four to five dog pickups a day, all of which are brought to the shelter.
“It would be a disaster without Stray Hearts,” Medina said. “They treat the animals and help the community and they do a great job.”
The Stray Heart’s Animal Daily Management Report states that in 2008, the shelter took in 1,287 animals (all dogs and cats except for one ferret), a 29 percent increase from 2007. In 2008, 458 were adopted; 386 were transferred; 94 were returned to their owners; 224 were fostered (74 returned to shelter); 60 died; and 156 were euthanized.
Animals may be euthanized due to illness, injury, aggressiveness or minimal chances of adoption, said Lisa Davis, board president. Pit bulls are evaluated for signs of aggression more often than other dogs, but if any breed behaves and adapts well to the shelter, and is deemed adoptable, he or she may be kept at Stray Hearts until adoption occurs, she explained.
“Euthanasia is never taken lightly,” said Davis. “And it’s done properly, by a veterinarian.”
“By not euthanizing, you often end up causing the suffering and death of many other dogs because when the shelter fills up, the animals are out there breeding, starving to death and getting hit by cars,” said Schupbach.
According to Noll, Stray Hearts has one of the lowest rates of euthanasia in the state of New Mexico: 12 percent.
Actively seeking homes
Stray Hearts actively seeks homes for animals via adoptathons; sponsored advertising; local businesses that show animals on given days; a Web site and also through bi-weekly transfers of dogs to Colorado, where they have a shortage of puppies and a higher demand for dogs due to stricter enforcement of spay and neuter laws, according to Davis.
The shelter recently acquired a van with donations from a board member that fits 15 dogs to facilitate these transfers. “What frustrates me is that every month I see (for veterinary care) four or five dogs that people got from a shelter in Santa Fe or Española,” said Schupbach. “All that does is add one more stray animal to our population.”
“It is so essential that people spay and neuter their pets,” said Davis. “Not only will it help with overpopulation but their behavior and temperament will be better; they’ll have better health and they’re less likely to roam,” she explained.
Financial assistance for the procedure is available through Stray Hearts, whether or not the animal originated from the shelter. Those interested can pay a $20 fee and fill out a form to receive a voucher, accepted in lieu of payment at designated veterinarian’s offices.
Critical comments
Stray Hearts has received complaints from some members of the community that the shelter has worked hard to rectify, according to Noll.
“Most of the complaints were last summer. When we took over (October 2007) the shelter was struggling for a lot of reasons: Lack of funding for one. And staffing is difficult in Taos, especially when you’re asking someone to (clean animal cages) for $8 an hour,” he explained.
When a letter of concern was sent by Salazar Veterinary Clinic in June 2008 regarding the shelter’s cat-care procedures, the shelter took immediate action, Noll said.
“We did every recommendation that came to us from Salazar. We also replaced the cattery manager and added an additional staff.”
About two weeks after their first letter, the Salazar clinic veterinarians wrote a follow up letter, commending Stray Hearts on addressing the issues they raised in their first letter. Jeff Northrup, former board member, said in an interview Feb. 18, that a lot of improvements have been made at the shelter since Johnson started volunteering and a new kennel manager was hired.
However, he said he still had concerns, primarily about the small size of the cat’s cages, the closure of the cat socialization room and the dogs’ living conditions. Other concerns were about a former staff member; and overcrowding at the shelter, which he said should be remedied by euthanizing more animals. Since last summer, the cat’s cages have been upgraded.
The new cages are 2 by 3 feet and 17 inches high and, on a Feb. 19 tour, appeared to provide ample room for cats to stretch and move around. Almost all the cats were stretched out in their cages, napping or sitting serenely on clean padding. Davis explained that the cat socialization room had been permanently closed to prevent the spread of ringworm, as per a veterinarian’s suggestion.
The shelter now has a cat visitation room where staff and volunteers can play with one cat at a time. After each visit the room is thoroughly sterilized, according to a protocol delineated on a white board.
“Some of the complaints are from people who haven’t been to the shelter in over a year,” Noll said. “A couple of months ago there were some people picketing in front of the county building. We went out and talked to two of the women and just asked them to come by the shelter. One of the women did come by two days later and she said, ‘the shelter’s never looked better.’”
New accommodations
Dogs’ living quarters have recently been upgraded to provide more space and weather protection. Davis pointed out “the ghetto,” a row of small, minimally tarped cages, where the dogs were formerly housed. Forty of them had been torn down but a few remain standing to keep dogs in the fresh air for the half hour each day while their cages are being cleaned.
The new accommodations for dogs are larger and are double tarped with semi-truck tarps that are batted down each night for warmth and protection from wind and moisture. Each cage contains a plastic igloo — with a heating pad if the dog is short-haired — as well as plenty of straw. According to Johnson, these quarters “will maintain a comfortable warmth even in the worst storm.” Some dogs are currently housed indoors and by the end of spring, the plan is to have all the animals sheltered indoors, except the dogs that fare better in the open air, according to Noll.
Five enclosed greenhouse style buildings are currently under construction, with donated money and volunteer labor. One is designated for the cats and the other four will house dogs. Each building will have a pressure washer, a feedand- water station.
The dog’s buildings will have 12 kennels and an outdoor play yard divided into two sections so they can play together according to temperament. Currently, dogs walks are notated in a log book so the staff and volunteers are aware of which dogs need walking, according to Cynthia Sharfin, shelter manager.
“As a shelter, there’s always things we can improve on,” said Noll. “But we think the shelter’s never been better. And if people have questions, we’ve always told them to just come on out. You are always welcome.”
Stray Hearts Animal Shelter nurse Summer Wood, left, and volunteer veterinarian Dr. Holly Johnson bring in sister and brother Pasha and Giggles for their puppy shots Friday (Feb. 28). Photo by Tina Larkin
To contact Stray Hearts Animal Shelter about donations, volunteering or other inquiries, e-mail them at strayhearts@ taosnet.com or visit www.strayhearts.org which has up-to-date photos and profiles of available animals; or call (575) 758-2981.
“They astound you with their resilience and ability to bond,” said Gillis who volunteers at Stray Hearts Animal Shelter every day, rain or shine. She works with about six of the most difficult, shy or anti-social dogs per day. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, they’re willing to come around.”
Stray Hearts Animal Shelter was bustling on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 19) as dog after dog was walked, trained and cared for; cages were cleaned, bowls filled; buildings constructed and countless other details were tended to in service to the community’s stray animal population.
“Working together is the key,” said Dr. Holly Johnson, a veterinarian who has been volunteering her services one or more days a week at Stray Hearts since last December. “I’ve worked at shelters in other parts of the country. It’s the staff that makes the difference. These are tough jobs. Across the country there’s a high burnout rate. But these people are wonderful, both the employees and the volunteers. They are very astute in noticing changes in animal’s behavior and health and have been responsive to any suggestions I’ve made.”
Stray Hearts, a 501C-3 nonprofit, first opened its doors in 1991 and — aside from a hiatus due to a funding crisis from August to November 2004 — has operated continuously ever since. Taos’ original animal shelter was started in 1962 with land donated by the Wurlitzer sisters on Los Pandos Road, according to veterinarian Ted Schupbach.
He worked there in the 1980s and said the staff consisted, for many years, of one veterinarian. Stray Hearts currently employs 14 people and has from 35-40 volunteers, according to executive director Dave Noll. The shelter’s 2009 budget is $393,650 and the town of Taos and Taos County funds $195,000 of that amount; the rest comes from donations and adoption fees.
Taking in animals
On Tuesday (March 10) Stray Hearts had 85 dogs and 18 cats in its care. Rick Medina, sheriff’s lieutenant and supervisor for animal control in Taos County, said his office receives about eight to 10 calls per day that result in about four to five dog pickups a day, all of which are brought to the shelter.
“It would be a disaster without Stray Hearts,” Medina said. “They treat the animals and help the community and they do a great job.”
The Stray Heart’s Animal Daily Management Report states that in 2008, the shelter took in 1,287 animals (all dogs and cats except for one ferret), a 29 percent increase from 2007. In 2008, 458 were adopted; 386 were transferred; 94 were returned to their owners; 224 were fostered (74 returned to shelter); 60 died; and 156 were euthanized.
Animals may be euthanized due to illness, injury, aggressiveness or minimal chances of adoption, said Lisa Davis, board president. Pit bulls are evaluated for signs of aggression more often than other dogs, but if any breed behaves and adapts well to the shelter, and is deemed adoptable, he or she may be kept at Stray Hearts until adoption occurs, she explained.
“Euthanasia is never taken lightly,” said Davis. “And it’s done properly, by a veterinarian.”
“By not euthanizing, you often end up causing the suffering and death of many other dogs because when the shelter fills up, the animals are out there breeding, starving to death and getting hit by cars,” said Schupbach.
According to Noll, Stray Hearts has one of the lowest rates of euthanasia in the state of New Mexico: 12 percent.
Actively seeking homes
Stray Hearts actively seeks homes for animals via adoptathons; sponsored advertising; local businesses that show animals on given days; a Web site and also through bi-weekly transfers of dogs to Colorado, where they have a shortage of puppies and a higher demand for dogs due to stricter enforcement of spay and neuter laws, according to Davis.
The shelter recently acquired a van with donations from a board member that fits 15 dogs to facilitate these transfers. “What frustrates me is that every month I see (for veterinary care) four or five dogs that people got from a shelter in Santa Fe or Española,” said Schupbach. “All that does is add one more stray animal to our population.”
“It is so essential that people spay and neuter their pets,” said Davis. “Not only will it help with overpopulation but their behavior and temperament will be better; they’ll have better health and they’re less likely to roam,” she explained.
Financial assistance for the procedure is available through Stray Hearts, whether or not the animal originated from the shelter. Those interested can pay a $20 fee and fill out a form to receive a voucher, accepted in lieu of payment at designated veterinarian’s offices.
Critical comments
Stray Hearts has received complaints from some members of the community that the shelter has worked hard to rectify, according to Noll.
“Most of the complaints were last summer. When we took over (October 2007) the shelter was struggling for a lot of reasons: Lack of funding for one. And staffing is difficult in Taos, especially when you’re asking someone to (clean animal cages) for $8 an hour,” he explained.
When a letter of concern was sent by Salazar Veterinary Clinic in June 2008 regarding the shelter’s cat-care procedures, the shelter took immediate action, Noll said.
“We did every recommendation that came to us from Salazar. We also replaced the cattery manager and added an additional staff.”
About two weeks after their first letter, the Salazar clinic veterinarians wrote a follow up letter, commending Stray Hearts on addressing the issues they raised in their first letter. Jeff Northrup, former board member, said in an interview Feb. 18, that a lot of improvements have been made at the shelter since Johnson started volunteering and a new kennel manager was hired.
However, he said he still had concerns, primarily about the small size of the cat’s cages, the closure of the cat socialization room and the dogs’ living conditions. Other concerns were about a former staff member; and overcrowding at the shelter, which he said should be remedied by euthanizing more animals. Since last summer, the cat’s cages have been upgraded.
The new cages are 2 by 3 feet and 17 inches high and, on a Feb. 19 tour, appeared to provide ample room for cats to stretch and move around. Almost all the cats were stretched out in their cages, napping or sitting serenely on clean padding. Davis explained that the cat socialization room had been permanently closed to prevent the spread of ringworm, as per a veterinarian’s suggestion.
The shelter now has a cat visitation room where staff and volunteers can play with one cat at a time. After each visit the room is thoroughly sterilized, according to a protocol delineated on a white board.
“Some of the complaints are from people who haven’t been to the shelter in over a year,” Noll said. “A couple of months ago there were some people picketing in front of the county building. We went out and talked to two of the women and just asked them to come by the shelter. One of the women did come by two days later and she said, ‘the shelter’s never looked better.’”
New accommodations
Dogs’ living quarters have recently been upgraded to provide more space and weather protection. Davis pointed out “the ghetto,” a row of small, minimally tarped cages, where the dogs were formerly housed. Forty of them had been torn down but a few remain standing to keep dogs in the fresh air for the half hour each day while their cages are being cleaned.
The new accommodations for dogs are larger and are double tarped with semi-truck tarps that are batted down each night for warmth and protection from wind and moisture. Each cage contains a plastic igloo — with a heating pad if the dog is short-haired — as well as plenty of straw. According to Johnson, these quarters “will maintain a comfortable warmth even in the worst storm.” Some dogs are currently housed indoors and by the end of spring, the plan is to have all the animals sheltered indoors, except the dogs that fare better in the open air, according to Noll.
Five enclosed greenhouse style buildings are currently under construction, with donated money and volunteer labor. One is designated for the cats and the other four will house dogs. Each building will have a pressure washer, a feedand- water station.
The dog’s buildings will have 12 kennels and an outdoor play yard divided into two sections so they can play together according to temperament. Currently, dogs walks are notated in a log book so the staff and volunteers are aware of which dogs need walking, according to Cynthia Sharfin, shelter manager.
“As a shelter, there’s always things we can improve on,” said Noll. “But we think the shelter’s never been better. And if people have questions, we’ve always told them to just come on out. You are always welcome.”
Stray Hearts Animal Shelter nurse Summer Wood, left, and volunteer veterinarian Dr. Holly Johnson bring in sister and brother Pasha and Giggles for their puppy shots Friday (Feb. 28). Photo by Tina LarkinTo contact Stray Hearts Animal Shelter about donations, volunteering or other inquiries, e-mail them at strayhearts@ taosnet.com or visit www.strayhearts.org which has up-to-date photos and profiles of available animals; or call (575) 758-2981.
New Mexico's Hidden Past - Part 2
November 12, 2009
Rubén Durán found out he was Jewish when he was building a mud house on some land he had inherited, outside Albuquerque. Foraging for materials in the remains of his great-grandmother’s house, he found some weathered old wood that might be useful. “So I start pulling, separating the wood from the adobe and out popped a mezuzah ... it fell out of there, kind of a little metal box with a round cylinder. And inside, rolled up is a little scroll, which contains the shammat, which is, of course, the most important prayer to the Jewish people,” explains Durán.
Like artifacts from an adobe wall, the history of New Mexico’s Sephardic crypto-Jews, kept hidden for many generations, is now emerging.
Durán is one of several crypto-Jews depicted in the play “A Light In My Soul/Una Luz En Mi Alma,” which will be performed Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13-14), 7 p.m., at the Taos Community Auditorium, 145 Paseo de Pueblo Norte.
The production, presented by the Taos Jewish Center and Working Classroom Theater Group, is part of a 10-day festival called “¡Celebrate!, The Jewish Experience in Spanish-Speaking Countries,” which is spread out through Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. It concludes Sunday (Nov. 15). Other events include films, music, art, theater, food, lectures and exhibits.
Tickets for the play are $12 in advance, $18 at the door and $15 for students and seniors. A free performance for students and seniors is planned Friday (Nov. 13) at 1 p.m., for which reservations are required with the TJC.
There will also be a reception and Q&A afterward in Doc Martin’s Restaurant at The Taos Inn, 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Present will be the director, cast and some of the crypto-Jewish interviewees depicted in the play. Tickets for the reception are $55, which includes a ticket for the play that evening.
Working Classroom’s award-winning Albuquerque-based theater group includes an ethnically diverse group of actors ranging in age from 11 years old to 65. The play, written by Leigh Fondakowski and a team of collaborators, is based on extensive interviews conducted with New Mexican Crypto-Jews. Interview transcripts were then incorporated into historically accurate and visually exciting theater, using a process Fondakowski developed while writing her Emmy-nominated TV movie, “The Laramie Project.”
“These are the exact words (of interviewees) and their real names. It’s a very rare opportunity in theater where people get to speak for themselves,” says producer Nan Elsasser.
The play starts in Spain at the brink of the Edict of Expulsion, then travels to the New World where a boatload of expelled Jews come tumbling on stage. The action then fast-forwards to modern-times, as descendants enjoy the blessings, and grapple with challenges, their ancestry brings.
Father Clemente Espinosa grew up in Albuquerque in a family that practiced Judaism in secret for five centuries, continuously. His family is still in possession of religious paraphernalia that belonged to his 15th-century ancestors.
“Inside the house we were Jewish, but outside we were Catholics. We still had the fear of the Inquisition and things like that, because being ostracized by your own neighborhood is very terrible, especially as a little child, that’s a form of the Inquisition. I used to remember the words (they called us),” he says. “Right here in this district that happened! And we have a lot of Converso families here now and this is a very Roman Catholic state. And if you dare, you get ostracized, you lose your jobs, you lose your friends, and there’s connections, let’s put it there, nunca se acaba (translation: it never ends).”
Maria Apodaca was raised Catholic, but found out in high school that she was Jewish. “Somos Judios,” her father whispered to her after he read a poignant school essay she had written on Judaism.
“I had this feeling in my heart ... that it was very, very sacred very special that he said that to me and so that stayed with me,” she says.
The deep connection she felt to Judaism continued to grow in her and she eventually did her Return, which means she studied Jewish laws and customs for some time under a rabbi and then took part in a ceremony and ritual bath (mikvah.) Her son, Mark Tafoya is skeptical of these links to ancestry and the DNA testing his mother undergoes but he loves her and accepts her choice nonetheless. The rest of the family, however, is adamantly against her decision to embrace Judaism, a repercussion she must accept as she moves forward with her life.
Another challenge for Crypto-Jews touched on in the play is a sense of alienation from other Jews. When crypto-Jews decide to join overt Jewish communities, the Ashkenazi (Eastern-European) Jews are sometimes unfamiliar with, and therefore skeptical of, their Jewish authenticity.
There are some differences in Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions, such as singing different melodies to certain songs and eating slightly different traditional foods during holidays and ceremonies. As awareness of Sephardic Judaism grows in the Jewish community, measures are being taken to be more inclusive. According to Ariana Kramer, assistant to the director of TJC, Albuquerque now has a synagogue called “Nahalat Shalom,” which actively reaches out to Sephardic Jews and holds monthly Shabbats (Friday services) focused on Sephardic traditions.
The TJC, though not a synagogue, hosts religious and cultural events and has always welcomed everyone, “Jewish, non-Jewish and everyone in between,” says Kramer. “Some people come here for years and don’t know why they’re attracted but there’s this resonance with the traditions. Then later on they find out they have Jewish ancestry,” she adds.
New Mexico’s crypto-Jewish history has been surfacing more since the 1980s largely due to the work of researchers such as sociologist Tomas Atencio and historian Stanley Hordes. In his book, “To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico,” Hordes writes that his biggest challenge was “determining the history of a group of people who for centuries tried desperately to cover their tracks, to leave behind as little evidence as possible, documentary or otherwise, that would jeopardize their security and ... their families.”
“I believe my father’s generation was the last generation that would have any inkling that this happened,” says Durán. “We could have gone into my generation and, of course, my children’s generation, without them ever knowing about their own history.”
On his journey exploring Judaism, Durán visited Israel. “My wife and I ... we were riding around on a bus and they asked us where we’re from and we tell them New Mexico and they said, ‘Oh, you’re Jewish?’ And we’d say, ‘Well, I believe my family was Anusim.’ Now, the word anusim means forced to convert, okay. Funny how everybody knew that word ... And some of them would even reach out and touch you, kind of like, “Wow, brother. You’ve been lost for all these years. Welcome home.’ ”
For more information, call the Taos Jewish Center at (575) 758-8615.
Rubén Durán found out he was Jewish when he was building a mud house on some land he had inherited, outside Albuquerque. Foraging for materials in the remains of his great-grandmother’s house, he found some weathered old wood that might be useful. “So I start pulling, separating the wood from the adobe and out popped a mezuzah ... it fell out of there, kind of a little metal box with a round cylinder. And inside, rolled up is a little scroll, which contains the shammat, which is, of course, the most important prayer to the Jewish people,” explains Durán.
Like artifacts from an adobe wall, the history of New Mexico’s Sephardic crypto-Jews, kept hidden for many generations, is now emerging.
Durán is one of several crypto-Jews depicted in the play “A Light In My Soul/Una Luz En Mi Alma,” which will be performed Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13-14), 7 p.m., at the Taos Community Auditorium, 145 Paseo de Pueblo Norte.
The production, presented by the Taos Jewish Center and Working Classroom Theater Group, is part of a 10-day festival called “¡Celebrate!, The Jewish Experience in Spanish-Speaking Countries,” which is spread out through Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. It concludes Sunday (Nov. 15). Other events include films, music, art, theater, food, lectures and exhibits.
Tickets for the play are $12 in advance, $18 at the door and $15 for students and seniors. A free performance for students and seniors is planned Friday (Nov. 13) at 1 p.m., for which reservations are required with the TJC.
There will also be a reception and Q&A afterward in Doc Martin’s Restaurant at The Taos Inn, 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Present will be the director, cast and some of the crypto-Jewish interviewees depicted in the play. Tickets for the reception are $55, which includes a ticket for the play that evening.
Working Classroom’s award-winning Albuquerque-based theater group includes an ethnically diverse group of actors ranging in age from 11 years old to 65. The play, written by Leigh Fondakowski and a team of collaborators, is based on extensive interviews conducted with New Mexican Crypto-Jews. Interview transcripts were then incorporated into historically accurate and visually exciting theater, using a process Fondakowski developed while writing her Emmy-nominated TV movie, “The Laramie Project.”
“These are the exact words (of interviewees) and their real names. It’s a very rare opportunity in theater where people get to speak for themselves,” says producer Nan Elsasser.
The play starts in Spain at the brink of the Edict of Expulsion, then travels to the New World where a boatload of expelled Jews come tumbling on stage. The action then fast-forwards to modern-times, as descendants enjoy the blessings, and grapple with challenges, their ancestry brings.
Father Clemente Espinosa grew up in Albuquerque in a family that practiced Judaism in secret for five centuries, continuously. His family is still in possession of religious paraphernalia that belonged to his 15th-century ancestors.
“Inside the house we were Jewish, but outside we were Catholics. We still had the fear of the Inquisition and things like that, because being ostracized by your own neighborhood is very terrible, especially as a little child, that’s a form of the Inquisition. I used to remember the words (they called us),” he says. “Right here in this district that happened! And we have a lot of Converso families here now and this is a very Roman Catholic state. And if you dare, you get ostracized, you lose your jobs, you lose your friends, and there’s connections, let’s put it there, nunca se acaba (translation: it never ends).”
Maria Apodaca was raised Catholic, but found out in high school that she was Jewish. “Somos Judios,” her father whispered to her after he read a poignant school essay she had written on Judaism.
“I had this feeling in my heart ... that it was very, very sacred very special that he said that to me and so that stayed with me,” she says.
The deep connection she felt to Judaism continued to grow in her and she eventually did her Return, which means she studied Jewish laws and customs for some time under a rabbi and then took part in a ceremony and ritual bath (mikvah.) Her son, Mark Tafoya is skeptical of these links to ancestry and the DNA testing his mother undergoes but he loves her and accepts her choice nonetheless. The rest of the family, however, is adamantly against her decision to embrace Judaism, a repercussion she must accept as she moves forward with her life.
Another challenge for Crypto-Jews touched on in the play is a sense of alienation from other Jews. When crypto-Jews decide to join overt Jewish communities, the Ashkenazi (Eastern-European) Jews are sometimes unfamiliar with, and therefore skeptical of, their Jewish authenticity.
There are some differences in Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions, such as singing different melodies to certain songs and eating slightly different traditional foods during holidays and ceremonies. As awareness of Sephardic Judaism grows in the Jewish community, measures are being taken to be more inclusive. According to Ariana Kramer, assistant to the director of TJC, Albuquerque now has a synagogue called “Nahalat Shalom,” which actively reaches out to Sephardic Jews and holds monthly Shabbats (Friday services) focused on Sephardic traditions.
The TJC, though not a synagogue, hosts religious and cultural events and has always welcomed everyone, “Jewish, non-Jewish and everyone in between,” says Kramer. “Some people come here for years and don’t know why they’re attracted but there’s this resonance with the traditions. Then later on they find out they have Jewish ancestry,” she adds.
New Mexico’s crypto-Jewish history has been surfacing more since the 1980s largely due to the work of researchers such as sociologist Tomas Atencio and historian Stanley Hordes. In his book, “To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico,” Hordes writes that his biggest challenge was “determining the history of a group of people who for centuries tried desperately to cover their tracks, to leave behind as little evidence as possible, documentary or otherwise, that would jeopardize their security and ... their families.”
“I believe my father’s generation was the last generation that would have any inkling that this happened,” says Durán. “We could have gone into my generation and, of course, my children’s generation, without them ever knowing about their own history.”
On his journey exploring Judaism, Durán visited Israel. “My wife and I ... we were riding around on a bus and they asked us where we’re from and we tell them New Mexico and they said, ‘Oh, you’re Jewish?’ And we’d say, ‘Well, I believe my family was Anusim.’ Now, the word anusim means forced to convert, okay. Funny how everybody knew that word ... And some of them would even reach out and touch you, kind of like, “Wow, brother. You’ve been lost for all these years. Welcome home.’ ”
For more information, call the Taos Jewish Center at (575) 758-8615.
New Mexico's Hidden Past - Part 1
November 5, 2009
Josef García’s maternal grandmother would light two candles every Friday and then move her hands around in a circle, saying words in a mysterious language. When someone died, he said she would cover all the mirrors with black cloth.
When he asked her about these traditions, she would say they were “very old family traditions taught to her by her grandmother.”
“In 1982,” García said, “my elderly great uncle told me the reason I was uncomfortable in Christianity was because we were Jews. Suddenly, it made sense to me, my mother shouting about the filth and toxicity of pork and the other family customs. My father cried when we celebrated Erev Shabbat (Friday evening religious services) in my home. It was the first time he had done so since his mother’s death.”
Modern-day descendents of New Mexican crypto- Jews, such as García, are the subjects of an exhibition by late artist Cary Herz titled “Remnants of a Hidden Past: Photographs and Essays on New Mexico’s Crypto- Jews,” which opened with a reception Thursday (Nov. 5), 5:30-7 p.m., at La Hacienda de Los Martínez, 708 Hacienda Rd. in Lower Ranchitos. The term “crypto-Jew” can refer to anyone who practices Judaism in secret, for fear of discrimination or persecution — but, it can also refer to their descendants.
To explain how a number of Sephardic crypto-Jews ended up in New Mexico requires a brief step back in time. Jewish persecution, frequently flaring up throughout Europe since the first Crusade in 1095, infested Spain in 1492. At this time, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ordered the expulsion of the Jews, saying they had to either convert to Catholicism, leave the country, or face torture, imprisonment or execution.
Some fled to the New World with the conquistadores. Mexico City in particular received such a high influx of Jewish immigrants that in 1571 a tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition was established there, which also administered brutal punishments for practicing any religion other than Catholicism. Jews migrated further north, some as far as what is now New Mexico.
Although a portion of these Jews who had converted to Catholicism fully renounced their Jewish identities, others converted but continued to practice Judaism in secret and thereby became Sephardic crypto-Jews of New Mexico.
Herz (1947-2008) was photographing the Jewish cemetery in Las Vegas, N.M. in 1985 when she heard whispers of, “What about the others?” The cemetery contained the remains of Eastern European Jews who immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but was missing those of the Sephardic crypto-Jews that had resided in New Mexico for centuries.
The term “Sephardic” refers to persons of Spanish, Portuguese or North African descent. This day marked the start of her 20-year “odyssey” into this hidden — and now emerging — culture. Many of her images were shot in New Mexico but some were taken as far away as Portugal, where she journeyed with some of the crypto-Jewish descendants. Herz is the child of two Holocaust refugees and her deep personal connection to this subject seems to vibrate through her images.
Gerald González is depicted in Portugal, surrounded by aging stone walls. “Sitting on the steps of an Inquisition jail in Monsaraz, Portugal, led me to think of ... the perils and journeys across the globe that my Jewish ancestors undertook to protect themselves and their faith.
“In 2007 I identify myself as a Hispanic New Mexican who is culturally Catholic, but who also has a deep awareness of and sensitivity to my Jewish roots, embracing them as part of who I am,” González says in the book. “Accepting the complexity of my family history (including the French and Italian branches along with my Jewish origins) has led me to seek a wider understanding of our relatedness as God’s creations.”
Alongside each of Herz’ portraits will be brief biographical statements offering a glimpse of the range of experiences subjects have had in integrating their ancestry. Statements are excerpted from Herz’ book, “New Mexico’s Crypto-Jews, Image and Memory,” created in collaboration with Ori Z. Soltes and Mona Hernández.
Some descendants, like González, openly accept their Jewish heritage but choose not to practice the religion. One chooses to practice both Catholicism and Judaism. A few, some of whom have only recently discovered their Jewish ancestry, feel that they’ve come home. Lorenzo Domínguez stands with his elderly mother, Felima, beside the Río Grande in Albuquerque. He wears a tallit, a shawl with about 600 tassels, each a reminder of one of God’s commandments; she drapes her grandmother’s black shawl around her.
They both look directly into the camera with soft eyes. Felima is a devout Catholic who acknowledges her Jewish heritage that dates back to 16th century ancestor Lucas Vixil.
“From the time he was young my son has always felt that he was Jewish. I have a daughter who feels the same way. For me, as long as they, my children, pray to God, as long as you live your life in a good way, that is all that matters,” she says.
Herz was also intrigued by crypto- Jews’ gravestones that were adorned with Jewish symbols, sometimes hidden, sometimes not. Jewish stars are sometimes engraved alongside or inside crosses, or above the heads of angels. Some of the imagery, Herz writes in her book, has not yet been studied by material culture academics.
These photos raise interesting questions about why crypto-Jews would choose to leave a permanent, public marking of Judaism traceable to their families when they had gone to such lengths to keep their faith a secret. The gravestones that combine Jewish and Christian imagery can also be seen from an artistic perspective, as representations of religion as a unifying force rather than the divisive one that history has sometimes proven it to be.
Part 2 in the series will delve more deeply into the complex range of issues faced by this population, drawing on material from “A Light In My Soul/Una Luz En Mi Alma,” a play based on interviews with New Mexican Crypto-Jews and descendants. Performances will be Nov. 13-14 at the Taos Community Auditorium. For more information, call (575) 758-0505 or visit www.taoshistoricmuseums. org. Herz’ book also contains an extensive bibliography of works on this subject.
Lorenzo Domínguez (Levi Ben Macario) and mother by the Río Grande, Albuquerque, 1999. Photo by Cary Herz
Josef García’s maternal grandmother would light two candles every Friday and then move her hands around in a circle, saying words in a mysterious language. When someone died, he said she would cover all the mirrors with black cloth.
When he asked her about these traditions, she would say they were “very old family traditions taught to her by her grandmother.”
“In 1982,” García said, “my elderly great uncle told me the reason I was uncomfortable in Christianity was because we were Jews. Suddenly, it made sense to me, my mother shouting about the filth and toxicity of pork and the other family customs. My father cried when we celebrated Erev Shabbat (Friday evening religious services) in my home. It was the first time he had done so since his mother’s death.”
Modern-day descendents of New Mexican crypto- Jews, such as García, are the subjects of an exhibition by late artist Cary Herz titled “Remnants of a Hidden Past: Photographs and Essays on New Mexico’s Crypto- Jews,” which opened with a reception Thursday (Nov. 5), 5:30-7 p.m., at La Hacienda de Los Martínez, 708 Hacienda Rd. in Lower Ranchitos. The term “crypto-Jew” can refer to anyone who practices Judaism in secret, for fear of discrimination or persecution — but, it can also refer to their descendants.
To explain how a number of Sephardic crypto-Jews ended up in New Mexico requires a brief step back in time. Jewish persecution, frequently flaring up throughout Europe since the first Crusade in 1095, infested Spain in 1492. At this time, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand ordered the expulsion of the Jews, saying they had to either convert to Catholicism, leave the country, or face torture, imprisonment or execution.
Some fled to the New World with the conquistadores. Mexico City in particular received such a high influx of Jewish immigrants that in 1571 a tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition was established there, which also administered brutal punishments for practicing any religion other than Catholicism. Jews migrated further north, some as far as what is now New Mexico.
Although a portion of these Jews who had converted to Catholicism fully renounced their Jewish identities, others converted but continued to practice Judaism in secret and thereby became Sephardic crypto-Jews of New Mexico.
Herz (1947-2008) was photographing the Jewish cemetery in Las Vegas, N.M. in 1985 when she heard whispers of, “What about the others?” The cemetery contained the remains of Eastern European Jews who immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but was missing those of the Sephardic crypto-Jews that had resided in New Mexico for centuries.
The term “Sephardic” refers to persons of Spanish, Portuguese or North African descent. This day marked the start of her 20-year “odyssey” into this hidden — and now emerging — culture. Many of her images were shot in New Mexico but some were taken as far away as Portugal, where she journeyed with some of the crypto-Jewish descendants. Herz is the child of two Holocaust refugees and her deep personal connection to this subject seems to vibrate through her images.
Gerald González is depicted in Portugal, surrounded by aging stone walls. “Sitting on the steps of an Inquisition jail in Monsaraz, Portugal, led me to think of ... the perils and journeys across the globe that my Jewish ancestors undertook to protect themselves and their faith.
“In 2007 I identify myself as a Hispanic New Mexican who is culturally Catholic, but who also has a deep awareness of and sensitivity to my Jewish roots, embracing them as part of who I am,” González says in the book. “Accepting the complexity of my family history (including the French and Italian branches along with my Jewish origins) has led me to seek a wider understanding of our relatedness as God’s creations.”
Alongside each of Herz’ portraits will be brief biographical statements offering a glimpse of the range of experiences subjects have had in integrating their ancestry. Statements are excerpted from Herz’ book, “New Mexico’s Crypto-Jews, Image and Memory,” created in collaboration with Ori Z. Soltes and Mona Hernández.
Some descendants, like González, openly accept their Jewish heritage but choose not to practice the religion. One chooses to practice both Catholicism and Judaism. A few, some of whom have only recently discovered their Jewish ancestry, feel that they’ve come home. Lorenzo Domínguez stands with his elderly mother, Felima, beside the Río Grande in Albuquerque. He wears a tallit, a shawl with about 600 tassels, each a reminder of one of God’s commandments; she drapes her grandmother’s black shawl around her.
They both look directly into the camera with soft eyes. Felima is a devout Catholic who acknowledges her Jewish heritage that dates back to 16th century ancestor Lucas Vixil.
“From the time he was young my son has always felt that he was Jewish. I have a daughter who feels the same way. For me, as long as they, my children, pray to God, as long as you live your life in a good way, that is all that matters,” she says.
Herz was also intrigued by crypto- Jews’ gravestones that were adorned with Jewish symbols, sometimes hidden, sometimes not. Jewish stars are sometimes engraved alongside or inside crosses, or above the heads of angels. Some of the imagery, Herz writes in her book, has not yet been studied by material culture academics.
These photos raise interesting questions about why crypto-Jews would choose to leave a permanent, public marking of Judaism traceable to their families when they had gone to such lengths to keep their faith a secret. The gravestones that combine Jewish and Christian imagery can also be seen from an artistic perspective, as representations of religion as a unifying force rather than the divisive one that history has sometimes proven it to be.
Part 2 in the series will delve more deeply into the complex range of issues faced by this population, drawing on material from “A Light In My Soul/Una Luz En Mi Alma,” a play based on interviews with New Mexican Crypto-Jews and descendants. Performances will be Nov. 13-14 at the Taos Community Auditorium. For more information, call (575) 758-0505 or visit www.taoshistoricmuseums. org. Herz’ book also contains an extensive bibliography of works on this subject.
Lorenzo Domínguez (Levi Ben Macario) and mother by the Río Grande, Albuquerque, 1999. Photo by Cary Herz
Former Miss New Mexico - "It's not about perfection"
November 16, 2008
Does the Miss America Pageant degrade women or empower them?
Taos teens got to decide for themselves after hearing an argument for the latter from Jenny Marlowe, 2007 Miss New Mexico. She spoke to girls at Taos High School last Tuesday (Oct. 7) about her pageant experiences and encouraged those-inclined to register for the Miss Taos pageant Nov. 15.
Marlowe — a TV reporter and professional singer — said she had a huge advantage in the professional world because of the interviewing, public speaking and performing practice she got at pageants. The first time she went on stage at a pageant, she told THS girls, she was terrified.
“But each time I got better,” she said, “I promise, you get better.”
And then there’s the money. Miss America is the biggest scholarship organization for women in the country and money is available to winners and non-winners alike, according to Alyssa Martínez, executive director (a volunteer position) of Miss Taos County Scholarship Pageant. Just for competing in any local pageant, a girl becomes eligible to apply for scholarships of at least $1,000 to study law, engineering, medicine, performing arts and more. So you don’t have to meet an arbitrary standard of perfection to cash-in. But you do have to put yourself out there — on stage, performing, interviewing and strutting your stuff in a swimsuit. Students cringed when Marlowe mentioned the swimsuit competition.
“It’s only 20 seconds!” she said, “You can do it! And it’s not about being ultra-skinny; it’s about being healthy.”
Those competing in the Miss Teen pageant have a sportswear competition instead of swimsuit. Those who place in the top five at Miss New Mexico (adult competition), get four years paid in full at any New Mexico College, including room and board, according to Marlowe. However, this comprehensive scholarship is only available to incoming freshman, so this is a key year for high school seniors. Winning a local pageant is a requirement to compete at Miss New Mexico.
“I’d compete for the school money and for the experience,” Carissa Nichols, a THS senior, said. “But I don’t have that much self-confidence so it’s kind of scary to me.”
Barbara Jones, a self-actualization coach, and Martínez offered free coaching sessions to girls on interviewing, talent, wardrobe, makeup and other skills, so they can walk into the competition with confidence.
“I don’t want to (compete),” said Krystal Archuleta, a junior, “because I know I’m beautiful myself.”
In response to the criticism that pageants overemphasize physical appearance, Marlowe said, “The pageants have been about perfection for a really long time and they’re trying to get away from it, but change takes time.”
She admitted to having felt intense pressure to be perfect at the Miss America pageant, but she said it was self-inflicted. The platform program, started in 1989, requires contestants to pick and advocate for a social issue, as an attempt to downplay the emphasis on individual perfection, said Martínez. Marlowe’s platform was “becoming powerful against sexual and physical assault.”
For the year she was Miss New Mexico, she spoke to schoolchildren all over New Mexico about this issue. In addition, she volunteered at a rape crisis center and was a spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse and Incest Network. It was a tough choice for her to pick this platform and she received some criticism for addressing this issue in elementary schools but she held her ground. Having survived sexual assault when she was a teenager, she felt strongly about bringing the message to kids that abuse is never their fault and that help is available. Marlowe said she matured a great deal during that year from her experiences speaking to groups and counseling individuals.
“Now I feel like I can walk into any room and talk to anyone, whether it’s a kindergartner or the president of the United States,” she said, “If I’ve made them feel important, then I’ve done my job.” Marlowe admitted that pageants aren’t for everyone, but those even the slightest bit interested, were offered encouragement, clothes from her closet and her phone number for coaching. The deadline to sign up for the Miss Taos pageant is Friday (Oct. 20). Class ended and Martínez spoke over the rustling of backpacks: “Every single one of you can take this opportunity and run with it. As long as you believe you can do it and you don’t listen to the people that tell you you’re crazy.”
Megan Avina
For more information, contact Alissa Martínez at: (575) 776-1177 or gottatrymarykay@ aol.com
Does the Miss America Pageant degrade women or empower them?
Taos teens got to decide for themselves after hearing an argument for the latter from Jenny Marlowe, 2007 Miss New Mexico. She spoke to girls at Taos High School last Tuesday (Oct. 7) about her pageant experiences and encouraged those-inclined to register for the Miss Taos pageant Nov. 15.
Marlowe — a TV reporter and professional singer — said she had a huge advantage in the professional world because of the interviewing, public speaking and performing practice she got at pageants. The first time she went on stage at a pageant, she told THS girls, she was terrified.
“But each time I got better,” she said, “I promise, you get better.”
And then there’s the money. Miss America is the biggest scholarship organization for women in the country and money is available to winners and non-winners alike, according to Alyssa Martínez, executive director (a volunteer position) of Miss Taos County Scholarship Pageant. Just for competing in any local pageant, a girl becomes eligible to apply for scholarships of at least $1,000 to study law, engineering, medicine, performing arts and more. So you don’t have to meet an arbitrary standard of perfection to cash-in. But you do have to put yourself out there — on stage, performing, interviewing and strutting your stuff in a swimsuit. Students cringed when Marlowe mentioned the swimsuit competition.
“It’s only 20 seconds!” she said, “You can do it! And it’s not about being ultra-skinny; it’s about being healthy.”
Those competing in the Miss Teen pageant have a sportswear competition instead of swimsuit. Those who place in the top five at Miss New Mexico (adult competition), get four years paid in full at any New Mexico College, including room and board, according to Marlowe. However, this comprehensive scholarship is only available to incoming freshman, so this is a key year for high school seniors. Winning a local pageant is a requirement to compete at Miss New Mexico.
“I’d compete for the school money and for the experience,” Carissa Nichols, a THS senior, said. “But I don’t have that much self-confidence so it’s kind of scary to me.”
Barbara Jones, a self-actualization coach, and Martínez offered free coaching sessions to girls on interviewing, talent, wardrobe, makeup and other skills, so they can walk into the competition with confidence.
“I don’t want to (compete),” said Krystal Archuleta, a junior, “because I know I’m beautiful myself.”
In response to the criticism that pageants overemphasize physical appearance, Marlowe said, “The pageants have been about perfection for a really long time and they’re trying to get away from it, but change takes time.”
She admitted to having felt intense pressure to be perfect at the Miss America pageant, but she said it was self-inflicted. The platform program, started in 1989, requires contestants to pick and advocate for a social issue, as an attempt to downplay the emphasis on individual perfection, said Martínez. Marlowe’s platform was “becoming powerful against sexual and physical assault.”
For the year she was Miss New Mexico, she spoke to schoolchildren all over New Mexico about this issue. In addition, she volunteered at a rape crisis center and was a spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse and Incest Network. It was a tough choice for her to pick this platform and she received some criticism for addressing this issue in elementary schools but she held her ground. Having survived sexual assault when she was a teenager, she felt strongly about bringing the message to kids that abuse is never their fault and that help is available. Marlowe said she matured a great deal during that year from her experiences speaking to groups and counseling individuals.
“Now I feel like I can walk into any room and talk to anyone, whether it’s a kindergartner or the president of the United States,” she said, “If I’ve made them feel important, then I’ve done my job.” Marlowe admitted that pageants aren’t for everyone, but those even the slightest bit interested, were offered encouragement, clothes from her closet and her phone number for coaching. The deadline to sign up for the Miss Taos pageant is Friday (Oct. 20). Class ended and Martínez spoke over the rustling of backpacks: “Every single one of you can take this opportunity and run with it. As long as you believe you can do it and you don’t listen to the people that tell you you’re crazy.”
Megan Avina For more information, contact Alissa Martínez at: (575) 776-1177 or gottatrymarykay@ aol.com
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Deliberately Fit: Visualizing the Finish Line
June 11, 2009
I believe in exercise. A long hike or bike ride always leaves me exhilarated and full of insight. Gyms, however, have never done it for me.
The scary machines and looks of exhaustion on all the faces make my skin crawl. When I was assigned to cover the Deliberately Fit Workshop at the Northside Spa, and saw the schedule, I filled with dread. Nearly three hours of continuous gym exercise for four days in a row? I’d collapse.
Then I found out Eileen Pedersen, who co-facilitates the camp with Rosa Hagan, is a yoga teacher and something in me opened up.
“This isn’t just about helping people to fit into a size six. Our bodies are an amazing tool to work towards a higher purpose,” said Pedersen, who is also a spinning instructor and certified nutrition counselor. “We want to empower people to take control of their own health and well-being, so no one else has to take care of them.”
Hagan is a certified Pilates and bosu instructor, lifestyle counselor and an American College of Sports Medicine certified health and fitness instructor.
“It’s the gold standard of fitness and personal trainers,” Pedersen said. “We’re sort of East meets West, we train across modalities.”
Each afternoon, from 1- 4:30 p.m., offers a balance of cardio-vascular exercise, flexibility and resistance training, yoga and Pilates and relaxation. Following the physical workout are lectures on nutrition, cardio- vascular science, resistance training and stretching.
Before and after camp, participants undergo an (optional) assessment that includes blood pressure and heart rate, flexibility, waist-hip ratio and core endurance.
“When you meet a physical challenge and overcome it, your strength and confidence spills over to other parts of your life,” Pedersen said.
I was convinced. I went the first day and by that day’s lecture, I’d rearranged my schedule so I could attend the whole enchilada.
Day 1
After introductions and a talk on cardiovascular exercise, half the group went to Pedersen’s spin class and my half hopped on cardio machines in the main gym. Hagan came around to check on me and my elliptically bouncing neighbor.
“Listen to your body,” said Hagan, after we’d been warming up for a couple of minutes. “You should be aiming for about a seven or eight on the exertion scale — one being relaxing on the couch and 10 being running from a tiger. You should still be able to talk but not really want to. We’ll stay here for two minutes, GO!”
I stayed at eight for a couple seconds and then returned to a comfortable five. Bosus were next — they look like the top third of an exercise ball sliced off and given a flat supportive bottom. We jump off and on with variations and then Hagan adds (optional) fancy moves like knee to opposite elbow on the landing. I flounder.
“Confusion is good. It burns more calories!” says Hagan.“Thirty more seconds!”
I keep moving and get it eventually.
“Lovin’ it! Lookin’ good,” Hagan kept shouting during the following hour of strength training and I realize I love having someone cheer for me. After Pilates is our first lecture: Nutrition.
Pedersen dumps tiny containers of rice and pastas on a plate to show us what a “serving size” looks like. A ping pong ball represents the suggested serving of cheese. Pedersen recommends several small meals a day — every three to four hours — as opposed to waiting until piercing, irrational hunger overcomes us.
“This will also help to maintain a healthy blood sugar level so you are steadier, emotionally and physically,” said Pedersen.
I had so much energy that night I pulled out my dusty box of acrylics and painted a couple of small pieces and then some polka dots onto the back of my car.
Day 2
My expectations are very low as I step into my first-ever spin class. I believe biking should involve fresh air and a destination.
“It’s important to become comfortable leaving your comfort zone,” Hagan said that morning. “A lot of people will back off at the point of discomfort but it’s those who learn to tolerate the discomfort that see change.”
I decide to spend some more time in the discomfort of level eight exertion.
“Be deliberate, stay with it … visualize the finish line!” said Pedersen as the beads of sweat swam down our faces.
Inspired by the in-depth afternoon cardiovascular lecture and still giddy from Pedersen’s class, when I get home I highlight every spin class on the spa schedule.
Day 3
I’m on exercise autopilot and keep moving in spite of gravity beckoning me to the nearest patch of floor.
I vaguely recall spinning, bosu lunges, poolside lunges, a game of catch with a heavy, gooey ball while balanced on tippy plastic half moons. Then we got a crash course in weight machines.
I’m attentive during yoga because I think all the breathy stretching is why I haven’t been sore this week. That night as I polish off my second avocado sandwich, I belatedly recall Pedersen’s words as we were leaving: “Eat protein tonight. Because of all the strength training we did today, your body will crave carbs but need protein.”
Day 4
After sleeping like a rock, I awake with loads of energy. My body is buoyant with possibility.
“Up, over, down, lunge!” says Hagan as we’re building up to our first interval on bosus, which I’ve grown to love.
During our rigorous upper body workout, I ponder our imminent departure from the endorphin-soaked alternative universe of the last four days. At the morning check in there was talk of meeting up for buddy workouts and reuniting for the instructors’ weekly Deliberately Fit maintenance series.
“I want to do this every day for the rest of my life,” someone said. Nearly everyone echoed her sentiment or expressed some version of “I feel fantastic,” with a sparkle in the eyes to back it up.
I can’t say for sure if I’ll return to the gym but it’s highly likely. It’s work, but the results help the rest of the day feel like play.
Deliberately Fit workshops are offered several times a year.For more information, contact the instructors who also offer dietary cleanses and individual sessions: Rosa Hagan (575) 779- 1081 or Eileen Pedersen (575) 770-9437.
Tina Larkin
I believe in exercise. A long hike or bike ride always leaves me exhilarated and full of insight. Gyms, however, have never done it for me.
The scary machines and looks of exhaustion on all the faces make my skin crawl. When I was assigned to cover the Deliberately Fit Workshop at the Northside Spa, and saw the schedule, I filled with dread. Nearly three hours of continuous gym exercise for four days in a row? I’d collapse.
Then I found out Eileen Pedersen, who co-facilitates the camp with Rosa Hagan, is a yoga teacher and something in me opened up.
“This isn’t just about helping people to fit into a size six. Our bodies are an amazing tool to work towards a higher purpose,” said Pedersen, who is also a spinning instructor and certified nutrition counselor. “We want to empower people to take control of their own health and well-being, so no one else has to take care of them.”
Hagan is a certified Pilates and bosu instructor, lifestyle counselor and an American College of Sports Medicine certified health and fitness instructor.
“It’s the gold standard of fitness and personal trainers,” Pedersen said. “We’re sort of East meets West, we train across modalities.”
Each afternoon, from 1- 4:30 p.m., offers a balance of cardio-vascular exercise, flexibility and resistance training, yoga and Pilates and relaxation. Following the physical workout are lectures on nutrition, cardio- vascular science, resistance training and stretching.
Before and after camp, participants undergo an (optional) assessment that includes blood pressure and heart rate, flexibility, waist-hip ratio and core endurance.
“When you meet a physical challenge and overcome it, your strength and confidence spills over to other parts of your life,” Pedersen said.
I was convinced. I went the first day and by that day’s lecture, I’d rearranged my schedule so I could attend the whole enchilada.
Day 1
After introductions and a talk on cardiovascular exercise, half the group went to Pedersen’s spin class and my half hopped on cardio machines in the main gym. Hagan came around to check on me and my elliptically bouncing neighbor.
“Listen to your body,” said Hagan, after we’d been warming up for a couple of minutes. “You should be aiming for about a seven or eight on the exertion scale — one being relaxing on the couch and 10 being running from a tiger. You should still be able to talk but not really want to. We’ll stay here for two minutes, GO!”
I stayed at eight for a couple seconds and then returned to a comfortable five. Bosus were next — they look like the top third of an exercise ball sliced off and given a flat supportive bottom. We jump off and on with variations and then Hagan adds (optional) fancy moves like knee to opposite elbow on the landing. I flounder.
“Confusion is good. It burns more calories!” says Hagan.“Thirty more seconds!”
I keep moving and get it eventually.
“Lovin’ it! Lookin’ good,” Hagan kept shouting during the following hour of strength training and I realize I love having someone cheer for me. After Pilates is our first lecture: Nutrition.
Pedersen dumps tiny containers of rice and pastas on a plate to show us what a “serving size” looks like. A ping pong ball represents the suggested serving of cheese. Pedersen recommends several small meals a day — every three to four hours — as opposed to waiting until piercing, irrational hunger overcomes us.
“This will also help to maintain a healthy blood sugar level so you are steadier, emotionally and physically,” said Pedersen.
I had so much energy that night I pulled out my dusty box of acrylics and painted a couple of small pieces and then some polka dots onto the back of my car.
Day 2
My expectations are very low as I step into my first-ever spin class. I believe biking should involve fresh air and a destination.
“It’s important to become comfortable leaving your comfort zone,” Hagan said that morning. “A lot of people will back off at the point of discomfort but it’s those who learn to tolerate the discomfort that see change.”
I decide to spend some more time in the discomfort of level eight exertion.
“Be deliberate, stay with it … visualize the finish line!” said Pedersen as the beads of sweat swam down our faces.
Inspired by the in-depth afternoon cardiovascular lecture and still giddy from Pedersen’s class, when I get home I highlight every spin class on the spa schedule.
Day 3
I’m on exercise autopilot and keep moving in spite of gravity beckoning me to the nearest patch of floor.
I vaguely recall spinning, bosu lunges, poolside lunges, a game of catch with a heavy, gooey ball while balanced on tippy plastic half moons. Then we got a crash course in weight machines.
I’m attentive during yoga because I think all the breathy stretching is why I haven’t been sore this week. That night as I polish off my second avocado sandwich, I belatedly recall Pedersen’s words as we were leaving: “Eat protein tonight. Because of all the strength training we did today, your body will crave carbs but need protein.”
Day 4
After sleeping like a rock, I awake with loads of energy. My body is buoyant with possibility.
“Up, over, down, lunge!” says Hagan as we’re building up to our first interval on bosus, which I’ve grown to love.
During our rigorous upper body workout, I ponder our imminent departure from the endorphin-soaked alternative universe of the last four days. At the morning check in there was talk of meeting up for buddy workouts and reuniting for the instructors’ weekly Deliberately Fit maintenance series.
“I want to do this every day for the rest of my life,” someone said. Nearly everyone echoed her sentiment or expressed some version of “I feel fantastic,” with a sparkle in the eyes to back it up.
I can’t say for sure if I’ll return to the gym but it’s highly likely. It’s work, but the results help the rest of the day feel like play.
Deliberately Fit workshops are offered several times a year.For more information, contact the instructors who also offer dietary cleanses and individual sessions: Rosa Hagan (575) 779- 1081 or Eileen Pedersen (575) 770-9437.
Tina Larkin
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