D  e  s  e  r  t     E  x  p  o  s  u  r  e     May 2005

Threads of Time

Minnie Hoskie was born in Newcomb, NM, on the southeastern edge of the Navajo reservation and still lives within three miles of where she was born. She leads a traditional way of life, caring for and using the wool of the sheep that have for generations been the mainstay of Navajo life. When Hoskie was in her early teens she was paid $25 for her first weaving. Today, at the age of 71, she is an accomplished, award-winning master of the wool.

On Saturday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hoskie will demonstrate her time-honored art at the Textile Show held at Elemental Arts, 106 Yankie St. in Silver City.

Driving the Navajo reservation where Hoskie lives is, for many, a spiritual experience, a feeling reflected in the faces and lives of its people. The soft desert colors and striking contrast of rocky shapes can also be seen in the beautiful weavings that are crafted throughout the Navajo lands. Here is a culture that is steeped in tradition and has relied on weaving as a means to sustain the family for many generations.

Hoskie specializes in the popular Two Grey Hills Tapestry. All the wool used in these fine weavings comes from her flock of sheep. She spends endless hours in cleaning, carding and spinning the wool. She says, "The most important part of weaving is the care and attention spent on preparing the wool."

For more information, call the gallery at 590-7554.—Sharleen Daugherty

Smile, It's the PhotoBooth!

A personal project of San Francisco advertising photographer Christopher Irion, the PhotoBooth is a small, lightweight portable studio that folds up and travels on the roof of his VW camper. For the second summer in row Irion will be crossing the country, setting up his booth at county fairs, cafes, supermarkets and parking lots and any other place with access to a good cross section of the public. The PhotoBooth will be in Silver City, on Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14, outside Art & Conversation gallery, 614 N. Bullard.

Irion asks people to step into the portable sidewalk photo booth that he designed and constructed himself; the whole process takes no more than several minutes. People really seem to enjoy the momentary anonymity behind the curtain, he says. Irion, outside the booth, makes a picture when he sees something interesting happening. As a thank-you for being part of the project, all participants will be sent a copy of their portrait.

"It's about the size of the photo booths of my childhood, with room for two people to fit inside and a curtain to pull for privacy." says Irion. "I have always liked the unique quality of old photo booth pictures. There is something indefinably wonderful about the best of them—a certain kind of intimacy that makes them special."

For more information on the project, contact Paul Hirschberger in Silver City at 559-8440, paulh@earthsake.com.

The Wherehouse Celebrates Textile and Fiber Arts

The Wherehouse in Silver City, now in its second season as an arts, antiques and flea market, will be celebrating textile and fiber arts during the month of May. May 7 is "Knit One, Purl Too," free knitting lessons and supplies courtesy of the soon-to-open yarn shop, Yada Yada Yarn, with Suzi Calhoun teaching. May 14 is "Wooly Daze," from sheep to cloth, spinning and weaving demonstrations by the Mogollon Rim Fiber Guild. May 21 and 28th will feature "A Maze of Quilts and Textiles," celebrating this age-old art form from traditional to contemporary, with a maze of quilts, coverlets, Mexican molas and more. George Smith, a local quilter, will be on hand to offer free lessons and supplies to "make and take" a small wall hanging.

Each month the Wherehouse will feature the arts in all its various forms, with pottery on the calendar this summer. Also, it will be featuring an antiques "Appraise-a-thon," Silver City's own "road show," in August.

The Wherehouse is open every Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 305 S. Texas St. For information, call 388-0045 or 534-4881.

"Method and Metaphor" in May

An exhibit of mixed media by Darrol Shillingburg, "Method and Metaphor," will bring works including sculpture, ceramics and painting to the Director's Gallery of the Las Cruces Museum of Fine Art May 4-28. An opening reception for Shillingburg and NMSU artists exhibiting in the Main Gallery will be held on Friday, May 5, from 5-8 p.m.

Shillingburg says that he works in response to his own personal "spiritual and revelatory relationship with nature." Included will be work with stones, which he identifies as "the most personal and profound" aspect of his art.

He holds a BS degree in park management from California State University, Sacramento. He has studied ancient and contemporary ceramic techniques at the Appalachian Center for Crafts and has exhibited his work nationally since 1988. Shillingburg recently worked as exhibit designer for the Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.

In the museum's Main Gallery, visitors will find a show by the 2005 BFA candidates from NMSU, May 5-14. The Museum of Fine Art is located at 490 N. Water St. in the downtown mall. For information, call 541-2137.

At the Galleries

Lois Duffy's studio in Silver City will reopen in its new space at 211C N. Texas St. in time for the Blues Festival weekend, May 27-29. She will host a re-opening reception on Sunday, May 29, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For information, call 534-0822 or see www.loisduffy.com.

Pottery by Don Sprague will be featured in a new show opening May 26 at the Blue Dome Gallery, 307 N. Texas St. in Silver City. Following an opening reception, 4-7 p.m., Sprague will present a public lecture and slide show at 7 p.m. at the WNMU Global Resource Center. For information, call 534-8671, email bluedome@zianet.com, or see www.bluedomegallery.com.

The Tombaugh Gallery of the Unitarian Universalist Church will host an art show of works done by members and friends of the church. Among the exhibitors will be Bev Denney, Pat Faner, Toni Graywolf, Judy Licht, Louise Lockhart, Don Neideg, Helen Polley, Wanda Skowland, Debbie Swansburg, Betty Sweeney, Roy vander Aa and Lucia Wilcox. The show opens May 1 and may be viewed on that day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Regular gallery hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 2000 S. Solano Drive in Las Cruces.

The Nash Gallery will hold a "Best Gallery" party on Saturday, May 21, from 1-5 p.m., to thank the community, honor its artists and benefit the Jardin de los Ninos, an organization dedicated to providing loving child care for children of homeless or near homeless families. The Nash Gallery opened in August 2002 and has been chosen twice by the community as Best Gallery in the annual Las Cruces Sun-News Readers' Choice Awards poll. The event will include refreshments and the opportunity for everyone to participate in the creation of a group effort "masterpiece" painting. The painting will be auctioned in a silent auction, the proceeds from which, along with 10 percent of all sales during the event, will be donated to Jardin de los Ninos. The gallery is located at 1701 Calle de Mercado, in Old Mesilla, 523-2311.

Jan Kosnick will present her stained-glass artisan bird spas, wall pieces and mirrors at Laughing at the Sun, 1901 Calle de Parian (inside the Old Tortilla Factory), 523-1890, in Old Mesilla through May 26.

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