Past Exhibitions and Events:
Alchemy • Collage & Assemblage
April 12–May 31, 2008
Alchemy celebrates the mediums of collage and assemblage, featuring artists from around the country. The exhibition looks at the historic development of these mediums and showcases contemporary artists who work with cutting, gluing and assembling disparate and often appropriated images and objects to create something entirely new and original. A process akin to alchemy unifies the elements these artists mix together. Artists include Ann Dunbar (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Tony Fitzpatrick (Chicago, Illinois), Ingrid Freidenbergs (Lakeville, Connecticut), Gonzalo Fuenmayor (Miami, Florida), Andrew Ginzel (New York, New York), Bebe Krimmer (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Michael Pajon (Chicago Illinois), Holly Roberts (Corrales, New Mexico), Brooke Steiger (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Leonard Stokes (Pleasantville, New York), Maritta Tapanainen (Los Angeles, California), Andrea Volkoff-Senutovitch (Santa Fe, New Mexico) and Miriam Wosk (Los Angeles, California). The exhibition includes a program of collage films organized by Bryan Konefsky. Alchemy is curated by Suzanne Sbarge. More details Special Film Event
Snap Crackle Pow!
April 12–May 31, 2008
Snap Crackle Pow!, an exhibition of drawings organized by guest curator Kathryn M Davis, investigates how the cultures of comic book art (including, but not restricted to, R. Crumb and a correlated mentality that reflects the writings of Charles Bukowski) have intersected with popular graphics (such as those on cereal boxes) to influence a new generation of draftsmen. The exhibition includes the work of New Mexico artists Maureen Burdock, Luke Dorman, David Leigh, Larry Bob Phillips, Clayton Porter, Rose Simpson as well as a tribute to R. Crumb. The concurrent exhibitions, Alchemy and Snap Crackle Pow!, both explore a "pieced together" vocabulary of popular culture. More details
Poetry & The Absurd
Saturday, April 19, 10am–noon
Poetry & The Absurd writing workshop with Erika Sanchez. Download flyer
516 WORDS
Saturday, April 26, 8pm
516 ARTS and the UNM M.F.A. in Creative Writing program present a reading celebrating Destructible Heart Press (www.destructibleheart.com), featuring Dan Darling, Damien Flores, Meghan Jones and Adam Rubinstein. More details download flyer
Cut Up or Shut Up
Thursday, April 17, 8pm
An evening of collage films in conjunction with Alchemy: Collage & Assemblage exhibition. The screening was organized by Bryan Konefsky, kicking off Experiments in Cinema V3.0, the third annual festival of experimental film (www.basementfilms.org/experiments.html). More details download flyer
Giving Shelter
March 1–29, 2008
516 ARTS presents an exhibition of fifty artists from across the United States and beyond in conjunction with The Cradle Project (www.thecradleproject.org), a fund raising art installation for orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa. The vision of The Cradle Project is to utilize empty cradles to represent the lost potential of these orphaned children. As a sister exhibition to The Cradle Project, Giving Shelter explores the themes of safe shelter, refuge and sacred space. Exhibition Curator Deborah Gavel says, "We are interested in creatively coming together as an artistic community to bring awareness to a global concern through art." The exhibition includes work in all visual media. The Cradle Project is organized by Naomi Natale. Special events throughout the month are in conjunction with the Women and Creativity series presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center. More details
Public Art Workshop: Creating Shelter
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 10am–1pm
An educational art making workshop for all ages in conjunction with Giving Shelter. The workshop took place at the Wyoming Public Library, 8205 Apache NE, Albuquerque, phone 291-6264. Download flyer
516 WORDS Firestorm • Women’s Poetry Slam & Open Mic
Saturday, March 15, 2008 8pm
We were joined in celebrating Albuquerque's diverse women's voices with an evening of poetry. The winner from this event qualified to compete to be the woman who will represent Albuquerque at the 2009 Women of the World National Poetry Slam. Sign-up was at 7:30pm, reading began at 8pm. Download flyer
Artist's Presentations with filmmaker Mary Lance and painter Carol Hoy
Friday, March 14, 7:30pm
Documentary filmmaker Mary Lance screened excerpts from the work-in-progress of her new film Blue Alchemy: Stories of Indigo, exploring the art and process of making indigo dye with artists from around the world. She discussed her recent trip to Bangladesh and India, where she filmed women in Bangladesh making the indigo dyestuff, which helps support their community economically. Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and artist Carol Hoy gave a talk, Taking Refuge, inspired by her life and art practice. Hoy’s life journey has led her to many sacred spaces in Nepal and Tibet. She will speak on compassion and the path of awakening through art making. Download flyer
20 Years 20 Artists
January 19–February 16, 2008
516 ARTS celebrated twenty years of Working Classroom, a nonprofit organization promoting a more inclusive, nuanced definition of our collective identity through free, high quality training to aspiring artists from historically ignored communities. The exhibition featured the work of twenty artists from around the globe who have invested their time and talents to build and sustain this important work/organization. These artists are from Haiti, France, Mexico, Poland and China as well as New Mexico and across the United States. The work includes painting, sculpture, contemporary retablo, photography and video. www.workingclassroom.org More details
516 WORDS
Saturday, January 19, 6–8pm
516 WORDS literary arts event that featured Jimmy Santiago Baca, Arturo Sandoval, Erika Sanchez and live music with Cultura Fuerte. More details Download Flyer
R. A. i. R. Works 40 • Selected Alumni from 40 Years of the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program
November 3–December 29, 2007
For forty years, the Roswell Artists-in-Residence Program has supported visual artists from across the United States and the globe. Isolated in southeastern New Mexico, the residency provides year-long support away from the demands and distractions of the urban world, while encouraging the free exploration of new directions in contemporary art. The exhibition features nationally and internationally renowned artists who live in or have ties to New Mexico: Stuart Arends, Eddie Dominguez, Stephen Fleming, Cristina González, Scott Greene, Diane Marsh, Frank McCulloch, Mollie Oblinger, Robert ParkeHarrison, David Politzer, Josh Rose and Raissa Venables. Curated by Stephen Fleming, Program Director, Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program. More details www.rair.org
Loosely Joined • New Mexico Artists from the Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop
November 3–December 29, 2007
This group exhibition, presented with Santa Fe Art Institute, features the work of 22 New Mexico artists who participated in the Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop in 2006. This national program acts as a catalyst for the development of adventurous and imaginative ideas by supporting artists who pursue innovation in form and/or content in the performing and visual arts, film and video, and in emerging fields. Featured artists include Madelin Coit, Donna Loraine Contractor, Sydney Cooper, RoseMary Diaz, Christy Hengst, Chris Jonas, Joanne Lefrak, Debbie Long and Timothy Nero. Curated by Diane Karp, Director of Santa Fe Art Institute. More details www.sfai.org
516 WORDS
Saturday, November 17, 8pm
A reading with literary artists Heather Campbell, Felicia Karas, opening by Anuradha Kowtha performing a dance piece from Southern India. More details download flyer
Ecotone Improvisation Marathon
Friday, October 26, 2007
516 ARTS hosted Maratini, a twelve hour marathon of continuous improvised performance, incorporating dance, music, technology, video and drama. More details Read review in Local IQ
SITE Santa Fe • Ghosts in the Machine
August 11–October 20, 2007
SITE Santa Fe presents an exhibition of video art at 516 ARTS featuring the work of internationally renowned video artists including Jeremy Blake (US), Isaac Julien (UK), Ana Mendieta (Cuba), Hiraki Sawa (Japan) and Eve Sussman (US). Though diverse in style and presentation, the works by these artists share a concern with the formal aesthetics and technical capabilities of the video medium. Traditional subjects such as time, memory, and history appear in the forms of silhouettes and shadows and are also explored through a variety of digital editing techniques, including cross-fading, time remapping, and image distortion that create unnatural, otherworldly effects. More details Ghosts in the Machine gallery guide
PIXEL THIS!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
516 ARTS together with Basement Films presented PIXEL THIS! — a video art making workshop for young people ages 10 to 18, led by Bryan Konefsky of Basement Films. Participants created live video mixes that were projected on the walls of the gallery. The workshop was one of several educational programs offered in conjunction with Ghosts in the Machine, an exhibition of international video art presented by SITE Santa Fe at 516 ARTS.
516 WORDS Firestorm • Women's Voices Rising
October 13, 2007
516 ARTS hosted a Women's Poetry Reading and Slam with guest poets Inara Cedrins and Inga Abele. More details
Patrick Nagatani • Confessions of a Tapist
May 26–July 21, 2007
516 ARTS presented the work of Patrick Nagatani in the downstairs gallery, focusing on his series incorporating the obsessive and meticulous use of masking tape over the past 23 years. These mixed media pieces utilized photography, collage, painting and assemblage. Nagatani's attention to "Zen of the material and process" was the inspiration for an accompanying exhibition in the upstairs gallery, featuring artists using alternative, inexpensive materials in an obsessive, time-consuming, and complex manner. Curated by Patrick Nagatani, Suzanne Sbarge, and Andrew John Cecil. On July 14, there was a closing reception in conjunction with PhotoArts Santa Fe's Albuquerque day. More details
Attention to Detail
May 26–July 21, 2007
516 ARTS presented a group exhibition, inspired by Patrick Nagatani's attention to the "Zen of material and process," featuring 12 artists using alternative, inexpensive materials in an obsessive, time-consuming and complex manner, and working in photography, collage, drawing, painting, prints and sculpture. Nagatani says, "I relish the focus on details and to be lost in the quiet and minute parts of the whole…" Artists from New Mexico and across the nation were Nick Abdalla, Todd Anderson, Charles Benefiel, Carol Chase Bjerke, Thomas Barrow, Krista Charles, Teo Gonzales, Carlos Quinto Kemm, Leigh Anne Langwell, Chad Person, Aurora Robson and Heather Willems. The exhibition celebrated the transformative and healing process involved in these artists' obsessive approaches to their work and the beauty of their meditative achievements.
516 WORDS with poets J.B. Bryan, Melody Sumner Carnahan and Mark Weber
Saturday, July 21, 8pm
516 ARTS hosted a poetry reading with J.B. Bryan of La Alameda Press, Melody Sumner Carnahan of Burning Books and Mark Weber of Zerx Press. Download flyer PDF, More details
Tributaries
April 6–May 12, 2007
A national traveling exhibition with catalog was presented by New Rivers Press in conjunction with the publication of two books of poetry, Mortar and Pestle by Lisa Gill (NM) and Terrain Tracks by Purvi Shah (NY). The exhibition explored the interplay between language and two-dimensional media with the work of visual artists from New Mexico and New York in relation to the poets' work. Artists included Fariba S. Alam, Nandini Chirimar, Chitra Ganesh, Becky Holtzman, Srinivas Kuruganti, Kris Mills, and Valerie Roybal. Curated by Lisa Gill and Purvi Shah. More details
Out of the Underground • Thirteenth Annual Juried Graduate Exhibition
April 6–May 12, 2007
The UNM Department of Art and Art History presented a two-part exhibition of graduate art students, at both 516 ARTS and the Jonson Gallery on the campus of UNM. The exhibition featured some of the best new work coming out of New Mexico, as these students complete the rigorous program of training as professional artists. Juried by Laura Steward Heon, Director of SITE Santa Fe. More details
516 WORDS with poets Lisa Gill and Purvi Shah
Sunday, April 29, 4pm
Poets Lisa Gill and Purvi Shah gave a free reading and tour of the Tributaries exhibition in the upstairs gallery at 516 ARTS.
516 WORDS with poets Sara Marie Ortiz, Mitch Rayes, Chris Boat and Allen C. Jones
Friday, March 23, 2007, 8pm
516 ARTS hosted a free reading with guest writers, Sara Marie Ortiz, Mitch Rayes, Chris Boat and Allen C. Jones, presented in partnership with the UNM MFA in Creative Writing program. More details
Eye to I • Self Portraits by Women Artists
February 10–March 24, 2007
516 ARTS presented Eye to I, a group exhibition of women artists working with self-representation in photography, painting, mixed media and sculpture. They took a fresh look at issues of femininity and identity — exploring images of the self through humor, ritual, masquerade, and diverse narratives from the mundane to the fantastical. The show featured 10 artists from across the nation: Susan Byrnes (Ohio), Juliana Coles (New Mexico), Lalla Essaydi (New York), Alexandria Levin (Pennsylvania), Holly Lynton (New Jersey), Jennifer Nehrbass (New Mexico), Abby Robinson (New York), Adrienne Salinger (New Mexico), Claire Watkins (New York), and Sheilah Wilson (New Mexico). This exhibition was presented in celebration of the Women and Creativity series organized by the National Hispanic Cultural Center. It was curated by Suzanne Sbarge, with a catalog essay by Kathleen Whitney. Albuquerque Tribune review
Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe • Mapping Bodies: The Art & Artifice of Science
February 10–March 24, 2007
The Fine Arts Museum/Santa Fe presented Mapping Bodies: The Art & Artifice of Science at 516 ARTS as a satellite exhibition to The Art & Artifice of Science exhibition in Santa Fe. The exhibition explored the intersection of art and science by examining the work of contemporary artists from New Mexico and beyond who employ the language, look and technologies of science in their work. Building on two of New Mexico's long-standing strengths — its wealth of artistic talent and scientific innovation — this show gave a fresh perspective on New Mexico's history as a nexus of art and science. The Albuquerque exhibition was curated by Arif Khan, Gallery Director, Tamarind Institute; and the Santa Fe exhibition was curated by Laura Addison, Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe. More details
516 WORDS with poets Demetria Martinez, Lisa Chavez and Israel Wasserstein
January 26, 2007, 8pm
516 ARTS hosted the first event for 516 WORDS, an ongoing literary arts series presented in partnership with the UNM MFA in Creative Writing program. More details
GREEN • Inaugural exhibition
December 9, 2006–January 27, 2007
516 ARTS presented its inaugural exhibition featuring the work of internationally known as well as up-and-coming New Mexico artists working in a variety of visual media from painting, sculpture and fine craft to photography and digital arts. The exhibition celebrated the regeneration of the arts at 516 Central, and reached out to a broad spectrum of artists and audiences, young and old, traditional and contemporary. Curated by Suzanne Sbarge and Andrew John Cecil. More details
Basement Films & The Guild Cinema • Sidewalk Vidi/Cine
Saturday Evenings, September 16–October 21, 2006
Basement Films and The Guild Cinema presented film, video, and digital imagery projected onto the 25 foot high front window of 516 ARTS, visible from the street. Screenings were from 8–10pm. There was live music on September 16, September 30 and October 14. More details
