DESIGN YOUR OWN ART HOP

Sept.13 , 2015

We live in a land of art hops, from Silver City and Truth or Consequences to assorted neighborhoods in the Las Cruces metropolitan area.

Their granddaddy, the annual fall ArtsHop through galleries in Las Cruces and Mesilla, started here in 1994, and has evolved into the Downtown Ramble, a tour of 20 downtown museums, art galleries and shops and restaurants that have new art openings from 5 to 7 p.m. the first Friday of each month. It’s become a solid staple for arts aficionados.

Unfortunately, it leaves out a lot of impressive galleries that are scattered throughout Doña Ana County. There have been some attempts to remedy the situation.

The Mesquite Street Gallery Tour made a strong start, but never quite got off the ground.

The North Valley Art Loop Gallery Tour has hung in there, but I suspect many of us have a tough time remembering just when it occurs. Aa Studios owner Roy van der Aa opened his working studio, at 2645 Doña Ana Road, as a gallery in 2012 and participates in the quarterly event with artist Flo Hosa Dougherty, a founding organizer of the popular Downtown Ramble who moved her Main Street gallery to 4901 Chagar at the intersection of North Valley and Taylor roads, and El Jardín de Las Cruces Gallery, 4010 N. Valley Drive. A few home studios have dropped out, but the main three galleries continue to welcome visitors at a special event every three months. The next North Loop tour will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13. For information, contact van der Aa at wysiwyg@zianet.com or 575-520-8752.

Mesilla galleries seem to be more inclined to support plaza fiestas rather than instituting any special joint gallery events of their own, though Carolyn and Henry Bunch, owners of Adobe Patio Gallery, 1765 Avenida de Mercado, have spearheaded some cluster art fiestas with their neighbors, A.me and Mitch Alamag’s Rokoko Art Gallery and sometimes include imaginative works by students at Las Cruces Academy (formerly Preston Contemporary). It’s always  fun to explore the pretty little enclave off Avenida de Mesilla, where recent additions will soon include a new private school, Roundtable Children’s Academy, at what was once Lorenzo’s Restaurant, according to a “coming soon” sign. Just across from the Mercado, the new LuLu Fine Art Gallery, inside the trendy LuLu emporium at 1800 Avenida de Mesilla, offers a chance to see some of the region’s newest, most creative artists.

There have been some downtown Alameda neighborhood special events over the past decade, usually organized by artists Georjeanna Feltha and Sherry Doil-Carter.

Thanksgiving weekend walking tours at several Picacho Avenue artists’ homes and studios flourished for a while, then consolidated under one roof, artist Bonnie Mandoe’s Quesenberry Farm House, 825 Quesenberry St., where she will again host several artists on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29.

Out west, the Artists of Picacho Hills, an association founded in 2008 that now includes more than 35 artists, hosts two annual events: Art in the Garden Tour in May and a Holly Day House, an arts and crafts show traditionally held the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, it will be Nov. 21 and Nov. 22.

Some of our oldest and most prestigious galleries continue to do solo openings and shows, including The Cutter Gallery, 2640 El Paseo Road, NMSU’s University Art Gallery in Williams Hall, University Museum in Kent Hall, and Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery, a cooperative of more than 30 artists,  just off the Mesilla Plaza. Newer galleries that have been offering some cutting edge contributions to arts here include Art Obscura, 3206 Harrelson St., Nopalito’s Galeria, 326 S. Mesquite St. and Unsettled Gallery, 905 S. Mesquite (read more about their second art exhibit with Australian artists in today’s Artist of the Week on page E5).

The scattered locations of some of our best and most innovative galleries, once honored at the annual ArtsHop, can make them less accessible for newcomers, visitors, and fans who appreciated a chance to start each fall with a state-of-our-arts-mecca tour.

One solution? Plan your own fall arts tour. Pick at least two or three favorite events or better yet, design a custom art tour of your own.

I did, with a new arts-adjacent category, that includes establishments, some of them brand new, that aren’t yet on any tours.

I’ll tell you about it in an upcoming Las Cruces Style column.

S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at  dmoore@lcsun-news.com, @derricksonmoore on Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.

SEPTEMBER IS THE BEST TIME IN NEW MEXICO

Sept. 6, 2015

Get ready for the best time of the year.

Autumn is the season of choice for many people, but even if you’re a spring or summer fan, if you live in southern New Mexico, you’re likely to fall for fall.

Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra conductor and music director Lonnie Klein and I recently discussed reasons for scheduling a Fourth of July-style pops concert in September.

But we both already knew the answer. Even on far drier years that this atypically rainy summer, you can always count on thunderstorms for Independence Day fiestas here.

June is technically our hottest month, but there’s a very thin-frying-pan-into-fire line between sweltering late May, June, July and August. And then there is that occasional pesky monsoon season that renders our swamp coolers pretty much useless.

August has another strike against it: It marks the beginning of the school year for K through college kids here.

In most parts of the country, Labor Day marks the opening of school. But we’ve already been through all the returning angst.

Ah, September, where is thy sting?

Usually, there isn’t any. We’ve started our classes, stocked up on school supplies, and maybe bought some new clothes. But if we’re a little late on all that, it really doesn’t matter. It’s still summer and the warm weather outfits will suffice for quite a while.

We can sit back and enjoy the best time of the year. I’ve found that kids seem a little more relaxed here during September. It’s like they know they should get extra credit for starting school early.

Should kids be allowed to stay up for fireworks until 10 p.m. on a September Sunday? Don’t worry about it being a school night, kids. Klein is offering you all unofficial permission to stay up a little late, just this once, for this special Sunday symphony  program. It could be considered a summer-extending reward for having to start school in August.

I agree. With cutbacks in some music and arts programs in the schools, maybe kids should even get extra credit for attending a symphonic event. In fact, let’s milk having to start school in the summertime for all it’s worth and play the free-turn September card every chance we get.

There are lots of reasons to celebrate September in New Mexico.

The days are still lovely and warm, sometimes even hot, but there’s usually a breeze and a nip in the morning air that will encourage you to turn off the AC and snuggle a minute longer in bed before starting your day with a little more energy. Even if El Niño extends and intensifies our monsoon season this September, it’ll be a little cooler and less muggy. We’ll be prepared to cope — and to sing and dance in the bonus rains.

And we’ll know this isn’t the swan song of outdoor good times. We can count on September and usually October for reliably enjoyable weather in a land where 70-degree Thanksgivings and even Christmases have been known to happen. And speaking of that, even the most obsessive of us don’t really have to worry about those labor-intensive holidays for a while.

If we’re compelled to focus on anything after our fave Labor Day fiestas, we can spend some quality time deciding what we’ll be this year for any of our big costume events: Halloween, RenFaire and Día de los Muertos.

And we can be confident that there will be many times — considerably more leisurely and reliably luxurious than similar moments during our 10-minute perfect springs — when we will be able to relax and reflect on why we love life in high desert country. Bright lapis blue skies. Chiles roasting outside our favorite markets. Harvest produce. Mazes and outdoor fiestas. Ambling walks and perfect-day picnics. And long, lovely moments when we can turn our faces toward the just-right, warm, mid-day sun and plan a lunch or dinner on the patio, and watch sunrises and sunsets and be glad that we’re alive. Right here. Right now.

Get ready for the best time of year.

S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com, @derricksonmoore on Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.

Tips for getting the most out of Full-Tilt Fiesta Season

Aug.30, 2915   Full Tilt Fiesta Season Tips

Chile. Art. Wine. Music.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the fiesta choices this weekend? You aren’t alone.

If you’d like a few tips to help you navigate Full-Tilt Fiesta Season (FTFS), you’ve come to the right place.

I’m a seasoned festival veteran, a fiesta pro, an FTFS Yoda. In fact, I literally coined the term and have been gratified that “Las Cruces Full-Tilt Fiesta Season” is regularly showing up in guide books and magazine features.

It was inspired by love of local fiestas and my World War II flying ace/aircraft engineer dad, who frequently used the term, which he picked up in the U.S. Army Air Corps, as a life lesson and strategy for living.

Going full tilt, literally with maximum force and speed, came to mean more to us. It was something greater than going all out. “Full tilt” also implied a certain passion, expertise, style and finesse.  That’s what we have here at FTFS Central.

Festivals may come and go, as the last year has shown, but I think most of us will agree that there always seems to be a good fiesta around when you need one, and sometimes there will be several.

Like this weekend.

That’s why I’m offering you some insider tips I’ve picked up both as an enthusiastic fiesta aficionado, and as a journalist who has sometimes been called upon to cover three or more fiestas in one day, and lived to tell about it. (And even had a good time in the process.)

First of all, do a little planning.  If you’re going with family, friends or out-of-town visitors, consider the preferences, ages, attention spans and other limitations, if any, of those involved. Unless maximum crowds and occasionally sitting in traffic jams is part of the fiesta experience you enjoy, develop some strategies to avoid peak crowd times. Check out festival websites for schedule times for your favorite band or activity. Buy tickets in advance to avoid lines and look for discounts.

Be prepared. Gas up, check the oil, make sure your transportation is in good repair and your AAA card is handy, if you have one. Charge your cell phone.

Safety first: Make sure your first aid kit is stocked up. A bandage in time can save a day of fun. Include insect repellent, moist wipes, hand-sanitizers, pain revievers and stomach remedies, if you can’t resist those funnel cakes and deep-fried everythings.  If you take prescription medications, take extras in case you’re stranded, and have a complete list of meds, dosages and physician contacts handy. If someone in your fiesta party has a chronic medical condition, it’s a good idea to make a list of urgent care medical facilities if you’re going to an unfamiliar community. Appoint a designated driver if anyone in your party is  planning to sample beer, wine or other libations.

We love fiesta food and drink, but bring water and snacks for the trip.

Dress for fiesta success. You want to look cute and impress your fellow fiesta animals, but consider the weather, time of day and length of time you’ll be in fiesta mode (including those aforementioned traffic jams). Essentials include a hat, comfortable shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a complete change of clothes (including shoes: snap a sandal strap and you could be relegated to fiesta sidelines) for everyone in your party.

Umbrellas, blankets or beach towels and folding chairs could come in handy.

Leave pets at home or with pet sitters if you’ll be gone overnight. Most fiestas ban pets (except for service animals) and it’s too hot to leave them in the car.

Here are a few fiesta-specific tips. The Franciscan Festival of Fine Art: Still the most laid-back of the fiestas, it’s a great place for a date or day with a good friend. It’s become a birthday or anniversary tradition for some, a place to have a meal or drink, inside or out, enjoy mellow tunes and choose one-of-a kind artistic gifts. Hatch Chile Fiesta: If you plan to watch the 9 a.m. Saturday parade,  pack a breakfast picnic and arrive as early as possible to find a parking place along the parade route. Wine Fest: Wine merchants may find they’ll have more time to chat early on Monday, usually the festival’s least-busy time.

S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com, @derricksonmoore on Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.