Friday, September 30, 2016
Tough to say goodbye
This is it, my last day at a place I've worked for going on 23 years. The packing never ends, but am glad to see good friends and be hanging out in my querencia. My son is moving here from Portland, Oregon next week.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Not adios but hasta la vista
I’ve worked with hundreds of reporters and
editors. I’ve interviewed thousands of artists (more than 1,200 of you have
been Artists of the Week, not counting all the groups, spouses and parent-child
duos) and I’ve shared fiestas, plays, concerts, and other special events and
life-changing historical events with millions of you in the Borderlands and
beyond.
I’ve been with the Las Cruces Sun-News since 1994, in old
and new buildings at the corner of Alameda and Las Cruces Avenue, and in a
hotel ballroom and temporary quarters on Idaho Street, after the 2011 fire.
My youngest current newsroom colleague was a little baby when
then-editor Harold Cousland called me in Florida and suggested it was time to
move back to New Mexico, this time to the Southern part of the state. Grandson
Alexander the Great wasn’t even a gleam in the eyes of his parents, who had not
yet met. He just turned 20 and now lives in the Pacific Northwest, but on
Facebook, he still lists Las Cruces, where he spent many of his fun formative
years, as his hometown.
I’ve known for a while, but it still hasn’t quite sunk in
yet. As I pack up the art and artifacts, and photo discs and lots and lots of
newspapers, I wonder how my little corner cubicle can hold so many memories. And
so much stuff.
It could have been a lot worse. I salvaged what I could
after the fire put an end to the old brick building and urban wildlife preserve
that was my funky home base for so many years. Those vats and cartons are
occupying a corner of my garage. I’m still hoping to find a suitable home for
boxes of 35mm negatives of my first ten years, reporting on life in Las Cruces.
I’d like to work with a local institution to do an artist of the week
retrospective exhibit, or maybe even a book.
There are lots of plans in the works. I want to do a new
edition of my first book, “Tenny Hale: American Prophet,” with some updates on
the still-unfolding, remarkably accurate prognostications of the most
extraordinary individual I’ve ever met. And maybe, work on a play or movie
script based on the true life adventures of a skeptical, then-20-something
newspaper city editor encountering a source who had predicted the Watergate
scandals, by name, four decades before the actual break-ins changed our nation.
I have plans for two works of fiction I’ve written, too. And
I’d like to find new ways to share tales of my querencia, Las Cruces. When my
amigos, some of the most astute people on the planet, conferred back in the
mid-1990s, the consensus was that, “Las Cruces is the place where the remnant,
la raza cosmica, the great souls of the planet, have decided to gather, pitch
their tents and make their last American stand.”
They were right, I believe. I’ve met and interviewed many of
those great souls, including visitors, transplants and remarkable New Mexico
natives.
I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of the world and live in
many exotic places. I’ve never come close to finding any place I’ve loved as
much as Las Cruces. There is sweetness, spirituality, artistic talent, judiciously
applied brain power, and a spirit of adventure, caring, compassion, patience and
creativity that can bring out the best in us all. Las Crucens know how to make
dreams come true, sometimes with what seem like impossibly limited resources.
We work hard and want the best for new generations.
There’s something very special about Las Cruces and its
people. I wonder if its magic can be captured in a book, or a TV series. I’d
like to try.
In the meantime, mil gracias to you for sharing so much with
me: your stories, your fiestas, your history and culture, your visual and
performing artistry, your paintings, sculptures, books, poems, plays, movies
and visions, your triumphs and tragedies (and your triumphs over tragedy and
adversity) and helping me tell the world about your creativity and your
stainless steel souls.
I’ve made some of the best friends of my lifetime here, and
the soulmates I came in with have come to love Las Cruces as much as I do.
Sept. 30 will be my last day at the Sun-News, at a job I’ve
loved and held longer than any other in my life. It was time for what some call
retirement, but I prefer to think of as a change of venue. I’m looking forward
to volunteering to support some of my favorite causes, spending time with
friends and family and sharing life lessons learned, strategies to help us be
our best selves in what can be a tough and challenging world.
God willing, we’ll have many more adventures here together.
S. Derrickson Moore may be
reached at @derricksonmoore on Twitter and lascrucesstyle.blogspot.com
Dead Day 101: Traditions we love
We think it was around 1995 and we think there were about six of
us: Preciliana Sandoval, Irene Oliver-Lewis, Jean McDonnell, Debbie Pinkerton,
Sherry Doil-Carter and me. We all stood on the Mesilla Plaza and decided it was
time to have a Día de Los Muertos gathering there.
We were all influenced by a lot of what was going on. Lalo
Natividad and the late Richard Weeks had formed El Grupo Cultural, bringing
traditional borderland festivals and celebrations back to Mesilla. Phyllis
Franzoy and Erlinda Portillo founded the Las Cruces International Mariachi
Conference. Santiago and Zandra Santanova had Dead Day exhibits at their
galleries. José Tena built traditional altars and hosted a posole party every
year, first at the Branigan Cultural Center and later at Academia de Dolores
Huerta. There are been many who have been in it from the beginning and have
kept the spirit of Dead alive in Mesilla since: Peggy King, Barbara Shaffer and
Blanca Araujo with the Calavera Coalition, the late Miguel Silva, and later,
Kirstie Robles with the Backyard Bones Brigade. Denise Chavez had some Book
Festival Dead Day events in Mesilla and Las Cruces. Galleries and museums
throughout the Mesilla Valley started hosting Dia de los Muertos exhibits and
special events. (Please forgive us for not mentioning all of you who’ve
contributed to the rebirth and expansion of traditions. Archives have been lost
and many of us are viejas and viejos now.)
Some of us believe los difuntos, our dear departed souls,
encouraged us, too, to find more creative ways to honor their lives.
You all inspired me to assemble
and share this little guide to Días de los Muertos, a tradition continuing one
more time after my departure (from the Sun-News, but not the planet). Here it
is.
Día de los Muertos has been called “a day when heaven and earth
meet” and “a celebration of lives well-lived.” In Las Cruces, it has become a
beloved tradition, a time when Borderland cultures blend, showcasing and
sometimes creatively combining Spanish, Mexican, American Indian and Anglo
customs and beliefs.
Día De Los Muertos “is not a morbid holiday but a festive remembrance of Los Angelitos (children) and all souls (Los Difuntos),” according to a statement from the Calavera Coalition of Mesilla. “This celebration originated with the indigenous people of the American continent, the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and the Inca. Now, many of the festivities have been transformed from their original pre-Hispanic origins. It is still celebrated throughout North America among Native American tribes. The Spanish arrived and they altered the celebration to coincide with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).”
Here is a guide to some important terms and concepts relating to Day of the Dead celebrations, collected during more than 20 years of commemorations here.
• alfeñique: Molded sugar figures used in altars for the dead.
• ancianos: Grandparents or elderly friends or relatives who have died; ancestors honored during the first (north) part of processions for Day of the Dead.
• angelitos: Literally “little angels,” refers to departed children and babies, traditionally honored during the first day of celebrations, Nov. 1, and the third (south) part of processions honoring the dead.
• anima sola: A lonely soul or spirit who died far from home or who is without amigos or relatives to take responsibility for its care.
• calascas: Handmade skeleton figurines which display an active and joyful afterlife, such as musicians or skeleton brides and grooms in wedding finery.
• calaveras: Skeletons, used in many ways for celebrations: bread and candies in the shape of skeletons are traditional, along with everything from small and large figures and decorations, skeleton head rattles, candles, masks, jewelry and T-shirts. It’s also the term for skull masks, often painted with bright colors and flowers and used in displays and worn in Day of the Dead processions.
• literary calaveras: Poetic tributes written for departed loved ones or things mourned and/or as mock epitaphs.
• Catrin and Catrina: Formally dressed couple, or bride and groom skeletons, popularized by renowned Mexican graphic artist and political cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913). In modern celebrations, Catrina is particularly popular and appears in many stylish outfits.
• copal: A fragrant resin from a Mexican tree used as incense, burned alone or mixed with sage in processions in honor of the dead.
• Días de los Muertos: Days of the Dead, usually celebrated on Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 (the official date for Day of the Dead) in conjunction with All Souls Days or Todos Santos, the Catholic Feast of All Saints. Various Borderland communities, including Las Cruces, have their own celebration schedules in October and November. Look for altars and art exhibits around the Mesilla Valley, and our largest area celebration Oct. 29 and 30 on the Mesilla Plaza, also the site of a procession beginning at dusk Nov. 2.
• Difunto: Deceased soul, corpse, cadaver.
• La Flaca: Nickname for the female death figure, also known as La Muerte.
• Frida Kahlo: Mexican artist who collected objects related to the Day of the Dead. Her photo often appears in Día de los Muertos shrines or retablos.
• Los Guerreros: Literally, “the warriors,” are dead fathers, husbands, brothers and sons honored in the final (east) stop in Día De Los Muertos processions.
• marigolds: In Mexico, marigolds or “cempasuchil” are officially known as the “flower of the dead.” The flowers are added to processional wreaths at each stop, with one blossom representing each departed soul being honored. Sometimes marigold pedals are strewn from the cemetery to a house. Their pungent fragrance is said to help the spirits find their way back home. Mums and paper flowers are also used.
• mariposas: Butterflies, and sometimes hummingbirds, appear with skeletons to symbolize the flight of the soul from the body to heaven.
• masks: Carried or worn during processions and other activities, masks can range from white face paint to simple molded plaster or papier-maché creations or elaborate painted or carved versions that become family heirlooms.
• Las Mujeres: The women who have died are honored during the second (west) stop of Day of the Dead processions. After names of dead mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are called and honored, it is traditional for the crowd to sing a song for the Virgin of Guadalupe.
• Náhuatl poetry: Traditional odes dedicated to the subject of death, dating back to the pre-Columbian era.
• ofrenda: Traditional altar where offerings such as flowers, clothing, food, photographs and objects loved by the departed are placed. The ofrenda may be constructed in the home, usually in the dining room, at a cemetery, or may be carried in a procession. The ofrenda base is often an arch made of bent reeds. It is ornamented with special decorations, sometimes with heirlooms collected by families, much like Christmas ornaments. Decorations may include skeleton figures, toys and musical instruments in addition to offerings for a specific loved one.
• pan de muertos: Literally, “bread of the dead.” It is traditionally baked in the shape of a skull, or calavera, and dusted with pink sugar. Here, local bakeries sometimes include red and green chile decorations.
• papel picado: Decorations made of colored paper cut in intricate patterns.
• Posada: José Guadalupe Posada, (1852-1913), the self-taught “printmaker to the people” and caricaturist was known for his whimsical calaveras, or skeletons, depicted wearing dapper clothes, playing instruments and otherwise nonchalantly conducting their everyday activities, sometimes riding on horse skeletons.
• veladores: Professional mourners who help in the grief process in several ways, including candlelight vigils, prayers and with dramatic weeping and wailing.
• Xolotlitzcuintle: Monster dog, sometimes depicted as a canine skeleton, sometimes as a Mexican hairless breed. Since pre-Columbian times, this Día de los Muertos doggy has, according to legend, been the departed’s friend, helping with the tests of the perilous crossing of the River Chiconauapan to Mictlan, the land of the dead.
Día De Los Muertos “is not a morbid holiday but a festive remembrance of Los Angelitos (children) and all souls (Los Difuntos),” according to a statement from the Calavera Coalition of Mesilla. “This celebration originated with the indigenous people of the American continent, the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and the Inca. Now, many of the festivities have been transformed from their original pre-Hispanic origins. It is still celebrated throughout North America among Native American tribes. The Spanish arrived and they altered the celebration to coincide with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).”
Here is a guide to some important terms and concepts relating to Day of the Dead celebrations, collected during more than 20 years of commemorations here.
• alfeñique: Molded sugar figures used in altars for the dead.
• ancianos: Grandparents or elderly friends or relatives who have died; ancestors honored during the first (north) part of processions for Day of the Dead.
• angelitos: Literally “little angels,” refers to departed children and babies, traditionally honored during the first day of celebrations, Nov. 1, and the third (south) part of processions honoring the dead.
• anima sola: A lonely soul or spirit who died far from home or who is without amigos or relatives to take responsibility for its care.
• calascas: Handmade skeleton figurines which display an active and joyful afterlife, such as musicians or skeleton brides and grooms in wedding finery.
• calaveras: Skeletons, used in many ways for celebrations: bread and candies in the shape of skeletons are traditional, along with everything from small and large figures and decorations, skeleton head rattles, candles, masks, jewelry and T-shirts. It’s also the term for skull masks, often painted with bright colors and flowers and used in displays and worn in Day of the Dead processions.
• literary calaveras: Poetic tributes written for departed loved ones or things mourned and/or as mock epitaphs.
• Catrin and Catrina: Formally dressed couple, or bride and groom skeletons, popularized by renowned Mexican graphic artist and political cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913). In modern celebrations, Catrina is particularly popular and appears in many stylish outfits.
• copal: A fragrant resin from a Mexican tree used as incense, burned alone or mixed with sage in processions in honor of the dead.
• Días de los Muertos: Days of the Dead, usually celebrated on Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 (the official date for Day of the Dead) in conjunction with All Souls Days or Todos Santos, the Catholic Feast of All Saints. Various Borderland communities, including Las Cruces, have their own celebration schedules in October and November. Look for altars and art exhibits around the Mesilla Valley, and our largest area celebration Oct. 29 and 30 on the Mesilla Plaza, also the site of a procession beginning at dusk Nov. 2.
• Difunto: Deceased soul, corpse, cadaver.
• La Flaca: Nickname for the female death figure, also known as La Muerte.
• Frida Kahlo: Mexican artist who collected objects related to the Day of the Dead. Her photo often appears in Día de los Muertos shrines or retablos.
• Los Guerreros: Literally, “the warriors,” are dead fathers, husbands, brothers and sons honored in the final (east) stop in Día De Los Muertos processions.
• marigolds: In Mexico, marigolds or “cempasuchil” are officially known as the “flower of the dead.” The flowers are added to processional wreaths at each stop, with one blossom representing each departed soul being honored. Sometimes marigold pedals are strewn from the cemetery to a house. Their pungent fragrance is said to help the spirits find their way back home. Mums and paper flowers are also used.
• mariposas: Butterflies, and sometimes hummingbirds, appear with skeletons to symbolize the flight of the soul from the body to heaven.
• masks: Carried or worn during processions and other activities, masks can range from white face paint to simple molded plaster or papier-maché creations or elaborate painted or carved versions that become family heirlooms.
• Las Mujeres: The women who have died are honored during the second (west) stop of Day of the Dead processions. After names of dead mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are called and honored, it is traditional for the crowd to sing a song for the Virgin of Guadalupe.
• Náhuatl poetry: Traditional odes dedicated to the subject of death, dating back to the pre-Columbian era.
• ofrenda: Traditional altar where offerings such as flowers, clothing, food, photographs and objects loved by the departed are placed. The ofrenda may be constructed in the home, usually in the dining room, at a cemetery, or may be carried in a procession. The ofrenda base is often an arch made of bent reeds. It is ornamented with special decorations, sometimes with heirlooms collected by families, much like Christmas ornaments. Decorations may include skeleton figures, toys and musical instruments in addition to offerings for a specific loved one.
• pan de muertos: Literally, “bread of the dead.” It is traditionally baked in the shape of a skull, or calavera, and dusted with pink sugar. Here, local bakeries sometimes include red and green chile decorations.
• papel picado: Decorations made of colored paper cut in intricate patterns.
• Posada: José Guadalupe Posada, (1852-1913), the self-taught “printmaker to the people” and caricaturist was known for his whimsical calaveras, or skeletons, depicted wearing dapper clothes, playing instruments and otherwise nonchalantly conducting their everyday activities, sometimes riding on horse skeletons.
• veladores: Professional mourners who help in the grief process in several ways, including candlelight vigils, prayers and with dramatic weeping and wailing.
• Xolotlitzcuintle: Monster dog, sometimes depicted as a canine skeleton, sometimes as a Mexican hairless breed. Since pre-Columbian times, this Día de los Muertos doggy has, according to legend, been the departed’s friend, helping with the tests of the perilous crossing of the River Chiconauapan to Mictlan, the land of the dead.
S. Derrickson Moore may be reached @derricksonmoore on Twitter
or Sandra Derrickson Moore on Facebook.
What's happening for Dia de los Muertos
– Special events and commemorations will bring new life to
Day of the Dead celebrations this month, throughout the Mesilla Valley, which
also hosts the region’s largest Día de los Muertos festival in late October and
early November on the Mesilla Plaza.
The new additions will help you learn more about history and
ancient Borderland traditions, honor loved ones at altars in Las Cruces’
historic Mesquite District, and even learn how to bake Day of the Dead bread.
First up will be “Día de los Muertos: Journey of Ancestral
Remembrance,” part of the Latino Americans History Notes Lecture Series at 1
p.m. Oct. 13 at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St.
Irene-Oliver Lewis, who has been creating Day of the Dead altars
(ofrendas) since 1981, will show examples of altars from throughout Mexico and
New Mexico, explain the significance of the celebration and the artifacts and
elements that are part of a traditional altar and discuss traditions that date
back more than 3,000 years to the Aztecs. Oliver-Lewis is one of
the founders of the current annual Día de los Muertos celebration in Mesilla.
Last year she and her sister, Sylvia Camuñez, curated an exhibit at the
Branigan Cultural Center that honored the ancestors of four founding families
from the village of Doña Ana.
Also new this year, Las Esperanzas, Inc. will host a Día de los
Muertos event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 29, at Klein Park, on the corner
of Mesquite and Griggs streets in Las Cruces.
“Dario Silva, the brother of former Las Cruces City Councillor
Miguel Silva, who died in January, told me the the family would to like to
build an altar in his memory under ‘Miguel’s Tree’ at Klein Park and also
wanted to honor the memory of another beloved brother, the late Andres Silva, pastor
of Living Word Family Church and former Mayor of Deming, who died from cancer
in 2014. Silva’s brother in-law, Pastor Jeff Sutton, will open the event with a
prayer,” said Dolores Archuleta, president of Las Esperanzas, Inc., a
neighborhood organization based in Las Cruces’ historic Mesquite District.
“Momentum on the event has picked up by word of mouth and family
members of deceased members of Las Esperanzas plan to build altars for Vivien
Enriquez Wolfe, Stella Melendrez and Estella Sanchez. We also welcome relatives
and friends who have lost children (Angelitos), especially those who died from
abuse and neglect, to consider building altars for them with their pictures,
flowers, candles, and favorite toys. Miguel, who took his own life, continues
to bring family, friends together under Miguel’s tree, and the family invites
the survivors of family members who committed suicide to participate in this
event as well,” said Archuleta.
There is no fee to build an altar, but registration is required.
Contact Archuleta at darchuleta611412@aol.com, 575 524-7873.
José Tena, internationally known folklorico dancer, teacher
and historian, and his students will once again create an altar featuring
traditional Day of the Dead items at La Academia de Dolores Huerta Middle
School, 1480 N. Main St. The altar is constructed in October and features
tributes to well-known and celebrity difuntos.
“This year, we’ll do tributes to the star John Sebastian, and
for Juan Gabriel, a genius composer in many different styles (the singer
songwriter sold more 100 million albums worldwide) and to Pepe Martinez,
musical director of Mariachi Vargas, a great composer and wonderful musician
who did so much for folklorico dancing and the Las Cruces Mariachi conference
here,” Tena said.
The academy school will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. For information, call the school at 575-526-2984.
Join Heritage Cooking instructor Dave Harkness and learn
to make and bake sweet, rich, pan de muerto, in the shapes of bones and skulls,
in an 1890s wood-burning cook stove, from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 29 at the New
Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road. The $5 fee
(free for age 5 and under), in addition to regular museum admission fees,
includes bread to take home with you. For information, call 575-522-4100 www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org
Creative altars honoring the dearly departed, a colorful
marketplace with arts and crafts vendors, traditional food treats, face
painting, live entertainment and a closing cemetery procession will all be part
the region's largest Día de los Muertos celebration Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 on
and around the Mesiila Plaza. It’s hosted by the Calavera Coalition, a
nonprofit group founded in 1998 to present Día de los Muertos activities in
Mesilla.
Tributes to difuntos (the departed) traditionally include Day
of the Dead bread, photos, sugar skulls, flowers and displays that represent
favorite pastimes and items of loved ones. Those honored usually include
relatives, celebrities, pets and special causes.
Altar building begins at 9 a.m. Friday morning Oct. 28 and
continues throughout the weekend, according to members of the Calavera
Coalition, which provides overnight security during the event. It’s free, but those
building altars are asked to donate five cans of food which will be given to
area food banks. Festival hours are noon to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28
and 29, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.
The annual Day of the Dead procession gathers at 6 p.m. Nov. 2
and leaves at 6:15 p.m. from Mesilla Plaza, traveling along Calle de Guadalupe
to San Albino Cemetery and returning to the plaza for beverages and pan de
muerto. It’s traditional to wear black and white costumes or makeup that
include skull masks or skeleton motifs. Those on the procession often carry
candles and bring musical instruments, noisemakers, incense and flowers.
For information, or to volunteer to help with Calavera Coalition
events and projects, email calaveracoalition@q.com,
or phone Peggy King at 575-639-1385.
Also in Mesilla, the Backyard Bones Brigade will feature
additional displays and booths of Día de Los Muertos artisans and crafters on
Calle de Guadalupe, the street that runs in front of the entrance to the
Fountain Theatre and San Pasqual Hair & Body Shop, 2488 Calle de Guadalupe.
The shop’s owner Kirstie Robles, founder of the brigade, said hours will be 8
a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29 and 30. For information, call
Robles at 575-527-1910.
Tips for arts marketing
Sept. 18, 2016
LAS CRUCES – In the olden days, we called it mass media. For
some time, the cool kids have been into multiplatform everything: marketing,
promotion and communication in general.
I’ve been in the thick of it, one way or another, since the
middle of the last century, and however the forms or venues change, it boils
down to the same basic concept: get your story out and let people know what you
do. This is true whether you’re a visual or performing artist, and if you’re
also attempting to make a living with what you do, it can get a lot more
complex.
Once you’ve got something to show, showcase it in the best,
most professional way you can manage. A portfolio used to be enough for many in
the arts. Now you need terrific photos of you and your work, a dynamic
non-gibberistic artist’s statement, and maybe (or definitely for performance
artists) a boffo video of you at work doing what you do, along with rave
reviews from those respected in your field and a biography that’s as impressive
as you can make it.
All that may help open some doors. Go through as many as you
can. Visit art galleries and museums (many are surprised to discover that all
our city and state museums feature art shows and exhibits) and check out
private museums and school and municipal buildings which sometimes feature
exhibits or would be amenable to trying something new. In our artsy state,
hospitals, restaurants, hotels, offices (particularly physician’s offices),
airports and even plumbing companies have art collections and exhibits.
And don’t forget special events, holiday celebrations and
fiestas.
You may have to donate your services, or risk losing a piece
on consignment, and only you can decide if it’s a risk worth taking.
We have lots of organizations for both visual and performing
artists. Join as many as you can, especially here, where we have a remarkably
supportive community willing to share tips on everything from technique to
marketing, and many have their own shows or band together to organize group
shows at top venues. ArtForms Artists Association of New Mexico www.artformsnm.org
has been especially generous in developing venues during February for the Love
of Art Month.
There are lots of contests around, too. Do online searches
and enter as many as possible, especially the free or low-entry fee
competitions. You may be surprised at some of the contests and the quality of
entries. Both the New Mexico State Fair and the Southern New Mexico State Fair
have contests for photography and several categories and mediums of art. There
are competitions and showcases for dancers, too, and playwrights, singers,
poets, songwriters, storytellers and musicians.
Get out there. Especially if you’re a new artist or new in
the territory. Sing and play or apply for a booth at the Las Cruces Farmers
& Crafts Market. Start a blog and a website and consider strutting your
stuff via Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy and whatever other vital
forums that have popped up since I started this paragraph. Consider seeking
professional help to develop and link your platforms.
While cybershowcases have an important place, I always
remember artist and gallery owner Carolyn Bunch’s statement that it’s hard to
see the hand of the artist online. I believe close encounters between artists
and art lovers can be beneficial to everyone.
And you thought creating great art was the hard part.
We’d like to make it a little easier.
Once you’ve got something to show and a place to show it,
help get the word out to the media. You’ll have the best shot if you send us
clear concise information about the artist and the event: who, where, what,
when, why (if there is a why: a benefit, special fiesta or occasion). Email clear,
high-resolution photos (identify everybody, left to right) and links to short
videos if available. Do all this as soon as possible and at least two weeks
before you’d like the word to get out. If you feel overwhelmed by it all, look
for and study the kind of print, online or broadcast stories you’d like to see
about yourself or your group or event.
At
the Sun-News, we’ve long held the philosophy that art can sometimes be big news
in a city like ours with such a vibrant and creative arts community. The place
for your story could be in breaking news, features, Pulse and Things to Do
(print and online) and even our business section. A good place to start: submit
items to news.desk@newsdesk.com or
calendar@lcsun-news.com and be sure to include
as much contact information as possible: name, organization, email and phone
number.
Where to start at the Las Cruces Sun-News www.lcsun-news.com
Lucas Peerman, director of content, lpeerman@lcsun-news.com,
575-541-5446: Assigns online and print coverage of breaking news events,
including photo and reporter assignments covering festivals, arts and cultural
breaking news, etc.
Brenda Masengill, features editor, bmasengill@lcsun-news.com,
575-541-5439: Assigns in-depth feature coverage of arts, cultural, social
trends, etc. for Friday and Sunday SunLife sections and Healthy U monthly
magazine and Wednesday health features.
Lorena Sanchez, Pulse editor, lsanchez@lcsun-news.com,
575-541-5464: Advance arts & entertainment news and features, A & E
profiles, restaurant reviews, etc.
Frances Silva, community editor, fsilva@lcsun-news.com
575-541-5456: Print and online events calendars, community briefs, arts briefs
Jason Gibbs, business editor, jgibbs@lcsun-news.com:
575-541-5451: Business news and features. (Galleries, artists, and A & E
related programs are sometimes featured in the Sunday business magazine’s
profile pieces, plus opening of new businesses in business briefs.
Plaza de Las Cruces: New corazon for City of Crosses
Sept. 11, 2016
LAS CRUCES – When I saw the Organ Mountains, I knew I was
home. When I saw their mysterious, craggy peaks from the crumbling ruins of
what was then the Downtown Mall, I wondered what I’d gotten into.
Even at high noon on a weekday, it could be a little scary
to navigate the downtown urban blight. When I worked very early or very late,
as I often did in the 1990s, I did my best to scoot in and out of the Sun-News
parking lot as quickly as possible.
But even then, there were echoes of what was once the
corazon of Las Cruces. Our heart, through broken, had potential. I loved the
Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market and even spent a few months peddling my
own strange creations there and getting to know the market venders and the
Downtown Mall.
We shared ideas: painting the ugly arches adobe colors and
festooning them with Mimbres or petroglyph designs, or painting all the old
buildings adobe white to match the Branigan Cultural Center. Other exotic
colors were discussed. Perhaps we could achieve fame as the only lapis blue or
purple adobe mall in the world? We thought it would be cool with the yellow
brick road, which most of us liked.
From my first Las Cruces Style column in 1994, I pitched
renovation ideas. Several readers expressed enthusiasm for changes, and there
were offers of government support. I heard from Steve Newby, the torch carrier
through it all, and then-Mayor Rubén Smith suggested we meet with city planners.
The Las Cruces Community Theatre offered a space for meetings. Artists,
including the late, great Alice Peden, got involved.
It was tough going. There were studies and evaluations and
blue ribbon committees. Things fizzled. Strides were made.
Street lights and architectural accents were added along
with monuments: a skeletal homage to beloved St. Genevieve’s Church, Tony Pennock’s
“La Entrada,” a beautiful historical piece with columns and murals. Both were
eventually removed for the reconstruction of Main Street and the new plaza.
One of my Sun-News colleagues, whose name now escapes me,
referred to our downtown as “the graveyard of high hopes.” Bob Diven came up
with a design for a giant Billy the Kid downtown building, with a revolving
restaurant in Billy’s sombrero and a kiva fireplace in the outlaw’s derriere.
Alice Peden kept sweetly but firmly bugging people about
sprucing up our querencia. I wrote an April Fool’s Day fantasy column “reporting”
that Ted Turner and his then-wife Jane Fonda had committed millions to
transform the mall and Heather Pollard, who had left her post as head of the
Doña Ana Arts Council, had decided to come out of retirement to save and
beautify the mall. Ted and Jane never weighed in, but Heather did, in fact, decide
to eschew retirement to lead the Las Cruces Downtown Partnership. Her efforts
led to several transformative efforts, from renovation of the Rio Grande Theatre
to several cooperative efforts like involvement in Project Main Street.
Rubén and subsequent mayors Bill Mattiace and Ken
Miyagishima kept plugging. The street reopened. We drove down it and cheered.
The farmers market got bigger and better and was named tops in the state and
then the nation in online polls. The Downtown Ramble the first Friday of each
month demonstrated what our city could be: a delight.
It dawned on us that we had pretty streets, three theaters
staging entertaining productions, two lovely new museums, some fun galleries
and restaurants, one of the best bookstores in the west, (in those early years,
Coas was one of the few reasons many of us came downtown on non-market days) and
other promising activities and enterprises.
And now, finally, we have what so many of us had been
missing for so long, that central corazon that we loved in so many New Mexico
communities from Taos and Santa Fe to Tularosa and Mesilla: Our very own plaza.
S. Derrickson Moore may be
reached at 575-541-5450, dmoore@lcsun-news.com or @derricksonmoore on Twitter.
Your thoughtful reactions to football/boxing protests
Gregory Smith
I suspect you will hear
positive and negative feedback from today's article, but I for one appreciate
your courage in writing it. Hopefully, it will give some of us pause as we go
into another football season to yell, "Kill" or "Sack the quarterback!"
or before we encourage our young men to participate in such sports.
Ms. Moore,
I just read your
article in the SunLife section of today's newspaper. I agree with you,
and more.
I have been disgusted
by violent sports since I was a teenager. I witnessed an athlete from my
high school get severely and permanently injured during a football game, after
he had previously suffered two similar injuries in prior games (yes, they kept
playing him after he had already been injured). It sickened me to see him
on the field with his body jerking uncontrollably. He was a junior at the
time. That was 43 years ago and the image is still clear in my mind.
I think the interest
in blood lust sports is a masculine thing. There are plenty of athletic
contests out there that don't require beating the other participants up in
order to win, but for some reason football and boxing pull BIG money out of the
fan base. Money is the bottom line.
There are other
violent sports that don't get as much attention for their cruelty, but the
inhumanity of them is beyond the pale. Rodeo, horse racing and all forms
of horse competitions, dog fighting, cock fighting, bull fighting, etc.
These are all extremely cruel forms of entertainment where the
whole intent is to entertain people who may think and believe these activities
are normal to the animals' behavior.
I don't think the
cruel, violent, inhumane sports will stop until people like you lead the outcry
against them. As more and more people join the outcry, there will
eventually come a tipping point where its totally uncool to support the
violence. Changing the public attitude towards violent sports would be
similar to how it used to be cool to smoke cigarettes and now it's not, or it
used to be okay to refer to people of color using racist language and now it's
not.
Your article was a
brave first step.
--
Dolores DeMers
575-496-5342 mobile
Hello,
I just finished your column in today's paper, and contrary to my habits, wanted to reach out and thank you so much for having the courage to speak truth to power about the negative and senseless acceptance, if not glorification of violence inherent in football and boxing.
All the best,
Neal
I just finished your column in today's paper, and contrary to my habits, wanted to reach out and thank you so much for having the courage to speak truth to power about the negative and senseless acceptance, if not glorification of violence inherent in football and boxing.
All the best,
Neal
Flo Hosa Dougherty
Reply all|
Yesterday, 8:59 AM
Derrickson Moore, Sandra
Dear Derrickson,
In reference to your
comment on violent sports:
For a long time I have
referred to contact sports more aptly as COMBAT SPORTS as you proved !
Flo Hosa
Dougherty
Chickie Ferguson
|
Today, 9:04 AM
Derrickson Moore, Sandra
Congratulations to you for writing “TIME TO TAKE A FRESH
LOOK AT VIOLENT SPORTS”……………….
Know you will have folks who disagree with you, but more and
more, I think people are taking an honest look at this subject.
Last night, the Notre Dame vs UT game was a perfect example of
how brutal football games are becoming. And these are our young men, who
are NOT getting paid BIG bucks, and having their young lives messed up before
they even reach the “golden years”. This was the first game of the
season, and it involved bad sportsmanship during the game and a list of
injuries.
I always enjoy your column. Keep writing!
Marie Ferguson
A Las Cruces Sun subscriber and an ex-employee of The Sun
newspaper (in San Bernardino, CA)
Kay L Lincoln
Reply all|
Today, 3:03 PM
Derrickson Moore, Sandra
I just wanted to thank
you for your Las Cruces Style column of Sunday, Sept. 4th about taking a fresh
look at violent sports. It is so counter to our so-called social norms
that I suspect it may not win you any popularity votes.
But I am so relieved that you gave voice to some deep feelings I have about sports. I was beginning to think I was “weird” for thinking modern sports seem to be just a continuation of the gladiator fight to the death or the lions eating the Christians in the Roman Forum (which we consider and label barbaric).
The only sport I have enjoyed watching is baseball because of the cooperative strategy and skill it requires. However, I get no pleasure now because of the millions of dollars that get invested in baseball salaries and the enormous stadiums, not to mention the violent reactions fans have that result in injury and possible death to fans of opposing teams. Even in the seemingly less violent sport of baseball, players endure irreparable damage to their bodies and will undergo numerous reparative surgeries in order to keep playing as long as they possibly can and we certainly want them to.
In the more violent sports you mention, football and boxing, there is even more spillover of violence and even more bodily damage to players.
Instead of modeling the cooperative, collaborative nature of indigenous societies, we are perpetuating the competitive, victory/defeat society of the Roman Forum.
And to think of all those millions we spend on our lust for competition, victory or defeat, and violence in sports, and how much could be done toward humanitarian needs if we spent that money on meeting those needs! Yes, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
In gratitude,
KLL
But I am so relieved that you gave voice to some deep feelings I have about sports. I was beginning to think I was “weird” for thinking modern sports seem to be just a continuation of the gladiator fight to the death or the lions eating the Christians in the Roman Forum (which we consider and label barbaric).
The only sport I have enjoyed watching is baseball because of the cooperative strategy and skill it requires. However, I get no pleasure now because of the millions of dollars that get invested in baseball salaries and the enormous stadiums, not to mention the violent reactions fans have that result in injury and possible death to fans of opposing teams. Even in the seemingly less violent sport of baseball, players endure irreparable damage to their bodies and will undergo numerous reparative surgeries in order to keep playing as long as they possibly can and we certainly want them to.
In the more violent sports you mention, football and boxing, there is even more spillover of violence and even more bodily damage to players.
Instead of modeling the cooperative, collaborative nature of indigenous societies, we are perpetuating the competitive, victory/defeat society of the Roman Forum.
And to think of all those millions we spend on our lust for competition, victory or defeat, and violence in sports, and how much could be done toward humanitarian needs if we spent that money on meeting those needs! Yes, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
In gratitude,
KLL
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