Archive for July, 2009

Get a glimpse of the next generation of Native American artists and craftspeople at the annual Young Natives Show, Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, from 9 am-3 pm in the Palace of the Governors Courtyard on the New Mexico History Museum campus. Enter this free, family-friendly event through the Blue Gate on Lincoln Avenue, just south of the History Museum’s main entrance at 113 Lincoln Ave.

Children and grandchildren of artists associated with the Museum’s Native American Artisans Program (commonly known as the Portal Program) will demonstrate their own arts and crafts – giving them an opportunity to learn from their families and to continue the cultural economic development supported by the Portal.

Almost every day of the year, the Portal Program offers what can be seen as the lowest-tech and highest-interactive exhibition in the Museum. Native American artists and craftspeople display and sell their handmade goods to tourists and residents, giving visitors a chance to interact with creators who still practice traditional techniques. Each day, vendors participate in a drawing for one of the 70 available spaces. They represent tribes, pueblos, chapters and villages in New Mexico, the Navajo Nation, and parts of Arizona. The Native American Portal Artisans Committee creates and enforces rules for those who sell their work under the portal. The rules emphasize authenticity (a maker’s mark is required on all goods), traditional materials, and handmade work produced as generations of Native artisans have created it.

The Young Natives Show lets visitors see those who will someday join their ranks. Spy the next Maria Martinez and start your collection early!

For information on this event, call (505) 476-5200.

For more New Mexico information visit: www.new-mexico-visitor.com

Sumner & Dene is proud to announce our August show “Stories” by Lori Gordon, August 7-29 with the opening reception Friday, Aug 7, 5-9pm.  Lori was originally a landscape painter on the Gulf Coast when Katrina destroyed her home and studio.  Since then Lori has created recycled art from the rubbles of Hurricane Katrina.  Then Hurricane Gustavo hit flooding the trailer she was living in while rebuilding her home.  Never one to complain, Lori says the hurricanes have given her a new way to see art.  On her “Stories” exhibition, Gordon says “Art communicates stories in a fashion much different from the spoken or written word. In this series, I have used art to explore and embrace the story. I am particularly drawn to the expression of the spiritual in our experience, and the manifestation of religious stories in our lives.”  Sumner & Dene, located in Downtown Albuquerque at 517 Central NW, is open weekdays 10-6, Saturdays 10-5.  For more information go to www.sumnerdene.com or call 505-842-1400.

For more New Mexico information visit: www.new-mexico-visitor.com

The American landscape is William Hook’s inspiration. Large skies, low horizons, distant mountains, and textured foregrounds are expressed in his paintings with broad brushstrokes of vivid color. His work is distinctive and stands out from the crowd of today’s genre of landscape painters. The magazines Southwest Art, Art of the West, U.S. Art, American Artist, and Focus Santa Fe have featured Hook’s work in cover articles that proclaim his importance as a leading landscape painter. The book, Leading the West by Donald Hagerty, features William Hook as one of the notable influence on the western art scene. In addition, publishers Harper-Collins and North Light have included his work in numerous books written about the contemporary art process in Europe and America.

William Hook’s background in art began at home. It was through the influence of his father and grandmother, a professional photographer and architect respectively, that art became second nature to him. Other family members were art historian Bainbridge Bunting, prominent Italian painters Gino and Bertha Venanzi, as well as Pulitzer Prize winning author, Willa Cather. When the discussion of art arose at the Hook household, there was never a lack of opinions and interests. “I was always encourage to try new media, and that is one reason why I still paint in acrylic. My grandmother would find materials in art stores or would have read about a newly developed medium and I would be the art quinea pigâ€.

After having attended classes at the Kansas Art Institute, Hook left his hometown of Kansas City to continue his study of fine art at the University of New Mexico. Hook went on to complete his formal education at the Universita Per Straniere (Perugia, Italy) and the Art Center College of Design (Los Angeles, CA). It was his time spent in New Mexico where the scenery made an indelible impression on the aspiring artist, so much so, that he returned to make it his home and frequent subject. “I have painted all over the United States and Europe and continue to find New Mexico at the center of my workâ€.

Mr. Hook’s paintings can be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum, the Tucson Art Museum, the University of New Mexico, the FORBES Museum, NYC, and the Genesee Museum, NY. In addition, Hook’s work is featured in prints for the New Mexico Symphony, Music from Angel Fire, and the Santa Fe Opera.

Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe is proud to have represented William Hook’s work in ten solo exhibitions since 1988. We feel that this artist is a very important contributor to our gallery and has helped establish us as one of Santa Fe’s leading galleries.

The close date for this show is August 20th, 2009

For more New Mexico information visit: www.new-mexico-visitor.com