Culture Shock

Everybody's favorite folk artist, Steve White, is skipping town. He's moving to Athens, Ga., at the beginning of August and needs some money for the trip. Here's the deal. Fork out $20, and White will give you a ceramic Zozobra sculpture along with a raffle ticket. On Friday, July 23, from 5 to 8 p.m., he's hosting a reception at OFFCenter (117 Seventh NW) for an exhibit featuring customized PEZ dispensers by himself and Clay Shefs, as well as art by the 92-year-old folk art legend R.A. Miller. During that reception, White will draw the raffle tickets. Ten winners will get some fine pieces from his folk art collection, including work by Miller, Myrtice West, Roy Finster, Mary Proctor, C.M. Laster, Alan Pruitt, White, Shefs, Jeff Sipe and others. It's a very sweet deal. To get in on the action, call White at 232-2311, drop by his soon-to-be-dismantled Folk Farm at 445 Louisiana SE, or just swing by the OFFCenter reception. We're gonna miss you, buddy!

For almost as long as there has been art, there have been artists eager to depict the grotesque. This Sunday, July 18, Site Santa Fe (1606 Paseo de Peralta) will present its gigantic fifth biennial exhibit titled Disparities & Deformities, an exhibit focused on exhibiting cutting edge contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos and comics that portray grotesque imagery in strikingly inventive ways.

For each of the past five years, the biennial has been one of the most eagerly anticipated modern art events in New Mexico. This is definitely an exhibit you can't afford to miss. Curated by New York University art scholar Robert Storr, the show will run through Jan. 9, 2005. $8 adults, $4 students/seniors. (505) 989-1199. To learn more about the exhibit, log on to www.sitesantafe.org.

The First Fundamental Rule of Art is start 'em young. Do you think Mozart would've penned Don Giovanni if he had started learning music at the age of 30? Hell no! If you want your darling little tykes to learn how to dance, act or compose, buy a whip and start cracking them into shape as soon as they can walk and talk.

Thankfully, there are plenty of innovative art groups here in town that aim to give kids the early training they need in the performing arts. Youth ArtsFest 2004 showcases their work starting this Thursday, July 15, at UNM's Rodey Theatre and Theatre X. Performances and workshops will be offered by Theatre-in-the-Making, Keshet Dance Company, Tricklock Company's Manoa Project, Niños Flamencos and the UNM Summer Theatre and Dance Academy. These organizations train some of the best youth writers, actors and dancers in Albuquerque.

Ticket prices vary. To order, call UNM's ticket office at 925-5858 or log on to www.unmtickets.com. For a roster of events, log on to www.unm.edu/~theatre/youthartsfest.