You’ve run amok in rainbows, you’ve been prouder than your mom was that time you got second place in the spelling bee back in fourth grade, and you’re all paraded out. Have no fear. There are several low-key, movement-unintensive ways to cash in on someone else’s air conditioning. Holla.
Culture Shock: Art Landing Art Landing
Last week, my boyfriend asked me what Land Art was. “Art with rocks, right?” he said. Rather than spit out some cohesive answer, I started to name famous examples. “You know, ‘ Spiral Jetty,’ ” I stammered. “Or the ‘ The Lightning Field‘ in Southern New Mexico.” Point is, I’m a jackass. Sorry, babe. So, for everyone else who wants to know what Land Art is, clearly I am not the person to define it. I love it, I’ve traveled to see it, but I apparently can’t talk about it. Thank goodness for LAND/ART New Mexico , a beautiful new book published by Santa Fe art book publisher Radius Books. Instead of me, Lucy Lippard, William L Fox, Nancy Marie Mithlo and MaLin Wilson-Powell eloquently describe the brilliant artists who take the American West and make it even more beautiful by adding art. 516 ARTS (516 Central SW) hosts a book release party at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16. It’s the perfect way to sightsee without having to deal with that pesky outside.
Culture Shock: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Dost thou wanteth to be entertained? Anyone who made it through that pretentious sentence is probably totally game for a little Shakespeare in her or his summer. Why is summer the time for everyone around the globe to emulate the Globe? Duh; it’s not a Mid-winter’s Night’s Dream . The Vortex’s (2004 1/2 Central SE) Will Power! Summer Shakespeare Festival features a little bard for everyone, and for only $15. The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night’s Dream premiere this week ( Shrew : 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 12. Dream : 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13), with Much Ado About Nothing waiting in the wings for a Friday, June 25, start date. The shows must go on, all the way until Aug. 15. And once July rolls around, The Vortex will add Sunday afternoon performances, too. Go to vortexabq.org for more info.
Culture Shock: So, Just Drawing Then? So, Just Drawing Then?
Q: What was the artist’s wife doing in his studio? A: Apparently nothing dirty. Bummer. So what was she doing there? Art historian Ruth Butler discusses a change in the way artists worked during the 19 th century. Instead of using the oh-so-common models, painters brought their spouses into the mix more often. Butler’s talk “What Was the Artist’s Wife Doing in His Studio?” looks closely at Manet, Matisse, Renoir and others to get the answer, which probably goes a step beyond the obvious: Those wives finally got fed up with their husbands shtupping the models. The 1 p.m. Sunday, June 13 lecture is located at and part of the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History’s Turner to Cézanne exhibition (2000 Mountain NW), and it’s free of charge.
