Finding something truly original from a renowned nuevomexicano artist who passed away in 2000 has gotta be a good feeling. A family member of William Lumpkins, the architect behind over 2,000 buildings in the City Different and famed founder of the Santa Fe Art Institute, has come forward to reveal a fascinating new side of the artist with NEW MEXICO MODERNS: The Lumpkins Files, running through April 25 at Matthews Gallery (669 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe). The show presents raggedly bold serigraphs and felt-tip pen drawings from the artist more generally known for his abstract watercolor landscapes. It’s a fresh perspective on a legendary local gem. Attend the opening on Friday, April 18, from 5 to 7pm; visit thematthewsgallery.com for deets.
Culture Shock: Cutting-Edge Old-School Cutting-Edge Old-School
Don’t listen to the naysayers; books are cool as fuck. And maybe the only thing better than new books is old books. If the smell of dusty tomes strikes you as an aphrodisiac, then you’re certainly the right demographic for the 2014 Albuquerque Antiquarian Book Fair on April 18 and 19 at Sheraton Uptown (2600 Louisiana NE). Entrance on Friday (5 to 9pm) costs $5 and Saturday $2 (10am to 4pm). Over 25 exhibitors are eager to ply you with old maps, postcards, prints, photos and booksbooksbooks. For more info, visit abqbookfair.com or call 345-1945.
Culture Shock: The City And The City The City And The City
Rick Lowe knows a thing or two about a distressed cityscape.
Tevor Paulhus
If you want to know how to transform a city for the better (and a lot of us do), Rick Lowe is someone you should get acquainted with. As the founder of Project Row Houses in Houston, Lowe, along with countless local artists and volunteers, has renovated 40 properties along six blocks in the historic but economically distressed Third Ward. In the process, an entire community has been strengthened by creativity, architectural renewal and preservation, participation and shared knowledge. PRH hews to “the principle that art—and the community it creates—can be the foundation for revitalizing depressed inner-city neighborhoods,” their website explains. Now Lowe brings his particular brand of visionary practicality to Burque as the keynote speaker for 516 ARTS’ urban/artistic exploration Heart of the City on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30pm, hosted by Outpost Performance Space (210 Yale SE). Tickets are just $5 in person, by phone (268-0044) or online at outpostspace.org.
Culture Shock: Junot You Want To Junot You Want To
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin more than redeemed himself for killing off your favorite characters when he reopened the historic Jean Cocteau Cinema (418 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe) just last August. Already it’s become a thriving hub of geekery, cultural commotion and nostalgic revivals. Now nationally celebrated literary powerhouses are being added to the mix. On Monday, April 21, at 7pm, the author of Pulitzer-winning The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz, comes for a signing and reading featuring his newest collection of stories, This is How You Lose Her. He’ll be interviewed by Drs. Shanté Paradigm Smalls and Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez, two UNM assistant professors with mighty pop-culture chops of their own. Or if mystery is more your thing, check out Anne Perry when she visits on Thursday, April 24 at 7pm. Cost for each is $5 or $10, depending on whether you purchase a book; head to jeancocteaucinema.com to read more about the cinema’s dazzling array of happenings.
