Anyone who thinks culture in Albuquerque can't possibly extend beyond the border of the tiny bubble encompassing Downtown, Nob Hill and Barelas should consider making an excursion to the Heights. It only seems like a trip to Siberia to those who haven't yet made the journey.

For many people, domesticity and freedom are more like oil and water than rum and Coke. They just don't seem to mix very well. In the surreal world of Suzanne Sbarge, though, these two alienated siblings somehow manage to get along just fine.

The Pecos River Valley has proven to be a surprisingly fertile space for New Mexico artists to exhibit their work. This is the 18^th year of Nicasio and Janet Romero's outdoor gallery event in the village of El Ancon. Artists and art lovers will travel to the Pecos on Sunday to take in the work of more than 40 artists. In addition to wood, bronze, steel and adobe outdoor sculpture, the exhibit will feature paintings, prints and drawings. Join the party from noon to 5 p.m. The festivities include music, flamenco dancing and some scrumptious New Mexican chow. The show runs through August 1, by appointment. For more information and directions, call (505) 421-7057.

Aishah Rahman's play Unfinished Women Cry in No Man's Land While a Bird Dies in a Gilded Cage navigates birth and death through jazz improvisation. The year is 1955 and the characters are five young women who give birth to unwanted babies, a dying saxophone player, a nurse, a magical minstrel and a baroness with the title to Manhattan. Bebop is the soundtrack for this production, which opens Friday, June 17, at Out ch'Yonda, 929 Fourth Street SW. The play runs through June 26, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:15 p.m., Sundays at 3:15 p.m. $10 general, $8 students and seniors. The June 16 dress rehearsal is open to the public for a donation. Seating is limited to 40, so buy tickets early at Pearls of the Antilles in Nob Hill (3716 Central SE). For more information, call 385-5634.

Back in 1998, a national, volunteer effort called the Legacy Project was created with the intention of encouraging Americans to seek out and preserve letters composed by those who had served in every American conflict from the Revolutionary War onward. The mastermind behind this project was an earnest young man named Andrew Carroll.