Here's a bizarre little story for you. Last year, local artist Stephanie Lerma drove up to Wink, a beauty salon and lifestyle store in Santa Fe specializing in one-of-a-kind boutique items. Lerma was trying to peddle some of her paper creations. The owners, however, couldn't tear their eyes off her purse.

Tom Waldron's imposing sheet steel sculptures are well-known around town and around the state. You'll probably recall that his recent proposal to install green, conical shapes at the interchange of Louisiana and I-40 was the source of much public contention. Exhibited nationwide, Waldron's work can also be seen at the Albuquerque Museum. New Sculpture, at the Richard Levy Art Gallery, 514 Central SW, includes Waldron's signature steel shapes as floor-standing, tabletop and wall-hanging pieces. This is his first gallery exhibit in New Mexico since 1999. The reception is Friday, June 24, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the show runs through August 12. For more information, call 766-9888 or go to www.levygallery.com.

International flamenco fusion masters Ojos de Brujo (Eyes of the Wizard) bring their driving mix to Albuquerque on Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. The group's "Jip Jop Flamenkillo" is a digital hybrid of traditional flamenco forms with modern hip-hop, funk and punk. Their live digital dance party is famous on the European festival circuit, and the group is known for its staunch grassroots, anti-corporate philosophy. This is Ojo's first performance in the Southwest. Come experience these Spaniards' fierce navigation of musical decades and genres. Ojos de Brujo is presented by Outpost Productions and the National Institute of Flamenco at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Tickets are $20 to $50 and are available at Outpost Performance Space, NHCC and Ticketmaster. To order yours, call 268-0044 or go to www.outpostspace.org.

One of the most remarkable things about Aishah Rahman's Unfinished Women Cry in No Man's Land While a Bird Dies in a Gilded Cage is that the elaborate 15-word title is almost a literal description of what the play is about. Directed by Stefanie Willis, a new production of Unfinished Women just opened at Out ch'Yonda. This staging has some problems, but the sweet music along with the sheer raw originality of Rahman's vision should hold the interest of many theatergoers.

Few things say "I want your action" as intensely and personally as the act of creating and giving a mix tape. At least that was once the case, before the advent of the CD, CD-R and digital recording media that allow just about anyone with a computer and half an hour to make compilations. Somehow, though, the mix CD just doesn't cut it as a personal token of friendship or symbol of impending courtship. Think of it as the difference between the sterility of the compact disc versus the warmth of vinyl according to balding-yet-ponytailed audiophiles who are willing to pay top dollar on eBay for just the right stylus.

As most Americans know, American Indians' battles in this country didn't end with Geronimo. Since World War II, they have waged a ground war in and out of the courts to defend their traditions and secure equal rights. It is this conflict that forms the crux of Charles Wilkinson's dazzlingly researched and definitive new book, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations. Drawing parallels between this movement and the civil rights era it took place alongside of, Wilkinson portrays their struggle as an essential chapter in American life.