Our mission: To embark on an art binge throughout Albuquerque on First Friday with nothing but open minds, a 1997 Honda Civic, a pack of cigarettes and a few bottles of water. We found scenesters, an old friend (Hi, Kenneth!), lots of cheese and some unexpectedly awesome artwork. Minds were blown, wine was drunk, and we returned home exhausted and fulfilled. This is the journey:
5:30 P.m.
Barb Hinnenkamp, "Iguana Stew"
Lea Anderson, "Millipods. An Installation"
Barbara Hinnenkamp Saints of the Day Runs through July 29Straying from the standard opaque Madonnas, Hinnenkamp’s paintings depict old women, children and fishermen in floral, bird-filled landscapes. Her eerie use of light through multimedia gives her figures a melancholy though they remain bright. Piece not to miss: The whimsical “Iguana Stew” Lea Anderson Millipods: An Installation Runs through July 29Anderson explores a single shape, the somewhat ovarian pod, in her installation Millipods . She has painted many variations on the isolated shape and created a giant pod made of smaller translucent ones. It’s podtastic.
6:15 P.m.
A Tom Loeb photo from Focus
Group Show Focus Runs through July 30 Nearly 20 New Mexico photographers provide visual treats in this expertly curated show. Val Hollingsworth, who put it all together and threw her piece “Billy” into the mix, found artists with a variety of styles, giving the exhibition a wide range and offering viewers plenty to drool over. Piece not to miss: Margot Geist’s “Nocturne,” a triptych that begins with fish underwater, moves to the moon high above the ocean and ends with clouds obscuring the nighttime source of light. The last piece has printed words so light they appear like ghosts and invite viewers to stare at the work in search of other lost gems.
7:10 P.m. (After An Adventure Getting Lost And Accidentally Stumbling Across Our Destination Anyway)
Richard Maitland Original Works Runs through July 29 Tucked away in Old Town are the phenomenal collages and multimedia and oil paintings of Richard Maitland. He makes powerful political, social and religious commentary using antique photos and knickknacks, through which Maitland has truly mastered the whimsical and weird.Pieces not to miss: “Rendezvous in Roswell 2047” and “Walt Whitman and Friends”
7:55 P.m.
Joel Davis, James Lawrence and William Mikkelson Avant-Tard Runs through July 31 By taking record sleeves with similar themes (artist’s name and face), James Lawrence gives long-ago singers, such as Crystal Gayle and Barry Manilow, a new, kinda creepy life. The portraits are cut out of the covers—like in Photoshop, but with an X-Acto knife—and are displayed next to old cookbooks, covers collaged with those familiar smiles—plus a few extra eyes and teeth and such. Piece not to miss: “Organic Experiment No. 2” by Joel Davis, a small work about 1.5 inches by 3 inches that encases a butterfly in resin
8:25 P.m.
A photograph from Jazmyn's Art Show
Jazmyn CrosbyJazmyn’s Art Show Tentatively runs through July 23 The final stop in our whirlwind tour of town found us sitting on the floor of The Kosmos while Jazmyn Crosby plucked her ukulele and sang little songs reminiscent of CocoRosie, but with a lot more humor. After she was covered in glitter as part of her performance, Crosby sweetly thanked us for coming and invited us to see her installation. No wonder she was shy about it; the piece is another realm, and by inviting us in, Crosby let us know a lot about herself, her collecting habits and what the world looks like through her eyes. Hanging from the ceiling are tree branches wrapped in thin yarn of many colors, while the walls show photographs of friends. One series finds a young woman with a stegosaurus-like spine of thumbtacks. Piece not to miss: A side room within the gallery space holds a peep box that viewers must put special glasses and headphones on to experience fully. It’s a smaller version of the room but a more personal one as well. At The Kosmos, these two art heroes parted ways. One stayed to catch up with friends, the other headed north on I-25, getting a delightful surprise fireworks/lightning storm at San Felipe Pueblo, the perfect end to the evening.
