2013 Local Treasures
For the sixth year, the Albuquerque Art Business Association is honoring area artists who not only excel in the arts, but who have given back to their communities. By sharing their time, talent, and passion, they help develop a whole new generation of art lovers and artists and sustain the hope that New Mexico will continue to be home to thousands of working artists for many years to come.
This year we honor eight artists as Local Treasures and will award one “Preserving our Past for our Future” award to conservator Luis Neri Zagal at an awards ceremony at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Sunday, September 8, 1-3pm. Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy will speak. In addition there will be receptions for the artists throughout the month including First Friday Artscrawl on September 6 and Northeast Heights Artscrawl on September 20.
Adabel Allen: Allen is a professional artist/printmaker who has exhibited in several solo and group exhibits including the NM Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts juried show: “Originals: Top 100 Women Artists in New Mexico” at the Harwood Museum in Taos (2007). Previous to receiving her BFA with Honors, Summa Cum Laude and launching into fine art printmaking, she worked as an award-winning and published graphic designer, computer production artist, and illustrator. A NM Aids Walk poster on which she collaborated is housed in the Library of Congress’ permanent collection. She is also a multiple instrument musician/singer, an occasional thespian, a published poet, and a photographer. She coordinated and facilitated printmaking workshops for over 450 people from ages 5 to 85 at OFFCenter Community Arts Project partnering with a variety of public and youth organizations. Her volunteer work includes assisting those living with homelessness, substance abuse, and/or mental illness. In her personal life and through her community art efforts, she has witnessed art as a “healing mechanism and as a vehicle to serve each other in the community and to potentially augment our relationship with nature.” Her work can be seen at New Grounds Gallery where she will be given a First Friday reception September 6, 5-8:30pm, in honor of this award. Watch her on New Mexico PBS.
J. Waid Griffin: An accomplished painter of southwest landscapes, Griffin holds a BFA in Painting from Texas Tech University and has studied with Mark Daily, Qiang Huang, Robert Kuester, Michael Lynch, and Kevin Macpherson. He also holds a Master of Music in Theory and composition from Texas Tech School of Music. His paintings are in numerous public and private collections including the Albuquerque International Sunport. He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and a member of the Plein Air Painters Assn, NM Plein Air Painters and the Rio Grande AART Assn. He teaches oil painting at the New Mexico Art League and the Plein Air Painters of NM and also teaches music and art to middle and high school students at Rio Grande Enrichment Studies in Albuquerque. His work will be shown at Framing Concepts Gallery in September 2013 with an Artscrawl reception for the artist at the gallery – Friday, September 20.
Robert Kuester: Kuester is an oil painter who has been painting New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and the Southwest since 1986. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, he teaches workshops in landscape, still life, figures, and portraits. He has received a number of awards in his career including an award from The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for his portrait of Milburn Stone and Best of Show by Oil Painters of America. Kuester has maintained a consistently high quality of work for many years over a broad section of genres. He demonstrates before art groups, donates his work to various organizations, and helps emerging artists as a tutor and teacher. He is a member of NMAL, PAPNM, PSOA and OPA. His work is always on display at Concetta D Gallery as well as galleries in Santa Fe, Ruisodo, and out of state. His work will be shown again in the Miniatures and More 2013 Albuquerque Museum show. There will be an artists’ reception honoring him at the gallery on Friday, September 6.
Richard Maitland: For over 50 years, Maitland was a professional dancer, a teacher, and a choreographer, all before becoming an internationally recognized and collected artist. His work seems to pull the viewer out of time into a pensive and dreamlike world that is often touched with humor. He enjoyed the honesty of folk art, kitsch, and camp. He made many contributions to the communities in which he lived. Under the direction of Indira Gandhi, he organized and ran the International School of Dance for children. Under the direction of Mother Theresa, he raised funds for the Bengali Flood Relief Project and Feed the Hungry programs. He volunteered his time and skills at Art Street in Albuquerque. His work can currently be seen at Gallerie Imaginarium. Richard Maitland passed away quietly while asleep on the evening of April 10, 2014. He was born October 25, 1925.
Nels 2 Through the Woods
Mary Carroll Nelson: Nelson is a teacher, writer, artist, and founder of The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media which is now in its 31st year. SLMM’s premise is to serve as a network for artists who express a holistic perspective. She has watched it grow to several hundred members throughout the US and Canada; 80 of them in New Mexico. She has written over 300 published articles and 14 books. As an artist, she has been working in a unique style with stippled acrylic ink on acrylic sheet in both two and three dimensions in addition to painting on other grounds. Through SLMM Nelson has been involved in several projects including donating artwork, giving workshops in schools, and arranging concerts for residents of La Vida Llena. Her work can be seen atWeyrich Gallery where there will be two Friday ARTScrawl receptions for her – September 6 and 20.
Penny Singer: Singer is a designer of clothing and accessories that reflect her Navajo and other Native traditions. She is committed to creating wearable art that is finely crafted. Applique is a favored technique, resulting in bold pieces that “reconnect with her Dine roots”. Her fashions are especially suited to life here and resonate with a larger community. Singer works to expand non-Natives’ knowledge and appreciation of Native culture. Aside from winning awards for her work, she makes an effort to bridge cultures. She is interested in broadening the concept of Native art and opening the possibility of different career avenues to young Natives, both on and off the rez. Her models are often from the urban Native Community. She was nominated by Wright’s Indian Art where there will be a reception for her at the third Friday ARTScrawl event, September 20, 5:30-8:30 pm.
Bill Tondreau: Albuquerque landscape photographer Bill Tondreau captures our gorgeous surroundings like no other. A three time Academy Award Winner for cinematography; for Star Wars, King Kong, and Lord of the Rings, Bill’s detailed photographs are actually a combination of 18 to 100 images composed to give you your favorite Albuquerque scenes. His large, panoramic, affordable photographs are a local favorite! He can make any photograph 3 to 8 feet long. Bill is generous at heart, giving major donations of his works to organizations including the The New Mexico Children’s Cancer Fund, Presbyterian Children’s Cancer Center, and The Mayor and First Lady’s Charity Ball. Many have been able to use his classic Albuquerque photographs for their own self-promotion by merely giving Bill photo credit. His work can be seen at Sumner & Dene where there will be a First Friday ARTScrawl reception for him on September 6.
John Trever: Trever graduated magna cum laude in political science, literature, and art in 1965 from Syracuse University, where he cartooned for the campus daily newspaper. After two years of master’s study at the University of Chicago, a stint in the Air Force, and work as a newspaper staff artist in Cleveland and Denver, he arrived in Albuquerque in 1976 and has served as the Journal’s editorial cartoonist ever since. His cartoons were nationally syndicated by King Features and have been reprinted in a wide variety of magazines and books. In 2011 he retired from his daily schedule, but still does a weekly cartoon for the Sunday Journal. For several years he was on the mentor list for APS, working with high school students who were interested in cartooning and contributing to school publications. He has also assisted the Journal’s Newspapers in Education program. His work can be seen at Weems Gallery in the Northeast Heights where he will be featured at an artists’ reception Saturday September 7.
Luis Neri Zagal: Neri Zagal is a university instructor and lecturer in painting techniques and material science, modern conservation technology, the responsibility of museums in contemporary society, and environmental impacts on works of art. He is also a stage set designer and an artist whose work is in museum and private collections across the US and Mexico. Neri Zagal provides conservation services to municipal, federal, state and tribal governments, museums, universities, private collectors, churches, and galleries. He supervises and implements the conservation treatment of 16th century to 21st century artworks including paintings on stone, clay, canvas, wood, metal, paper, and synthetic materials. Key projects include conservation of the Santa Ana Mission Church altar screen which involved disassembly of the screen which measured approximately two stories high, removal of several layers of overpaint to expose the remnants of the original painted surface, reconstruction of the missing paint film and reassembly and installation of the altar screen. Neri Zagal is being presented with a special “Preserving the Past for the Future” award.