Las Cruces, NM: Museum of Art Hosts "North and South of the Border" Show [Archive]

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02-12-2007, 04:37 PM

<center>Las Cruces Art Museum Features Works of Mexican and American Artists plus a selection of local art too </center> Las Cruces, New Mexico - If you're headed to Las Cruces anytime in the next few weeks and looking for something fun to do while you're in town, there are two special treats in store for you. During February and March the Las Cruces Museum of Art is displaying a special art exhibit titled, “North & South of the Border”. The show is being held at Las Cruces Museum of Art which is located on the city's downtown Mall. The exhibit runs from Friday, Feb 2 through Saturday, April 7. The Opening Reception for the show was held on Friday, Feb 2. <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5><tr><td valign=top>While crossing the US – Mexico border is a new issue for most of the nation, border crossings are a common and natural occurrence for artists of our region. In its “North & South of the Border” show the Museum of Art is featuring the works of three contemporary artists who draw inspiration from the region that includes Chihuahua and Juarez, Mexico on one side of the border and El Paso, Las Cruces and southern New Mexico on the other. The artworks of Antonio Castro, Diana Molina and Gaspar Enriquez are being displayed in the Museum’s Main Gallery through Saturday, April 7. All exhibits and receptions are accessible and free to the public. In addition to the “North & South of the Border” exhibit, the Museum’s Director’s Gallery is also currently featuring a collection of works by twenty-five Las Cruces area artists through Saturday, Feb. 28 in the annual “Love of Art” exhibit. If your schedule permits, Steppin Out recommends allowing enough time to enjoy both exhibits. Las Cruces and the surrounding area is home to a prodigiously creative community of artists. So, the “Love of Art” show is one you definitely won't want to miss! Shown on this page are several of the works included in the “North & South of the Border” show and a few details about the artists. Each image can be clicked to display a larger version of the art. Antonio Castro Antonio Castro was born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico. Today he is a resident of two sister cities: Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, TX. Ironically, his work is perhaps better known in Europe than locally. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain and in Italy, as well as in New York City and Mexico. His work is influenced by both surrealism and super-realism. In addition to paintings, his artworks have illustrated histories of El Paso and children’s books. Castro’s paintings are narrative. He says, “I like the viewer to become interested in finding out what my paintings mean…what I prefer is for people to view one of my paintings and then to interpret it according to their own understanding and temperament – through their own intellectual and emotional filters, as it were, and through that, to form their own conclusions about it.” Castro also puts an image of himself in most of his paintings. He explains, “These paintings, after all, are my vision, so I try to relate that in them, as well.” Diana Molina Born in El Paso, TX, documentary photographer Diana Molina is known for both national and international exhibitions. After a year of travel in Europe, Molina changed her career to become a writer and photographer. In Amsterdam she collaborated with Dutch photographer Ben Deiman to produce collections of photographs for the Netherlands Bureau of Tourism and Greenpeace Netherlands and went on to publish photo essays and articles for a number of international magazines. Returning to a base on the New Mexico/Texas border with Mexico, Molina drew upon her experience as a journalist to initiate CARAS, an interactive curriculum model for high school students. She also directed her first prize-winning video documentary concerning the 20 year history of La Mujer Obrera, following the struggles of women employed in the El Paso garment industry. Three collections of Molina’s works which depict borderland subjects are touring museums nationally. She is currently working on a collection, “Seven String Barbed-Wire Fence,” focusing on the many faces of Latino immigration in the United States. Gaspar Enriquez El Paso born painter Gaspar Enriquez is noted for his airbrushed, ultra-realistic imagery portraying the people of El Paso’s barrios. Trained in Los Angeles, the University of Texas at El Paso (B.A.) and New Mexico State University (M.A.), he teaches art at Bowie High School on the El Paso/Juarez border, and his students often provide inspiration for his work. His works provide a significant voice for sub-cultures along the border. Enriquez’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions, including the nationally touring CARA (Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation) show (1990 – 1993), as well as the 2006 ¡Arte Caliente! Selections from the Joe Diaz Collection in Albuquerque and San Jose, CA, and the traveling exhibition Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge curated by Cheech Marin (2005 – 2008). The Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 N. Main St. in the downtown mall. For information about exhibits, programs or Museum Studio classes, call 505-541-2137.</td><td width=160 valign=top align=center><a href=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_001_web.jpg><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_001_web_tn.jpg alt="Click to see larger image" border=1></a> “De Puro Corazon Series: Ana,” acrylic on paper, by Gaspar Enriquez <a href=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_002_web.jpg><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_002_web_tn.jpg alt="Click to see larger image" border=1></a> "Jobs With Justice" Photo by Diana Molina <a href=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_003_web.jpg><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_003_web_tn.jpg alt="Click to see larger image" border=1></a> "Borderline #3" photo montage by Diana Molina <a href=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_004_web.jpg><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_004_web_tn.jpg alt="Click to see larger image" border=1></a> “Untitled,” oil on canvas by Antonio Castro <a href=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_005_web.jpg><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/Border_images_005_web_tn.jpg alt="Click to see larger image" border=1></a> “Nican Mopohua,” oil on canvas by Antonio Castro</td></tr></table>