August 2010
Gallery Talk
by Myrna Zanetell
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Changes proposed for Chamizal gallery
One of the ongoing concerns for area artists is having a place to exhibit their work. One of the best venues in El Paso for many years has been Los Paisanos Gallery at the Chamizal National Memorial, but some changes are proposed that may shift exhibitions from that space to the neighboring Abrazos Gallery in the Chamizal Visitors Center.
Michael Groomer, chief of interpretation, education and arts at Chamizal National Memorial, emphasizes that both galleries will continue to be used for art exhibitions through 2010 and into 2011.
“However, in late spring to early summer 2011, the Los Paisanos Gallery will be redesigned to address staffing/education space issues,” Groomer said. “After looking at all available space and its usage, it was determined that the gallery was the most logical and best use of available space for us to grow into.
“This expansion will be possible due to a budget base increase from Congress to start a job-intake training program for college students. The space will also be used for teacher/education workshops, children’s cultural programs and professional development. If the base increase does not happen — due to budget cuts — none of this will be an issue, and the space will continue to be used pretty much as it is at present.”
Although a small area will remain to be used for hanging art in the former Los Paisanos space, Groomer explains that the Abrazos Gallery in the visitors center will become the primary exhibition area. In order to provide additional display space, he plans to move the Mexican doll case to an opposite wall, thus creating another long wall on which to hang art.
“In many ways, this arrangement at the visitors center could be to the artists’ advantage,” he emphasizes. “As soon as staffing allows, the center will be open seven days a week. With so many events scheduled in the theater, the Abrazos Gallery will get additional exposure in the evenings and on weekends. Since the Los Paisanos space is not open on the weekends, these extended hours and greater visibility should mean a better opportunity for the artists to show and sell their work.”
Confirmation of Groomer’s continuing interest in promoting the arts can be seen in the form of two upcoming exhibitions. The first, opening Aug. 18 and titled “Retablos — A Cultural Legacy,” will showcase the work of Las Cruces artist Virginia Maria Romero.
Groomer relates, “I love the subject of retablos, and Virginia’s work is unique in that she takes traditional forms and expands them with a contemporary twist that comes from her personal life experiences and the influences of her culture diversity.”
Groomer seems to be even more excited about the September exhibition, “Beauty in the Abstract,” a group exhibition featuring work by El Paso artists and curated by local painter Anne Steinhauer (who paints under the name A. Stein).
Groomer explains his enthusiasm for the topic.
“One of the things the park management and area stakeholders did shortly after my arrival was to create a foundation document taking a look at what Congress had in mind when they authorized the creation of the Chamizal National Memorial. This document further defined the park’s role as a cultural center where people can come together in a spirit of friendship. For this reason, we have never shown art simply for ‘art’s sake’ but rather more in the context of the park’s mission for friendship, education and cultural understanding. In this premiere exhibition of contemporary abstract art, we are expanding our interpretation of that mission to emphasize the educational perspective gained by understanding other artists and art forms. In this regard, we are very fortunate to have Anne Steinhauer, a locally recognized artist with a formal background in art, who has graciously taken on the challenge of curating this groundbreaking show.”
Retablos — A Cultural Legacy
Standing before the dramatic, color-filled retablos created by Virginia Maria Romero for her exhibition “Retablos — A Cultural Legacy,” one automatically assumes that the artist comes from a Hispanic background. Not so! Romero, who currently makes her home in Las Cruces, confides that her heritage is Polish and English, and that she actually grew up in small farming communities in Ohio.
“My grandparents on my mother’s side were Polish, and I saw a lot of iconic imagery in their home, but I was not introduced to this Hispanic art form of retablos until I moved to Santa Fe.”
It was there, in her husband’s hometown, that she fell in love with art from Mexico’s Spanish Colonial period. Her first retablos were painted with acrylics on canvas, but later yielding to her reverence for the earth and its natural materials, she sought out the expertise of master santero Charlie Carillo, who taught her the Northern New Mexico tradition of painting on board. Now her works are created using traditional materials and methods, such as hand-grinding gum arabic from yucca pods for gesso and pigments for paints and sealing the finished art with a varnish made from piñon sap.
Romero professes a strong belief in symbolism and relies on totems such as the wolf and turtle as personal guide, so these often appear in her compositions. Sorting out her mother’s possessions after her death, Romero found a number of crosses in her purse, so she has added these to the symbolic figures that inspire her work. Respect for tradition and nature have become the cornerstones of all her art.
The artist draws heavily on childhood memories, including the icons in her grandparents’ home and even her connection to the animals she saw in the Ohio woods. Romero has created a series that includes “Hildegard of Birgin with Bears,” “Jaguar speaks to Mary” and “Lone Wolf with the Virgin Mary,” which viewers can admire in her Chamizal exhibition.
During the past decade, Romero has come to be known for her skill at crafting a variety of unique sacred objects. She is especially pleased that one of the tiles she created was presented to Pope Benedict XVI in June this year.
Beauty in the Abstract
Talking about her vision for the upcoming “Beauty in the Abstract” exhibition, Anne Steinhauer explained, “The main goal for this show is to let the general public know that abstract art is accessible and you don’t need a degree in art history to understand it. I think anyone can come in and be affected by the amount of color, forms, and just the sheer energy the artists are conveying though these pieces. Even though the works I chose were created from the mid-20th century through the present, all the artists are from El Paso, so that ties in with Chamizal’s mission to support the local culture.”
The show is an invitational with works chosen ranging from paintings and sculpture to abstract photography. The final list of participants grew to nearly 50 artists, including familiar names such as Holly Cox, Evelyn Ainsa, Tommy Alford, Sally Avant, Ho Baron, Carmen Navar, Pat Olchefski-Winston and Brigette Von Ahn.
Steinhauer notes, “The amazing commonality is that many of the core group of painters studied under Win Korf, who came here from Chicago in the 1930s.”
As a way to enhance the public’s connection with the work, Steinhauer asked each artist to create tags of about three sentences related to their pieces.
“I stipulated these had to be written in lay terms — no ‘art speak.’ They could be about the process of making the piece, about the intention, or even how the piece makes them feel when it is completed.”
After requesting these tags, Steinhauer was amused to read an article in the Summer 2010 issue of Art News, which addressed the topic “Why museums are losing their public,” and one of the criticisms from those polled was “Your labels make me feel stupid.”
She laughs, “This was a problem I definitely wanted to avoid. I think people want to be engaged with the art, but museums sometimes make that more difficult than necessary.”
“One of the greatest misconceptions about abstract art continues to be that you have to buy books to understand it. Not so! The best way to gain insights is to stand in front of each work, because that is the only way you can really relate to the composition, textures, brushstrokes, and the sheer energy and size of some pieces. For this reason, as an additional educational feature, we will be having artist tours on Saturdays. No artist creates in a vacuum, so they will have a lot of interesting information to share.”
Myrna Zanetell is a freelance writer
specializing in the visual arts.
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