The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition, “Desierto. Arte. Archivo.”
This exhibit displays a compilation of art from 16 artists who have interacted with the Chihuahuan Desert and created a series of individual and collective arts-based inquiries based on their experiences. The participating artists interpreted the desert as a holistic lifeway where all desert dwellers- human, animal, and plant- comingle and inform each other.
“Desierto. Arte. Archivo” is on view from Friday, Oct. 7 through Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.
The idea behind this multifaceted exhibit came about in response to a project led by 516 Arts, in Albuquerque, and the Art and Ecology Programs at the University of New Mexico. The project call asked for artists and cultural institutions along the Rio Grande to engage with the local environment and ecology.
A community of artists came together to discuss the contradictions of the desert, its extreme weather patterns, and the economic, social, and political insecurities of the desert. They also considered its poetic nature and the pleasures of the desert that continue to bring people and animals to it.
There are several events associated with this exhibit. The opening reception will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 with DJ Banketas providing music in the courtyard.
Exhibit artist León de la Rosa-Carrillo will start the evening with a poetry reading, accompanied by Emma Alvarez on the cello. Artists Alexandra Rodríguez and Octavio Castrejón will create a new art piece for the exhibit.
Cynthia Bejarano and M. Eugenia Hernández-Sánchez will discuss border crossing issues using fayuca tortillas as an example. Artists Cassandra Adame, Laura Meneses, Juan Carlos Reyes, and Andréa Magallanes will be available to discuss their artwork.
An outdoor jewelry-making workshop will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 22 at the La Cueva Trail entrance at the Dripping Springs Nature Area. Participants will learn about the plants and animals of the area and then create their own pendants using natural items provided by the museum.
“Desierto. Arte. Archivo” is coordinated by León de la Rosa-Carrillo, Ma. Eugenia Hernández-Sánchez, and Gracia Chavez-Ortiz, from the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. It features the work of Cassandra Adame, Alba Naiky A.C., Cynthia Bejarano, Octavio Castrejón, Pilar García, René López Dorado, Andréa Magallanes, Laura Meneses, Paola Nayely Mendoza, Abril Meléndez de León, Juan Carlos Reyes, Alexandra Rodríguez, and Janette Terrazas Islas.
The Branigan Cultural Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission fee.
The museum is accessible from RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1, Stop 1. For information, visit the Museum System website at https://www.las-cruces.org/Museums or call 575/541-2154.