Hi everyone! I am excited to be back after a two-month winter break, and we are kicking the year off with a very special edition—our inaugural “Artists Issue.” In November of 2018, we put out an open call for New Mexico artists to submit their work to be featured in this issue and were astounded receive over 450 submissions from artists across the entire state. Through the process, we discovered new artists to follow, learned more about the breadth of work being created, and were impressed by the quality we encountered across the board. We invited Andrea Hanley, Membership and Program Manager at IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, to be our guest juror, and together with managing editor Jenn Shapland, we began the difficult task of making selections. We ultimately selected twelve artists we feel represent the most compelling, vibrant work being created in our state today by artists who demonstrate commitment to their practices.
Each artist is featured in a two-page spread in the feature article “12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now” beginning on p. 36. On Friday, March 1, we will open a group exhibition of these artists’ work at The Magazine’s new project space with a reception for the artists, 5-8 pm. The exhibition will remain on view through April 27 with regular gallery hours Wednesday through Friday, 12-6 pm. Please visit us to see this work in person, we hope it will make for a wonderful complement to the printed issue.
On Friday, March 1, we will open a group exhibition of these artists’ work at The Magazine’s new project space with a reception for the artists, 5-8 pm.
To keep a lookout for future calls for artists (including the call for our 2020 Artists Issue!), be sure to take a look at our calendar sections online and in print. Beginning with this issue, we’ve added an expanded section dedicated to calls for entry in our print calendar. In this section, you will see calls for artists, open applications for residencies, and our very own ongoing call for writers to contribute to The Magazine. You can find additional opportunities, along with job openings and items for sale, on our online “Classifieds” page (southwestcontemporary.com/classifieds), and even submit your own listings to be included online and in print.
Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who responded to our 2018 Reader Survey. Your feedback is so appreciated and we look forward to unpacking the survey results as we dive into our 2019 editorial calendar. If you missed the survey, your feedback is always welcome by mail or email. We love to publish letters to the editor when we receive them. Please direct letters to one of the addresses below.
I hope you enjoy the new issue!
Lauren
Lauren Tresp, editor + publisher
lauren@southwestcontemporary.com
1415 W Alameda St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
