Hi everyone!
I am thrilled to usher The Magazine into its 28th year with this issue: Volume 28, Issue 1. I have some very exciting announcements that will be made in just a couple of weeks about the future of The Magazine and new offerings to look forward to, so please make sure you are signed up on our email list if you are not already! You can go to southwestcontemporary.com and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to sign up for our newsletter. In addition to big announcements, we send out weekly content highlights, a curated selection of event and exhibition recommendations, bits of art news, and more, so it is a great way to stay in the loop with all things New Mexico contemporary arts.
In our July issue, we have an eclectic selection of feature content, including a highlight of the local music scene (somewhat unusually for The Magazine, but an area of editorial we look forward to expanding). Eliza Lutz, whose portrait is featured on the cover, and her record label Matron Records are profiled by our new music contributor Patrick McGuire on page 24. For the Studio Visit interview, Clayton Porter and I trekked to the remote, off-grid home and studio of Stuart Arends to talk about his career and practice. Arends has a solo show opening at 5. Gallery in Santa Fe on July 12.
A trip to the vaults of the Santa Fe Opera has become an annual tradition for Jordan Eddy and Stefan Wachs (and they graciously let me tag along), and this year we explored the Properties Department (p. 36) and took a deep dive into how props figure into drama of each performance, the complications presented by an open-air theater, and the mechanics of producing, locating, maintaining, and storing each item. In our last feature, we give you “Summer According to The,” a run-down of our summer season must-sees and must-dos around Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Taos.
In our departments, I have a drink with Stuart Ashman, CEO of the International Folk Art Market (July 12-14), in the “Tasting Notes” column , Jenn Shapland profiles artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith in “New Mexico Women,” and Briana Olson introduces us to the Vortex Theatre in Albuquerque. And of course, don’t miss the Reviews section, Calendar of exhibition openings and events, Writings, and more.
I hope you enjoy the new issue, and go see some art this summer!
Lauren
