"Borrego Desert", an oil painting by Darwin Duncan October will produce two related art events in the well-known art town of Silver City, New Mexico.
October 9-10-11-12 celebrates the SOUTHWEST PRINT FIESTA. Hundreds of printmakers and print lovers will be in town to sell, buy, learn at workshops, exhibit their art, and be on hand for the exciting Steamroller Printing in the street. The POP-UP ART MUSEUM, a project of Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center, will present the first of its October Weekends on October 10 and 11. The POP-UP Museum location is at 410 Broadway in the Old Post Office building. The Museum is raising Capital Funds to purchase the Old Post Office to be the Art Museum base that will serve residents of Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron counties with Museum exhibitions and outreach programs. Currently, there is no true fine art museum between the Rio Grande River and Tucson, Az, a distance of 274 miles.
"Yosemite", 1871 etching by James Smillie, one of the artists whose works convinced Congress to set aside land for National Parks. The basic purpose of an art museum is to preserve art of historic and aesthetic importance and exhibit it to the Public. The Southwest Regional Museum of Art exhibitions will curate art from its Permanent Collection of American art for the Public to enjoy, be informed, educated, and hopefully, inspired by changing exhibitions throughout the year. Having a building with correct lighting, humidity control, etc. will allow other art museums and art foundations to loan artwork to Southwest Regional Museum of Art for all Southwest New Mexicans and visitors to enjoy. It will enhance Silver City's reputation as an art town.
The Southwest Regional Museum of Art is dedicated to establishing a prominent fine art destination in downtown Silver City. While its permanent facility is currently in development, the museum is acquiring a vast collection of American art from 1850 to the present through art gifts from long time collectors and individuals. American art is defined by the Museum as art done by anyone at any time in what is now known as the United States.
With the Southwest Print Fiesta in town, one of the Museum exhibition topics will trace the revival of the etching process in America as it grew from only commercial use toward personal expression. The other exhibition presents art in a variety of mediums done by mid - 20th century artists living in the West and responding to their location. It asks visitors to consider why the artists chose the materials they did and offers visitors an interactive opportunity to try many art materials themselves.
"Lipstick", etching by Raphael Soyer The POP-UP Museum will also feature clay demonstrations by Claude Smith III, well known Silver City potter. Smith, now emeritus professor of the WNMU Expressive Arts Department, has inspired many clay students at WNMU. He is on the Board of Directors of Southwest Regional Museum of Art.
The POP-UP MUSEUM is also offering an opportunity for printmakers to enter the POP-UP JURIED Print Show. One purchase prize of $300.00 to the winner will place the winner's print in the Permanent Collection of Southwest Regional Museum of Art. Instructions for entering are on the museum's website at www.southwest-art-museum.org
The POP UP ART MUSEUM will be open the following two weekends in October: Oct 10-11 and 17-18 from 10 am until 4 pm at 410 Bullard in Silver City, New Mexico. A Walk and Talk program at 3:00 PM October 18th by Victoria Chick will guide visitors around the exhibits with a focus on the lives of artists whose work can be seen, including many surprising and little known things about them. Chick is a Board member of SWRMA, was an Art History lecturer at the University of San Diego, and retired from teaching studio classes and art history at Palomar College in San Marcos, California before moving to Silver City in 2005. She has an MFA in painting from Kent State University and a life-long interest in art history.
