March Art Crawl boasts three new city galleries

Pamela Jeanne Weston sits inside her studio and gallery space during an interview inside the Masonic Lodge on Aztec Avenue in Gallup. Watson uses the phrase "living museum" to describe the space since she creates work there, and most museums feature work of artists who have died. (Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent)

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

Pamela Jeanne Weston will be opening her "Weston's Living Museum" in the Masonic Lodge on Aztec Avenue Saturday during the March Arts Crawl. This 4' x 8' acrylic painting is entitled "Native Lover." (Courtesy Photo)

GALLUP — February's Arts Crawl saw the closing of Gallery 211 in downtown Gallup. A month later, three new gallery venues are opening with the March Arts Crawl.

In addition to the debut of the three new gallery spaces, Saturday's Arts Crawl will feature live music at The Coffee House and a dance performance by the New Freedom Dance Studio.

Beginning at 4 p.m., the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial will be hosting an art show in its office at 202 W. Coal. According to a press release by Arts Crawl participants, the Ceremonial office will also be presenting "The Dumpster Bears" combo at 7 p.m. Details about the art show and information about the 7 p.m. event were not provided in the release, and the Ceremonial office did not return a phone message about the events.

Muralist Be Sargent will be hosting her monthly Art and High Tea at Be's from 5-7 p.m. The public is welcome to visit with Sargent at her home studio at 113 E. Logan.

At 6 p.m. the Native Hands Co-op, located at 506 W. Historic Route 66 in the Catholic Indian Center, will open "Healing Feathers," an exhibit of hand-painted turkey feathers by Native American artist Richard Jim of Gallup. In addition, members of the co-op will have booths set up in the gallery lobby of the CIC for an evening Indian arts and crafts market. Native Hands plans to host similar markets during upcoming Arts Crawl evenings. This Saturday's reception, which will run from 6-9 p.m., will feature native jewelers, potters, and Zuni fetish carvers.

A new gallery space will also be holding a reception from 6-9 p.m. Vital Connections is a collaborative art space inside The Frame Shop, 222 W. Coal. Vital Connections will feature the work of local artists Michael Lewis and Mary Jane Milz and the work of Adis Soriano, Sylvia Gusik, Rafael Torres, and Gerard Terrien from Guadalajara, Mexico. Dancers from the New Freedom Dance Studio are scheduled to perform during the reception.

The remaining Arts Crawl receptions will begin at 7 p.m.

The Coffee House, 203 W. Coal, will be hosting both an art show reception and live music by the Back Porch Band. A show of new paintings by Quinn Kelley will be on exhibit, and the band will perform from 7-10 p.m.

"The Spaces Between," an exhibit of paintings by Dan Coy, will be shown at Crashing Thunder Gallery, 228 W. Coal.

The Machina Gallery is Gallup's second new gallery space. Located in the basement of the Lexington Hotel, 408 W. Historic Route 66, the gallery is operated by John Butler, the brother of muralist and painter Andrew Butler. This month the Machina Gallery will be showing the mixed media work of Scott Snaden.

Primal Image Gallery, 233 W. Coal, will feature "Just Looking," a solo exhibition by Bill Siebersma, a Gallup photographer known for his unique digital images of Gallup and the local region. Siebersma's reception will be open through 10 p.m.

Weston's Living Museum is the third new gallery space in Gallup. Operated by Pamela Jeanne Weston, the studio/gallery is located on the first floor of the old Masonic Temple (also known as Lebanon Lodge #22), located at 106 W. Aztec, next to Gallup City Hall. Weston will be showing her recent work, which consists of large acrylic paintings, created in different series and around specific themes. In the lobby of the building, Weston will be exhibiting the work of Diana Morro, a Ramah artist who paints portraits of Native American children. The reception at the Living Museum will be open from 7-10 p.m. A story about Weston, her artwork, and her gallery will be published in Saturday's Independent.

Downtown businesses open for the Arts Crawl include Dominic's Downtown Restaurant, 303 W. Coal, and Primal Image T-shirts, 231 W. Coal.