New courthouse square may attract more arts crawlers

Gallup photographer Jeri Joanna Poletto will be showing an exhibit of her work at Peoples Photography Studio and Gallery/Jasmine, Inc. during Saturday's Arts Crawl. Pyramid Rock and Church Rock are shown in this December 2005 photograph. [Courtesy Photo]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The combination of warm weather, the June Arts Crawl, and the newly relocated Indian dances make downtown Gallup the place to be this Saturday.

The work of artist Jerry Brown will be the focus of three art venues on Saturday: one during the afternoon and two during the evening's Arts Crawl. Brown is the artist who was commissioned to create "The Window," the large tile mural for the new McKinley County Courthouse. Brown and his wife, Jennifer, will be at the south side of the courthouse from 1-4 p.m. to talk about the creation of the mural. The public is invited to view the mural and meet the Browns.

Vital Connections, located inside The Frame Shop at 222 W. Coal, will kick off the evening's Arts Crawl with a reception that begins at 6:30 p.m. Rolando Lopez Martin is the featured artist of the month at Vital Connections, and work by David Montelongo, Mary Jane Milz, Greg Collison, and Adis Serrano will also be on exhibit.

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

BillyDee's Coffee Experience, 601 W. Coal, will host a show entitled "The Progression of the Window," a photography show whose subject is Jerry Brown's courthouse tile mural. The show features photographs taken by Brown's friends and family members that illustrate the mural's creation from start to finish.

Other artwork by Jerry Brown will be featured at The Boost Exchange, 196 E. Historic Route 66. Located near the Oasis Restaurant, The Boost Exchange will be exhibiting Brown's "Abstracts and Animals."

The Coffee House, 203 W. Coal, will continue to exhibit the art from last month's exhibit, "Acclimate 050606." The show features oil paintings by Jason Barnes.

Crashing Thunder Gallery, 228 W. Coal, will open a new photography show by Kenji Kawano, one of the Four Corners region's most well-known photographers. Kawano is particularly recognized for his work documenting the lives of Navajo Code Talkers. The show, "Sights and Faces," features Kawano's photographs from Europe, Japan, and Saipan.

Gallery 213, located at 213 W. Coal, will host a show coordinated by Brad and Erika Dehaan. The couple will be exhibiting and selling photographs and arts and crafts from the country of Equador.

Primal Image T-shirts, 231 W. Coal, will continue to feature artwork from last month's show, which includes work by Chris Bryant and also work by clients in the NCI art program.

Peoples Photography Studio and Jasmine Inc. Gallery, 233 W. Coal, will be hosting a large reception featuring the work of three artists. Peoples Photography will host an exhibit by photographer Jeri Joanna Poletto, whose work focuses primarily on the American Southwest and its Native American heritage. In an artist statement provided by Poletto, she states she tries to convey "the beauty, harmony, emotions, spirituality, profound wisdom, and rugged sense of adventure that surround us here in the Four Corners region of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado."

Jasmine Inc. Gallery, which shares space with Peoples Photography, will host a reception for two Native American artists. Damon H. Tso Jr. will be exhibiting his unique style of Navajo pottery, and Elmer Yazzie, a former longtime art teacher at Rehoboth Christian School, will exhibit a collection of his paintings.

In addition to Arts Crawl patrons, downtown Gallup should be filled with a number of visitors to Gallup's nightly Indian dances. The free dances, which begin at 7 p.m., have a new location at the McKinley County Courthouse Square.