June 2023

“Eat of my Snaps and Thou shall be Nourished”

by Anansi Charter School 7th grade arranged & edited by Heather Lynn Sparrow

Today’s youth are growing up on screens. With smartphones now appendage close for many of our teenagers, will they one day feel that these screens have in fact betrayed them? With promises of entertainment and connection, celebrity and fame, will our kids one day understand that these screens so often lead instead to depression and isolation, sleeplessness and anxiety? Is that why this table is empty? With this Ai inspired play on the classic Da Vinci painting, the Last Supper, a classroom of teens at Anansi Charter School reinterpret and update the moment when Christ tells his apostles that one of them will betray him. This is his last meal with his apostles, each reacting here in their own way.

About the Artist : True Kids 1, TK1, model of “media production for media literacy” allows our students to use cameras, and pose for staged moments so that we can help them understand the deeper undercurrents of modern, and ancient, media. We feel it is imperative to help our kids balance screens in their lives with outdoor play, friends, schoolwork, family and more so that these screens do not in the end betray them. What if today’s snap became their last?

January 2023

“Create A Space” | Interactive Installation

How does the space you are in affect the way you feel? How do your feelings influence the space you are in? What do feelings look like?

Twirl invited our community to explore the play between our feelings and the spaces we inhabit. Take a peek inside the windows of wonder and let yourself be inspired by the connection between artistic and emotional process.

This installation is part of Twirl's Create A Space outreach program during which 500 children and adults to date have explored and expressed their feelings through the creation of their own spaces.

Twirl is a non-profit play and discovery space in Taos, NM. Our mission is to support the growth and potential of children in Taos through inspirational, community-wide opportunities to gather, learn, create and play. Our vision is a community that recognizes, celebrates and cultivates its greatest asset, its children.

2022 October / November

The head of the serpent represents the all knowing potential that is INSPIRATION. Part carousel horse, part diety, it is the immortal artist with a look in its eye that knows all, is All. Resting on nebulous clouds full of tiny lights- the physical manifestation of my thought process of ideas and dreams.

The following torso curve is the discovery of my love of recycled plastic art. The wealth of color and shapes weaving together in a mesmerizing rainbow of color which begins to morph into the organic shapes that are representative of my recycled plastic compilation art. There is something about all the round shapes that makes it naturally beg to form mandalas that speak of flowers and greenery. It’s the formation of life, beautiful plants and gardens of disposable petroleum plastics, one of the primary things killing our planet. The third arch is the unfurling of my plastic manipulation to new levels. For the first time I cut and assembled bits of plastics into fish and birds as if it was coming to life, unfurling new levels of detail and creativity. This is the stage I am still in now.

2022 August / September

The Paseo Project presented a summer 2022 Media Arts residency and installation by CHiKA, a NY-based artist. CHiKA presented GO03_Paseo, a fusion of physical and nonphysical structures acting in harmony with each other through augmented reality (AR).

GO03_Paseo connects people through a fusion of physical and nonphysical structures acting in harmony to inspire people to explore our world with fresh eyes.

The physical heart of GO03_Paseo was placed at Taos Plaza for two nights; the five nonphysical, virtual structures are placed at significant locations around Taos Plaza, forming a star shape. The five elements of Chinese philosophy and the five Platonic solids are embedded inside of the star for the public to discover, using a custom geolocational app on their smartphone.

GO003_Paseo was featured in the Annex Window space during PASEO 2022. Learn more here.

2021 February/March

CHIMERATERIA (ONE): Sbearrow Terrarium: Sbearrow, (Pronounced S-Bear-Row), is a chimera which is half bear and half sparrow. Sbearrow represents a call to action for all humans to be as fierce as a bear at times while also understanding the importance of when to be as timid as a sparrow. The CHILD and FATHER SBEARROW were constructed from recycled cardboard boxes, chicken wire, paper mache, and homemade paper clay, and painted with house paints.

Artist Statement: ARGOT, (Pronounced Are-Got), is a multidisciplinary artist, originally from New York, who currently resides in Taos, NM. Argot is a word that means “specialized language of an underground culture.” His ever expanding artistic disciplines include: spoken word poetry, Underground Rap, DJing, digital art, sculpting, 3D design, 3D printing, video production and beyond. The pandemic forced Argot to delve deep within himself, to remember his purpose on this planet as a creator.

2020 December/January 2021

Celebrate Your Head: Hats have always fascinated me. My tendency to veer away from patterns made it a short step to inventing one-of-a-kind creations, often from odd yarn skeins or remnants-often the ones no-one wants. I spend time mixing yarns to recreate the texture of feathers, bark or fur.

Artist Bio: Born from love into this amazing mixed up world. My creativity kicked in early with art projects in school, sick day crafts, designing houses in the sandbox and 4-H sewing. I skipped the art degree in college since you had to take art history first and I just wanted to get my hands in it. So, I dabbled on my own with fibre art and painting. In 1978, in San Francisco I męt Michelle Cassou, who became my mentor in her intuitive painting practice.

2021 October / November

Drowning in Plastic:
Since we use it for everything, plastic pollution is everywhere, even at the bottom of the ocean. It’s probably too late to clean it up but we can stop making it worse. Stop buying stuff that’s made of or packaged in plastic and pressure manufacturers to adapt. Make the choice to boycott plastic, and you can change the world.

Artist Bio: Ren and Greg are creative folks that live and work in Taos. We spend our spare time encouraging and inspiring each other to make art. We prefer to use found materials, as opposed to buying new materials since there’s already plenty of junk in the world. We take junk and turn it into cool stuff, save the folks at the dump some time, and create repurposed art for the people.

2021 September

Light Folds: Nadine Lollino has been creating and performing in the arts of dance, costume making and video since 2002. She is currently working under her creation, MovementLab, and also co-founder of multi-media collective PosterchildArt. Her dance work revolves around authentic movement, the emotions and story of a hero’s journey, symbiotically relating to the rhythms of life. Nadine has previously danced with Anatomical Dance Theater, Breakbone Dance Co., and the Humans, all Chicago-based companies. She has been presenting her own works since 2005, traveling nationally and internationally. Nadine also practices massage therapy and teaches yoga and TRE®. She has been developing a MovementLab class curriculum, and 3Bodies classes, combining various somatic practices with freeform expression for all communities to connect to the healing found in dance and music.

2021 July / August

Shield and Machete: Mitchell is a self-taught felt artist living in the high desert of Taos. The artist explains that “Shield and Machete” is a piece that promotes resiliency through concepts of coexistence. “Felt has a tendency to mutate and change form. There’s an element of chaos that emphasizes process over result, leading to an unplanned order, a natural unfolding that allows the work to have a life of its own. A time of cutting away engendered this installation. Facing vulnerability, searching for protection without hiding behind any shield, I remained open yet fortified. The shields resembled armored breast plates, and the forms embodying growth through deconstruction and reconstruction populate this gardenscape.”

Merce Mitchell has been pursuing the art of felt since she first gathered the wool from coyote kills in the nearby sagebrush. Living in the high desert, exposed to open sky continuously, she was inspired initially by traditional, historic feltmakers, and created raw fleece rugs and artwork.

2021 May/June

The Light of Tomorrow: “This [piece] is about envisioning our future, when we can finally fling our doors open and join each other in the streets without fear.” Garcia and Fernandez were born and raised in Taos, surrounded by so many different landscapes. The artists reflect that, throughout COVID-19, “solace is still to be found in the open sky, the view of the mountains and the plains, and in re-discovering the garden this year, but more often than not we have felt trapped, and fearful. The lessons of the land show us the way forward as we begin to think about re-opening, and maybe rebuilding, ourselves and our societies.”

Utilizing objects like cages and birds, the piece asks viewers to reevaluate our life choices and re-open our ears. “The lessons of the land have always been there, but so many of us have been busy, have been distracted, or have simply stopped listening,” the artists observe. “Hopefully the audience is left with more than hope, but an understanding of the importance of the journey we are all collectively on. To see the world as the birds do, limitless perspective.”

2021 March 15 / April

Hive Mind Alchemy: 2ning in2 2morrow’s Future: Reflects the interactions between broadcast and reception. The glass heads filled with honeycomb are collaborative pieces that I credit my bees with creating. The queen and the colony lived down below and used the glass heads to store extra honey. I’ve long wanted to see these glass heads in motion, and so the inspiration to place them on turntables is in homage to my love of music and DJ-ing. I am fascinated with the vibrations that music emanate- and like the broadcaster and the receiver, there is a choreography that ensues and that creates movement, lifts spirits, and reminds us that we are all interconnected. I hope this installation inspires the audience to reflect on connections and how the smallest of beasts- bees- create music, light, life and medicine for the world.

Melanie is a professional beekeeper by training, a philosopher by education, a scientist by exploration, and a poet at heart. She was born and raised in nuestra tierra encantada and is a registered tribal member of Tortugas Pueblo in southern New Mexico with mestiza and Caribbean lineage.

2021 February/ March

Creating Reality: My circle ladies question the endless over sexualization of women. They are naked, of no specific group, and made of circles but still empower women as the bodies seem to look more like our own than the typical fashion styled bodies continuously displayed. These women represent our urge to be free, to survive, to dance, and create our reality. This safe lit space reminds us that we can create a reality with beauty and without limits. Even in the coldest and darkest of times, we may not be able to change the reality around us but we can contribute beauty and question our shared spaces pushing boundaries and demanding respect and safety.

Sarah Parker is a multidisciplinary artist who just wants to make things. Imperfection defines her visual language. She focuses on block printing, community projects, radio, and animation to share her vision of the world.

2020 November / January

“Disintegration” is a materialization of a stage of grief when familiar patterns must be let go, and the gut-wrenching feelings that can sometimes accompany that process. The sculpture is made from accessible and familiar material recycled in a new way, furthering the message of ingenuity in grief.

Price Valentine (b. 1993 Albuquerque) is a non-binary visual artist grounded in sculpture , video , and performance. They use material to examine relationship dynamic and death under the scope of queer existence. Valentine has been internationally awarded for experimental film work , as well as receiving scholastic awards for exceptional performance as a Fine Arts student . They currently reside in Taos, New Mexico weathering the storm of 2020 in a strong and beautiful place.

2020 September / October

WORK: This window is serving 100% top notch, unadulterated, disco ball madness. She is a deconstructed QUEEN showing her seems and standing proud. Made of Dacron, recycled textiles, PVC, and monofilament Work (2020) let’s it all hang out!

Jana Greiner is a practicing installation artist whose art relies heavily on form, concept and mate-rial. The variety of materials used include fiber, recycled materials, pvc, mud and clay. Jana identifies as a queer sculptor and interdisciplinary artist and has been working with needle and thread since they were a child. Drawn to the traditional idea of textiles being ‘women’s work,’ Ja-na uses this life-long skill to create art that challenges that perspective. When deconstructing the social constructs of the feminine persona, they often use irony, humor, and sensuality to chal-lenge the viewer’s notions on female stereotypes.

2020 July / August

TO TASTE A STRAWBERRY: Beloved buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron shares a story of when tigers are above and below, and a mouse is gnawing at the vine that holds you on the edge of a cliff, and you see a small bunch of strawberries. You eat them, enjoy them as they may be the last strawberries you will ever eat. Life is full of joys and difficulties, but we have the choice to perceive it with appreciation and delight in the preciousness of the moment, and of our time together.

The strawberry drawn on the middle glass is small but vibrant, the surrounding hands are big and supportive in nature. May I suggest that the surrounding hands are each of us, supporting the heart of all of us and our planet together. Through all the joys and difficulties, we can be there to uplift each other, and the preciousness of existence.

Dance artists, Nadine Lollino and Trey Donovan will perform within this space on a set schedule. The dance performance brings this story to life, facing life’s joys and difficulties with presence, openness and support from each other.

2020 July / August

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE: This pandemic has pulled the veil of our collective illusion of control. As humans, driven by a primal desire for certainty, we are scrambling every day to either predict the ‘new normal’ or desperately return to the ‘old normal.’ Either way, much energy is being expended on the ancient art of predicting the future.

This installation is both an expression of the frailty of emotions behind that desire and an assertion of ambiguity and possibility as the true normal. The Wheel of Fortune has turned—can we adapt?

In the Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune is the card that represents constant change. What goes up must come down. It also represents Karma, what goes around comes around. Life is a mix of good and bad, but no matter what, the wheel never stops turning.

Each ‘pie wedge’ of our wheel is a collaborative drawing/collage where we explored the idea of seeking the security of knowing the future while struggling with the reality of living in the ambiguity of a pandemic. Surrounding the wheel are two circles of words, the inner circle are descriptions of emotions and the outer circle are beliefs and attitudes. Within those two circles, the Wheel of Fortune continuously turns.

To support the wheel, we created a collective ‘fortune card’ for the viewer to ‘read’ our shared palm and consider our possibilities and choices as crows circle and hover. The looped deep breathing and ticking metronome soundtrack that surrounds the installation are about bringing attention to the truth that breath is life…as time ticks endlessly on.

2020 July/August

SWEET ESCAPISM: We are living in politically-charged times. Everything seems to be a matter of life and death and tensions are high. Our normal sources of escapism have been dominated by conversations of grave seriousness. In order to balance that, we have created a world in which nothing exists except softness, sweetness, and play.

“The Dreamland Bakery” features a cartoon kitchen, constructed noticeably from cardboard boxes, and in colors that invoke the spirits of both candy and the “atomic age” of design. These are meant to represent nostalgia for things that never truly existed, and the power of a child’s imagination to transform their surroundings. Familiar and unfamiliar sweets float on clouds, as well as dirty dishes, all sparkling and all elevated above the mundane level of household chores. We hope this image can bring you back to a time when plastic jars of colored sugar felt like vials of precious gems, when invisible slices of cake were served and eaten with great ceremony, when escapism was still sweet.

2020 July/August

BETTERING OUR RELATIONSHIPS: A window installation reflective of humans respecting and honoring mother nature. This quarantine has exposed many flaws in our “system” but has also exposed the potential for healthier and more respected relationships between humans and mother nature. Using recycled cardboard for 2-D and paint this installation is located in the TCA marquee sign on Paseo del Pueblo Norte and Civic Plaza Drive.

WINDOW ON THE FUTURE!: Time, ever flowing from the past into the future, never going backward and only moving forward. Such is the case with the medium of Papel Picado/Cut Paper. Every time I cut a new artwork, out of a sheet of paper, it gets stacked on top of the old, finished pieces, forming page upon page, like a book, holding the past, as though keeping a record of events, milestones and accomplishments, as well as setbacks.

This work is a reflection of my past, and my future, done in the form of the Mexican tradition of Papel Picado. This work is a reflection of my hope for the future, that all would be taught love, from a young age, when children do not know discrimination and racism. We as adults should instill equity and justice for all in the minds of children, and that is were it begins, in childhood.

My hope for our future, in the pages of my book, my Papel Picado, is that we would all see love together and live in harmony together, for you and for me.

2020 July/ August

A FUTURE WHERE ANIMALS HAVE JOBS: In the initial stage of this project, I had intended to paint a cityscape of the future where animals have all kinds of hilarious jobs (and are willing participants). I started to really think about what kind of future I would like to look at/experience, and it was not a city. During this lockdown I have been so fortunate and grateful to be able to run up a mountain or jump in the river any time I feel like it.

At the risk of sounding like a giant hippy, my ideal vision of the future SO PEACEFUL, you could just send your baby out on a nature walk in the care of a babysitting dog

2020 July/August

SPRING SOLITUDE: Visitors to Taos Pueblo have always had a visceral reaction to the multi storied buildings that make up the pueblo. The typical reaction is the amazing feat of the survival of these buildings that have been in the same place for over a thousand years. While some might consider this image of the building a window to the past because of its antiquity, it is not entirely the case. Consider how this building, this home and others like it in the pueblo, have survived a thousand years. These homes have not been able to stand on their own without the aid of the people that live in them. The people that mend their houses by plastering the walls every year without fail. Community is the part of the past and especially the future of the pueblo. Come tomorrow, next year, and hundreds of years from now, the people will continue to thrive along with their homes.

I took this photograph of the historic north building during the closure to the general public for the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. I live at the pueblo and have my gallery in my ancestral home so to experience the quiet solitude was refreshing.

2020 July/August

“Voice of the Land”

Migration and wandering are the oldest stories,
speaking in the sounds of the biosphere.
Water rushes in the arroyos
Like joyful children splashing
in the rain,
while clouds gallop
like horses.
Mystical beings pray in the sun,
and nature’s cycles turn
night to day, day to night,
in the same painting
until people come
to tell their migration myth.

2020 July/August

FOURTH KINGDOM: The future is made up of many layers. Soil is not only “earth” but a “natural body” dependent upon different factors, such as climate, topography, geology, human activities, and time. Revealing the interconnectivity of soil, life, and culture offers a different lens for appreciating the soil. It was the Russian scientist Vasillii Dokuchaev, who suggested in his 1883 thesis the Russian Chernozem, that the soil be considered the fourth natural kingdom of nature, equivalent to the mineral, animal, and vegetable kingdoms. A soil profile tells us stories. To study what is below us as we build and move above us has been our modern human trajectory. Our future will absolutely add, shape, and/or modify the volume of this planet.

2020 July/August

CRUISIN’ THROUGH THE QUARANTINE: Growing up in Espanola, New Mexico I was born into the rich low rider culture that still exists today. I have always been fascinated by the low riders growing up, hanging around my uncles who all built low riders in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I always loved the colors, the candy paint, chrome and the early murals that were hand painted with a brush. So all that being said now as an adult I am very involved in the low rider community where low riding is a way of life here in the Espanola Valley. Also I have been making low rider art since my childhood and have been featured in numerous magazines including Low Rider art and Low Rider Magazine. I have curated art shows that depict the life style and culture of Low Riders.

2020 July/August

Inter-Kinections features relief prints of various fungi, which hang in layers from monofilament lines and recede in space. Each layer is assigned it’s own color scheme, creating a greater sense of depth and energetic translucence. Repetition of the fungi prints is in direct relation to the abundance of mycelial spores that dominate the world around us, assisting in the natural cycle of decay and regrowth. Likewise, the density of the fungi clusters represent the mushrooms’ phenomenal growing nature in dense, moist forestry. The various mushrooms depicted in the prints are known to contain antiviral and psychedelic properties that not only expand creativity but can also alleviate depression and anxiety alike.

In recent years, global interest in mushrooms and the understanding of mycelium has taken trend. New, innovative ideas about how the world can benefit from proper use of various fungi and its mycelium are spreading. A recent documentary titled “Fantastic Fungi” reveals the secret of how mycelium connects all life forms on this planet and how life forms, such as trees, use mycelium to communicate with each other. Due to COVID-19 concerns, people around the world are feeling isolated. Inter-Kinections is an expanding print installation inspired by humanity’s innate need for connection.

2020 July/August

ORGANIZE: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead

This is an aspirational piece about the power of unity. We all do better when we all do better. What actions will we take? One planet earth, one world on which to live. This is the only habitable world we know. What shall we make of it?

No one person or thing succeeds on its own. We rely on each other and on this earth in order to survive, let alone thrive. Many beings of different worlds within ours, come together for a common goal, a goal of peace, unity and a healthy planet for every living thing. This is how we thrive.

2020 July/August

Glove Cloud is a suspended floating mass resembling a cumulus cloud. The Cloud is comprised of hundreds of stuffed cloth gloves reaching out, offering love, comfort and humor to viewers missing the touch and warm embraces of others in this time of social distancing and isolation. Colored lamps on rotating timers illuminate the soft white gloves in shades of pink and blue. Mimicking a New Mexico red sunset or blue moonlight reflecting on white clouds.

Tanner works in series of installations comprised of collections of everyday items like gloves, shoes, stretch pants, multiples of metal hardware or found objects all cast offs and discarded items destined for the landfill. Her installations are repeatable and designed to be interchangeable or recombined into new site-specific compositions.

2020 July/August

New Moon: A reclamation of the matriarch is coming. Send your prayers to the New Moon. Come and sit at the feet of a monolith and receive the healing and awakenings beckoning from the depths of your heart. This is sacred.

New Moon is a mixed-material sculptural representation of the divine feminine. Dominating the space is a monolithic sculpture that references the figurative form. The absence of color in the sculpture gives rise to the power and strength within the innate mother of us all. The all encompassing darkness juxtaposed along the soft, vibrant red satin provokes a visceral reaction in the viewer. The energetic red intensifies the power within the void. The cascading satin alongside the illuminated sculpture moves through the altar space and arouses warmth and movement with gleaming, sharp, angular crystals, a jar full of moon water, and rose remnants at its feet. These are placed at the altar as offerings.The work is best viewed in the hours with little to no light where the moon resides. The artist will sit in meditation at the altar on the full moon as an offering. The artist will be dressed in all black as a shadow figure and a representation of the healing our world is yearning for.

Live performance on 7/5 at 9-9:30 pm

2020 July/ August

…OF A MOMENT

A timepiece for the paradox.

Viewing hours of 6pm-11pm.

2020 July/August

HONOR THOSE: “Honor those who have Passed and the Heroes ensuring our future, Stay Home and Stay Safe. I hope that the poster can provide acknowledgement for those in mourning and our essential workers on the front lines while inspiring proper safety protocol.

2020 July/August

Untitled: Taos based artists, Anaïs Rumfelt & Nina Silfverberg installed this work in early June. It was quickly removed at the owners request. Learn more in this Taos News article by Crystal Starr. And this review in Southwest Contemporary by Ellie Duke.