are you Cerrillos?

Ellen and I went for a hike somewhere on the Dale Ball Trails first thing in the morning (aka 9 am, after I had blogged and eaten a light breakfast). This was my first official hiking venture, and this trail was located right outside town, on the same road that goes to 10,000 Waves (never forget!). We parked the car and began out hike. Ellen told me to be on the lookout for very large bugs that like to land on people's back. She led the way and I watched her back. I imagine there are more picturesque trails and hike paths in New Mexico, for this one is almost still in town (large houses could be seen everywhere. But this was very pretty, and very steep. I really enjoyed my time with Ellen, she is so easy going and funny, and at the same time with a depth to her mind. We talked, we laughed, we huffed (the altitude made me feel like an 85 y.o. man), saw some beautiful cactus flowers in bloom, heard strange noises, I almost fell at one point (should be wearing hiking boots, don't own a pair anymore), but got back to the parking lot in one piece, bugless.

Went to my room to do a final read of the report for Columbia College I've been working on for a while. Though it was a bit too extensive (less than 5.5 pages, I was asked for 2 to 3), I think it actually read well and made some sense. If this was an external document I'd have someone proof for grammar and English (and to reduce some of the repetitive terminology), but I think it was a good report. Emailed it to Paul and then called my bank to ask where I could deposit a check in New Mexico. Met Aimee at the kitchen for a quick lunch bite, she gave me some of her arugula since I was out of greens, and left for the bank, and then Smith's (completely forgot about going to acupuncture, will make an appointment soon). Got back to the institute and went to the studio to work on my drawing. Worked for a few hours then took a break to coat the two new sheets of paper for more silverpoint drawing. Unfortunately I ran out of the ground I've been using, so another trip to my room to order some (it is weird that most large stores do not seem to carry it). Ordered through Amazon, which had a cheap price but exorbitant shipping fee, and got back to the studio. I am almost done with the drawing, by the time I called it the day only three or four inches are left for me to finish this part of the drawing. In a way I am glad I ran out of the medium because I really need to focus on METROPOLIS, which seems to loom over me at the studio. I am still uncertain of what I want it to be. A part of me wants to paint over the drawings, but a part of me thinks that the drawings look so good that it would be a shame to do so. I'll have to play it by year (though according to my horoscope, today is not a good day to make a decision, rather it is a day of confusion, but that I should embrace it). During one of the many breaks I've been taking while drawing to preserve my arm, Aimee and I got together in the commons and laid down on the large sectional, one on each end, and talked for at least 30 minutes. I think it was one of the most relaxing afternoons I've had here, it was just great to lie down and shoot the shit, so to speak. As always we had a mix of laughter and serious (Cerrillos) moments, talking about the people in the house, family, the future, etc.

Our big event of the evening was the lecture and reception by the visiting artist Amy Franceschini, and we all really did not know what to expect. I had told Ellen to meet at 5:40 in the commons, and she told Cobi, and eventually I told Aimee as well (we were not sure if Rita would join us). Marisa called me while I was getting ready and told her to join us. Around 5:50 we all walked together to Tipton Hall (the building adjacent to our, part of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design), and sat together in a middle row. The auditorium was small, less than 100 seats I imagine, and mostly empty when we got there. But soon the room filled with locals (from what I could tell, tan faces with no makeup or hair die, organic-looking clothing, mostly female (I think there were less than 10 men in a full house). We really did not know anything about Amy, her work, and what her upcoming workshop would be about. She seemed very granola, and I had barely interacted with her, with the exception of a very nice and firm handshake when she arrived. Her small exhibition in the entrance hall was not necessarily impressive either (and seemed to be very last minute, two monitors with looped videos and some small size posters along two very small walls). Michelle gave a long introduction to the lecture series and Amy, and I think we were all pretty impressed by her resume. Unbeknownst to me, Amy is a member of Future Farmers, an ongoing, ever changing, multi member collective I had familiarized myself with while doing research for my Web Art class. She presented three projects to us, one as an alternative to a Gaming exhibition in SFMOMA (not sure the name), Victory Gardens (about urban farming), Soup Soil (a self-sufficient soup kitchen and soil testing facility for a given community), and Trojan Horse (a traveling sculptural instigator in the countryside of Italy to engender talks on farming in contemporary times). What I really liked about her presentation was that she completely acknowledge the conflicts and contradictions of what she's doing, which is usually not the case with social practices in art (a rather turn off, their high horse). I believe that in the ambiguity of her position, of being art and activism, of being problem and solution, many dialogues ensue, which are truly wonderful. If we are to believe that art provides a question, or a series of question, to whomever encounters it, her works, rather than providing an answer (which in a way is the role of politics - even when the answers are wrong), her pieces exist between this difficult binary, where conversation leads to new questions and practices, artistic, activist, political, or otherwise.

After an interesting and at times entertaining Q&A we all walked back to the institute and went straight for the food and wine (I actually went to my room first). Lisa made some incredible salsa, which I had four servings, with some cheese, fruit and wine, first white and later red. As the group died down we all moved to the courtyard, and eventually John and Lisa joined us, followed by Amy F. and Myriel, and later by Chris and Carmie, back from their San Francisco trip. Chris was walking with a cane (a second one, the first one was stolen), apparently he has a foot problem now (I think it is the same foot as Aimee, they should go to acupuncture together). We talked for a long time, Aimee grabbed some grapes and John brought another bottle of wine. It was really fun, it was such a good, relaxed and impromptu get together, that could not have been better, had we planned. It was really cool to talk to Amy about how her presentation went, and see that side of the presenter, after the curtains come down, so to speak. Among the many things we talked about was a trip to the Rouge Cat. Some of us want to go after the MIX event on thursday night, but John wants us to stay here and party. So we might go friday night instead. In case you are wondering, the title of the post is a new running joke with the group, and I am supposed to make t-shirts with it.And sell millions of copies and get rich rich rich. Or have it be forgotten as soon as it is out.





- posted via iPad

Location:Cerrillos Rd,Santa Fe,United States