A Wall of Santos at Tito's Gallery in Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas rests beneath the gentle shadow of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, a small, vibrant city on the edge of rolling green-gold prairie, a city whose land speaks of fire-roasted chile and reflected sun. The scent of juniper and piñon welcomes you to the tree-lined streets that ranchers, artists, and families who have lived here for hundreds of years call home.
Beautiful music – from the plucked strings of a Mariachi’s guitarrón to the elegant classical voices of the New Mexico Highlands University choir – often echoes from the Plaza Park’s gazebo as local dancers salsa and two-step during gorgeous summer evenings. A stroll through Las Vegas’ welcoming streets reveals an array of aesthetic riches – from traditional arts such carved wooden saints and softly painted retablos, to bold modern offerings from new, up-and-coming artists.
The weary comfort of Orion’s Belt over Johnson’s Mesa beckons the artists of San Miguel County, as does the scatter of forgotten villages with names like San Ignacio, Tecolotito, El Cerrito, Las Dispensas, San Geronimo, villages so tiny and quiet that you could zoom and zoom into a Google Map and never find them.
These are the places where art isn’t art. A painting of the Madonna on a broad flat of oak – in colors that mimic the amber pitch of pinon, the soft ochre of a desert rose, the faded green of sweetgrass – inspires you to kneel, to move your right hand to forehead, chest, each shoulder in succession. Pull that painting into a town gallery, and it looks like Art, a souvenir of a weekend trip through Northeastern New Mexico, perhaps, or a gift for a devout grandmother. But in rural San Miguel, in a cosy adobe home fashioned from the very earth herself, the Madonna offers a living smile. She breathes. She carries sacred memory. She sees the Eucharist hit extended tongue. She blesses a hundred thousand moments with her outstretched hands, the serpent beneath her bare feet hissing, waiting, angry.
The New Mexican sun rises, orange-red flame returns rooster call, blankets your coffee with sweet cream, a kindness to mask bitter reality. Las Vegas artist Cristina Gonzalez knows the call of color against sky.
“The light in New Mexico is very distinct. Unusual. I was painting with heavy blues and grays – the hues of the cloudy northwest sky – but immediately switched to yellows, reds, the vibrant colors of the desert landscape. It wasn’t a conscious switch,” she says of her transformation from an art student into a woman fully aware of her New Mexican surroundings.
“It was an amazing time for me,” reflects Gonzalez. “I was one year fresh out of graduate school, a very young painter, dealing with the problem of influence. The sense of isolation was overwhelming. My work split in a different direction, it was deep questioning time. I had been working on a New Mexican tradition called retablos. I was doing these contemporary retablos and realized I was not a retablo painter. My work went in different directions, and I started painting self-portraits.”
Gonzalez’ work still reflects those early self-portraits. Women stare from her canvas, their eyes the same questioning dark orbs of their maker. Land and atmosphere mix in beautiful yet uneasy ways; they tumble over each other, giving levitation to simple objects like fruit and flowers, giving roots to clouds and wind.
One of Gonzalez’ paintings, The Flowering, a life-size canvas of a woman stepping through a cloud of gentle flowers, graces the cover of the first Guia de los Artistas – a guide to the art of San Miguel County. A flip through the guide reveals a deep richness of art. Santeros, classical guitarists, pianists, painters, poets, and jewelers share pages with actors, sculptors, and wood carvers.
“My work satisfies many metaphors for me. I’m exploring those questions you can’t answer with words,” says Gonzales. “That’s what painting is for me, exploring questions.”
Downtown Las Vegas received one of only two prestigious Arts & Cultural District designations from the State of New Mexico via a highly competitive process. Lt. Governor Diane Denish and three Cabinet Secretaries presented Las Vegas with its designation in January of 2008.
In January of 2008, downtown Las Vegas received one of only two prestigious Arts & Cultural District designations from the State of New Mexico via a highly competitive process. This district spans a mile-square portion of three downtown areas – Railroad, Old Town, and New Town – and encompasses a rich mix of galleries, historic architecture, and artists’ studios, including portions of our town’s historic neighborhoods.
Each month, artists, gallery owners, restaurants, musicians, and writers share their creativity during the Second Saturday Artwalk, a day-long event celebrated with art openings, artist talks and receptions, author readings, live music, and other events showcasing arts and culture throughout the day and into the evening. Visitor’s can pick up an Artwalk Program Guide at any of the participating galleries and shops, providing a complete list of activities, open studios, and special events.
Las Vegas is home to a wide variety of exciting arts programs during the year. The Las Vegas Arts Council’s series of Las Vegas Celebrates the Arts exhibitions invites you to enjoy a selection of local art each Second Saturday in their gallery at 140 Bridge Street. The People’s Faire brings together artists, craftspeople, local organizations, and the public on the beautiful park grounds of the historic Carnegie Library every August. The Nat Gold Players stage several theatre productions throughout the year – from comedies and musicals to award-winning drama.
A stroll through Las Vegas on any day of the year will be filled with opportunities to photograph Spanish, Victorian, and other classic building styles, to drop into one of the local art-filled spaces – including the Ray Drew and Burris Hall Galleries at New Mexico Highlands University – and to enjoy the sights, sounds, colors, and textures that have made Las Vegas, New Mexico a favorite location for feature film directors.
You can explore your own questions about art in San Miguel County by picking up a copy of the Guia de los Artistas, available at local galleries.
