Originally from New England, Erin Currier is currently a Santa Fe resident who graduated from the College of Santa Fe in 1997 with a BFA in Theater Design. As a child, Currier grew up drawing, painting and collaging alongside her mother, who was a huge influence on her. While working in a coffee shop, Currier was “struck by how much trash was thrown away every day.” It was the packaging and the overall aesthetic of these articles that caught her attention. She began to collect particular pieces of trash, which purposefully made their way into her collaged paintings of Buddhist deities and Taras. Within a year of graduating, Currier had her very first solo show in Taos. With great response, her work had made it to the cover of the newspaper and onto the radio. Since her debut, Currier has been able to follow her childhood dreams of making art and traveling the world. Over the years her work has “shifted from Easter spirituality to a much more outwardly sociopolitical bend.” Currier had a recent show at Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, where she is a featured artist....
Editing Whiz
posted by Nicholas Beckman
A product of Austin, Texas, Alec Brown, a freshman at The Film School was selected by the Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative to join the SFUAD community for the 2013-2014 school year. “Texas is very conservative, but Austin is an oasis!” Brown described with genuine admiration for the city he’s called home. It was in this “oasis” that Brown was able to pursue his passion for editing and be as creatively versatile as he desires. He also had the opportunity to work with his role model, Kat Candler, an independent filmmaker based out of Austin. Brown described a brief run-in with Kat that he had while going out to eat with his father where he told her that he had finally decided what to do with his life: edit motion pictures. “She was so proud…” Brown recalled with a smirk. Candler is working on her current film, Hellion, starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis. After some counseling with a SFUAD academic advisor, it was revealed to Brown that he could apply for the Robert Redford/ Milagro Initiative Scholarship. A long time fan of both Redford’s acting and directing work, Brown indulged in the idea. Now, well into the school year, Brown appears to have found his niche. “Absolutely,” Brown promptly responded when asked whether SFUAD’s Film School has met his expectations. “It has exceeded my expectations.” Brown didn’t even hesitate to this question. He was confident and undeterred by the woes many new film students have upon entering the busy world of movie-making. This couldn’t have been more apparent than when asked what he does for fun around campus. Brown says that he is “short on activities, but he makes shorts with his roommate in his dorm room. It may appear at this point in...
Q/A W Tyler Sinnott
posted by Nick Martinez
In the second of a series of Q&A sessions with SFUAD students, Jackalope Magazine speaks with Graphic Design Department Junior Tyler Sinnott. Sinnott tells us about his start in graphic design, his hat collection, and whether or not he’s a Masshole. Jackalope Magazine: What made you pursue graphic design in the first place? Tyler Sinnott: It all started back in high school. I originally wanted to be a cook. I got a cooking job in high school, but got fired because it was a small restaurant and the woman had a set way of doing things. And that ruined that dream. Then my dad bought a new computer that had Photoshop Elements, which is like the Microsoft Word version of Photoshop. I started taking the pre used images they had and put them on shirts and my friends started getting interested in what I was doing. JM: Were you just doing that as a hobby? TS: Yeah yeah yeah. Just doing it after school. Started making shirt designs that were garbage, they were terrible, but I posted them on Facebook and on MySpace and kept getting good feedback. Then I started my own shirt company. I did three designs and had 25 of each design and looking back they were like the worst things I ever could have printed on a shirt. JM: Why did you choose SFUAD? TS: You know, I was just looking for something different. I was an East Coast kid all my life: New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey. I wanted something different and the opportunity arose to come here. I came out here and looked at it and it seemed like my kind of thing. JM: You lived in Massachusetts. Are you a Masshole? TS: Am I a Masshole? (Laughs)...
The Screen Goes Digital
posted by Charlotte Martinez
“It’s all George Lucas’ fault,” says Peter Grendle, the Screen’s cinematheque manager, dispensing news of the world’s steady conversion of film projection to digital projection. According to Grendle, when director George Lucas filmed the last of his famous Star Wars episodes from 2002-2005, he loathed the idea of his precious turn-of-the-century movies going up on what Grendle calls the “shitty mall theaters” (whose projectionists pay little attention to presentation). Determined to get the best possible picture, Lucas shot Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in 100 percent high definition and premiered them in select theaters using digital projectors. Even if the mall theaters failed Lucus, at least the final prequels were forever in high definition. Since then, filmmakers have followed George Lucas, the “father of digital cinema,” into the inevitable future of digital. Hence, the annihilation of film! That’s a bit dramatic. Hence, movie company’s slow change from film to affordable new age cinema. And, for better or worse, the Screen, part of the 10 percent of theaters still capable of 35mm film projection, has finally gotten the boot: its 35mm projectors are retiring. A digital cinema package (DCP) will take their place. “We’ve been essentially an all blue ray theater for the past year,” Grendle says, “we do as many 35mm [films] as possible…but we have to [install] digital if we actually want to play movies. Otherwise the theater is just a place with, you know, great seats and a white wall.” Expert projectionist Barbara Grassia believes that the Screen’s transition is a positive change because “digital’s visual quality has been improving.” Grassia has participated in Film Festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, Traverse City, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Telluride, Turner Classics, and Durango Independent Film Festival. “While the quality of 35mm presentation has been steadily declining,” Grassia says, “many multiplexes have allowed 35mm equipment to deteriorate to the point that presentation is seriously compromised.” Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) Director Jason Silverman, who recently converted CCA’s primary film projection theater to digital, also points out that “DCP is pristine start to finish. Audio and picture quality are easily adhered to the filmmaker’s and studio’s intentions and we’re finding lots of interesting DCP content to show.” The creator and curator of the Screen, Brent Kliewer, agrees that “the benefits [of digital] will far outweigh anything negative.” He adds, “digital is where the industry is headed and to keep up we (meaning all independent theaters) must move forward.” It’s been a long time coming for the Screen, Grendle explains. Three years ago he received a letter from Fox, the high budget movie company whose films the Screen doesn’t play anyway, informing theaters that the company will no longer make 35mm prints. From there, Grendle was badgered by numerous companies to switch earlier rather than later. What was the final blow? The big companies gave in. The Regal Cinemas, a major branch of movie theaters, upgraded last year and according to Grendle, once the “big guys” convert, it means everyone else will follow. For a while, however, the 15 percent of film geeks, or independent filmmakers and theater owners, protested the digital conversion and treaded the pool of their financial difficult for the sake of saving film. “All the indies are exactly the same,” Grendle says, “They’re pushing out these small weird art movies for a small weird art crowd in small weird art theaters.” He explains that the Screen, like the CCA and newly opened Jean Cocteau in Santa Fe, was founded on “a love for film.” Furthermore, Brent Kliewer, original founder of all three respected cinematheques, is himself a “film junky,” a believer in projection and acoustic perfection. The Screen, for example, was built on an old soundstage and the 35mm projector bulbs burn so bright that they’re moved away from the body of the projectors so the film doesn’t burn. Regarding the art of film projection verses digital, Grendle...
One More
posted by Nick Martinez
Granite State, the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad,” opens with Saul (Bob Odenkirk)—not Walt—entering the vacuum repair shop. The long discussed, never seen, vacuum repair man (Robert Forster!) tells Saul that while waiting for his trip to Nebraska, he’ll have a roommate. Queue Walt pacing in his bunker, finally alone with all he’s done. Now take that moment and add around four months in a snowy New Hampshire purgatory and we have the tired broken man who orders one last drink before the DEA arrives. The Walt we see for most of Granite State is a broken shell and the logical conclusion for the previous 57 hours of the show. For all of his brilliance, Walt is completely unable to acknowledge that it’s over. Before Saul leaves to go buy his three pairs of Dockers and assistant manage a Cinnabon, he gives Walt one last dose of reality: surrender. Skyler, in a nice nod to the pilot, is catatonic as the DEA illustrates the full situation. Walt’s faux confession last week was a nice gesture, but Skyler is in no way scott-free. With Walt at large, Skyler’s role in the situation still unclear, and two DEA agents missing, someone has to answer. So it falls to Skyler to be destitute, working part-time as a taxi dispatcher, and a social pariah as an alleged co-conspirator in an international meth empire. Matters only worsen when Albuquerque’s resident sociopath, Todd, makes an appearance in baby Holly’s nursery. For me, this was by far the most terrifying scene in “Breaking Bad” history. At any moment I was ready for Todd to kill both Skyler and Holly, to protect his crush Lydia (Laura Fraser). And how creepy is Todd’s infatuation with Lydia? One moment he’s threatening Skyler, and murdering...
Coming Attractions
posted by Charlotte Martinez
The Screen Presents: Sept. 27- Oct. 3 Short Term 12, the Best of Drama Directed by Destin Cretton and starring Brie Larson, this drama explores a young woman’s kind-hearted relationship with the kids who have slipped through the cracks of the system. When a challenging case comes along, however, this young woman must learn to make peace with her troubled past and open up to those around her. Winner of best actress and director in the Locarno Film Festival, Richard Roeper from Chicago Sun-Times calls it “one of the best movies of the year.” You Think You Know the Legend? What About the Man? Watch The Trials of Muhammad Ali, the Story of Ali’s Choice of Faith Over Fortune Academy award-nominated director Bill Siegel investigates boxing icon Muhammad Ali by following his life away from the ring. This documentary exposes the man who caused controversy in his race, his religion and his government, by refusing to serve in the Vietnam war. John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter says the film “captures the thrill of Ali’s personality even for viewers with little interest in the sweet science.” Beckett on Film, Last Sunday of the Series Beckett on Film is a celebrated five part series of Samuel Beckett’s 19 plays, filmed by some of the world’s most talented directors, and featuring actors like Julianne Moore, Jeremy Irons and John Hurt. Beckett was awarded ‘Best TV Drama’ at the Sixth South Bank Show Awards Ceremony in 2002 and is called a celebration of artistic achievement. FREE ADMISSION every Sunday of September- 11 a.m. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m.. This Sunday, Sept. 29 watch the shorts Rough for Theater 2, directed by Katie Mitchell and Check the Gate: the Making of Beckett on Film. FYI, You Will...
The Surprises in Poetry
posted by Arianna Sullivan
“Please don’t be too polite,” said Joanne Dwyer, after reading the first of several poems from her first book, Belle Laide. “I want poetry readings to have a little more life in them. Be yourself… heckle me a little!” Before her reading began on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at SFUAD’s O’Shaughnessy Performance Space, Dwyer had admitted she was nervous, telling a friend that normally she spends “days and days and days not seeing anybody.” Once in front of the podium, however, she commanded the audience with a combination of humor, naked earnestness, and a reading voice that gave no sign of shaking. Dwyer straddles these sorts of dualities— internal shyness and outward composure—in her writing as well as her life. On one hand, she loves the fragmentation and collage of poetry, the way that “words and how we string them together are our tools as writers.” The rules in poetry are different, Dwyer says, so she feels free to let “imagination reign free to create image, sound and tonality without the normal everyday mundane rules of language.” At the same time, however, Dwyer admits that maybe the fragmentation and shorter form of poetry just matches her attention span better as a writer than fiction would. She loves reading fiction—making an effort to read Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude annually—but says that, “the idea of writing a plot is just terrifying.” Her poetry, she explains, does not look for a truth in the way that a novel might. “Sometimes,” she says, “even I couldn’t tell you what the hell it’s about—that’s the magic of poetry, but sometimes I wonder if it’s to my detriment as a writer, if I’m just hiding behind the language.” Still, Dwyer is praised for her stream-of-consciousness and vocabulary-rich writing. She writes, says Creative Writing Co-chair Dana Levin, who taught Dwyer as a student at the College of Santa Fe, “in a way that tracks how the mind thinks. It is associative rather than linear.” Dwyer keeps this interesting by avidly reading up on everything historical, mystical and etymological that catches her attention and then working them into her poems. The mind, especially when its imagination is unfettered, is full of surprises. “The poetry that stays with me, that gives me an ecstatic juice,” says Dwyer, “is poetry that surprises me.” Dwyer both feeds and welcomes these surprises in her own writing by reading extensively, watching the world around her, and letting her own imagination string them together on the page. Dwyer, a 2005 graduate of CSF in creative writing and literature, does not lament how little time she has to write like many writers do. A mother of two, Dwyer’s says that being a mother made her a better writer, and visa versa. She recalls hearing a quote from Toni Morrison in which she says that she has written novels and won prizes, but really she neglected her son. “This really surprised me,” says Dwyer, “because I think that when there’s tension in your life, and you’re really living in the real world at the same time that you’re creating, you fight harder for that creative time.” When Dwyer began to feel that she’d spent enough time indulging in the reclusive act of reading and writing—for which she felt very lucky—she became involved in the Brooklyn-based Alzheimer’s Poetry project. “It just seemed like time to give something back,” she says. She would read poetry out loud to dementia patients in nursing homes, many of whom were losing their mental capacity for language. Dwyer found this process rewarding on many levels, and still makes regular visits to nursing homes around New Mexico. “Some of them had to memorize poems when they were young,” she exclaims, “and they remember them when I start to read. The whole thing becomes a sort of call and answer.” The return to dignity—let alone language—that she sees in the elderly, who...
Just Say Nott
posted by Arianna Sullivan
“Be prolific and competent,” says Santa Fe New Mexican education reporter Robert Nott about working as a journalist, or just about being a person in general. This, he explains, will take you far. The New Mexican hired Nott as an administrative assistant because he could type 100 words a minute. Nott also had a history of working in the theater, which prompted the arts and culture editor to assign him a theater review. Nott wrote the story, the editor told him he was a natural born writer, and he has been a reporter since. This story makes working as a journalist—even being hired as a journalist—sound embarrassingly easy, but keeping at it requires Nott’s considerable energy and focus. Nott is busy, not just as a journalist, but working on his own creative projects on the side; he has three, almost four books out, and regularly writes and directs plays. In all of his work, Nott believes in the importance of a sense of humor; he is a creative person who loves learning; and Nott is a constant advocate of exactitude, accuracy and efficiency. When it comes to his journalism, sometimes he has to “amuse myself into a story,” by writing a crazy opening for an article just to get interested and “keep it fresh,” so to speak.“If you’re able to laugh at things,” says Nott, “the days just keep getting funnier and funnier.” This appreciation for each day being a fun—or funny—new adventure is a part of what keeps Nott in journalism. “I could go back to bartending, or be doing something different,” says Nott, “and still have time to be directing a play at the Santa Fe Playhouse, or helping to start up a newspaper at a middle school, because I’m creative and I...
Meet Andy Mattern
posted by Tim Kassiotis
We introduced a lot of new students this fall semester at SFUAD, and a handful of new professors. One of those new professors is Andy Mattern, or just Andy for short. Andy is an adjunct professor in the Photography Department teaching the intermediate digital photography class Monday through Thursday nights in the Marion Center. At first, Andy seems to be a quiet individual. Before every class he casually sits in the classroom, legs crossed, shirt tucked, waiting with stoic anticipation for students to arrive. But when the clock ticks to 6:30 p.m., Andy ignites into a high-energy educating force, laying down plans and information faster than Busta Rhymes can articulate a sonnet. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Andy frequently went to Wisconsin through out his childhood to visit family. He received his BFA in Art Studio at UNM Albuquerque, concentrating in visual arts. After graduating, he meandered out to Southern California with guitar in hand to pursue music. After a couple of years playing in coffee shops and recording/producing for other musicians, Andy packed up and moved to Austin, Texas. Live music capital of the world! Once arriving to Austin, Andy quickly decided to never play music in front of people again, bought a camera on eBay, and started making art again. For six years he created visual art for galleries and owned an architectural photography company. In 2009, he applied to grad school and, in “what seemed like a lark,” received a fellowship to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. After three years, Andy graduated with an MFA and two books, Driven Snow and Everyone I Never Knew. Since then Andy has moved back to Albuquerque where he teaches at both UNM and SFUAD. When asked how to justify art, Andy’s answers range from aesthetic...
Viva Mexico!
posted by Maria Costasnovo
On Sept. 15, the campus was full of people grabbing flags and painting their faces green, white and red; music played everywhere. What was happening? Mexican Independence Day was happening. “Since I was a kid, this was a very important day in my family and in my country. It’s a day to be with all your family, with people that you don’t usually meet, and your friends,” says Jose Arturo Torres from Querétaro. “Even though it’s a day when you miss your family and your country a lot, it’s also a reason to spend time with my friends here from Mexico and also from another countries, so they can see something different for them, and so normal for us the Mexicans.” The holiday marks Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1810. “We celebrate this day as the beginning of a new country that finally was able be a country by itself, with its culture and its identity. We were finally a nation,” says María Villaseñor from Guadalajara. In commemoration of the day, a group of international students ate dinner together at the downtown restaurant Jalapeños. Most of were Mexicans, but there were also some people from Syria, Spain and Brazil. According to Daniel Bernáldez, coming together is what matters on this holiday: “We the Mexicans are very familiar people, which means that every celebration requires the family be together. The union in a family is something essential for us, and living in the campus makes us feel like a family, so this was a good reason to make something together, like having dinner.” And, of course, food matters too. “The best thing about Mexican food is that when we start to eat, the food needs lots of condiments, and salsas, and lemon, and salt, and...
Redford Opens the Door
posted by Nicholas Beckman
This year, 14 film students were offered the Robert Redford/Milagro Initiative scholarship. Twelve of them received partial rewards, and two were granted full-ride scholarships. All received the opportunity of a lifetime: to meet the man who brought them to Santa Fe. “I never imagined in the first week of college I would be meeting someone with such a big name,” says Anastasia McAllister, one of the recipients of the award. Competing film schools in America have been feeling “The Sting” from SFUAD’s new scholarship opportunity, which is being supported by Jeremiah Johnson himself, Robert Redford. Redford, who in recent years has not only established himself as a refined actor, director, political activist and founder of some low-key film festival in Utah you’ve probably never heard of, also really enjoys helping artists find their true voices and passions and providing the means for them to do so. A big name, indeed. Redford has played all the classics: Jay Gatsby, the Sundance Kid, uncredited basketball player; the list goes on! Meeting Robert Redford your first week of film school must feel like getting befriended by the most powerful gang member on your first day in prison: pretty damn comforting. But a reward should only be given to those who have proven themselves worthy, right? “…I was very much involved in the Native American Community and participated in many cultural activities.” McAllister explains, “I spent a lot of my time making art, like paintings and drawings.” Redford, a long-supporter of Native American rights and activism, teamed up with Chris Eyre, chair of The Film School at SFUAD, on Eyre’s first feature-length, Smoke Signals, as well as Skinwalkers and A Thief of Time, so it comes to no surprise that Redford and the Milagro Institute would reward those with socially conscious intentions. McAllister grew up in Vancouver, WA, “Better known as the city across from Portland, Ore.,” she accounts. She claims her family, and parents especially, have always been a supportive force in her pursuit of the arts and higher education, but it was her art teacher who really gave her the strength to continue her passion for art that not only captivates, but inspires as well. “Without meeting him,” she says, “I wouldn’t be pursuing a career in art.” She spoke of being granted a work-study position in the Grip House, the Film School’s facility for equipment check-out, which houses some of the best platforms a young filmmaker could hope to work with, in addition to being given a new Canon T4i. Being that her interest in film lies with production design and cinematography, it appears that Anastasia has found a nice little niche at The Film School. “ The transition into college has been amazing!” Anastasia boasts. “It’s only been three weeks but I already feel comfortable...
Q/A w Larry Hinz
posted by Arianna Sullivan
Larry Hinz, president of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, has seen the school go through major changes since 2009. Here he answers some questions about how the school is growing, his vision for the future, and what it is that makes SFUAD special. *The following interview has been edited for conciseness. JM: How do you think SFUAD has changed since you began as president? LH: We’ve had an incredible 3 1/2 to four years of transition. We’re at an exciting place in time for this school. We have over 800 students, and the campus seems more alive—I walk across campus and I see students, so it’s really good for me to have that contrast to what it was like four years ago when we were trying to save the school. The student body is the most talented that I’ve seen since I’ve been here; it’s an engaged, energetic dynamic group of students that we have here and the faculty are really jazzed about that. I also think the campus looks really good; the quad is more welcoming than it was two years ago, for example. We will continue to make improvements to the campus and the buildings as time goes on. Also, we do a satisfaction survey every April, and student satisfaction is way up. There are common themes: students love the faculty, love the classroom, love the courses, love the facilities. Some of the negatives continue as well, like the cafeteria and the dorms and student activities, but this year has been a huge improvement overall. Another area that we track closely is student retention rates. That has also shown consistent improvement over the last year. I think this goes back to that engaged student body. Overall, the group of kids that are...
Coming Attractions
posted by Charlotte Martinez
The Screen Presents: Sept. 20-26 You Will Be My Son, Rivalry of the Winery on 35mm Film! A must see for all film students, this film print is one of the last to be played on the Screen’s 35mm projectors. You know…with scratches, flickers and surround sound. Called a fable and parable of a tale, this French drama includes all the necessary suspense of a father verses son complex. “Unfolding like a thriller,” as Eric Hynes of Time Out New York says, the French succeed again in a fantastic display of cinematography. Opens this Friday, Sept. 20 Deceptive Practice: the Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay. Magic on the Screen! Literally The amazing, fabulous, hilarious Ricky Jay is not just a documentary on a performer’s prestigious career in magic, acting and writing— it’s a documentary on deception! Featuring stock footage of some of the most famous magicians in the world, Jay guarantees a story to remember. Opens this Friday, Sept. 20 Bidder 70, “It’s time to Rush the Field and Stop the Game” For students who feel disempowered by higher government, Tim DeChristopher would say: you are not. In 2008, the college student DeChristopher demonstrated an act of civil disobedience during a federal auction, in which 22,000 acres of Utah land was being offered to mining and energy industries. Falsely bidding $1.7 million, Tim DeChristopher was sent to prison, but not before igniting the climate justice movement. According to Gary Goldstein of Los Angeles Times, “Time DeChristopher’s staunch and inspiring journey after that fateful auction is efficiently tracked in this vital and involving documentary.” ONE NIGHT ONLY- Tuesday, Sept. 24 7pm. Featuring Q/A with Filmmakers. Tickets on sale at thescreensf.com Presenting to You Theater Majors, Beckett on Film Beckett on Film is a celebrated five part series...
Campus Inspiration
posted by Amanda Tyler
In this audio-visual piece, SFUAD students discuss their sources of inspiration....
Art for Everyone
posted by Charlotte Martinez
They look at me as if they don’t understand. “What does Progressive Art mean to you?” I ask again. The two women smirk at one another. Maybe I’m missing something. They are the organizers of the Santa Fe Art Resource website, after all, the information booth for everything art in Santa Fe. One is Julie Ruth, an out-of-practice artist, and the other is Christy George, a sculptor who previously taught at SFUAD. They both sit at their booth, Sunday Sept. 15, during Santa Fe’s 3rd Annual AHA Festival of Progressive Arts, a community-sponsored event dedicated to its local artists. “If someone called me a progressive artist,” George begins, “I might want to slap them, but I’m not sure. I mean I am a progressive artist, but how do I feel about that?” They look at each other again. Ruth is fixing her shoe with duct tape. “Progressive in the sense that it’s designed to make progress,” George says. “It’s part of the community…that’s one of the problems with contemporary art these days, in that it exists in these sterile white wall environments and it’s intimidating.” “They’re taking art to everyone,” Ruth says. “Kids can interact with it…there’s something for everyone here.” She’s right. As families take in the booths of AHA Fest, the kids color on “sterile white walls,” run through installations as if they were monkey bars, and reach out to touch red-haired Rag and Tag, the clowns of Flying Wall Studios Puppet theater. Remember this? Playing? Garson Dance Company from SFUAD definitely has fun contributing to the progressive afternoon. Wearing white muscle shirts, jean shorts and black canvas shoes, the seven dance majors ease and speed their way through the Farmer’s Market side street and onto the train track sidewalk with some exciting train mimicry and smooth moves. “I’m tired,” freshman Stephanie Martinez says, after what is to be the first of many performances. “Half way through I was like ‘I need water!’ You wouldn’t think it’s tiring, but…” Martinez marks an extraneous kick and sticks her tongue out in exhaustion. Message received. Martinez explains that though she has done some experimental Summer intensives, she’s never done site-specific dance. “It was very different,” she says. Speaking of site-specific dance, I am drawn next to the gallery space at Site Santa Fe, across the street from the Farmer’s Market, where a mesmerizing collaboration with Arcos Dance company takes place. Camouflaged by grey walls and the dark shadows of Enrique Martinez Celaya’s art, these dancers ease, like drops of honey, from installation to installation until they all merge and break out in full body dancing. Their faces, never breaking character, stare off into the paintings hung on the wall or into the faces of the audience members, who can’t help but stare back. When I return to the main AHA Fest sidewalk, there is much more play occurring. I say play, because what else would you call young women screeching and screaming to unsteady and unpredictable noise other than play for adults? Helen Gruhlkey and her partner Vodi Grontis call it “Distortion by Design,” a mixture of environmental sounds and noise. In addition to soundboards and vintage music sheets, Gruhlkey’s installation exhibits photos of garbage and street litter. I ask about those. Gruhlkey explains that many of their sounds come from the large amounts of trash they pick up from their community and, if I’m not mistaken by the connection here, they hope to call attention to the waste problem by performing their “sounds” for the public. And it is quite the whaling sound. And “Distortion By Design” is not the only sound cascading through the side street of the farmer’s market. Anyone within three blocks of the Railyard can hear the hard rock rage from the band stand, which throughout the afternoon includes performances by Alamo Sun, Lady Gloves, Accordion Crimes, Lily Taylor, Jupiter Spiral, Evarusnik, Adam...
A Day In SWA
posted by Nick Martinez
It was 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 16, and writers—mostly freshmen—were trickling into Benildus 101 for the Student Writers Association(SWA). Junior Adriel Contreras, current co-head of SWA, was drawing the SWA logo on the white board. Senior Katie Johnson, also co-head, was organizing her materials together. It was about five minutes past their starting time when everyone was settled. Johnson apologized to Contreras, and erased his logo in order to write the opening exercise. It’s been four months into Johnson and Contreras’s first year running SWA—a task that not many writers were excited to tackle. “What I didn’t realize was how much work SWA is,” said Contreras. “I’m an RA, I’ve been working in the mail room. It’s been challenging juggling everything.” Johnson asked the group to toss some words at her and the collection of writers were only happy to oblige. Pineapple, golden, obscene, ragamuffin, clout, juggernaut, panarama, and ostracices were some of the choice words among them. After compiling a list of 20 or so words, Johnson instructed the group to write a poem or flash fiction for the next 20 minutes using all or as many of the words that they could. “SWA is good for creative writing students to just be seen on campus. It’s very easy for writers to stay locked up in their room and not be appreciated for their work,” said Johnson in explaining SWA’s unofficial mission statement. “It’s wonderful to use SWA for writers to have an on campus prescence.” Contreras shared that sentiment and continued on the importance of collaboration. “It’s important to have a community of writers to really establish itself,” said Contreras. “When you write, it’s so singular, it’s your own process. It’s important to get other people’s perspectives.” Next, Contreras and Johnson...
Ozymandias Raises the Bar
posted by Nick Martinez
Spoiler Alert: Don’t read if you are not caught up on Breaking Bad. Also: catch up on Breaking Bad. Now. Hold off on the article and watch them all. You’re only about 58 behind. About a year ago Breaking Bad was wrapping up the first half of its final season. Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was officially done with the meth business and resigned to a quiet life at the car wash and $80 million in a storage unit. Then Hank (Dean Norris) took what may be the most cinematic and shocking dumps in the history of storytelling. The second half of the final season aired a little over a month ago. Since then viewers have not been given a chance to breathe. The inevitable confrontation between Walt and Hank took place in the very opening episode, with it’s climax airing Sept. 15, in the brilliant episode “Ozymandias.” As much as fans were cheering for Hank to come out on top, Breaking Bad is Breaking Bad for a reason. This show isn’t about Hank’s victory. It’s about Walt’s descent into darkness. And what better way to complete that than by destroying the only tether to morality Walt held left: family. Hank is dead, Walt Jr. is told the truth about his father, Skyler took a stand. So much happened last episode. For starters, The cold open flashback to the very first episode was a bit jarring, but in a good way. Having spent six years with these characters and seeing the show grow progressively darker with each passing episode made the opening scene all the more fascinating. The character dynamic between Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul) was so light hearted compared to the very next scene. What may be the most distressing development is for poor punching bag Jesse Pinkman. As soon as Hank is buried, Walt loses his sobs and turns full on Heisenberg. He tells his Aryan partners where he’s hidden and orders his death. Having watched the show since the beginning, and experienced every single trauma right alongside Jesse, left me reluctantly hoping that they would just put the character out of his misery. So when creepy Todd (Jesse Plemmons) postpones his death to be tortured and turned into a meth cooking slave, I buried my face in my hands. Why Vince Gilligan? Why do you do this to us? But the real kicker of the episode was the long awaited reveal of Walt’s culpability in Jane’s death. Since it happened in the second to last episode of season two, fans have been speculating on just how it would be revealed. Would it be the final straw between Jesse and Walt? Would it be revealed at all? No. Just as Jesse’s being taken to his Todd induced hell, Walt stops them and tells Jesse everything with sickening delight. Jesse’s screams turn into light sobs and he’s dragged to his fate. “Ozymandias” was directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) who also directed my favorite episode of Breaking Bad, “Fly.” Under his direction, the desert has never looked as simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. The long wide shots of Walt rolling his barrel of cash alone deserves an Emmy. However, by far the most gripping shots were during Walt and Skyler’s fight for the knife. The way the camera moved and focused on the knife left millions of viewers at home waiting for someone to die. Since the beginning of the series, the popular line has been taking Walt “from Mr. Chips to Scarface.” The evolution of Walt’s character has fit that mission statement. But, the one thing people seem to forget is that Scarface dies in the...
Alumni Profile
posted by admin
Photographer, teacher and alumni Mike Webb talks about his experiences making art and in the...
A Woody Nook
posted by Tim Kassiotis
By Tim Kassiotis Fall semester 2013 is already underway at SFUAD. But chin up, buttercup! Don’t miss out on the best part about Fall semesters here at SFUAD: Fall! As Monsoon season here in Santa Fe blows out, it can only mean one thing. That’s right: Autumn is coming! Sure, you may grumble at the thought of colder weather, but just remember all the fun quirky fall events. It’s that time of year when farmers markets are filled with fresh harvest. The time of year when you should really start planning out that epic Halloween costume and perfect that bacon-wrapped Thanksgiving turkey recipe. And the time of year when all the cool air creeps in and turns all the aspen trees gold. What kind of fall would it be with out the changing of the leaves? If you’re new to SFUAD and do not come from an area with deciduous fall tress, then get on this. Santa Fe National Forest is home to 1,558,452 acres of beautiful wilderness full of the perfect fall tree: aspens. Approximately 30 minutes up the road on the Santa Fe Ski basin is Aspen Vista campgrounds. This is your main access point to catch many trails that intertwine throughout one of the largest aspen groves on earth. Hiking here is a year round favorite. The 12-mile trail has many charming gullies and ravines full of aspens that inspire the iphone Ansel Adams in all of us. However, during peak tourist season, Aspen Vista saturates quickly with people. On any given weekend there can be rows of cars, tripled parked into the road. So where can you get your full fall leaf changing experience with out all that crowd? Right after you pass Big Tesuque, but before you hit Aspen...
Viva la Fiesta
posted by Shayla Blatchford
By Shayla Blatchford Even though the props and events of Fiesta have packed up their bags and gone, the spirit of Fiesta never departs. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to observe the various ways in which locals celebrate and interpret the cultural holiday. For some, it’s about family and culture, a deeply rooted appreciation for their town and history. Others may find Fiesta as a time to simply celebrate life and share it with friends over seasoned corn in a cup along with some agua fresca. Either way, during this week of festivities, it seems as though the whole town comes together as family. With the highlight of the week being Zozobra, friends and families trickle down and around Fort Marcy Park to watch a 40-foot effigy of Old Man Gloom go up in flames. The giant paper mâché puppet represents the troubles and gloom of the past year and once it goes up in flames, so does your gloom! In some aspects, it is very much a communal and religious ceremony. Everyone admits to experiencing some gloom by simply attending the burn. I even heard a young woman comparing Zozobra to Santa Claus as a child. Until this day, she still believes that “Zozo” will take away her gloom each year and she can move on and start over. Some people choose to officially attend Zozobra by buying a ticket that allows you an up-close experience. From an aerial view, you can see that the entire Fort Marcy baseball field is packed with families, 20-somethings, and food vendors of all sorts. For those who prefer not to pay the $10 entrance fee, Fiesta parties can be found at every house lining the road that leads you to Zozobra. This year, I...
Jackalope Magazine is the student magazine of Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Building on the interdisciplinary nature of our education, we aim to showcase the talent of our university and character of our city.
Recent Comments