It’s the time of year to submit! To Glyph Magazine, that is—the literary magazine at Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

Iman Aoun, co-founder of Ashtar Theatre, recently presented a lecture on the Theatre of the Oppressed and how it manifested through an idea called “The Gaza Monologues.” Through Ashtar Theatre’s youth training program, Palestinian children of all faiths were recruited for a series that helped them give voice to their trauma. Aoun’s mission of making theatre a fundamental need to Palestinian society meant navigating as many as 741 checkpoints on the way to a destination, but the work was vital.

Tishman saw a surge in nocturnal activity during its 24-hour drawing collaboration. As time went on the wall became a reflection of the participants–colors and figures evolved and melded over the course of the event as space disappeared.

Initially I wanted to do a narrower list of movies, but I’m too much of a fan of horror to winnow the list down to specific decades. I chose the following horror movies based on absolutely no criteria other than personal taste. Some you may be familiar with, but I hope I have a few surprises. Here are five films for All Hallow’s Eve. In order by year of release: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) This movie is the finest horror movie to come out in years. It’s a bit of a play on horror tropes through the eyes of what would traditionally be considered the “antagonist.” It opens in familiar slasher tradition: A group of college-aged friends get together for a trip to the lake. While the film continuously flirts with the idea of slasher tropes, it revels in the inherent humor and stupidity of the genre. It’s a smart film and, more surprisingly, you might find yourself laughing harder at Tucker & Dale than a dedicated comedy. Trick ‘r Treat (2008) One of my favorite styles of horror film is the horror anthology. Trick ‘r Treat is a series of short horror stories pieced together by a common town and mythos. It utilizes the familiar tropes found in coming-of-age stories to ease its way in and then loses the inhibitions. The stories are interesting, fresh and tightly-packed into its 82 minute runtime. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2007) This one is another slasher that shrugs off its genre. Told in a documentary style, it follows the footsteps of a pseudo Jason Voorhees and how much work really goes into hunting down oversexed teenagers. It educates the audience on the symbolism in horror films, while simultaneously celebrating and embracing...

The riot at the Penitentiary of New Mexico on Feb. 2, 1980 upended the world of corrections. Demands for better food, conditions and programming were forgotten as fury erupted from the residents. The reforms that came out of the event changed prison protocols forever. Now, the administration is embarking on a five-year plan to re-purpose the “Old Main,” which they discuss regularly with visitors on the prison tour. Certainly, the events of the riot—captured vividly in numerous newspaper articles, state reports and books, continue to draw crowds. The guided “Old Main” tour slots have more than doubled due to demand and all ticket proceeds return to increase the quality of the tour and provide future programming for inmates. “Respecting our past to create a better future” is the motto the corrections officer acting as guide offers, before relaying the details of the riot.   In the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 2, 1980, inmates drinking a crude hooch overpowered the officer that discovered them. Soon, other officers within the dormitory were taken hostage and a set of captured keys liberated other inmates to ensure the riot would continue its course. These newly-freed inmates joined in beating Officer Juan Bustos, stripped and noosed with a belt, during the 12-minute march toward master control. Nearly 100 inmates crowded in front of the newly installed bulletproof plexiglass window of master control. It shattered in three strikes from a fire extinguisher. The armory beneath master control was left undiscovered, limiting the extent of the carnage. Once the master control room was breached, approximately 2:02 a.m., greater access to the prison was attained. Due to construction in cell block five, high risk inmates were mingled with the low risk population. The construction area housed numerous tools left by...

Tom Miller’s first exhibition at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, Walling: Containing Architecture challenges the difficulties imposed by framing and claiming space, as well the implications of division. Perspective shifts from one side of the barrier to the other: On one side, hope and possibility; and on the other, denial and entropy. “Long Wall with Fix,” a floor sculpture that dominates the entrance of Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, bisects the cracked, striated concrete floor. Gallery goers navigated the wall in their own way, with many simply reaching over to shake Miller’s hand, rather than work their way around. This is an intended consequence and a result of Miller’s desire to thematically enact walling and distance through a barrier installation. Throughout the night, people seemed to gather on the side of the wall that faced the entrance. Its white face interrupted by raw plywood patchwork near the top. The front starkly contrasts the rear, its naval-gray neutral hue and tank trap trusses evident and imposing. One side stands clean, welcoming and projecting perfection, while the other feels militarized and built to task. The same materials—plywood, resin and paint—crafted for different evocative purposes. The work weaves through the gallery. A narrow stretch of hallway holds work that lies vertical in opposition to the long horizontal hall. Just before the path turns the hallway, “New Standard” appears. The perspective of the painting denotes two symmetrical swathes pulling away from the center, and each other, threatening to creep from its canvas and wrap around its privileged space. “Small Tower“ marks the beginning of the hall, both obstacle and observation tower, with a peg leg repair that replaces one of the four feet it rested upon. In the hall, a piece known as “Slice“ beckons observers closer. “Slice’s” top shows marred, exposed wood—forgotten or...

The Fall 2013 semester is bustling with events and the art department is no different. Three events draw near: faculty member Tom Miller’s exhibition at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, Enrique Martinez Celaya’s lecture in Tipton Hall and hARvesT, the 2nd annual juried exhibition. Tom Miller’s exhibition, Walling: Containing Architecture, looks to challenge the role of barriers in society. Miller’s concern lead him to a body of work that navigates the notions of transition and perspective. The show features an installed wall centerpiece measuring 24 feet in length. Its front—a stark, neutral white—contrasts sharply with the worn back, which reveals supports reminiscent of tank traps. Miller was worried about being limited to painting when he entered graduate school. “With sculpture I could do anything,” said Miller. On Oct. 1, Enrique Martinez Celaya comes to campus for a lecture in Tipton Hall. Martinez Celaya, a Cuban American artist, is responsible for shaping nearly 12,000 feet of gallery space at SITE Santa Fe. According to Martinez Celaya’s biography, he was pursuing his doctorate in quantum physics before shifting his focus to the art he practiced in his spare time. Given the gestures of reclamation within Martinez Celaya SITE Santa Fe exhibition, it would be a great opportunity to ask questions such as, “I read something in your biography about laser patents. What the hell, man?” The lecture is a collaborative effort between SITE Santa Fe and Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Linda Swanson, chair of the art department, discussed the relationship between SITE Santa Fe and the university. Such as the opportunities afforded by internships and the benefit of having Joanne Lefrak, director of education and outreach, engaging with the students in the classroom. “I think of them as one of the institutions that expands...

When I arrived at Fort Marcy Park, I had no idea what to expect. The air was filled with the scent of fair food: funnel cakes, turkey legs and various other carts spewing out New Mexican favorites. The mood was reserved, and there were still a number of hours before the actual ritual was set to begin and the crowd was not quite filled out. I was unimpressed. There was little difference between this and something like a county fair—except a fair would have booths and rides to entertain. Was this the Zozobra everyone was talking about? This was my first burn and I wasn’t feeling it. After my arrival I drifted over to the official “Gloom Box,” the place for people to write down their worries, stuff them in a box, then have them put into a giant puppet. I scrawled my most dominant worry (I didn’t want to spread the magic over several worries) onto a small slip of paper, folded it, then tucked it into the gloom box. A sticker of triumph was passed my way—the word “gloom” in black letters, crossed out with a red line and circle. I kept an eye and ear turned towards the gloom box. There was something about it. Orderly queues formed. People posed for photos after filling the box with their lamentations. Parents instructed their children on the procedure, letting the kids write out their own worries, then hoisted them so they could push the paper into the box themselves. My initial reaction to the ritual was that people were using Zozobra as a scapegoat. That they were pushing off responsibilities onto this victim, but it was more than that. They drank in the ritual some had participated in for generations, conjuring up what...

By Brandon Ghigliotty/ Photos by Sandra Schoenenstein Taking place on the third Thursday of every month, February’s MIX Santa Fe was held at the Santa Fe Culinary Academy. The upper-level space consisted of winding rooms opening into a large demonstration kitchen. Several platters of food were exhaustively replenished during the event by Executive Chef Rocky Durham and his crew. “People love the Azerbaijani flatbread,” said Durham. It was delicious. Chewy, herbed bread with a sharp tinge of cheese. It was easy to see why the platter emptied so quickly. Other platters held shrimp spring rolls, pork-filled lettuce wraps and vegetarian nori rolls. Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery manned the cash bar, initially serving beer in glass jars, then abandoning them for the more traditional plastic cup. People met up, introduced each other to new acquaintances, and generally broke the MIX drought brought on by MIX’s absence in the months of December and January. Speaking with Kate Noble, MIX coordinator and special projects administrator with the Economic Development Division for the City of Santa Fe, the past 31/2 years of MIX have had their ups and down. Yet, even during the low points, “We were still hearing about people making connections or getting work and being able to stay in Santa Fe,” Noble said. Entrepreneurs took the opportunity to hand out flyers on their projects, Dawn Hoffman of Only Green Design gave information on “Upcycle Santa Fe”: a festival to come up with creative solutions to the ecological issues that face the community. Another entity on site was the graphic design collective known as “Hexagono”, a group of Santa Fe University of Art and Design students, seeking donations to their project “The Importance Of,” which is “A 200 page hard-bound book exploring Graphic Design as Contemplative Art.” One...

By Brandon Ghigliotty/Photos by Sandra Schoenenstein “Mr. Speaker gentlelady from Chavez County, do you love the lesser prairie chicken?” The house gallery erupts in laughter. My reaction is slightly different. I’m uncomfortable with the fact that someone pleading to thwart a species’ extinction is being humiliated. I exit the chamber, shaking my head clear of the ringing laughter. Ideas escape me and the only persistent one is shot down. My colleague convinces me it is too early to visit the bar. I consider writing about the art of the Roundhouse, the paintings of men in cavalry coats striding across the desert, the buffalo built from recyclables (which happens to mark North in the Roundhouse) and the various other bits of furniture and sculpture that have found a home here. It would be easier to approach the pieces of art and their placards than it would be to approach the mayor while he sips his soft drink. I do neither. My photographer arrives and we re-enter the house gallery. Her eyes light up. The lesser prairie chicken is still the topic of debate. “Mr. Speaker, gentlelady…” The question rambles. A frocked woman is trying to ask whether helping the lesser prairie chicken’s current plight would be addressing a drought problem rather than a lesser prairie chicken problem. That perhaps intervention to mark the lesser prairie chicken as endangered is not the best answer to an issue brought on by drought conditions. The response she receives: god is in control of our drought situation. I am stunned. My brain is sick with the implications of this statement. If god made us, and we’re killing the lesser prairie chicken and god simultaneously is trying to snuff them out with a drought. Then god clearly has no love for...

Story by Brandon Ghigliotty/Photos by Shayla Blatchford   I had the opportunity to interview Donna Ruff, printmaker, illustrator and Art Department faculty member of nearly two years at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Ruff, with an MFA from Rutgers, has more than a decade of teaching experience spread throughout New England. On a late Sunday morning, openings in our schedules converge to allow me to get to know more about her work. What drew you to printmaking as a medium? Donna Ruff: Rutgers has an important printmaking department. At the time they had the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, but it’s now called the Brodsky Center, after one of my professors, Judith Brodsky. They bring in artists from New Jersey and New York on grant programs to do projects in printmaking, with papermaking as an element if the artist wants to do that. I had professors who were well known in that field—besides Judy, I had Lynne Allen as a professor. She was a master printer at Tamarind at UNM for years and we discovered we had mutual friends in Albuquerque. I had never tried lithography—it seemed quite daunting, as it involves some alchemy—the print results from oil and water not mixing, and is planographic. So there are a lot of ways it can become a big mess on the plate. I was an older student and Lynne took me in the darkroom and showed me how to make a photographic litho, which changed my work in a huge way. I also learned to make paper, and understand its particular qualities. Printmaking departments, even at Rutgers, are having a hard time holding on. It’s thought of as too “old school” or something. Colleges are scrambling to build New Media departments, and...

Story by Brandon Ghigliotty/Photos by Shayla Blatchford The main lobby of the Thaw Art History building greets me with a faux bathroom. In place of a mirror, a screen plays looped video above its sink. The installation crowds the main lobby and forces visitors into the rest of the building. A large piece beckons at the end of the hallway, a many doored wooden box around five feet tall—its flanks draped in black cloth. Rusty hinges flex while the apparatus behind it ticks and strains. The work in the hallway, part of a joint exhibition entitled Range that will be shared with Universidad del Mar in Chile, continues past the restrooms with the sketch of a tree trunk. The illustration’s color defies the verdant nature of the piece, with its bruised, purple coloration exacerbating the veins of the tree’s trunk. While examining the piece, a figure approaches from my peripheral vision. I shift my weight and scoot out of her way, greeting her. She nearly passes before I recognize her: Linda Swanson, chair of the art department. I begin to introduce myself, but I’m interrupted by her. “If you want to talk, you’ll have to keep up,” she says. I roll to the balls of my feet and spring up after her as she strides down the passageway. Photographer Shayla Blatchford and I follow Swanson to the building’s kitchenette. She multi-tasks while speaking to us. Swanson punches the microwave and trades out mugs, before she splits tubes of instant coffee over them. She tells me about a recent event within the Art Department. Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s Kristaan Villela, who holds a doctorate with an emphasis in Pre-Columbian Art, hosted a lecture on the role of the Apocalypse throughout mankind’s history. The...