Tikia Fame Hudson is in the process of directing “For Colored Girls,” set to perform in the blackbox theater at Warehouse 21 on Feb. 27 and 28.

If you’re looking for some Holiday adventures this month, two luminous and art-influenced spots to visit are Glow: A Winter Lights Event at Santa Fe’s Botanical Garden, running Dec. 4-Jan. 3 on Thursdays-Saturdays 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays 5-9 p.m., and the twinkle-lit open house events at Madrid, an artist’s destination on Turquoise Trail National Scenic Highway. On opening night, Dec. 4, Public Relations Director Fran Cole admires that along with the hundreds of holiday light fixtures illuminating Santa Fe’s Botanical Garden, the nearly full moon adds its own ambiance. “Did we order that or what!?” she says. For the month of December, Cole shares that the 1,350-acres of Ortiz Mountains are host to the lighting designs of Joe Dean, whose company Lumenscapes spent over two months planning and installed hexagonal domes and dazzling light projections along paths and courtyards of the gardens. “I came out and did my own aerial photography,” Dean says, “and I worked on a layout to figure out how to make this place glow.” Dean’s first dome, upon entering the site, is most important for it is reserved for Santa Clause himself, who sits among gifts and a Christmas tree, with kids already on his lap. Next stop, the hot chocolate dome. Buy one and get free refills for the rest of the night! Once Santa and the hot cocoa is taken care of, the garden’s circular trails welcome families to warm up by courtyard fires, sit on benches while listening to Christmas or reggae music, or walk through the many moving light fixtures that end by the beautiful red bridge overlook. Along with Glow installations, the garden is also hosting the site specific sculpture show “Morphic Nature,” created by SFUAD’s own students as well as students from the Institute of American Indian Arts. The site pieces, interspersed among the garden’s circular art trail, range from carved logs to shaped branches and were made entirely from the garden’s recovered plant material. Director Cole explains that because the sites are “clearing out for the next phase of Botanical Garden,” she was glad that the extra twigs, branches, leaves, etc. were used in a creative capacity. Cole adds that students from SFUAD will be free to the site during regular business hours, Thursday- Sunday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., otherwise tickets for Glow nights are $8. 28 miles from Santa Fe’s Botanical Garden, the town of Madrid is also glowing beneath the full moon with its spectacular twinkle lights and shop lights. From the sky, the town might look like a gathering of fireflies in the middle of a dark desert. The story of Madrid is reputably unique. First a mining town from the 1920s to the 1940s, it became a ghost town in the 50s when it shut down. According to Lori Lindsey, owner of Madrid’s famous Mine Shaft Tavern, the town was maintained by a single family until is was revived in the 70s. The “History of Madrid New Mexico” brochure records that the town was sold to “individuals who brought in artists, businesses, tourists, and summer festivals” while retaining the “historic character of the town.” “Nobody’s really from Madrid,” Lindsey says, but “we believe in what we’re doing here.” The business owner addss that instead of being a residential town, Madrid thrives off its commercial reputation, housing artists from all over the world who open shops and galleries for locals and visitors alike. “Here you find a unique gift you won’t find in Santa Fe,” Lindsey says, sitting in Cowgirl Red, an art vintage store she co-manages on Madrid’s two-lane main street. The shop includes shelves of cowboy boots and spurs while a few doors down, Linda Dunnill’s Heaven Boutique evokes a victorian era vibe, the complete opposite of Lindey’s Western motif. And at the end of the street, you can visit “Maggie’s Diner,” a movie set left by the crew of Wild Hogs in 2007. In the spirit of Christmas, the unique townspeople of Madrid revive the traditions of the old mining town by hanging up strings...

Jackalope sits down with musical group The Maya Spectra to discuss the release of the band’s debut CD, The Music Box, in this audio visual interview.

Getting a tattoo is a mighty decision, as is choosing a place that fits you best. Ultimately, it begs the question: what should I look for?

Jackalope Magazine checks in with SFUAD’s new and interim provost, Debra Tervala, about her plans and thoughts for the school.

In celebration of New Mexico Archives Month, on Oct. 2, employees of the State Records Center and Archives coordinated a special topic forum, “Documenting New Mexico’s Folk Traditions at The Screen.

As students, we take for granted that everything at the university has to work, be clean and organized. It is easy to forget that there are people who every day keep this university going and clean up the messes left behind. One of them is Federico Barela, a humble and laughing man from Chihuahua, who has been working here for three years. Besides working at the university, Federico Barela also works as a gardener after his shift at SFUAD finishes at 5 p.m. He also has three kids and a wife who he sees after working all day long. Usually the family sits together—along with coworker and friend Alfredo Amaya—and enjoy a self prepared meal accompanied by a cold beer and stories from back home. Besides his love for his family, Barela has strong feelings for his ranch in Chihuahua. When he talks about the fields and animals, his eyes light up and a big smile comes up in his face. “The thing I like the most about working here is to be working on the gardens,” Barela says. “I do the same things I do back in Mexico in the fields, I just love to take care of the plants, the trees and the fields”...

This past Monday, Sept. 15, a celebration took place on campus at the Quad. Upward of 30 or 40 people attended throughout the night, a familiar scent in the air of fried beans, cheese and burning coals on the grill in anticipation of steak, onions and tortillas. Memories meld with a night as I realize that a lot of the people around me are experiencing this culture with fresh eyes. Historically speaking, Sept. 16 marks the day on which Mexico as a country fully succeeded from Spanish rule in the wake of Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and imprisonment of then King Ferdinand VII. The 15th was the commencement of the celebration, capped by “El Grito” at the start of the 16th day in September. The event was organized by Alvarado Hurtado and Sandra Schoenenstein with food prepared by Narrelle Beristain, Claudia Vargas, Alvarado Hurtado, Federico Ochoa and Juan Herrera. A collection of donations also took place throughout the night which ended with nearly $250 raised. The festivities included a delicious assortment of genuine Mexican cuisine as well as music and a piñata, which all those in attendance had the pleasure of beating up. “I felt that the event was a huge success and it wasn’t until people discovered that they needed to part take in the food, the dancing, the piñata, and the penultimate “Grito” that they received a true experience of Mexican culture,” Schoenenstein says.     As for the food, all of it was made in Andi Star’s on-campus apartment kitchen. “It was really cool to see and I took tons of pictures of them making the food,” Star says. “I’m glad that everyone really had a chance to taste the food and celebrate.” The event attracted students from a variety of cultures. “I love Mexico,” Jehad Al Katheeb says. “I’ve been there plenty of times to visit friends that I met here. Celebrating this day is good and I am happy for my friends. Also the food is good. Most of my friends here are Mexicans and I just like getting to know their culture more.” That’s part of what makes the event special, Mexico-native Diana Padilla says. “It’s a nice opportunity for everyone on campus to get together and get to know some more about Mexican culture. People here will find out that this day is more significant than Cinco de Mayo which is what most Americans consider to be Mexico’s big day. ” The night ended with “El Grito,” a symbolic representation of Miguel Hidalgo’s emblematic cry of Independence, which was likely heard by students in the Residence Halls. From there the party moved indoors into the apartments or off-campus. Those who had come out to celebrate got to experience the gracious nature of Hispanic celebration. Good food, cheers and camaraderie were themes for the night. Of all that this event represents, our school stands to benefit from a display of cultural diversity. Our campus life has always benefited from a healthy mix of international and domestic students studying together in various academic programs. Events aimed at integrating cultural knowledge and exposure are disappointingly sparse. While Santa Fe as a city is very prime for such interactions our Campus could use more events such as Mexican Independence Day to liven up cohesion and appreciation between the student body. While more remains to be seen in the future of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design regarding the diversity of planned events, this past Monday was a good celebration and a fun experience to be both a part of as well as to report to those not able to attend....

There are few greater ways to kick off a school year than with a parade. Every year in early autumn, the city of Santa Fe mobilizes around its most cherished of local traditions, Fiesta. Originally established in 1712 to celebrate the Spanish re-conquest of the city, the Fiestas de Santa Fe may have a religious overtone, involving several masses throughout the week, but perhaps most beloved are the ritualistic burning of Zozobra, Desfile de Los Ninos, or as it is affectionately known, the Pet Parade, and the Historical/Hysterical parade, a salute to Santa Fe’s past and current quirky citizens. This year, the broiling Sunday afternoon was greeted by devoted Santa Feans lining the streets of downtown, caked in sunscreen and hovering under umbrellas for protection from the fierce desert sun. Everywhere, women and young girls twirl their traditional fiesta dresses, colorful concoctions of lace and satin. Men roar “Que Viva!” while pumping their fists skyward. The air is ripe with celebration.                           Midway through the parade, a truck driven by Peter Romero, head of SFUAD facilities, chugs down the street, dragging behind it a trailer covered along the bottom with a flowing silver tinsel skirt, and on the wooden flats above, an eye-catching display of earthy-toned triangles. A huge black arch protrudes from the back, proudly proclaiming SFUAD. On the back of the arch, the names of the various departments are written carefully in white paint, each with a different font or symbol to celebrate the department’s specialty. People cheer as students wave from the float, throwing candy into the crowds. A few students on the sidelines cry “Que Viva SFUAD!” The float was the handiwork of senior Chelsea Kuehnel, who played a key role in deciding a theme, as well as in making the float safer for students to ride on, thanks to her background as a technical theater major.                           “My experience with technical theater was definitely a plus, especially having worked a lot with flats and painting,” she says Friday afternoon, having set up several volunteers with tasks before hurrying off to class. But this was not her first time being involved with the Fiesta Float. “I first did it my freshman year. I walked behind it in the parade.” The 2014 float theme centered around SFUAD’s distinctively shaped and colored logo, as demonstrated by the cuts of the flat boards, the multi-colored array of triangles, and the black arch with the department’s names. “We wanted to showcase the overall unity of the campus,” Kuehnel says.                         Raya Lieberman, a freshman photography major, notes that the colors used “went with the landscape of the school and Santa Fe.” But there was more inspiration behind the design than met the eye. “We tried to incorporate a little bit of College of Santa Fe into it (the float), because there is a historical component (to the parade), and in fact one of the categories for the float was historical,” says David DeVillier, the new assistant director of student life, who collaborated with Kuehnel and other student leaders and organizations, such as the SFUAD Student Ambassadors, to create the float.                   “We wanted to really be a part of Fiesta Parade as it was intended… there is a rich history of celebrations and festivals. So, since there’s a religious component to the parade itself, College of Santa Fe also had a religious component, with the LaSallean brothers…. so we tried to build on that, and we thought of using some icons and images relating back to the history and how we have come to this creative art school.” DeVillier also expressed gratitude to Kuehnel and the...

By midnight the line already had wrapped around the building. My group was the second in line for the Game of Thrones Season 4 early premiere, beaten only by the eight or so people crazier than us who arrived at 10 a.m., waiting over 24 hours in line. We arrived at 8:30 p.m. that night and we thought we were crazy for getting there even that early. However, for those wanting to claim one of the sixty-some remaining coveted seats, arriving after about 4 or 5 a.m. was already too late.

Nicholas Chiarella and six local artists visited Mary Olsen’s 6th grade art classes at Wood Gormley Elementary in February to collaborate on site specific installation and architectural intervention.

“Don’t let her death be in vain” read the signs of family, friends and concerned citizens who rallied outside the First Judicial District Court April 11 to raise awareness for the fatal shooting of Jeanette Anaya by New Mexico State Police on Nov. 7, 2013.

Mireya Ferro is an international student from Spain. She is currently studying graphic design, but her true passion has always been performing arts. Even though she has not been able to pursue this dream in the past, she feels that SFUAD has given her enough confidence to give it a try. In this interview, she discusses the importance of following one’s dreams and fighting for what truly makes one happy.

Go Here, a semi-regular feature highlighting venues in Santa Fe for SFUAD students. This week: the popular Counter Culture Cafe on Baca Street.