By Mark Feigenbutz/Photos by Amanda Tyler      To My Dedicated Readers, * I interviewed this guy named Chace. So, I’ve finally decided to get in shape. I’m doing this thing called the Slow-Carb Diet. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s not – because you can’t eat cheese! The gist of it is that you limit your caloric intake exclusively to foods with a low glycemic index, or GI, so as not to trigger an insulin spike and the resulting blood sugar drop. Apparently, by keeping your blood levels at an equilibrium, you’re in a prime zone conducive to losing fat. The best part is (and I assure you that I would not be able to even attempt this diet otherwise) that every seventh day, you get to cheat. I’ve only been on the diet for about 8 hours so far, but the prospect of a cheat day is already proving itself to be an incredibly psychologically powerful tool. This is somewhat similar to how I quit smoking. After almost ten years of smoking (and a few years of chewing tobacco, I’m not too proud to admit), nicotine was really getting the best of me. Like every other addict, I’d tried to quit “for real” about a zillion times. (I know a “zillion” isn’t a real number, but try to stay with me here.) Whenever I’d decide to quit, yet another “for real” time, I would crush all my remaining cigarettes and flush my chewing tobacco down the toilet. It was a great strategy until I’d desperately need nicotine the following day and waste the little money I had replacing the cigarettes and chewing tobacco I’d thrown out the night before. I had the idea to not destroy my nicotine, but keep the products at...

By Mark Feigenbutz/Photos by Amanda Tyler Every week, Mark Feigenbutz accosts an unsuspecting peon and crosses their boundaries. Will you be next? Yes, you will. His name? Daniel Sanchez. Is major? Music. His occupation? Laying on couches. Not really. His occupation is aiding the Creative Writing lounge, which is why he abruptly sat up when we entered the otherwise empty room. I reassured him that my photographer, Amanda, and I were not a threat; we simply wanted to capture him in his natural state. So, he skeptically laid back as a banana’d orangutan from a cage cleaner. Upon learning his major, I inquired about what music instrument he played and he upstaged my imaginary musician ego self with the response of “Violin, guitar, drums, bass and vocals.” He wore an NYPD shirt that stated the motto “To Protect and Serve.” I have to admit, the t-shirt’s claim was a little intimidating but not enough to deter me from fucking with him. Me: “Are the allegations true?” Daniel: “About… what?” You know damn well what, you son-of-a-bitch! I turned to my photographer and we both agreed that Daniel was avoiding the question. It was on to the next… Me: “How many times would you say you lie in a given month?” And that’s “lie” not “lay” – I don’t have the mathematical aptitude to compute that, Daniel. Daniel: “At least twice.” At least twice, huh? Clever answer, Daniel, clever answer. Me: “Are the GMO’s bad for us, or are they just a hipster band from the future?” Daniel: “Bad for us.” Such a short answer, and he seemed somewhat put off. Maybe I spoiled a future musical project. (Actually, it turns out that, in fact, The GMO’s are what look to be a crappy, middle-aged...

Story and photos by Luke Montavon Creative Writing Seniors’ Arianna Sullivan and Chelsea Alden had the opportunity this winter to be a part of the community initiative Snow Poems project. Snow Poems is an ongoing project created by the Cut & Paste Society of Santa Fe with partnership from the Santa Fe Art Institute to involve the community with making “living books” in their own community (See About for more details). Alden and Sullivan were responsible for stenciling the selected poetry with non-toxic spray on the windows fronts of dozens of participants (businesses, government buildings, schools, and other locations around the city). While Alden and Sullivan are done with their part of the project, both plan to continue with involving the community in art projects in the future....

Story by Clara Hittel/Photos by Sandra Schoenenstein As the Hexagono gang wanders in and out of their communal office space in Alexis Hall following a meeting, I’m told that Rebecca will most likely take charge of answering for the group during the interview. Once all six of them – Rebecca Alvarez, Pablo Byrne, Suzelle Camou, Fernando Gaverd, Marco Lukini and Anacaro Villa – are seated in a row before me, I ask the first question on my mind: What would they consider themselves? I suggest that, to me, they seem like a collective of sorts. Rebecca looks around at the others briefly before responding that yes, a collective would be a good way to describe them—amidst a smattering of giggles from her comrades that she appears not to hear. Admittedly, they are a fun bunch and laugh a lot, communicating with each other by way of looks and gestures for the duration of our conversation and sometimes slipping into Spanish when consulting each other on how to respond. Hexagono formed two years ago, when some extremely motivated graphic design students “wanted to do something besides classes…something that no one else was doing in this school,” says Anacaro. All six current members of Hexagono attended different campuses of Universidad de Valle de México and were given the opportunity to study at SFUAD for less than their UVM tuition cost. They jumped at the exchange opportunity and eventually transferred to SFUAD permanently. Fernando explains how they formed Hexagono once at SFUAD: “Most of the time there were certain people – the ones who were staying at the lab after 2 AM, 3 AM, and all of us were with the same need…It’s super hard to get something as unified coming out of two people or three people,...

Walking up the stairs in the lobby of the theatre building, Senior performing arts major Corbin Albaugh and I exchanged pleasantries. Albaugh for the past week was in preproduction for the Weckesser Studio Theatre production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s classic No Exit, which he is directing. “This is the first time I’ve ever directed and I’m going into this pretty much blind other than having a decent all around knowledge of the play,” said Albaugh. “So this is a massive learning experience for me and at this point in the process I love it. It’s fantastic.” Seeing Albaugh’s excitement, I thought he had achieved a lifelong dream. “I wouldn’t say I’ve always wanted to direct,” said Albaugh. “One of the things that I would like to accomplish in my senior year is to stay out of my comfort zone as much as possible.” Albaugh’s comfort zone is an ever changing beast. Back in Iowa, in junior high, Albaugh auditioned for a model and talent agency. They liked him so much that they booked him a trip to New York for the International Models & Talent Association (IMTA), where managers and agents flock to find fresh clients. “So long story short, I did some contests, did some exhibitions, got hooked up with a management team that flew me to LA where I auditioned for two years for film and television. I ultimately got cast in a bit part. Have you ever seen the movie ‘Mr. Woodcock’?” I did, in fact, remember Mr. Woodcock, a 2007 comedy starring Seann William Scott and Billy Bob Thorton. It was a critical bomb but that could hardly be attributed to Albaugh’s small role as one of the gym students harassed by the title character. “That happened and that was an...

By Nick Beckman/Photography by Tim Kassiotus With a pleasant introduction by his brother Matt, Greg Donovan had already set the tone for his Jan. 18 lecture before he even began speaking; “Video Game Marketing 101 (kind of…)” read his Powerpoint slide which was being projected across the beautiful cinematic screen inside of SFUAD’s own Garson Studios. Matt Donovan, co-chair of the Creative Writing and Literature Department opened for his brother with a bit of nostalgia: A story of the two when they were young, experiencing the new video game craze also referred to as “Space Invaders.” The two were mesmerized and undoubtedly changed creatively by the game, both of them seeking out careers in the arts later in life. Matt went on to become a successful writer and Greg to produce the very thing that brought them both together, video games. Greg began his presentation by letting his audience know the casual tone of the lecture. “I use some terms and phrases that are common in the industry” Donovan explained, “ so please ask questions if you don’t know what I’m saying.” Donovan, a former Yilm school student, claims that he began working on the sets of short Yilms and eventually landed himself a marketing job for a gaming company. Here, he says, he found that his passion was for the production of the games themselves. So, after a year or so he moved to Volition, the company he is currently with and has produced Saints Row 1-3 and is currently working on the 4th. Volition is a video game developer based out of Illinois and has also produced titles like Red Faction and The Punisher. The game itself is a delightful mix of colorful characters, ranging from bumbling gang members to over the...

Story by Charlotte Martinez/ Photos by Michelle Rutt “There are three categories,” Emily Powell, advisor for the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, begins when describing Laureate’s Network programs. Powell’s desk in Mouton, as her advisees know, is tidy so little impedes her elbow space as she counts. “The first we call International like a student coming from China, for example. Then there’s the network students who come from Laureate Universities.” Her third finger extends to complete the categories, “and there’s study abroad, where our students go somewhere else.” Now in its third year of international immersion, SFUAD’s new owner, Laureate, provides an exchange of students on a world scale, inviting cultural as well as academic advancement. Currently, most of SFUAD’s network population comes from Mexico. “Some from Brazil,” Powell says, “only four from Turkey and one from Italy.” “One from Germany, China, Russia, Syria…all over.” Pablo Torrez, the International student coordinator, continues. His tasks of setting up visas and transferring credits connects him most to La Universidad del Valle in Mexico, but both Torrez and Powell believe this is due to Santa Fe’s proximity. Torrez hopes more bridges will extend to Santa Fe in the future, that way “everyone can learn from everyone.” He calculates that SFUAD’s International population, currently 11%, will continue growing as the school does. Of course, school exchange is also influenced by options. Juliana Ruette, a second semester student from Brazil says that there were very few choices offered in her previous school, “which was in a city close to Sao Paulo.” She wanted to leave Brazil, so she googled Santa Fe and thought, “what the fuck! It’s so brown!” Agreeing that Santa Fe would be better than Brazil, she planned on attended SFUAD for one semester then escaping to California. Those plans changed. With marketing...

Story and photos by Luke Montavon Since last fall I have been following Victor Talmadge and his documentary theater class on their journey to create the show Water. Water is the story of a little known Santa Fe village of Agua Fria and its ultimate demise, as it lose its most precious resource to the city. However the story is not only about what happens when a community loses a resource, but also how the community members celebrate having a resource. The following images reflect the first 20 minutes of the play, how we celebrate having water. Talmadge’s students have created a symbolic, cross-cultural journey, with the use of silk cloth to reflect this...

Story by Arianna Sullivan/Photo by Natalie Abel “Really,” says Tony O’Brien earnestly, “enjoy the photography. Be who you are.” The Santa Fe University Photographic Society meeting is still for a moment, digesting, and then works itself back up into the excited planning frenzy that preceded Tony’s statement. “So what are we photographing,” inquires one student eagerly, “the people, the streets, of just everything?” Tony looks at the array of confused, enthused and jittery faces and responds simply, “as you see it.” The group has gathered to discuss the Santa Fe Grid Project—the photo department’s plan for involvement in this year’s Outdoor Vision Fest. Outdoor Vision Fest is an annual outdoor art show of design, animation, video, photography and other visual imagery, and the photo department is preparing to be a larger and louder presence in 2013 than it has been in past years. The project that the photo department has decided to embark upon, the Santa Fe Grid Project, has potential to grow in influence beyond the festival and even the campus as well. The Grid Project, brainchild of Photography freshman Chris Beran, will be a photographic documentation of Santa Fe’s neighborhoods by SFUAD Photo Society members. Photo students from the school will document designated neighborhoods of the city by means of whatever photographic medium speaks to them—be it still image, analog or digital, time lapse, alternative processing, with or without the accompaniment of interviews or music—as Tony O’Brien puts it, “as you see it.” Both Chris Nail and Tony O’Brien, the faculty members heralding the Photo Department’s involvement in OVF 2013, are enthusiastic about the project’s potential to be the beginning of a continued relationship between SFUAD and the city of Santa Fe. “It will be a living document, a sort of micro-version...

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...

Story and photos by Luke Montavon Since last fall I have been following Victor Talmadge and his documentary theater class on their journey to create the show Water. Water is the story of a little known Santa Fe village of Agua Fria and its ultimate demise, as it lose its most precious resource to the city. However the story is not only about what happens when a community loses a resource, but also how the community members celebrate having a resource. The following images reflect the first 20 minutes of the play, how we celebrate having water. Talmadge’s students have created a symbolic, cross-cultural journey, with the use of silk cloth to reflect this...