516 ARTS announces our first exhibition of 2023, Artists as Knowledge Carriers, which features the work of New Mexico artists who are mentors of a new generation of artists. As art professors in higher education – including New Mexico State University (NMSU), the University of New Mexico (UNM), Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) – these artists are guiding emerging artists into the future. Their role is essential in cultivating critical and informed intellects in the realms of contemporary art and global culture. This exhibition looks at the artistic production of the mentors themselves, whose practices reveal their own unique visions, rigor, and dedication to their craft, including photography, sculpture, painting, film, and textile art. Artists include: Jamison Chās Banks (Seneca-Cayuga), Stefan Jennings Batista, Craig Cully, Marcella (Kwe) Ernest (Ojibwe), Welly Fletcher, Motoko Furuhashi, Mayumi Nishida, Jazmin Novak (Diné), Daisy Quezada Ureña, Jim Rivera (Yoeme/Pascua Yaqui), Carissa Samaniego, Will Wilson (Diné), and Stephanie J. Woods.

Curator Rachelle Pablo says “In the rapidly shifting era of the pandemic and social justice reckoning, art professors’ commitment to their students remains strong. Their teaching spans artistic methodologies, cultural discernment, and a variety of skills to navigate the art world and creative economy.” Artists as Knowledge Carriers is curated by 516 ARTS Curator Rachelle B. Pablo (Diné) with input from curatorial consultant Leslie Moody Castro. It is presented in conjunction with Together Through as Within at New Mexico State University Art Museum (January 20 - March 12, 2023), which focuses on NMSU Department of Art faculty and is curated by Mexico City based Leslie Moody Castro. That exhibition features the work of Christopher Barday, Tauna Cole, Craig Cully, Brita d’Agostino, Maggie Day, Jeffrey Erwin, Motoko Furuhashi, Michelle Haberl, Carissa Samaniego, Rebecca Smith, Bree Lamb/Muscle Memory + Joshua Clark/Muscle Memory. Learn more at uam.nmsu.edu

This collaborative exhibition between NMSU Art Museum and 516 ARTS and public program described below at SITESanta Fe are part of Desierto Mountain Time, a constellation of contemporary arts organizations in the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico drawn together by our shared interest in making meaningful connections between local and international communities. Together, we are offering thematic programs with artists, educators, curators, activists, and arts administrators whose dynamic practices integrate cross-border, regional, and global issues. Learn more at DesiertoMountainTime.org

Installation View, 516 ARTS Albuquerque, NM