The Daily Times A&E: March 5 to 11

JON AUSTRIA — THE DAILY TIMES

3.5.2015–3.11.2015

BOYSJUSTWANNAHAVEFUNHarris Brogan and JustinBrown of SecondhandStrings aren’t trying tobecome the next big thing

VISUALART

KyleRagsdalegets a littlewildwith ‘Nocturnes’PAGE 16

THEATER

‘TheFantasticks’opens atSanJuanCollegePAGE 12

LIVEMUSIC

Signal99preparesforSXSWgigs,newdiscPAGE 6

Brandon Curley, bassist for Signal 99, rehearses with the band on Feb. 28 at Studio 18near Farmington. For more photos by Daily Times photographer Alexa Rogals, followher @alexa_rogals on Instagram.

INSTAGRAM

ALEXA ROGALS - THE DAILY TIMES

Inside

LIVEMUSIC

Turning the page on the pastThe Farmington metal band Signal 99prepares to begin a new chapter. 6

THEATER

Getting to the bottom of true loveThe SJC production of “The Fantasticks” strips away the façade. 12

ARTSEDUCATION

Making Mancos an artistic MeccaThe new Mancos School of the West begins offering classes this week. 14

VISUALART

Into the darkness, into the lightPainter Kyle Ragsdale’s ‘Nocturnes’ exhibition explores the subtleties of both. 16

Leading off: 3 Calendar: 8 Art listings: 10 Call to artists: 11 Now playing: 14

CONTACT USA&E Editor:Mike Easterling, 505-564-4610, [email protected]: 800-395-6397 Address: 201N. Allen, Farmington, NM, 87401

Explore is the Four Corners arts and entertainment tabloid published weekly by The Daily-Times, a MediaNews Group newspa-per. Explore is available free on Thursdays in the Daily-Times or in racks across the region. All stories, photographs and calen-dar listings must be submitted Thursday the week before publication. Email [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter@thedailytimes or find us on Facebook @The Daily Times.

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PHOTO BY JON AUSTRIA —THE DAILY TIMES

Justin Brown, left,and Harris Broganof SecondhandStrings performFeb. 19at theirCD release partyat Clancy’s Pub inFarmington.

By Mike [email protected]@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON>> For all their pragmatism aboutthe entertainment business and their ownself-proclaimed modest place in it, HarrisBrogan and Justin Brown of the local acous-tic duo Secondhand Strings can sound aw-fully idealistic when talking about what at-tracts them to the musical lifestyle.

As relative newcomers to the local musicscene — they’ve been playing together onlysince January 2014 and just launched theirfirst disc, the independently released “Bur-dens” — Brogan and Brown are still findingtheir way as performers, in many respects.They’re wise enough to keep their expecta-tions low and appreciate whatever successcomes their way.

But when they talk about the artists they

LEADINGOFF

What: Performance by SecondhandStringsWhen: 7p.m. FridayWhere: Three Rivers Brewery TapRoom, 113E. Main St. in FarmingtonFor more information: Call 505-325-6605

IF YOU GO

SHOULDERING THEIR‘BURDENS’ TOGETHER

Harris Brogan and Justin Brown have built some quick chemistry in Secondhand Strings

STRINGS >> PAGE4

MARCH 5- 11, 2015 EXPLORE » THE DAILY TIMES | A+E | 3E

PHOTOS BY JON AUSTRIA — THE DAILY TIMES

Top: Harris Brogan, right, and Justin Brown of Secondhand Strings got their musical partnership going only a little morethan a year ago. Above: Justin Brown maintains he and musical partner Harris Brogan are keeping their expectations incheck in the wake of the release of their new disc ‘Burdens.’

admired who led themto become musicians inthe first place, and whenthey express the feeling ofwonder they had as geekyteenagers when they be-gan discovering new stylesand interpretations, thesteady tone evaporatesand excitement creeps in.

“Back in the ‘60s and‘70s, every band had alead guitar player, andeverybody knew who hewas,” Brown said, refer-encing the likes of JimmyPage, Joe Walsh and PeteTownsend — figures whomay not have eclipsed thefame of the bands theyplayed in, but whose in-dividual profile was highenough to raise them toan almost mythical sta-tus among guitar fans.“But guitarists today, no-body can name the guitarplayer for Linkin Park orwhatever they’re listen-ing to.”

That isn’t just the mus-ing of a classic rock dino-saur pining for a tired, by-gone era. Both Brown andBrogan — who will per-form Friday night at theThree Rivers Brewery TapRoom — came of age in the1990s. And the music theywere exposed to as young-sters covered a wide range— the Beatles, the Stones,Springsteen, U2, PinkFloyd, Doc and Merle Wat-son, Dylan, Pearl Jam andSoundgarden. That helpsaccount for their eclecticset list, which is heavy onbluegrass and country-in-fused originals while alsoincluding covers by TheBand, the Allman Broth-ers and the Squirrel NutZippers — or even the oc-casional 1930s jazz tune.

Instead, they couldmore accurately be de-scribed as music roman-tics, a couple of guys whoperhaps value the person-ality behind the music asmuch as the music itself —and reject the cardboard

cutouts who populate somuch of the mainstreammusic business today.

“Even if it’s indie-rockor newgrass or bluegrass,there are some amaz-ing players out there whodon’t have the recogni-tion they deserve,” Bro-gan said.

Both Brown and Bro-gan had plenty of expe-rience playing music be-fore they encounteredeach other early last year.Brogan had grown up insouthwest Kansas, playingin various bands aroundKansas City before mak-ing his way to New Mex-ico. Brown played theTuscaloosa party circuitwhile getting his degreefrom the University of Al-abama. Even so, he neverfit in — or even tried to fitin — with the poseurs onthe local scene.

“Back in Alabama, atthe guitar shop where Ihung out, there were al-ways musicians who hadto look like musicians,”Brown said, laughing.“There was always the guyin the Metallica shirt witha rock-star haircut and abone through his nose try-ing to figure out the introto ‘Enter Sandman.’”

The two met here thesame way, it seems, mostrelationships are launchedthese days — through aCraigslist ad.

“We clicked right fromthe start,” Brogan said.

STRINGS >> PAGE5

StringsFROMPAGE3

“Back in the ‘60sand ‘70s, everybandhada leadguitar player, andeverybodyknewwhohewas. Butguitarists today,nobody canname the guitarplayer for LinkinPark orwhateverthey’re listeningto.”— Justin Brown


“We knew what we wantedas a band even before wewere a band.”

They not only foundcommon ground as per-formers, they began writ-ing songs together al-most immediately, havingquickly arrived at the mu-tual conclusion that theywanted to play their ownmaterial. Brogan typicallywrites the lyrics, whileBrown handles the music.

“Burden” features ninesuch originals, with thetwo sharing vocal duties.Brown plays guitar, andBrogan performs on gui-tar, mandolin and banjo.

The themes covered onthe disc may not be par-ticularly revelatory — rely-ing almost exclusively onsuch time-honored blue-grass and country terri-tory as drinking, cheat-ing, revenge and betrayal— but the musicianshipand harmonies are air-tight, usually an indica-

tion of a duo that has beentogether for much longerthan 14 months.

The opener, “CornWhisky Angel,” is oldschool bluegrass, whilemuch of what follows(“Burden,” “Sweetness inD”) bends that genre invarious ways. “Good Gal”is an old-fashioned Ap-palachian murder bal-lad, and “Cold-HeartedWoman” goes in a coun-try-blues direction. It’sa worthy first effort thathints at more and betterthings to come as Brownand Brogan develop aneven greater rapport andstart to experiment.

In the meant ime ,they’re focused on devel-oping a regional footprintfor playing around theFour Corners, where, theyacknowledge, some localesare more receptive to their

music than others.“We picked a really hard

style of music for Farm-ington,” Brogan said, ac-knowledging that thisis not exactly bluegrasscountry. But the duo hasbeen well received inMoab, Utah, where it willplay a show on Saturdaynight, and in various ven-ues in southwest Colo-rado, where a young, hip,outdoors-oriented audi-ence often embraces thatgenre.

Neither member of theduo seems inclined to doanything at this point butcontinue to tap into thatand see where it leads.

Brogan said playing inSecondhand Strings hasbeen the best musical ex-perience he’s ever had,while Brown seems uncon-cerned about what hap-pens next.

“We don’t have stars inour eyes,” he said. “We’rejust having fun.”

Mike Easterling is thenight editor of The DailyTimes. He can be reachedat 505-564-4610.

StringsFROMPAGE4

PHOTOS BY JON AUSTRIA — THE DAILY TIMES

Multi-instrumentalist Harris Brogan wrote the lyrics for the nine songs on the debutrelease from Farmington’s Secondhand Strings.

Alabama native Justin Brown of Secondhand Strings laments the slow disappearance oflarger-than-life guitar players from the popular music scene.

“Wepicked areally hard styleofmusic forFarmington.”— Harris Brogan


ByMike [email protected]@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> With theirfirst new disc since 2012 inthe works, the members ofthe local Navajo rock groupSignal 99 are preparing tohead to Austin, Texas, laterthis month for another ap-pearance at the South bySouthwest Music and Me-dia Conference, billed asthe biggest music businessevent in the world.

The three-piece metaltrio, fronted and foundedby Chuck Haven, will playthree shows the third weekin March at the world-fa-mous festival, which hasbeen around since 1987and now features approxi-mately 2,200 regional, na-tional and internationalacts performing at more

than 100 venues aroundAustin, the so-called“Live Music Capital of theWorld.”

The road trip to south

LIVEMUSIC

ALEXA ROGALS — THE DAILY TIMES

Chuck Haven, left, Brandon Tsosie and Brandon Curley of Signal 99pose for a photo during a recent rehearsal at Studio18in San Juan County.

What: Signal 99perfor-mances at the South bySouthwest Music and MediaConference in Austin, TexasWhen andWhere: 4p.m.Friday, March 20on themain outdoor stage at theHeart of Texas Rockfest,Seventh Street and Neches;4p.m. Saturday, March 21atthe Heart of Texas Rockfestat the Blue Moon Bar andGrill, 2200S. Interstate 35Frontage Road; and Music-Gorlla Showcase, date andsite TBA.For more information: Visitsxsw.com

IF YOU GO

No crossingof signals hereBusy spring ahead forlocal metal group Signal 99

CROSSING >> PAGE7


Texas has become andan annual pilgrimage forSignal 99, which has per-formed at SXSW everyyear except one since 2009.Acts are compensated onlyminimally for their perfor-mances at the festival, andthey must cover all theirown travel and lodging ex-penses. Haven still countsthe gig as a worthwhile in-vestment.“The benefit is going

out and meeting people,”he said. “You really don’tknow who you’re going torun into.”While it’s true that the

vast majority of the bandsthat play SXSW do so invirtual anonymity, withmany showcases attractingonly a handful of audiencemembers, Haven said Sig-nal 99 has had good luckin the past — particularlyin 2011 when well-knownproducer-songwriter-engi-neer Jimmy Landry intro-duced himself to Haven af-ter the band’s set and ravedabout its performance. Thetwo exchanged contact in-formation, and two weekslater, Haven said, he re-ceived a parcel in the mailthat included Cakewalkmusic recording software,courtesy of Landry.Playing at the festival

also provides performers a

convenient opportunity tocheck out plenty of otherartists from across the mu-sical spectrum.“You play your set, then

you can go a block awayand catch another band,”he said. “One year, SnoopDogg was playing a blockaway.”Haven and the other

members of Signal 99 —drummer Brandon Tsosieand bassist Brandon Cur-ley — are also making oc-casional trips to a studioin Boulder, Colo., to recordtheir still-unnamed latestdisc, a nine-song collec-tion for which four tunesalready have been com-pleted. Haven hopes tohave it ready for releaselater this year.Much of the material

will ref lect the familytragedies Haven has suf-fered through in recentyears. He’s lost two broth-ers in less than two years —Alonzo, who died of issuesrelated to alcoholism inJune 2013; and Hank, theoriginal Signal 99 bassist,who succumbed tomultiplesclerosis in October 2014.

“If you really listen to mymusic, it has a lot of angstto it, a lot of anger,” ChuckHaven said. “But we stillhave that positive energy.”Haven has managed to

keep Signal 99 movingforward despite his per-sonal setbacks. In April,the group — which drewNative American MusicAward nominations in 2011for Best Debut Group andBest Video — will performat the inaugural Navajo Na-tion Metal Fest April 4 inWindow Rock, Ariz., whichfeatures the group Mush-roomhead as the headliner.Signal 99’s music also

was chosen from approxi-mately 4,000 submissionsfor inclusion in “How anAtomic Fart Saved theWorld” by the H8 Society,described on the nonprofitorganization’s website asthe world’s first e-novelwith music. Haven charac-terized it as a post-apoca-lyptic tale with some grimhumor.“It reads like a graphic

novel,” he said of the book,which is targeted for re-lease in the middle of May.Haven hopes all those

high-profile projects helpbuild the band’s reputa-tion, but he has no plans tochange the group’s touringfootprint, which is heavilyconcentrated on the South-west, ranging from Denverto Texas to Arizona andNevada.But he does believe Sig-

nal 99 is ready to begin anew musical chapter withits upcoming album — onethat will serve as a bit ofa cathartic exercise forHaven as he continues tocome to terms with the lossof his brothers.“Ever since what I’ve

been through, I have a dif-ferent outlook on every-thing now,” he said.


Signal 99founder Chuck Haven believes his group is readyto start a new chapter with several projects in the worksthis spring.

Drummer Brandon Tsosie, a recent addition to Signal 99,learns songs with the band during a recent rehearsal atStudio 18in San Juan County.

ALEXA ROGALS — THE DAILY TIMES

Bassist Brandon Curley rehearses with the other membersof Signal 99at Studio 18in Farmington.

CrossingFROMPAGE6

“If you reallylisten tomymusic, it has alot of angst to it,a lot of anger.”— Chuck Haven


Fivemore things to do

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

Three groups perform‘Seasons of Song’The Durango Choral Society,the Durango Women’s Choirand the Renaissance Singersperform at 7p.m. Friday and2p.m. Saturday at the FirstUnited Methodist Church,2917Aspen Drive in Durango,Colo. Tickets are $18foradults and $5for students.

SATURDAY

Love the museum?Become a docentA training session for anyoneinterested in becoming aFarmington Museum docenttakes place at 11a.m. Saturdayat the museum, 3041E. MainSt. Call 505-599-1169toreserve your spot in the work-shop. Lunch is included.FMTN.ORG

SATURDAY

Be sure to keepyour head on a swivelAn afternoon of competition,camaraderie and calories is instore at 1p.m. Saturday whenthe Sycamore Park Commu-nity Center, 1051Sycamore inFarmington, presents its fifthannual Mother Son DodgeballTournament and Ice CreamSundae Bar. Tickets are $4.

TUESDAY

This little piggie isgoing to the libraryToddlers and preschoolerscan celebrate National PigDay at 10:30a.m. and 3:30p.m. Tuesday with a readingof “The Three Little Pigs” andhands-on activities at theFarmington Public Library,2101Farmington Ave.INFOWAY.ORG

CONTINUING

Indy film fest wraps upfive-day run in DurangoThe 10th annual DurangoIndependent Film Festivalcontinues through Sunday atvenues throughout town, withscreenings, workshops, par-ties and panels on tap. Passesrange from $65to $250. Call970-375-7799for details.DURANGOFILM.ORG

COURTESY PHOTO

<< SUNDAY

Acoustic masters mixit up in Durango showTwo of the most innovative performers in modern acoustic musictake the stage at the Community Concert Hall on the Fort LewisCollege campus in Durango, Colo., at 7:30 p.m. Sunday as EdgarMeyer and Mike Marshall deliver a concert of “classgrass music,”a style best described as a merger of classical and bluegrass. Bothmen are renowned performers in their own right, with legendarybassist Meyer recently having claimed his fifth Grammy Award —this one coming in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Albumcategory for a disc he recorded with Chris Thile, “Bass & Mando-lin.” In Marshall, he has chosen a different performing partner,one whose musical experience runs the gamut from traditionalAmerican acoustic styles to jazz to Brazilian. Tickets are $25 to$39 and can be purchased online or at the ticket office inside theDurango Welcome Center. Call 970-247-7657 for more information.

DURANGOCONCERTS.COM

yourweekend+FRIDAY

Trio of shows to openat Open Shutter GalleryThe Open Shutter Gallery, 735Main Ave. in Durango, Colo.,plays host to a reception forthe artists featured in threeshows opening at 5p.m. Fri-day — “Day and Night,” “DogDays” and “AD 1977-1980.”Call 970-382-8355for moreinformation.OPENSHUTTERGALLERY

FRIDAY

Duo featured duringcasino’s Comedy NightHeadliner Del van Dyke andguest Julia Ann Fretwell willhave you laughing the nightaway during Comedy Night at7p.m. Friday at Sunray Park& Casino on U.S. 64east ofFarmington. Cover is $10. Call505-566-1200for reserva-tions or more information.SUNRAYGAMING.COM

SATURDAY

Family Art Saturdayoffered at E3 museumGet ready for St. Patrick’sDay by building your ownleprechaun trap during FamilyArt Saturday at 12:30p.m.Saturday at the E3Children’sMuseum and Science Center,302N. Orchard Ave. in Farm-ington. Admission is free. Call505-599-1425for details.FMTN.ORG

SATURDAY

A night of food and funfor the four-legged kindThe 10th annual Bites andBids Charity Auction for theHumane Society of the FourCorners takes place at 6:30p.m. Saturday at the Farm-ington Civic Center, 200W.Arrington Ave. Tickets are $30apiece or $50for a couple. Call505-564-8519.HS4C.ORG

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MUSEUMS

AnimasMuseum: TheAnimas Museum is housedin a historic building built in1904at 3065W. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. Open 10a.m.to 6p.m. Monday throughSaturday. More info: 970-259-2402AztecMuseum and Pio-neer Village: Among its 12exhibit buildings, the mu-seum offers a pioneer village,an oil field exhibit, a collec-tion of farm equipment andmore. The Aztec Museumand Pioneer Village, locatedat 125N. Main Ave., is open10a.m. to 4p.m. Thursdaythrough Saturday. Admissionis $3for adults, $1for chil-dren age 12-17, and childrenyounger than 12are free.More info: 505-334-9829by e-mail at [email protected] Museums: TheBolack Museum of Fish andWildlife and the Bolack Elec-tromechanical Museum arelocated on the 12,000-acre,privately owned B-SquareRanch, located south ofFarmington on U.S. Highway64at 3901Bloomfield High-way. Tours are offered hourlyor by appointment. Moreinfo: 505-325-4275Children’s Museum ofDurango: The Children’sMuseum of Durango islocated at 802E. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. The mu-seum is open 1p.m. to 5p.m.Wednesday through Friday.More info: 970-259-9234orchildsmuseum.orgCortez Museum and Cul-tural Center: The CortezMuseum and Cultural Centeris located at 25N. MarketSt. in Cortez, Colo. Moreinfo: 970-565-1151or www.cortezculturalcenter.orgE3Children’s Museum&Science Center: Locatedat 302N. Orchard Ave.,Farmington. Visit colorfulnew exhibits that change bi-monthly, always accompa-nied by hands-on activities.Art related programs willteach and engage childrenwith a variety of projects.Explore the new dinosaur

habitat, the most recentaddition to the permanentcollection. School and com-munity groups welcome.Special exhibition fees apply,but all programs are includedwith admission, or are freewhen visiting the permanentcollections. More info: 505-599-1425FarmingtonMuseum:Located at 3041E. Main St.Experience a wide varietyof exhibits relating to thediverse history of the area’scultures, traveling exhib-its, and art shows. Lectureseries, performances,workshops, and specialdemonstrations are offeredyear-round. The Museumstore “Currents,” featuresexhibit-related merchan-dise, books on local andregional interest, toys, andeducational materials. TheGrowers Market is held fromfrom 4:30to 6p.m. Tuesdaysand 8a.m. to noon SaturdaysJune to October, depend-ing on the growing season,in the Museum parking lot.The Farmington Museum isopen 8a.m. to 5p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. Donationsare appreciated. Come to themuseum for the travellingexhibit “Lost Egypt: AncientSecrets Modern Science,”which remains on displaythrough April. Museum hoursare extended on Tuesday andSaturday until 8p.m. withticket sales ending a halfhour before closing. Ticketsare $12for adults and $6forchildren. More Info: 505-599-1174or go to www.farmingtonmuseum.orgSouthern Ute CulturalCenter Museum: TheSouthern Ute Cultural CenterMuseum displays artifactsand photographs.It is locatedat 14826Highway 172inIgnacio, Colo., and is open8a.m. to 5p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, and 10a.m.to 3p.m. Saturday. More info:970-563-9583or southern-utemuseum.orgNotah Dinéh Trading Com-pany andMuseum: The No-tah Dinéh Trading Companyand Museum has a large

collection of Two Grey Hillsweaving. It offers sandpaint-ings, artwork and jewelry. Itis located 345W. Main St.in Cortez, Colo. More info:800-444-2024Salmon Ruins: The SalmonRuins Museum hosts a col-lection of Anasazi potteryand historical artifacts at6131U.S. Highway 64inBloomfield. Exhibits include“Learning from AncientPottery: Stories Told in theDixon Collection” and the“Collection of Historical Pho-tos From Mesa Verde.” Sug-gested donation $3adult, $2seniors, $1children, youngerthan 6free. More info: 505-632-2013

GALLERIES

Artifacts Gallery: Arti-facts Gallery includes twogalleries, 11artist studios,original artwork by 40areaartists, New Mexico-madechile products and uniqueone-of-a-kind gifts. Locatedat 302E. Main St. in historicDowntown Farmington. Gal-lery hours are 10:30to 5p.m.Tuesday through Saturday.More info: 505-327-2907.Artisans of Mancos:Artisans of Mancos is anartist co-op center. It is opendaily and is located at 101Grand Ave. in Mancos, Colo.More info: 970-533-7040ormancos.orgCrashMusic: Crash Musicis located in the HistoricAztec Theater, 104N. MainAve. in Aztec. Bringing livemusical performances toSan Juan County, supportingthe arts and offering privateand group lessons in guitar,bass, banjo, mandolin, drumset and two hand drum-ming classes every week.More info: 505-427-6748orcrashmusicaztec.com.The Dusty Attic: Oil paint-ings by Anita Dotson are ondisplay at The Dusty Attic,111W. Main St. in Farming-ton. More info: 505-325-9827.Durango Arts Center: TheDurango Arts Center is alocal, nonprofit arts council.Gallery shows change every

three weeks and showcasea diversity of media and art-ists, including national trav-eling shows as well as localartists, children’s and juriedshows. Children youngerthan 6must be accompaniedby an adult. There is a PaintBar Happy Hour on Tuesdaysbetween 5and 7p.m., whenthe cost is $5per person or$4for DAC members. Thecenter is located at 802E.2nd Ave. in Durango, Colo.More info: 970-259-2606,artsforce.com or durango-arts.org.The Earthen Vessel: TheEarthen Vessel specializesin functional, handcraftedpottery. It’s located at 115W. 9th St. in Durango, Colo.More info: 800-884-1281,970-247-1281or earthen-vessel.com.Feat of Clay: The Featof Clay Artist’s Co-op isa collection of local FourCorners artists. The work atthe gallery includes pottery,jewelry, paintings, cards andmixed media pieces. TheFeat of Clay Artists’ Co-op islocated at 107S. Main Ave.in Aztec. Regular hours are10a.m. to 5p.m. Wednesdaythrough Saturday. More info:505-334-4335or 505-334-3014.The Henderson Fine Artsart gallery: The gallery islocated inside the HendersonFine Arts Center at San JuanCollege, 4601College Bou-levard in Farmington. Galleryhours are 10a.m. to 7p.m.,Monday through Thursday,and 10a.m. to 5p.m., Friday.More info: 505-566-3464.Karen Gabaldon Fine ArtsGallery: Karen GabaldonFine Arts Gallery is locatedat 680Main Ave., Durango,Colo. The gallery displayscontemporary paintingsof the area by artist KarynGabaldon, as well as finepottery, glass and jewelry.It is open 10a.m. to 9p.m.More info: 970-247-9018orkaryngabaldon.com.K.K.Walling Studio/Gal-lery: Painter K.K. Wallingworks in oil and watercolor, aswell as other media includ-

ing fibers. Her studio/gallery,located at 501Airport Drive,Suite 121, in Farmington, isopen for the public from 11a.m. to 5p.m. Thursdays, orby appointment. More info:505-360-0734.Open Shutter Gallery: TheOpen Shutter Gallery is lo-cated at 755E. Second Ave.in Durango, Colo. More info:970-382-8355or opens-huttergallery.com.A Shared Blanket: A SharedBlanket hosts originalartwork by local artistsand native Americans fromAlaska to Florida. Navajorugs, pottery, books, jewelry,fetishes, sculpture, artifacts,ceremonial pieces, flutesand knives are on display.The gallery is located at 736Main Ave. in Durango, Colo.,and is open 10a.m. to 6p.m.,Monday through Saturday,and 11a.m. to 4p.m., Sunday.More info: 970-247-9210Sorrel Sky Gallery: The gal-lery is located at 870MainAve. in Durango, Colo. Moreinfo: 970-247-3555or 866-878-3555.Silver Maple Studio: SilverMaple Studio features theart work of potter ToniTrosky. Her work is availableat the studio/gallery at 326N. Mesa Ave. in Aztec or atFeat of Clay Gallery, 107S.Main St. in Aztec. For moreinformation call Toni at 505-330-0875or email [email protected] 116: The studioprovides art classes forboth kids and adults, as wellas art parties. The art ofKaren Ellsbury and CrystalHazen, the photography ofPatrick Hazen, sterling silverjewelry from the EllsburySilversmiths are displayed.The gallery is located at 116W. Main St. in Farmington.Adult Art classes are Wed& Thurs, held from 6p.m. to8:30p.m. Wednesday andThursday. Kids Art classesare held from 11a.m. to noonon Saturday. Couples par-ties are the held at 6p.m.the third Saturday of eachmonth. More info: 505-801-5889

Toadlena Trading Post:The Historic ToadlenaTrading Post and Museumhosts “The Master WeaversExhibit,” featuring the workof Navajo weavers from theToadlena/Two Grey Hillsregion at the post. Locatedone hour south of Shiprockon U.S. Highway 491. Moreinfo: 505-789-3267or toad-lenatradingpost.com.Three Rivers Arts Center:TRAC is a local nonprofit artcollective featuring worksof local member artists andoffering classes in art. Thegallery, featuring everythingfrom fine silver jewelry toyard art, is open from 10a.m.to 5p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday. The gallery is lo-cated at 109N. Allen Ave. inhistoric downtown Farming-ton. info: 505-716-7660.Wal-Art Gallery: The Wal-Art Gallery is located at 422W. Main St. in Farmington.Its hours are 9a.m. to 6p.m.,Monday through Friday, and10a.m. to 5p.m., Saturday.More info: 505-327-3336.

WRITINGGROUPS

The San JuanWritersCritique Group: The SanJuan Writers Critique Groupmeets at 6:30p.m. onWednesdays. Info: GloriaO’Shields, 505-326-6824.Cortez ChristianWriters:The Cortez Christian Writersmeet the second Saturdayof each month, except forDecember, at the CortezLibrary. Info: Connie Peters,970-564-9449.Durango Inkslingers: TheDurango Inkslingers meet thethird Wednesday of everymonth at 5:30p.m., exceptfor December and summermonths, at the Durango ArtsCenter. More info: JoyceAlexander, [email protected] Trois Riviere FictionWriters: The Trois RiviereFiction Writers meet thethird Saturday of everymonth, except for Decem-ber, at the FarmingtonCivic Center. More info: LindaCrockett, 505-325-2473.

Four Corners arts


THE ANNUAL RECYCLEDART SHOW AT FEAT OFCLAY GALLERYInformation: Entries arebeing sought for this showtaking place April 24-May16at the Feat of ClayGallery, 107S. Main St. inAztec. The show helps cel-ebrate Earth Day. An artistreception will kick off theshow at 5p.m. April 24.Requirements: All workmust include a minimumof 70percent recycledmaterials, and the materi-als must be repurposed,meaning they must beused for something otherthan what they originallywere intended. Artworkmust be accompanied byan inventory sheet include-ing title, price and media.A gallery contract mustbe signed when the workis dropped off. Work mustbe at the gallery between10a.m. and 5p.m. April 15through April 18. Call FinoaClarke at 505-326-5162or 505-320-4591for moreinformation.

GATEWAY TO IMAGINA-TION — A NATIONAL JU-RIED ART COMPETITIONInformation: The Farm-ington Museum at GatewayPark is calling for entriesfor this show running May9-July 11at the museum.The deadline for entries isMarch 14.Requirements: All mediawill be accepted, and thecompetition is opn toartists 18years and older.Entries can be submittedonline at www.fmtn.org/museums or by mail tothe Farmington Museumat Gateway Park, 3041E.Main St., Farmington, NM87401. The cost for entryis $35for two artworks. Toenter, fill out an entry formand submit digital imagesof the work created afterJanuary 2014. Cash prizestotaling $2,750will beawarded. A lecture by jurorStephanie L. Taylor, a ten-ured assistant professor ofmodern and contemporary

art history at New MexicoState University. There willbe a reception and a lectureby Taylor on Saturday, May16.

THE 29TH ANNUALRIVERFEST FINE ARTSSHOW— FARMINGTONInformation: This juriedshow sponsored by theNorthwest New MexicoArts Council features only20booths located insidea large tent. The applica-tion process is open to allartists working in variousmedia residing in NewMexico, Colorado, Utah orArizona. The show takesplace May 22-24in BergPark along the AnimasRiver, attracting thou-sands of visitors. Pick up aprospectus from Flo Trujilloat the Farmington Library,2101Farmington Ave., ordownload one online athttp://www.nwnmac.orgor send a self-addressedstamped envelope to NWN-MAC, Attn: Riverfest FineArts Show, P.O. Box 2235,Farmington, NM 87499oremail a request to [email protected]. CallTim Gordon at 505-486-0403or email [email protected].

THE CAPACITY BUILD-ERS N.A.T.I.V.E. PROJ-ECTInformation: All NativeAmerican artists and arti-sans are invited to apply forgrants of up to $400to payfair, festival and art showbooth fees and applicationfees. Funds are sponsoredby the Administration forNative Americans. Theproject also offers artsdevelopment assistancethrough mentorships,workshops and microloans,and is creating a dedicatedwebsite showcasing qual-ity work. Email Kahlaya [email protected], call 505-326-4245orvisit capacitybuilders.info/native to learn more.

FEAT OF CLAY GALLERY— AZTECInformation: Feat of ClayArtists Co-op Gallery iscurrently looking for localartists to become newmembers. Just drop twoto three pieces of your art-work by Feat of Clay, and, ifapproved, you are in. Eachmember is asked to workseveral shifts each monthat the gallery, depending onyour availability; pay a smallcommission on each pieceof artwork sold, and attendmonthly art shows.Shows: Feat of Clay is alsolooking for featured artistsfor its monthly shows thisyear. Each show has anopening reception, featurestwo to three artists and willrun for approximately threeweeks. All artwork must befor sale, with 40percent ofthe proceeds going to thegallery.The gallery: Feat of ClayGallery is located at 107S. Main Ave. in Aztec. Itshours are 10a.m. to 5p.m.Wednesday through Sat-urday. For more informa-tion regarding the showsor becoming a member ofFeat of Clay, please call505-334-4335, or 505-320-6598.

DAILY TIMES COMMU-NITY CENTER ART GAL-LERY — FARMINGTONInfo: The Daily Times islooking for artists to fea-ture in monthly exhibits inour Community Center. Anymedium is considered fordisplay. For more informa-tion about The Daily TimesCommunity Center ArtGallery, call 505-64-4652or stop by 201N. Allen Ave.between 8a.m. and 5p.m.Monday through Friday.Questions: Call HannahGrover at 505-564-4652or email [email protected] or [email protected]: To submitart for consideration, emailJPG photos to [email protected].

Call to artists

ByRogerMooreTribune News Service

The clash of cultures hasbeen rubbed off the mari-golds in “The Second BestExotic Marigold Hotel.”Most of the characters areback— those who didn’t dieoff — in this sequel comedyabout British retirees luredto India where their moneygoes further and the elderlyare, as a general rule, re-vered rather than cast aside.But they’ve all turned so ...nice.

Maggie Smith’s once rac-ist retiredmaid has becomethe sweet mouthpiece forExotic Marigold Hotel op-erator Sonny (Dev Patel) asthey pitch their idea of out-sourced old folks’ homes toan American conglomerate(David Strathhairn is theCEO).

Gentle Douglas (BillNighy) is finally rid of hisshrew of a wife (PenelopeWilton). But he still hasn’tthe nerve to confess his lovefor Evelyn (Judi Dench).Madge (Celia Imrie) is stillflirting and dating with amercenary eye toward beingtaken care of, Carol (DianaHardcastle) is still carryingon with Norman (RonaldPickup) at The Viceroy ex-pats club, though Normanhas been thinking aboutcommitment.

But the artifice shows, thecuteness strains to not be-come overbearing in this se-quel, an overlong film filledto the rimwith pithy advicefrom the elders.

“The distance betweenwhat we want and what wefear is the width of an eye-lash.”

“You only make progresswhen you stick your neckout.”

That’s what Sonny is do-

ing, sticking his neck out.He needs backing to buya bankrupt second ho-tel, allowing him to ex-pand. He is closing in onhis long-planned weddingto Sunaina (Tina Desai).But a dashing, rich friend(Shazad Latif) of her broth-er’s is thwarting him at ev-ery turn. Sonny needs to im-press someone the Amer-icans have sent to inspecthis operation. And Sonnyis sure this secret inspectoris the “writer” who checksin. He’s played by Indo-phile Richard Gere, whichis probably why this writerimmediately sets his capfor Sonny’s mom (LilleteDubey).

The film is all contriv-ances, as Norman worriesthat he’s accidentally putout a hit on Carol with aconfused tuk tuk (auto-rick-shaw) driver, Sonny “pimpsout” his mother and mis-taken identities worthy offarce, but not that funny,are introduced.

The pall of death is castaside for this sequel, as Ev-elyn considers a late-life ca-reer as a textile buyer, andDouglas, Madge and otherskeep their eyes on the future— future love, future secu-rity and the like.

Director John Maddenand his crew make Indiathe most alluring, scrub-bing any hint of squalorfrom Jaipur, and filming inthe cooler months. Nobodysweats.

That means that thistime, this “Exotic” hotel ismore a place to check intobriefly, in passing, and notthe sort of place you’d wantto lose yourself in.

In Film

Second ‘Hotel’ visitisn’t nearly as Exotic’

★★Cast:Maggie Smith, JudiDench and Dev PatelRated: PGRunning time: 122minutes

THE SECOND BEST EXOTICMARIGOLD HOTEL

FOX SEARCHLIGHT/TNS — LAURIE SPARHAM

Judi Dench as Evelyn Greenslade, Bill Nighy as DouglasAinslie; and Diana Hardcastle as Carol in “The Second BestExotic Marigold Hotel.”


ByMike [email protected];@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> Over thelast year, San Juan Collegetheater instructor MollieMook-Fiddler has directedtwo productions for theschool on wildly disparatesubject matter and mood.

The first was “The Lara-mie Project,” an intensedramatization of the after-math to the notorious 1998murder of a gay Universityof Wyoming student. Thesecond was “James and theGiant Peach,” a children’sfantasy based on a novel ofthe same name by Britishauthor Roald Dahl.

Having staked out thoseopposite ends of the spec-trum, Mook-Fiddler wasready to try her hand atsomething closer to the

middle, which explains whyshe’s helming the school’sproduction of the well-known musical “The Fan-tasticks” opening tonightin the Little Theatre on theSJC campus in Farmington.

“I’ve been doing this fora lot of years, but this isthe first musical I’ve done,”she said. “I’ve done a lot ofShakespeare, classical andcontemporary productions,but never this. This hasbeen a lot of fun for me.”

Fun, yes, but also re-warding, she noted.

“I enjoy edgier work, andthis has a message to it,” shesaid. “It’s entertaining, butat the end of the day, there’ssome resonance about thehuman condition.”

“The Fantasticks,” writ-ten by Tom Jones and Har-vey Schmidt, had a 50-year

THEATER


Mike Hattabaugh, left, Paul Stewart III and Tim Bagleyact out a scene from ‘The Fantasticks’ last weekduring rehearsal at San Juan College in Farmington.

Director Mollie Mook-Fiddler, bottom, talks to her castlast week during a rehearsal for ‘The Fantasticks’ atSan Juan College in Farmington.

OUTTHEREIN THEMIDDLE

SJC theater instructor directs first musicalwith production of ‘The Fantasticks’

MIDDLE >> PAGE 13


engagement in Manhattan,making it the world’s lon-gest-running musical. Afilm version was made in1995 starrring Joel Grey,though it wasn’t releasedfor several years. In spiteof that, Mook-Fiddler saidshe had no reservationsabout taking on directo-rial duties for a show withthat degree of audience fa-miliarity.“I don’t think this one is

well known,” she said. “Ihaven’t talked to a singleperson in Farmington whohas seen it.”The SJC production will

feature a mix of studentsand longtime local ac-tors. The lead female rolewill be filled by SJC stu-dent Jazmine Torres, whoalso had the female leadin Mook-Fiddler’s produc-tion of “James and the Gi-ant Peach.”“She’s a delightful up-

and-comer, a bit of an in-genue,” Mook-Fiddler said.The narrator’s role will

be filled by Paul StewartIII, a Sandstone Produc-tions veteran who handledthe lead in that compa-ny’s recent productions of“Footloose” and “Grease.”Other cast members in-

clude Michael Hattabaugh,an assistant professor ofcommunication at the col-lege, as well as Tim Bagleyand Bear Schacht.“So, we’ve got a talented

group of people,” she said.As for her own role in

the production, Mook-Fid-dler said the beauty of di-recting a play comes inbringing a fresh interpre-tation to it. That processalways follow the samestructure for her.“I have to read the script

about 20 times,” she said.“Then, I write down whatI think the script is sayingdeep down. Then I get to-gether with my productionteam. In this case, I thinkthe theme is about lookingat the world through rose-

colored glasses, so we’retrying to bring that to lifethrough color schemes.We’re not going out of ourway to be different fromthe Broadway production,but we are using color andwhat we’ve done with theset. And our interpretationof the characters might bedarker than the original.”Mook-Fiddler said “The

Fantasticks” is a very ac-cessible piece that never-theless plumbs consider-able depths by the time itconcludes.“The characters are one

dimensional at first — al-most biblical,” she said.That quickly changes

as the play’s message un-folds, which Mook-Fiddlerdescribed as an examina-tion of true love — in thiscase, between two neigh-bors who are manipulatedinto a relationship by theirfathers. The early stagesof romantic relationships,she said, are riddled withillusions, but as time goesby, those façades fall away“and we see who we’re re-ally dealing with. We seethe true nature of what ittakes to love someone.”That’s not the stereotyp-

ical Hollywood ending, ofcourse, but Mook-Fiddlerbelieves it has an almostuniversal ring to it.“I think most people will

recognize their own jour-ney,” she said.


Jazmine Torres and Paul Stewart III act out a scene lastweek during rehearsal for ‘The Fantasticks’ at San JuanCollege in Farmington.

Doug Gonzalez, Bear Schacht and Mike McDonald act outa scene last week during rehearsal for ‘The Fantasticks’ atSan Juan College in Farmington.


Mike Hattabaugh, left, Bear Schacht and Tim Bagley hold Jazmine Torres last week during a dress rehearsal for ‘TheFantasticks’ at San Juan College in Farmington.

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What: The San Juan CollegeTheatre production of “TheFantasticks”When: 7p.m. today, Fridayand Saturday, and 2p.m.Sunday. Also presented at 7p.m. March 13-14and 2p.m.March 15Where: The Little Theatreon the San Juan Collegecampus in FarmingtonTickets: $10for adults, $8for seniors and studentsFor more information: Call505-566-3430

IF YOU GO



FARMINGTON >> Learning ina sterile classroom atmo-sphere is a proposition thatputs off many folks, partic-ularly those steeped in cre-ative impulses. That’s whyBrian Killegrew believesthe newly opened MancosSchool of the West in Man-cos, Colo., will have an ap-peal for would-be artiststhat traditional art schoolscan’t provide.Killegrew, who serves

as the coordinator, saidthe school does not offer abricks-and-mortar settingand has no headquarters.Instead, the artists wholead the classes will do sofrom the comfort of theirown studios or in the sce-nic natural surroundingsoutside Mancos, a smallvillage located on U.S. 160between Durango and Cor-tez and situated just belowMesa Verde National Park.“These are generally in-

studio workshops, meaningthe student gets the chanceto take classes with an art-ist in the workshop wherethey create their ownwork,”Killegrew said. “There’ssomething about watchingsomeone who’s really goodat what they do working intheir own space. It’s an en-vironment that’s going to be

very intimate and very cre-ative.”Killegrew and a steering

committee picked up on theoriginal idea for the schoolthat was hatched by localartists Betsy Harrison andDian Law several years ago.“For some reason, the

timing wasn’t right (then),”Killegrew said.But the dozens of artists

who inhabit the town now—Killegrew said the villageis reputed to havemore art-ists per capita than any-where in the world, withan estimated 20 percent ofits population of approxi-mately 1,300 people identi-fying as such— have joinedforces to make the long-en-visioned school a reality.The first Mancos School ofthe West workshop, an in-troduction to basic weav-ing, begins Saturday, andvarious other offerings fol-low in such creative pur-suits as writing, music,painting, blacksmithing,pottery, fabric dying— evenfly tying.“We have somuch talent,

we thought, ‘Why not putsome of that talent to use?’”Killegrew said. “We’re try-ing to make it a kind of per-sonal experiencewhere peo-ple will leave happy.”Organizers know the

Mancos market isn’t nearlybig enough to sustain thenew school, so they’re

counting heavily on draw-ing students from sur-rounding communities —including Farmington — tomake their endeavor a suc-cess.“We’re close enough so

that our interests overlap,”Killegrew said of the townsscattered around the FourCorners.Killegrew is a relative

newcomer to the area, hav-ing moved to Mancos onlythree years ago from NewYork. But as a large-for-mat photographer, he hadbeen visiting the town andits surroundings for severalyears before that, capturingits vistas on film.“The Four Corners area is

made for art,” he said. “Thewhole area is inspiring.”Another element that

led to the creation of theschool is the town of Man-cos’ candidacy for designa-tion as an official ColoradoCreative District, a govern-ment program designed toencourage the proliferationof such districts in commu-nities across the state, help-ing towns grow their localeconomy and improve theirquality of life.“We’re by far the small-

est town that’s being con-sidered,” Killegrew said.It has taken Killegrew

and others involved in thecreation of the school sixmonths to reach this jump-

ARTS EDUCATION

COURTESY PHOTO

David Nighteagle teaches a course in Native American fluteApril 11-12at the Mancos School of the West.

Veryl Goodnight will teachsculpting and plein airpainting classes at thenewly opened MancosSchool of the West.

What: Fundraiser for theMancos School of the Westfeaturing a wine tasting andhors d’oeuvresWhen: 5-8tonightWhere: Olio, 114W. GrandAve. in Mancos, Colo.Cost: $25donationFor more information: Call970-533-1381. For more in-formation about the school,visit schoolofthewest.org.

IF YOU GO

‘Very intimateand

very creative’Mancos School of the West organizers hopeto attract students with a new approach

ing-off point. The schoolhas 15 instructors linedup and has achieved non-profit status. Its first fun-draiser will be held inMancos tonight, and Kil-legrew looks forward tousing the event as an op-portunity to give manypeople their introductionto the project.He envisions a day

when the school addsto its website a physi-cal headquarters whereit can greet visitors anddispense information,as well as a time whenthe Mancos School ofthe West can expand itsworkshop offerings to in-clude artists and studiosin Cortez, Durango andFarmington.“This is just the be-

ginning,” he said. “Whoknows how long it willtake to get it runningwell?”

Mike Easterling is thenight editor of TheDaily Times. He can bereached at 505-564-4610.

ALLEN8

THE LAZARUSEFFECT:Daily at 2:10p.m., 4:20p.m.,6:30p.m. and 8:35p.m.,and Sat.-Sun. at noon.The film follows a group ofmedical students who dis-cover a way to bring deadpatients back to life. PG13CHAPPIE: Daily at 3:20p.m., 6:10p.m. and 8:55p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at12:30p.m. In the nearfuture, crime is patrolledby an oppressive mecha-nized police force. Whenone police droid, Chappie,is stolen and given newprogramming, he becomesthe first robot with theability to think and feel forhimself. RFOCUS: Daily at 2:20p.m.,4:50p.m., 7:20p.m. and9:55p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at11:50a.m.Will Smith playsa con man who becomesromantically involved witha novice con artist (MargotRobbie), only to break upwhen she gets too close.Three years later, he isthrown off his game whenhis former flame shows upin Buenos Aires. Compli-cating matters even more,each of them is workingseparate — but equallyelaborate — cons, both tar-geting the same billionaireinternational race car teamowner (Rodrigo Santoro). RKINGSMAN, THESECRETSERVICE: Daily at 3:40p.m., 6:40p.m. and 9:30p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at12:50p.m. A spy organiza-tion recruits an unrefined,but promising street kidinto the agency’s ultra-competitive training pro-gram just as a global threatemerges from a twistedtech genius. RAMERICANSNIPER: Dailyat 3:50p.m., 6:50p.m. and9:50p.m., and Sat.-Sun.at 12:40p.m. Navy SEALsniper Chris Kyle’s pinpointaccuracy saves countlesslives on the battlefield andturns him into a legend.Back home to his wife andkids after four tours of duty,

Nowplaying

NOW >> PAGE 15


however, Chris finds thatit is the war he can’t leavebehind. RSPONGEBOBMOVIE: In2D daily at 1:40p.m., 4p.m.,6:20p.m. and 8:45p.m.,and Sat.-Sun. at 11:15a.m.SpongeBob SquarePants, theworld’s favorite sea-dwellinginvertebrate, comes ashore toour world for his most super-heroic adventure yet. PGTHEDUFF: Daily at 2a.m.,4:30p.m., 7:10p.m. and 9:40p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at 11:30a.m. A high school seniorinstigates a social peckingorder revolution after findingout that she has been labeledthe DUFF (Designated UglyFat Friend) to her prettiermore popular friends. PG13UNFINISHEDBUSINESS:Daily at 2:30p.m., 4:40p.m.,7p.m. and 9:15p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at 12:10p.m. A hard-working small business owner(Vince Vaughn) and his twoassociates (TomWilkinson,Dave Franco) travel to Europeto close the most importantdeal of their lives. But whatbegan as a routine busi-ness trip goes off the railsin every imaginable — and un-imaginable —way, includingunplanned stops at a massivesex fetish event and a globaleconomic summit. R

ANIMAS10

SPONGEBOBMOVIE: In 3Ddaily at 9:10a.m. In 2D daily at1:50p.m., 4:15p.m. and 6:45p.m., and Fri.-Sun. 11a.m.SpongeBob SquarePants, theworld’s favorite sea-dwellinginvertebrate, comes ashore toour world for his most super-heroic adventure yet. PGAMERICANSNIPER: Daily3:20p.m., 6:25p.m. and 9:25p.m., and Fri.-Sun. at 12:20p.m. Navy SEAL sniper ChrisKyle’s pinpoint accuracysaves countless lives on thebattlefield and turns him intoa legend. Back home to hiswife and kids after four toursof duty, however, Chris finds

that it is the war he can’tleave behind. RHOTTUBTIMEMACHINE2:Daily at 2:50p.m., 5:15p.m.,7:30p.m. and 9:50p.m., andFri.-Sun. at 12:30p.m.WhenLou finds himself in trouble,Nick and Jacob fire up thehot tub timemachine in anattempt to get back to thepast. But they inadvertentlyland in the future with AdamJr. Now they have to alter thefuture in order to save thepast —which is really thepresent. RFIFTYSHADESOFGREY:Daily at 1:40p.m., 4:25p.m.,7:10p.m. and 9:55p.m.,and Fri.-Sun. at 10:55a.m.Literature student AnastasiaSteele’s life changes foreverwhen she meets handsome,yet tormented, billionaireChristian Grey. RKINGSMAN, THESECRETSERVICE: Daily at 3p.m.,6:15p.m. and 9:20p.m., andFri.-Sun. at 11:50a.m. A spyorganization recruits an un-refined, but promising streetkid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training pro-gram just as a global threatemerges from a twisted techgenius. RTHESEVENTHSON: In 2Ddaily at 2:10p.m., 4:40p.m.,7:05p.m. and 9:40p.m., andFri.-Sun. at 11:20a.m. YoungThomas is apprenticed to thelocal Spook to learn to fightevil spirits. His first greatchallenge comes when thepowerful Mother Malkin es-capes her confinement whilethe Spook is away. PG13PROJECTALAMANAC:

Daily at 2p.m., 4:30p.m., 7p.m. and 9:30p.m., and Fri.-Sun. at 11:30a.m. A brillianthigh school student and hisfriends uncover blueprints fora mysterious device with lim-itless potential, inadvertentlyputting lives in danger. PG13THEWEDDINGRINGER:Daily at 2:30p.m., 4:55p.m.,7:20p.m. and 10p.m., andFri.-Sun. at noon. Doug Harris(Josh Gad) is a loveable butsocially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he hasno best man. With less thantwo weeks to go until thewedding, Doug is referred toJimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart),owner and CEO of Best ManInc., a company that pro-vides flattering best men forsocially challenged guys inneed. What ensues is a hilari-ous wedding charade as theytry to pull off the big con,and an unexpected buddingbromance between Doug andhis fake best man Jimmy. RMCFARLANDUSA: Daily at3:40p.m., 6:35p.m. and 9:35p.m., and Fri.-Sun. at 12:40p.m. A cross-country coach ina small California town trans-forms a team of athletes intochampionship contenders. PGJUPITERASCENDING: In3D daily at 6:05p.m. In 2Ddaily at 3:10p.m. and 9p.m.,and Fri.-Sun. at 12:10p.m. Ina bright and colorful future,a young destitute caretakergets targeted by a ruthlessson of a powerful family thatlive on a planet in need of anew heir, so she travels with agenetically engineered warriorto the planet in order to stophis tyrant reign.

Nowplaying

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The ‘Nocturnes’ exhibition of oilpaintings by Kyle Ragsdale featuresfigures set in both day and night scenes.


FARMINGTON >> Despite thename of the show, the works in-cluded in artist Kyle Ragsdale’s“Nocturnes” exhibition openingFriday in the Henderson FineArts Gallery at San Juan Collegeare as different as day and night— literally.

The more than two dozen oilsfeatured in the show are split al-most evenly between day andnight scenes, though both featuregroups of figures in exterior set-tings. The key difference betweenthe two sets, he said, is what hechose to concentrate on.

“In the daylight, the landscapeis way more important to them,”he said. “The people are more the

focus in the night paintings.”Ragsdale, a Farmington na-

tive who has been living in In-diana since 1993, began creatingthe collection last fall while serv-ing a residency in Johnson, Vt.He started working from pho-tos taken with his iPhone, paint-ing the scenes in an “expressive,slightly wild” style, as he put it.The night group featured verydim,mostly artificial lighting andtight color ranges.

“That body of work seems like

you’re on the outside of the crowdlooking in, not really a part of it,”he said.

The day scenes, of course,strike an opposing chord andfeel much more inviting, thoughboth groups have a strong dream-like quality. Taken as a whole, thecollection is substantially differ-ent from the work Ragsdale typi-cally shows at Farmington’s Arti-facts Gallery, which he describedas Romantic in nature, “womenin big dresses. This is more natu-ral, so it’s a departure.”

That was intentional, the art-ist said, hinting that his work wasbeginning to feel stale to him.The pieces he created for “Noc-turnes” turned out to be the sparkhe needed.

“I kind of wanted to make achange,” he said. “But I didn’tknow exactly how. Actually, justchanging the way the paintingswere made was exciting enoughto keep me going. If you don’tshift or change, you get boredwith your work.”

The works certainly caught

the eye of Patrice DeLorenzo, theHenderson’s interim gallery di-rector.

“His work is very expressive,”she said. “The day and nightscenes have a very mysteriousquality. There’s a real differentfeel to the paintings.

“The thing I like about beingable to do a different show ev-ery month is the feel of the gal-lery changes,” she said. “This willhave a very different feel becauseof the nocturnal characters.”

DeLorenzo found herself espe-cially drawn to that set of paint-ings and believes other viewerswill be, as well.

“Most of the characters are fac-ing away ... It leads you into ask-ing, ‘What’s the story here?’” shesaid. “They’re quite interesting,with the darkness of the colorsof the pieces, in a positive way.”

Ragsdale, who visits Farm-ington periodically to see his fa-ther, was introduced to DeLo-renzo a couple of years ago, andit didn’t take the two of them longto agree on the idea of Ragsdale

doing an exhibition at the college.The prospect certainly appealedto the artist, who left Farming-ton after his junior year in highschool andmoved to Texas, wherelater he got his bachelor’s degreein painting from Baylor and hismaster’s degree in fine arts fromSouthernMethodist University. Inrecent years, he had been show-ing his work at Artifacts, but hisfather encouraged the idea of himdoing a full exhibition here. Rags-dale is a well-known and highlyregarded artist in the Indianap-olis area, where he serves as thecurator at the Harrison Center forthe Arts, but he understood thatmost of the acquaintances he stillhas in Farmington had never hadthe chance to see a lot of his work.

Now they will. Out of all that,“Nocturnes” was born, and theartist will join his work here forthe opening reception for theshow on Friday, March 13.

Mike Easterling is the night ed-itor of The Daily Times. He canbe reached at 505-564-4610.

VISUALART

COURTESY IMAGE

Works by Farmington native Kyle Ragsdale are featured in his ‘Nocturnes’ exhibition openingFriday at the Henderson Fine Arts Gallery on the San Juan College campus in Farmington.

Farmington native and painter KyleRagsdale says the works included inhis ‘Nocturnes’ exhibition represent adeparture for him.

What: Opening reception for“Nocturnes,” an art exhibition byKyle RagsdaleWhen: 5p.m. Friday, March 13.The exhibition opens Friday andcontinues through March 27Where: Henderson Fine ArtsGallery on the San Juan Collegecampus, 4601College Blvd. inFarmingtonAdmission: FreeFor more information: Call 505-566-3464

IF YOU GO

STRIKING SPARKSArtist Kyle Ragsdalegot out of his rutwith the works in his‘Nocturnes’ exhibition


The Daily Times A&E: March 5 to 11

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