Out There!
Apr. 5—RANDOM ACT
Exhibition exposure
Young Curators is a free after-school program in which Santa Fe-area high school students collectively select a theme for an art exhibition, pick what pieces to include, and write critically about art and the exhibition.
The fruits of those labors will be shown during Contemporary Roots: New and Old Traditions, which has an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery.
Young Curators is facilitated by SITE Santa Fe. The curators for New and Old Traditions are Ainsley Drinkard, Ashley Loredo, Hanbi Park, Kaitlyn Loredo, Naeemah Thurman, Sara Barrionuevo, Sofia Garcia, and Tara Lujan-Baker. — Brian Sandford
Through April 19; Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery; 6401 Richards Avenue; 505-428-1501; sfcc.edu/offices/visual-arts-gallery/
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LISTEN UP
ABQ becomes Tinsley-town
details
* 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9
* Fusion
* 708 First Street NW, Albuquerque
* $27 in advance, $32 day of show
* 505-886-1251; ampconcerts.org
When blues stalwart Tinsley Ellis performed in Santa Fe in February 2023, it was in support of his acclaimed album Devil May Care, released a year earlier.
The prolific Georgia-based guitarist and singer returns to New Mexico with a new album to promote, and one might assume Naked Truth — billed as Ellis' first acoustic album — is an unplugged reimagining of some of the many songs he has written in a career spanning four decades. In fact, nine of the album's songs are new originals, and three are covers. Ellis recorded them live in studio, accompanied only by a guitar and a stompbox.
The lyrics to Devil in the Room, the first song released from Naked Truth, get to the point quickly:
It's time to go / I just can't take it no more
It's time to leave / You got bad tricks up your sleeve
Here come the doom / You put the devil in the room
Elllis, 66, also is prolific as a performer; he estimates he played more than 100 concerts in 2023. — B.S.
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POD PATROL
You Must Remember This
I recently heard on a podcast ... that Polly Platt, the first female production designer to be inducted into the Art Directors Guild, almost didn't get to work with Barbra Streisand on the film What's Up Doc?. The union president rejected Platt's application for membership into the union, despite her notable work on the 1972 best picture nominee and classic The Last Picture Show. At the time, Platt was married to director Peter Bogdanovich, and her accomplishments languished in the shadow of her husband, who was carrying on an affair with Picture Show actress Cybill Shepherd. Streisand wanted Platt to work on her upcoming film, What's Up, Doc?, but because it was a union show, Platt couldn't be hired. The union president eventually relented, and Platt went on to design Doc and several other films, including Paper Moon (1973) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987).
Podcaster and author Karina Longworth goes deep on Platt's illustrious career in her 10-part series that takes us through the ups and downs of what it was (is?) like as a woman to carve out a career in the male-dominated Hollywood film production world while raising a family and nursing a broken heart. Longworth's podcast offers exquisite storytelling by incorporating voices from fellow actors as well as archived interviews while plucking stories from behind the Hollywood scenes that you never knew you needed to know. Her tempo and overly precise speaking style occasionally veers into kindergarten teacher mode, but the content is packed with such well-documented facts and anecdotes that it's easy to overlook. The seasons are grouped by topics, ranging from an exploration of Disney's controversial 1946 partially animated film Song of the South to a series she bluntly calls Dead Blondes, which spotlights our fascination with the classic Hollywood starlets whose deaths were almost more notable than their careers. — Carolyn Graham
Listen up: "Polly Platt: The Invisible Woman Archive" (release date: July 28, 20202022). You Must Remember This episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most other platforms. Find complete show list and more information at youmustrememberthispodcast.com.
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LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
Expert advice
Clare Davidson, an acting coach, voice coach, and theater director, is based in London and Santa Fe. She worked from 1999 to 2008 in the Performing Arts Department of the College of Santa Fe.
She has held training sessions for Santa Fe Classic Theater before. The latest consists of two sessions, the morning one focused on vocals and open to the public. It's followed by an afternoon session coaching the cast of Twelfth Night, which is the theater's summer Shakespeare in the Garden offering. — B.S.
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7; Teatro Paraguas; 3205 Calle Marie; $30; santafeclassictheater.org
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IN GOOD TASTE
Brown and beckoning
With about 200 vendors, the Southwest Chocolate & Coffee Fest bills itself as the world's largest festival dedicated to chocolate, coffee, and gourmet foods.
Organizers say the event, in its 14th year, attracts nearly 25,000 visitors a year for tastings, classes and seminars, and live music. Those who buy tickets online get a free scoop of Blue Bell ice cream. — B.S.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7; Expo New Mexico; 300 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque; 505-933-8650; chocolateandcoffeefest.com
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EXHIBITIONISM
Free hotel stay for artworks
Art enthusiasts who haven't visited the Abiquiu Inn have a reason to change that, as it showcases artists in its gallery, its dining room, and the shop.
The latest offering, Colcha of New Mexico: The Legacy of Beatrice Maestas Sandoval, includes the namesake artist's colcha works, rugs, and tinwork. Colcha is a style of folk art embroidery unique to Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
The exhibition opened in March and was timed to coincide with Women's History Month. Maestas Sandoval still lives in the Las Vegas family home where she was born in 1947. — B.S.
Through April 30; 21120 U.S. Highway 84, Abiquiú; 505-685-4378; abiquiuinn.com
