nurturing collaboration
Albuquerque Art Showcase to put spotlight on NM talent, give back to community
The idea for the Albuquerque Art Showcase began two years ago. The plan was to bring New Mexico’s artists together to showcase their works — in varying mediums.
The hard work is about to come to fruition; the Albuquerque Art Showcase will take place beginning Thursday, Aug. 15, at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The event will run through Monday, Aug. 19.
“We’ve been working on it for two years,” Roy Johnson says. “Why we created it is because it’s a fine arts show. It was also the first time that the art galleries were involved in getting it off the ground.”
The showcase will spotlight 125 New Mexico artists.
Johnson says the showcase has the backing of the New Mexico Watercolor Society, the New Mexico Pastel Society, the Rio Grande Arts Association and the
New Mexico Plein Air Painters.
The organizers worked diligently with Visit Albuquerque to find the right time and space.
The showcase will run at the same time as the Santa Fe Indian Market.
“We are wrapped around Indian Market weekend, and there have been studies that have shown that it’s the largest fine art weekend in New Mexico,” Johnson says. “We thought it was perfect timing to do the showcase when the built-in audience was already visiting the state. It’s something completely different. It’s so important that the city of Albuquerque helps us showcase the art that is being made here. The caliber and concentration of artists is at a high level.”
The showcase has also found a way to give back to the community.
Part of the gala proceeds and some of the artists’ proceeds will go toward The Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico, supporting Erin’s Place; and a college scholarship fund for New Mexico
child cancer survivors.
The Children’s Cancer Fund has been working to make sure that all children in New Mexico who are diagnosed with cancer have access to the best care.
The fund started in 1972, and it supports more than 300 children with cancer and their families.
Erin’s Place is a home away from home for kids with cancer and their families.
The Erin Trujeque Memorial Scholarship fund awards fouryear undergraduate scholarships and two-year graduate scholarships to children who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Trujeque died of cancer in 1985 at age 12.
“The amount of giving back that this program does is astonishing,” Johnson says. “It’s something that is very dear to my heart, and I get choked up about it.”
The 11th Annual Local Treasures Award Ceremony will also be included in the showcase.
Johnson says that the ceremony previously had been held at a later date but that organizers decided to include it in the showcase. The event will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18.
Johnson is grateful that the community has already embraced the planning of the Albuquerque Art Showcase.
He says the momentum built last summer when the galleries got involved.
“It’s really cool to have the community embrace it and see the artists coming together,” he says. “We want the event to become a premier art event, because we do have a high caliber of artists in this state.”