Peñasco Artists host ‘Día de Los Muertos’
THIS YEAR WILL BE THE FIRST
“Dia de los Muertos” celebration & community art show in Peñasco at MAH Creative. MAH Creative is a new gallery and local gift shop opening right across from the Peñasco Post Office, in what was formerly Nancy McLendon’s “Walking Woman Art Gallery.” The gallery is being re-opened by Mary Arose Hines-Martinez, an artist and designer who recently moved to Peñasco with her husband, David Hines, director of the St. James Food Pantry in Taos. Mary has roots in this neck of the woods with her mother and grandparents originally from Llano Largo as heirs of the Santa Barbara Land Grant. “With the world getting crazier out there, I felt the desire to return to my roots. My family still owns property in Llano Largo, but the prospect of building there started to look pretty challenging in these unpredictable times, so on a whim we decided to look for homes in the Peñasco area and we found this one,” Mary said.
Robbie Puskarich from the Walking Rain Group of Coldwell Banker was owner of the property after Nancy passed away, and sold the home to Mary and David this summer. When Mary and David were first looking at the property which is a home with a gallery attached, Mary had a very emotional response. Mary states, “I could feel a very powerful light and energy inside of the gallery space. It was as if Nancy’s presence was still in the space, and the baton was now being passed to me.” It also turned out that Robbie is the president of the High Road Artisans and promised to include Mary in their annual studio tour when she was ready to open the gallery.
Mary has since decided to open the gallery with a “Day of the Dead” celebration on Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m. The inspiration came from visiting the local artists in the Peñasco area during the High Road Art Tour just a few weeks ago. Mary observed, “I realized that there was so much local talent in this area and very few spaces for artists to display their art year round. I had planned to open the gallery with a solo show on March 25 in 2023, but after seeing the awesome work of local artists here, I felt moved to open the gallery sooner and begin with displaying the community’s work.”
The response from the art community has been very encouraging. Joining the “Día de los Muertos” show this year are artists Rafa Tarín, Tomas Montaño, Jean Nichols, Nancy Davis and Lise Poulsen and many more artists from the Peñasco Artisan Collective. Jean Nichols, who formerly ran her “Art for the Heart” group in Nancy McLendon’s basement, will be returning with her group of artists to display their work inside of the new gallery. Mary is curating the show and will also be displaying some of her own art and installation work. “The show is a blend of fine art & folk art. We are working to provide art across the price spectrum, so that there is something here for everyone. Providing economic opportunities for local creative producers is one of the big goals, while having a venue to showcase what this community has to offer. For me it’s about diversity and empowering artists to express their unique perspectives, while also honoring the rich heritage of this place.”
Mary is inviting the community to come and participate in the show by bringing photos of their ancestors to place on the remembrance altars “Ofrendas,” as well as favorite foods to offer to the living and the dead. “Although Día de los Muertos is traditionally a Mexican holiday, I have seen my mother and many other people from New Mexico celebrate this tradition by creating altars of their loved ones in their homes during this time of year. I figured this would be a great opportunity for us to celebrate this tradition together as a community,” Mary says. The celebration on Nov. 1 starting at 5:30 p.m. should be one to be remembered with activities for the children including face-paint, hot cocoa and cider, marshmallow roasting, music and storytelling.
There will also be an official art opening happening on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 1-4 p.m. The show will run from Nov. 1 until Nov. 23, and the Gallery will be open primarily around the peak hours of the Sugar Nymphs Cafe. If you’re interested in seeing the show outside the celebration and opening, you can set up an appointment by calling 505-577-2066 or just stop by when you see the open sign! The gallery is located at 14197 NM 75, Peñasco.