Art for Everyone! is happening
Running weekly every Tuesday until Christmas, the QCC is offering a multi-generational clay class. The focus is on pottery production, which will include hand-building techniques like slab, coil, and sculpture. All levels are welcome.
We meet from 3:30-5:30 in the Questa Youth Center Art Room. The suggested donation is $3 per viisit for QCC members and $5 for non-members. For more information, please email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com.
All are welcome! Please note: children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Donations needed for the clay room:
- Empty and clean yogurt/cottage cheese containers with lids
- Approximately 1’ x 1’ wood boards
- Approximately 1’ x 1’ sheetrock boards
- Sponges, paper towels, plastic bags
- Large 5-gallon buckets
- Canvas or cotton material pieces (old sheets)
- Clay tools, stamps
- Floor mop
- Spray bottles
- Folding Chairs (20)
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Make Clay Stuff!
Peggy will be working at the Questa Library the third Friday of the month, from 1 to 3 pm, to help with the Library Friday art for youth. This fall the focus is clay.
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Annual Member Meeting is
Wednesday, Oct. 23
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Wednesday, October 23, 5 pm at the Questa Youth Center (by the library)
As another successful event season ends, we’re addressing our non-profit’s growth and are planning some changes for 2020.
- We are hoping to hire an Executive Director and a Bookkeeper as well as applying for a Vista Volunteer.
- The term limits of our founding board members are coming to an end so we will also be seeking new members and volunteers.
- Two of our signature events will go to a bi-yearly rotation. NeoRio will start the rotation, in 2020, while Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival will be held in 2021
GOALS
As you know, nothing is for certain, but here is a preview of what we'd like to see happen in our next four years:
2020 Programs & Events
- NeoRio
- Questa Chamber Music Series
- Questa Studio Tour
- Library Fridays
- Art Tuesdays at the Youth Center
- work toward implementing a member gallery
- complete entry signs and banners
- possible mural
2021 Programs & Events
- Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival
- Questa Chamber Music Series
- Questa Studio Tour
- Library Fridays
- Art Tuesdays at the Youth Center
- Member Gallery
- Questa beautification project
2022 and 2023 will see this same schedule, with the rotation of NeoRio and WRPAF.
All this depends upon funding and man/woman power!
Join us to discuss these goals and needs. Lend your thoughts! Snacks will be served.
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Questa History Trail - Updates
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The trail is seeing progress! By the time you read this, the long-lasting signs should be installed. The bridge-building will take some time to complete for a fully walkable route, but this is well in the works. (If you’d like to help with construction, or if you have railroad ties you can donate to the cause, contact Mark Sideris. msideris@aol.com.) With this "soft opening" we will plan for a splash of publicity for next spring/summer.
We couldn’t have pulled off this legacy project without the support of our community. Thank you to all who have donated or lent your time!
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Our Summer and Fall Events Were a Success!
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All photos by Emily Wilde TOP: inside the tent, enjoying music. LEFT: Sarah Parker's "Elements of Community" RIGHT: dinner at the edge of the gorge
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Exploring Universal Elements at NeoRio
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It was a beautiful Fall day on Saturday, September 21 at Wild Rivers Montoso Campground as attendees explored the theme “Universal Elements” for LEAP’s 11th annual outdoor contemporary art celebration. The deep blue autumn sky overhead, sounds of the flowing Rio drifting up through the gorge, and comfortably cooler temperatures made it extra special. Performances and participatory installations included Cynthia Moku’s contemplative “One Continuous Gesture” community brushstroke performance; Laurianne Fiorentino’s concert exploring elements of the Periodic Table through music; and Sarah Parker’s fun collaborative, illustrated Periodic Table of Elements fabric installation. A bountiful locally sourced feast was prepared and served on site for all by Questa Farmers Market team and many volunteers, accompanied by soulful tunes from Justin Dean and Mark Dudrow, culminating with artist talks at dusk with hot chocolate and Flavio’s famous biscochitos. We had a more intimate crowd this year with approximately one third of folks joining us from within a 20-mile radius, and the other two-thirds from the Taos area and further afield New Mexico towns, cities, and surrounding states. Find more photos and description from the event soon at LEAPsite.org.
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Photo by Carrie Leven
Completing "One Continuous Gesture" performance, with Cynthia Moku
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S A V E T H E D A T E S !
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Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival - July 12-18, 2021
The Plein Air Festival will be changing its schedule to be a bi-yearly event. Because of the size of this event and the volunteers hours necessary to put on this event, the WRPA Committee has decided to skip 2020 and to start back up in 2021. The dates have been set for July 12-18, 2021. It will again be a 6-day festival with 4 days worth of events in Questa and two days in Red River.
This committee will start planning soon, even with the festival two years away. If you would like to be on the planning committee, please contact Peggy at wildriverspleinair@gmail.com.
Questa Studio Tour - planning meetings for 2020 start in December
Our Studio Tour committee recently met and 2019 stats were discussed. All attending members were happy with the results of the tour. Attendance was up by over 100 folks with a lot more local area folks visiting studios and hubs to support our artists. The artists surveys also mostly showed higher individual sales. Overall, the tour was a success and we, the QSAT committee, are very grateful for all the support and caring that was shown by the community and all the visitors.
We always need help with this project and if you are interested in helping, or joining the 2020 tour, please email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com. We will be starting our planning meetings in December.
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Live Classical Music Continues!
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Questa Chamber Music Series presented its first of three creative chamber music concerts on Aug. 31 at La Sala. The little yellow room was full of appreciative listeners, who were then treated to a tour of the renovations going on in the rest of the building. (Since then, La Sala has completed enough of its renovations to hold classes and concerts in the main large room!)
Two more concerts remain for the 2019-20 season. The series provides local classical musicians with a venue to perform outside of Taos or Alamosa and make Questa a music destination with its innovative “salon” format: concert pairings with a yoga class, local meal, and informal discussion/presentations.
A collaboration with the Questa School district for demonstrations and a small concert is hoped to be one of the concerts, in spring of 2020.
Contact Martha Shepp for more information at 575 776-7579.
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