Happy 2020 and Happy March!
Mark your calendars! Here are the events you can participate in and look forward to attending and creating with your Questa Creative Council this year!
"Art For All" Tuesdays at the Cisneros Youth & Family Center, every Tuesday from 3:30-5:30 pm
• March 3 & 10 - Clay
• March 17 & 24 - Printmaking
• March 31 - Traditional Lenten Foods Workshop
Library Fridays at the Questa Library, the 3rd Friday of every month - Youth Art
Salsa/Liszt Spring Thing! Chamber Music Series • Saturday, April 11
Questa Studio Arts Tour weekend of August 15 &16
NeoRio 2020 Saturday, Sept. 19
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Please help if you can, to spread the word!
The QCC has hired a bookkeeper but is still in need of a Treasurer. If you are comfortable with numbers and wish to support the arts, now’s your opportunity to fill a specific need! Our Treasurer is the go-between who presents the Bookkeeper’s budget reports to our Board, and oversees the use of our bank accounts. Your smarts will add to the skills of our Executive Board. If you’re interested, or have questions, please email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com
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Thank you, Questa community, for helping us give out 57 Art Kits to local youth! We were able to raise over $800 in donations at the end of last year to pay for supplies to make these kits. The kits were given out through the North Central Food Pantry, through the Library Fridays Program and just through the Library. The kits will help Questa youth be a little more creative throughout the year!
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Workshops for March
Art, and this month: food too!
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During March we will be switching things up for our Tuesday "Art for All" workshops. For the first two Tuesdays (March 3 & 10) we will be working with clay. On March 17 & 24, we will be offering reduction printmaking, focusing our imagery on your favorite birds and wildlife. All ages are welcome.
LENTEN FOODS: On March 31, we will offer a special workshop on Traditional Questa Lenten Foods. See below, more info.
All offerings are held at the Cisneros Youth & Family Center behind the Questa Library, on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 pm. For more information please email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com. Donations are appreciated.
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Historical Lenten Foods Revisited
Tuesday, March 31
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Come explore the traditional Questa Lenten foods of yesterday on Tuesday, March 31, starting at 3:30 pm at the Cisneros Youth & Family Center.
These early Questa Lenten dishes will be reintroduced through a workshop and recipe sharing. The workshop will cover 3-5 local traditional dishes. We will share samples, recipe cards, and offer step-by-step cooking instructions. This workshop will also offer traditional, local recipe sharing by participants, so if you have a favorite one to share, please bring it with you! We will have a copy machine available.
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Saturday, April 11
A Salsa-Liszt Spring Thing!
with Edwin Aybar
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Dance teacher Edwin Aybar in Puerto Rico - or maybe Cuba (top), teaching dance in the streets (lower left) and at his dance studio in Fargo ND (lower right).
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There's a new kid in town, a man as passionate about salsa dance as he is about the romantic composer Franz Liszt. He is also enchanted by New Mexico's hospitality, heart, and friendliness. Questa Music Series coordinator Martha Shepp met him on the piano bench last fall, as a co-pianist for a concert given by Taos Community Chorus. She invited him to share his loves and talents with Questa. Since La Sala has opened up the large room and the grand piano is there, we can host this fun unusual 3-part event spring event for many more than 20 persons, as was the case for holding concerts in La Sala's smaller yellow room for the last two years.
Edwin was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Minnesota when he was 13. He studied music at Wheaton University, obtained his masters degree in Piano Performance in St. Louis and obtained another masters in history in South Dakota. He later received a doctorate at NDSU in Fargo, ND, and opened up his own very popular dance studio there. He now teaches at Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM in the music department.
We'll start with a salsa lesson at 4:30 pm, enjoy refreshing specially themed foods for a meal, and he will perform selections from his favorite romantic composer, Franz Liszt at 6:30 pm.
WHEN: Saturday, April 11
Dance lesson at 4:30, followed by a themed meal (a little Liszt, a little Puerto Rico!)
Liszt piano music concert at 6:30
WHERE: La Sala, at 2331 Hwy 522
COST: $30 for the full event; $20 for dance lesson & meal; $15 concert only
RSVP: if you will partake of the meal part, RSVP to Martha at sheppmartha@gmail.com; (575) 776-7579
WHY: Questa Chamber Music Series presentation, a project partially funded by New Mexico Arts
La Sala hosts events and classes with health in mind, offering a beautiful space for dance, yoga, music, and workshops. We are grateful to owner Gaea McGahee for partnering in this food-dance-music event.
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Questa Studio Tour
August 15-16, 2020
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We are in the planning stages of the 2020 Questa Studio Tour. Last year we had over 45 artists participate and over 400 visitors. Look for the application flyers out around town soon.We always need help with this project so if you are interested in helping or joining the 2020 tour, please email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com.Remember to save the dates and come experience the arts in Questa!
More information and a new downloadable map-brochure will appear closer to summertime at questaartstour.com
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Artwork from last year's Questa Studio Tour by Monique Belitz (top), Armando Vigil (lower left), and Audrey Kunkel (lower right)
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NeoRio 2020
Saturday, September 19, 2020
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Scenes from last year's NeoRio. Top, the spectacular view; Left: artist talk by Cynthia Moku; Right, Elemental Table Exercise
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Montoso Campground, Wild Rivers, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument
Join in the 12th annual NeoRio outdoor contemporary art and community event! This year, artists and collaborators explore the rich theme of Home, encouraging all to consider its pervasive meanings and layers. Discover unique art installations and performances along the rim of the Rio Grande gorge; explore family-friendly activities; take in the afternoon poetry and music salon; and enjoy a delicious, farm-to-table feast, music, artist talks, evening campfire, and more. The combination of a sublime setting, experimental art, and community celebration makes for a fun and unique event! Event goes from 4 to 9 pm.
Contact Claire for more info or to volunteer: (575) 224-9066; emailforleap@gmail.com Or click here.
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NeoRio is organized by LEAP (Land, Experience and Art of Place, a program of Localogy) in partnership with the Questa Creative Council and hosted by the Bureau of Land Management’s Taos Field Office as a Public Lands Day event. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts with grants from Taos County, Chevron Questa Mine Grants for Good, and Questa Economic Development Fund and sponsorships from PPC Solar, Zia Event Design, North Star Toys, Questa Credit Union, Centinel Bank, Taos News, Beyond Taos, Questa Farmers Market, Walking Bear Farm, Cerro Vista Farm, individual donations and many volunteers.
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Beautification Around Questa
Lamp Post Banners
The first set is still up, showing St. Anthony Church retablos. The artist banners have been printed and are in storage in hopes of being hung soon! The Questa Economic Development Fund has been very supportive of this project in collaboration with the QCC.
Welcome Signs
We are so excited to report that the first of the Questa welcome signs are in production at this very moment! This has been a long process of collaboration between the QEDF and QCC. There have been some necessary changes along the way; our final sign design is a combination of the original entries received and is fabricated from wood instead of stone and metal, for safety reasons. The signs will have both carved and uncarved areas which will be stained or painted. We are hopeful that the first signs will be installed beginning in late spring on the south end of Questa, along Highway 522.
Questa History Trail
SAVE THE DATE: June 6 at 10:30 am. There will be a ribbon cutting and guided walk, as we celebrate the Grand Opening of the Questa History Trail, occurring on National Trails Day. This half-mile walk in the historic heart of Questa truly represents a microcosm of northern NM history... and while our team confirms plans into the future, remember you can enjoy the work of the Trail team by visiting their website at QuestaTrail.org. where you’ll find a wealth of local history that gives a deep and rich understanding of the topics introduced on the trail signs. If you’d like to help with this legacy project for the village, or perhaps have lumber, sand, or bricks to donate, contact Mark Sideris. at msideris@aol.com.
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How can you support projects like these into the future? Consider volunteering.
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Your help is most welcome as a volunteer or by submitting your own idea or project within the QCC.
Each of our events are in need of volunteers. Each volunteer position ranges from an hour to three or four. If you can give a little time, please let us know - just email us at questacreativecouncil@gmail.com.
Another way to support is through your dollars and membership. Please visit our website and donate there on the "Join" page or push our "join now" button below.
Your generosity has direct impact and is very much appreciated.
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