Newsflash : Town of Taos theme for 2012 -- "The Remarkable Women of Taos"

Last fall Karen Young and I decided to offer a workshop at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House called “Meetings with Remarkable Women”, slated for next summer. Through Steve Parks, director of the Parks Gallery, we discovered that the Harwood Museum of Art had planned two exhibitions, Agnes Martin: Before the Grid and Bea Mandelman: Centennial for 2012. Subsequently, Karen and I hosted a brainstorming meeting with Steve; the Harwood’s director, Susan Longhenry; Janet Webb, owner of Webb Design; and Cathy Connelly, the Town of Taos Public Affairs & Tourism Director. As we talked, ideas grew up around historic and contemporary Taos women. We also discussed programming and promotion of the arts (Mabel would have liked this). Our conversation, and several anniversaries that coincide with New Mexico’s Centennial next year, culminated in the Town of Taos designating “The Remarkable Women of Taos” as its theme for 2012.

Mabel and Gisella Loeffler (right). Courtesy the Taos Historic Museums

Already other institutions of the Museum Association of Taos have scheduled exhibitions featuring Taos women for next year. They include Out of the Background – The Women Artists of Early Taos at the E.L. Blumenschein Home; Cultural Threads – Nellie Dunton and the Colcha Revival in New Mexico at the Hacienda de los Martinez; and Millicent Rogers & Her Circle and Unknown Was a Woman at the Millicent Rogers Museum. Steve Parks announced that in March 2012 Parks Gallery will show Melissa Zink Remembered, Paintings and Sculpture, 1975 to 2009.

An example of colcha embroidery, after 1870* Courtesy of the Millicent Rogers Museum 

Just last week our core group and some museum personnel met with representatives from Taos galleries and art organizations, the publicity team from the Town of Taos, and the New Mexico Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. These organizations are looking into exhibitions, lectures and other events that highlight creative women in Taos. While they design programs and events, we are inviting widespread participation drawing from the fields of education, history, agriculture and recreation in Taos. Looks like 2012 will be filled with events that will explore, discuss, and celebrate the remarkable women of Taos.

Stay tuned. Oh, and save the date – June 1-3, 2012 – for the Mabel Dodge Luhan House’s workshop, “Meetings with Remarkable Women.”

Adios for now,

Liz

* This example of Rio Grande Hispanic colcha shows a type of embroidery specific to New Mexico. The woman who created it is unknown.