New Mexico Mercury

Art Collaboration Brings “Quantum Bridge” Mural to ABQ

Warehouse 508, 516 ARTS and The City of Albuquerque Public Art Urban Enhancement Program are celebrating the completion of a 180-foot long mural as part of a collaboration called Heart of the City.  The mural was created by a team of youth apprentices from Warehouse 508 under the direction of lead guest artist Aaron Noble.

A celebration for the unveiling of the mural will be on Sunday, November 24, 2-5pm with refreshments and a chance to meet the artists...

Bullfighting and Border Crossing in Tijuana

Imagine what a surprise it was when my wife, Julie said that she wanted to go to Tijuana, Mexico. For months, she has been concerned about my monthly trips across the border (mostly Ciudad Juárez)  but I have long wanted her to see what border life is like, especially in the safer environment of Tijuana.

The occasion was the visit of Julián López Escobar, “El Juli,” the world’s greatest bullfighter in my opinion and a very unique human being. Born in Madrid, Spain on October 3, 1982, his parents enrolled him in the Madrid School of Tauromachy when he was only nine years old...

Friday Voyage: Mesa Verde

The beautiful canyons and ruins of Mesa Verde National Park and Ute Mountain Tribal park offer different experiences in preservation and visitation.

El Machete: Sam Coronado

El Machete: Sam Coronado

Weekly Poem: Dad’s Visit

What did we do
to deserve this beauty -- our blooming cactus flowers, the emerald green shine of our chiles, the boys
and girls the backbones of our families, taking a stab
at adulthood in middle school?  In a city of strong kids, under a sky so wide and this blue,
it’s as though we’re being showered
with praise by a gorgeously generous god...

Some Late Thoughts on the Early Work of Agnes Martin

Art Critic William Peterson delves into the early evolution of Agnes Martin, who's apprentice works are currently on display at the UNM Art Museum.

Tragedy and comedy on the Albuquerque stage

It may seem paradoxical but it often happens that traveling to distant places gives you a clearer understanding of home. Having just returned to New Mexico after three months in northern California, I have acquired a new and broader perspective on some aspects of New Mexico. One of them is the unusual theater scene in the Albuquerque area.

All this is by way of commenting on two Albuquerque plays I saw last weekend...

Friday Voyage: The Gates of Lodore

A perfect introduction to river rafting through the beautiful canyons of northern Utah.

Weekly Poem: Letters From The Dark

One friend writes from prison,
as helpless as I am
to help him.

Another friend, dead, reveals
himself through words left behind, signs
of him I never noticed
when I thought I knew him...

And the Winner Is…

A meditation on a retracted state award and the true meaning of recognition.