Thank you!

Thank you! ~ Thank you to everyone who has had a part in growing Studio C! To all the artists, teachers, students, parents, visitors, customers, performers, suppliers,
advisers, student business consultants, interested professors, family, neighbors and especially this wonderful country where it is all possible! Studio C opened its doors to guests for the first time in May of 2007 to host a poetry book launch for Tim Keller. We've gathered together every month since then on the last Saturday for Live Poetry!, our open mike and performance event. We held Summer Art! classes during the summer months on my days off (I was still working full time for Baca Valley Telephone Company then). All this led us to take the step of creating a gift shop & gallery which previewed last year during the holiday season to great support from all our friends and neighbors here in Des Moines, New Mexico. Thanks to ongoing support for this ArtSpace in the middle of nowhere, I quit my job at the phone company and opened Studio C on March 14th three days a week, regular hours: Fridays, Saturdays 10:00 - 6:00, and Sundays 12:00 - 4:00. We expanded our Summer Art! class offerings and started a new arts and environment conservation summer class series: Places of Wonder. We've been "regular" for just 9 & 1/2 months now and it is a wonderful gift to know that we are headed towards a brilliant future for Studio C!

Last Saturday's Show of Gratitude was marvelous! Sharon Niederman's poetry painted vivid portraits of people she has known. Laughter and recognition spread through our audience as people recognized friends, family and even themselves in the poems. Roni Duran came out with her whole family to read her personalized version of the famous monologue from Shakespeare's Hamlet To Be or Not to Be. Her version is an amazing testament to difficult choices in our youths' lives these days. All of this was preceded by my sister Karyna Cragin's wonderful playing on the African balaphone which inspired a spontaneous standing ovation. Thank you everyone for coming out to Des Moines, bringing delicious food and sharing a meal together here in the gallery. We are all blessed to enjoy creativity, talent and community.

So, the holiday season has begun. What better time to receive and put out new wonderful arts for you to see in the gallery. The cute horse in the photo above made by Amy Caldwell "drinking" from the hand-blown glass bowl (made by her partner Keith Stuart) was here only a short time before going home today with a happy holiday shopper!

What is your gift giving pleasure? What are your holiday traditions? I invite you to share in the comments here. Let's strike up a conversation about this special season. All around the world people are engaged in honoring the great traditions of community and devotion. I love getting to know about the myriad cultural celebrations that are celebrated around the world!

We are thrilled to announce that Tim sold five of his framed archival prints from the gallery during his show. He has just launched his new website: www.timkellerphotography.com. You'll be able to buy prints directly from him. Be sure to visit it as you make up your holiday gift lists.

I'm listening to Little Sharon's Country Cafe right now... another great afternoon of classic country music, history and storytelling on the best local radio station in our area: KRTN Enchanted Air @ 93.9 FM. Check out their morning show: This, That & the Other Monday - Saturday 8:am - 9:00 or longer depending on the visitors who stop in to share their news with the community. It is talk radio at it's best!

I am putting out a call for Holiday art to artists and artisans!

Small Works, Local Flavors ~ A Holiday Show of small works and holiday gifts.
Call or email for details.

Finally, a couple of announcements:

Live Poetry! is changing its name to Live @ Studio C!
It will also be going "off-line" for the next three months. December – February will be “dark” on the last Saturday of the month.
Dark is theatre-speak for: Let’s take a break.

It's time to honor the cycles of creativity. Give your muses permission to dance, play, nap, read, eat good food, experiment with new media, laugh, sleep, watch sad movies… enjoy the rest of a nice long winter sleep… Do whatever it takes to stay cozy and nurture your creativity. Come back in March full of wonderful “stuff” to share at our open mike. The New Year is packed with great entertainment for you. Mark your 2009 calendars' last Saturdays for Live @ Studio C! ~5:30 pm in the gallery starting March 25th.
I'll give you the line-up next week!

So, that wraps it up for this week... a whole lot of thanks and news.... thanks for your comments and for sending people to visit the blog.

Keeping it FRESH!

Christina

The Season of Gratitude

No longer can I deny that winter is upon us! Windy & snowy, today’s chilly air is dancing with bright sunshine… a typical New Mexico crazy weather day in the tiny village of Des Moines here in the northeastern corner of Union County in the enchanting state of New Mexico.

I’m keeping warm drinking delicious organic, fair-trade coffee as I sit here at the computer, which is next to the propane heater in the studio. The new radiant solar heating system is not yet installed, the process stalled by parts-on-order, so I am grateful to have the current heater now. I am looking forward to it becoming a back-up source rather than the main source and eventually not needing it at all. That’s years down the line but as sustainability is a goal for Studio C, bringing solar energy into the gallery is a step toward making the dream come true. In the mean time I am wearing warm sweaters and winter woollies rather than turning up the thermostat.

Mary Ann Louden will be here tomorrow to teach her StarFlower art. We have plenty of room so call me to sign up. She’ll be here 10:00 am – 3:00 pm and so too, I hope, will you.

Coming up next weekend is our second annual Live Poetry! ~ A Show of Gratitude. Sharon Niederman will be reading new poems and fiction and excerpts from her books, which will be available for sale. She will be happy to sign books of hers that you already own so bring them with you…. maybe mark a favorite passage and she can read it for us all! Sharon will share the Studio C stage with Roni Duran, her student at New Mexico Highlands University. Roni also studied with my husband Tim Keller at Raton High School. This makes her a star in our eyes and we look forward to hearing her work.

I am thrilled to present my sister Karyna Cragin, a gifted musician, songwriter and vocalist who will bring her beautiful and heartfelt music to the studio.

There will be door prizes too! You must be present to win so be sure you come out to Des Moines for this event.

Showing through November 23rd, The Upper Right Corner, Tim Keller’s show of photography; come by the gallery to witness his vision of stark, vibrant, compelling images taken from within a 50 mile radius of Studio C.

Coming up in the gallery:

Small Works, Local Flavors ~ A Holiday Show Small works and holiday gifts.

Coming up in the community:

The Des Moines School presents a Holly-Day Bazaar to raise funds for the school library Tuesday, December 2nd in the school gym from 3 pm to 8 pm during and after the Des Moines vs. Clayton Basketball Games. Individuals and groups are invited to participate by buying and/or selling goods and/or activities. Ten percent of proceeds go to the Des Moines School Library.
Studio C will be there with coffee and chocolate. Are you interested in setting up a booth or table? Send me an email and I'll forward it to Betty and Janet.

The Folsom Museum invites you to check out their new website for the new annual fund raising event: The Capulin Volcano marathon: 
www.capulinvolcanorun.com. The dates for the 2009 run will be published in the next couple of months so be sure to bookmark the site and check back frequently.

Studio C is the place to see the work of local, regional and guest artists and artisans. Curious about what we have in the gallery? Give me a call and I’ll be happy to give you directions to the gallery or give you a phone tour.

My mission for this blog? To keep you informed about goings on at the gallery and in our wonderful community. Why? Well, let’s just say I love to share our good news!

See you soon~ Send your friends and family ~ Shower your inner child with Love!

Christina