Season of Artfulness: The Unnoticed Surfaces

Harwood, Couse, Hacienda, Harmon shows, and Juan I. Passes

On Friday evening I attended the Harwood’s new show of artist Oli Shivonen, great geometric paintings, hung to advantage in the Mandelman-Ribak Gallery. Shivonen has been much celebrated but little known to locals and visitors. The show is a tribute to the artist and the Harwood’s Jine Brenneman, curator. Thanks go out to the family members who have hung on to paintings and made them available to the public. A show worth going to see. In particular, one must give kudos to the way the Harwood continues to offer exciting shows despite the downturn in the economy by capitalizing on the organic artistic connections to Taos. The show includes the Black Mountain College exhibit—more below.

Saturday, I toured the Couse House and Studio for the first time in ten years. The whole place has been touched up—new gardens, historic displays of work, and re-organized by Beth, Virginia, and Ernie. Of special interest is E. I. Couse’s son, Kibbey, whose home workshop—a kind of anachronistic engineering marvel of a machine shop—defies time and preserves the inventor’s contributions to winning WWII. (In other words, long before the “stickler” or even Larry Bell appeared on the scene with his “Vacuum Tank” in Taos, Taos was home to an incredible but little known local engineer.) The Couse House includes the original Joseph Sharp studio and is incredibly interesting—right there on Kit Carson Rd., across from Casa Benavidez and next to Rena Rosequist’s Mission Gallery.

And how many of you knew Rena was the belle of Black Mountain College? The literary exhibit of original poetry manuscripts, small books and magazines at the Harwood, as well as remarks and photos about visual artists also opened this week. It is a vastly interesting if little noted contribution to the art and literary scene in historic Taos, much of it from Rena’s personal collection. More than one poet seems to have found his muse in the pink-cheeked redhead. It will take several visits to absorb this fascinating display. There are original manuscripts and offerings from some of the major American literary lights as well as candid photos that document the spirit of America’s then avant garde.

To cap off a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I attended the Mountain Man Free Trade affair at the newly cleaned-up and re-plastered Hacienda de Martinez. The artisans ply their trade, which works hand in hand with the stunning exhibits for the public’s edification. Thanks to the board, staff, and volunteers, led by the sensible ones—Kathy Cordova and Luisa Mylet—the Hacienda has never been so inviting, hospitable, and cared for.

By the way, at the Harwood Friday night, Taos Modern Cliff Harmon had a corner to himself. Cliff has been the focus of, now his third show in two weeks. Previously we visited with him and his lovely artist wife Barbara at the Blumenschein House (another fine historic museum) and the Hulse-Warman Gallery. Cliff’s paintings display an outstanding effect of color while the exhibits allude to the education  of an artist by demonstrating his dedication to craft with drawings, nudes, and experiments in various styles. Cliff, Barbara, John DePuy (Ojo Caliente) may be the last of the working Taos Moderns, who connect to the Taos Society of Artists, some of whom were still alive when the latter arrived in Taos during the post WWII years.

Speaking of the Great War, we extend our condolences to Juan I. Valerio’s family, Trudy Healy (Ed) and Stephanie Rael (Eagle), in particular, the widow and all the grand children. Juan I. died last week. He was 89. A rosary was held at St. Francis de Asis and funeral services were celebrated at Our Lady of Guadalupe. He will be buried later at the National Veterans Cemetery in Santa Fe.

Juan I, known as “one-eye,” to the hard of hearing, was a county commissioner and 44-year mayordomo on two acequias in Ranchos de Taos. Notably, he was part of the D-Day Invasion, landing on Utah Beach and fought also at the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and French Croix de Guerre. At 18 he joined the army and traveled the world. When he returned home, he got married in 1946, became a father, and worked in Silver City, Climax, and at LANL as a miner and tunnel-explosives man. Later he opened a gas station and grocery store at Valerio Plaza in Ranchos de Taos. There he eventually became the grand old man, known as much for his generosity as his honesty and sound advice. Juan I. also helped re-mud the Ranchos Church each year. He didn’t miss a beat in the community.

See Hacienda Martinez schedule for today, Sunday, below.

COME CELEBRATE WITH US!
Honoring the 25th anniversary of the Taos Trade Fair
Saturday September 24, 2011 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and
Sunday September 25, 2011 noon to 5 p.m.
at the newly-remudded Martinez Hacienda in Ranchitos

Schedule of Entertainment
Saturday
10:00-10:15 Opening Ceremonies (Stage)
10:15-11:15 Grupo Sangre de Cristo (Stage)
11:15-12:00 Hacienda Kids’ Puppet Shows featuring Josephina-“This is the Royal
Castle” and another special play with the Puppets of the Royal Castle
(Granary)
12:00-1:30 Lonn Seitz: This Was Frontier Life (talk and demonstration at a table
In front of the stage)
1:30-2:00 Smokey the Bear Puppet show (Granary)
2:00-3:00 The Audrey Davis Trio (Stage)
3:00-4:00 History Talk with the Taos Mountain Men (Stage)
4:00-5:00 Taos Fiesta Council and Court, including La Marcha with the audience
(Stage/Courtyard)

Sunday
12:00-1:00 The Audrey Davis Trio (Stage)
1:00-2:00 Los Niños Bailadores (Stage/Courtyard)
2:00-3:30 Grupo Sangre de Cristo (Stage)
3:30-5:00 Historic Fashion Show (Stage)

Enjoy food; entertainment; vendors; children’s activities throughout the weekend; Mountain Men also throughout the event; a historic fashion show; and demonstrations during the Trade Fair. The cost is only $5.00 per person. Children under 6 attend for free.