Arts Council will host ArtForms member show in February

The Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC) will host the ArtForms Annual Members’ Show at the DAAC Arts & Cultural Center Gallery, 250 W. Amador Ave., Feb. 1-25, as part of 2021 For the Love of Art Month.

February is a special time for the arts in Las Cruces, DAAC said in a news release. February is

annually recognized by the City of Las Cruces as For the Love of Art Month for the many visual

and performing arts activities organized by ArtForms.

For 2021, ArtForms organizers have built activities around the safety of their artist members and the viewing public, DAAC said. The art show at DAAC will be Artforms’ only in-person event during For the Love of Art Month. Livestreams and digital galleries will take place on the ArtForms website (www.artformsnm.org) throughout the month.

“For the Love of Art Month is here again for the 23rd time, and we at DAAC are excited about the range of art that will be available for viewing at our gallery during the month of February, said DAAC Executive Director Greg Smith. “It seems a perfect highlight for a month that includes Valentine’s Day in the year we are celebrating as 2021 – The Year of the Artist.”

“As we have entered such a challenging time with COVID-19, we have had to curtail our annual studio tours for 2021, [so we] decided it was best to only support our members’ show,” Artforms President Noël Sandino said. “This was decided by a survey from our members and understandably, many didn’t want exposure in their studios and home spaces, where they previously have exhibited. We are all hopeful that the studio tours can take place again soon.”

For the juried members’ show at DAAC, Sandino said ArtForms expects “a vibrant show that includes sculpture, paintings, print making, photography and more.”

The show’s awards presentation, along with the presentation of the ArtForms 2021 artist of the year, will take place online at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

Artforms is a nonprofit founded in 1998 by local artists, including Miriam Lozada-Jarvis, Kelly Hestir, Roy Van der Aa and Flo Dougherty, Sandino said. The artist collective represents a wide range of visual arts, with a mission of ensuring that the local creative community is regarded as a revenue-generating industry and Las Cruces is recognized as an arts and culture destination.

ArtForms membership also includes local business owners, hobbyists, students and teachers.

“It is a diverse group, with members who are highly skilled artists,” Sandino said. “We also welcome new and aspiring artists for the support they often need.”

Artists featured in the February show include Lisa Carlson, Linda Choate, Karen Conley, Vicki Conley, Rebecca Courtney, Jan French, Thomas Gallagher, Carrie Greer, Will Keener, Tomi LaPierre, Mary Lou LaCasse, Marj Leininger, Dennis Lujan, Kathy Marques, Paul Maxwell, Rosemary McKeown, Noël Sandino, Storm Sermay, Roy van der Aa, Teri Van Huss and Rhoda Winters.

DAAC gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. Call 575-523-6403. Visit https://daarts.org/ and visit ArtForms at www.artformsnm.org.