Painting Albuquerque

When it comes to art in New Mexico, Santa Fe and Taos have traditionally grabbed most of the headlines, exhibitions and tourists. But Albuquerque boasts its own proud legacy of artists from Raymond Jonson and Florence Pierce to Frederick Hammersley and Howard Schleeter. It's just that Albuquerque has never been the marketing machine that Santa Fe and Taos have been. But I'm now joining with New Mexico PBS (KNME-TV in Albuquerque) and executive producer Michael Kamins to change that. I'm currently in the midst of interviewing and researching for a 1-hour documentary piece called "Painting Albuquerque."  Michael has likened this research process to archaeology, and it has been fun to dig up stories about the various artists, their unseen work, and ephemera that we'll use to bring these folks to life. Once the script is written and approved, I'll begin producing the piece this fall. We hope to present the finished piece early next year, in conjunction with the opening of the "Art of Central New Mexico" exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum, curated by Joe Traugott.