Explora of Albuquerque promotes science, technology and art.
The center, at 1701 Mountain Road N.W., lets community members of all ages learn through interactive exhibits. Explora also holds a “Winter Camp” for children 5-15. Roger McNew, Explora’s weekend manager and network administrator, said the camp provides hands-on activities and is grade appropriate.
McNew said Explora is not only for children because the center hosts an “adult night” the third Friday of every other month.
The theme on Jan. 15 is Electricity: Charge Up Your Night, and McNew said it would be a convenient time to visit the center.
“Adult Night has less lines than usual, and it is open just for people 18 years and up,” he said. “Adult Night gives people the chance to be active in the activities that are usually surrounded by kids. It allows them to bring their young energy out. There are things to exercise your mind, and you are never too old for that. It’s a popular event to explore our 250 hands-on activities. It allows them to involve themselves.”
Each “adult night” runs from 6:30 – 10:00 p.m. and features live music and refreshments. The entry fee is $7.
Adult Night at Explora
1701 Mountain Rd. N.W.
Jan. 15
6:30 p.m.*
Some people start out the New Year with hope, but Blackout Theatre plans for a depraved new year à la Edgar Allan Poe.
“The Poe Project: Merely This and Nothing More” draws inspiration from Poe’s most famous stories to create an eclectic new work, said Heather Yeo, spokeswoman for the Blackout Theatre Company.
“We all read the complete works of Poe,” she said. “From that we picked out moments or images that we thought were really interesting or creepy or cool, and some of those general ideas built our own story. So it’s not ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ (and) this is not ‘The Fall of the House of the Usher,’ but there are moments from all those really important works and scenes built into our piece.”
Yeo said the company is keeping the details of the plot hidden for now, but it focuses on Doctor Usher bringing home his new wife, Rowena, and complications ensue. The play, as any lover of Poe should know, is not fodder for family fun.
“In my opinion, it gets pretty spooky and graphic and frightening and horrifying. It’s definitely not for children,” she said.
Yeo said the company planned the event to play with the idea of a jolly New Year.
“It’s winter and it’s cold, and by New Year’s everyone is done being happy and Christmas-ey, so we said, ‘Let’s do something dark and spooky.”
“The Poe Project: Merely This and Nothing More”
The Box Performance Space
114 Gold Ave. S.W.
$12 General, $8 Student
Jan. 1 – 10
8 p.m.*
*New art for the New Year — that’s the goal for Cirq Art Gallery and Boutique co-owner Nicole Montes. *
Montes is offering free gallery space for artists who bring their work in on New Year’s Day for the gallery’s Hangover Takeover party.
“It’s an opportunity for artists to come put their work up on our walls,” she said. “There’s no fee, and it’s for all ages. It’s going to be a day for anyone who wants to be part of the scene to come and display their artistic abilities.”
In addition to the art on display, the event will be fueled by live music, free food, swing dancing and pudding wrestling. Most importantly, there is plenty of free space for all artists, Montes said.
“We want to make it available to all the other artists in town,” she said. “They don’t have to have previous gallery experience, which a lot of galleries request. We really want to make it more of a community art scene. Even if they don’t want to contact us before, if they want to show up with their pieces of art that day, we’ll just start hanging it up on the wall.”
The celebration will also serve as a rechristening ceremony for Cirq, which will be called Revlis under Montes’ direction.
Montes said she expects a big turn out, and hopes to raise the gallery’s standards from those of the previous owner.
“Since I’m taking over Cirq, we are doing everything that he’s doing, but about a zillion times more,” she said.
“Hangover Takeover Party”
Cirq Art Gallery and Boutique
712 Central Ave. S.E.
Jan. 1
3 p.m.
Free *
