Culture

Culture

BioArt exhibit unveiled at UNM Art Museum

Addison Fulton | August 30

On Friday, Aug. 23, the University of New Mexico Art Museum celebrated the new semester with a reopening reception for their new exhibit, “Hindsight Insight 5.0.” The exhibit features art that investigates human relationships with nature, history and the future. Curators selected one piece in the museum’s permanent collection to showcase: a book of microphotographs, according to Joseph McKee, coordinator of student engagement and technology at UNMAM. The exhibit also features work by four contemporary artists who are responding to the microphotographs or conversing with them, McKee said.  “We’re re-looking at our collection and looking at it through a new lens,” McKee said.

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Culture

Walkable local business spotlight: Snapdragon Tea and the ‘Dog Days of Summer’

Shin Thant Hlaing | August 26

Snapdragon Tea, a seven-minute walk from the University of New Mexico Main Campus, has a whimsical, eclectic atmosphere that matches the whimsy of its name. The establishment features a free library and a community blackboard against beige and baby-blue walls. Snapdragon Tea is regularly holding themed tea parties called the “Dog Days of Summer” through Sept. 8. An overview of the event reads, “join us in a celebration of dogs, humanity’s long-time companions of more than 30,000 years.”

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Culture

OPINION: Editor fall fashion trend predictions

Lily Alexander and Liliana Esparza / Daily Lobo | August 26

Summer 2024 fashion was brat one week, coquette the next. And with the changing season, it’s uncertain what new fashion trends will arise. Two Daily Lobo editors predicted the outfits you’ll be seeing around campus in the coming weeks.

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Culture

OPINION: Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the most profitable of them all?

Addison Fulton | August 26

At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Aug. 11, Disney announced plans to build Villains Land as a new expansion of the Magic Kingdom section of Walt Disney World. The area will be themed around iconic Disney villains from various films. The promotional video posted to the Disney Parks Instagram teased Lady Tremaine from “Cinderella,” Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast” and the fairest of them all: the Evil Queen from “Snow White.” Disney is probably attempting to draw in more visitors and ticket sales with the announcement of Villains Land, seeing as the parks are no longer drawing in the revenue they once did. Reuters reported earlier this month that Disney's experiences segment ,that includes parks and consumer products, recorded an operating income drop of 3%.

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Culture

OPINION: A Daily Lobo photographer’s guide to New York City

Maria Fernandez | August 19

This summer, I took a trip to visit New York City. A vibrant, youthful place, “The City that Never Sleeps” is overflowing with bright lights, live music everywhere you look and some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. I visited almost every major picture-worthy and memorable spot across three of the five boroughs and these are my top picks. Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn Bridge Park is by far one of the coolest sights to catch in New York City. Nestled along the western edge of Brooklyn, this park offers stunning views along the waterfront of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

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Culture

Albu-crazy Film Fest raises funds for local film

Addison Fulton | August 19

On Saturday, Aug. 10, the Guild Cinema hosted the third annual Albu-crazy Film Fest Fundraiser, a charity film festival to raise funds for local film. The New Mexico Film Foundation and the OffSet Web Series jointly presented the festival and charity auction. Tickets were $5, and raffle tickets for various prizes were an additional dollar. The OffSet was originally founded in 2017 by “G.I.” — “Good Intentions” — Joe Lonesome as a way to highlight local talent and allow newer filmmakers a chance to explore the film industry and make art and connections in a friendly, low-stakes environment.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ might be the resurrection Marvel needed

Elizabeth Secor | August 12

“Deadpool & Wolverine,” released on July 26, was an anticipated summer blockbuster for me as a fan of the last two movies in the series. The film, directed by Shawn Levy, did not disappoint. It became one of my favorite recent Marvel Cinematic Universe-released projects, maybe even since “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021). When the Walt Disney Company — which owns Marvel — got the rights to Deadpool after acquiring 20th Century Fox in 2019, I was apprehensive of what Disney would do with the raunchy, F-bomb-dropping, R-rated antihero. However, it did not tone him down.

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Culture

First-year fast track: Advice from around campus

Marcela Johnson | August 12

New Mexico students. This is what the community said first-years need to know to get started right. “Trust your own pace and trust yourself,” Kaycee Stine, a sophomore majoring in theatre, said. Although it can be cool to be part of clubs, starting the college experience is something completely unique and it is important to protect your peace and stress levels, she said. Sophie Anderson-Haynie, a junior majoring in English-Philosophy, emphasized the importance of exploring in college. She said it is unrealistic to expect first-year students to know exactly what they want to do.

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Culture

New Mexico runs on Humble

Addison Fulton | August 12

On Saturday, Aug. 10, Humble Coffee Co. celebrated its 10th birthday with a bash and block party at its Nob Hill location. The party was not just a celebration of Humble Coffee, but a celebration of local businesses in Albuquerque as a whole. The area around the coffee shop teemed with local artists, handmade jewelry, circus performers, taxidermy artists, tarot readers and food trucks. Event organizer and owner of Heck Yeah Vintage, Virginia Hilliard, said that part of the importance of events like the Humble birthday bash is to bring people together and give small artisans a place to showcase their wares.

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Culture

The history of the newspaper arts and culture section

Addison Fulton and Dannely Verduzco | July 26

The arts and culture section is a mainstay of many established newspapers. The Daily Lobo is no exception. The New York Times, the Washington Post and Fox News all have arts and culture desks that go by various names. People have been discussing and commenting on culture for as long as it has existed, but the prominence of the culture desk has not always been so universal. There is a delay between the advent of journalism and when journalistic publications began to dedicate print space to arts and culture. Journalism began as far back as 3400 B.C.E., when early civilizations used hieroglyphics in clay to transmit news, according to the Science Survey.

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Culture

‘Return to Reason’ returns to the silver screen

Addison Fulton | July 22

From July 13-15, the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque showed newly remastered and restored versions of four films by 1920s avant-garde filmmaker Man Ray. Ray – or Emmanuel Radnitzky – was a Dadaist-Surrealist filmmaker, painter and photographer, according to manray.net. He was born in Philadelphia but preferred to live and make his art in Paris, where he moved in 1921, according to the website. Ray was initially best known for his photography. He developed art pieces known as Rayogrammes. Ray created Rayogrammes without a camera by exposing an image that was placed directly on photo paper then exposed to light, according to manray.net.

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Culture

Business is booming: meet one of Albuquerque’s firework sellers

Addison Fulton | July 8

During the 2024 firework season, predicted firework revenues exceeded $2.4 billion in the United States, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. Different employees at firework vendors get involved in the industry for different reasons, Marcus Muldez, the New Mexico area manager for TNT Fireworks, said. Each year, Americans purchase and light nearly 275 million pounds of fireworks, according to Axios. The majority of these – about 250 million pounds – are bought by individual consumers from firework tents and vendors like TNT, according to Axios. Muldez initially started selling fireworks as part of a church fundraiser. The profit was used to build homes for unhoused families in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

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Culture

REVIEW: Normani’s ‘Dopamine’ is a refreshing return to music

Shin Thant Hlaing | July 5

The summer of 2024 is for female artists who have complicated relationships with fame, and Normani is no exception. In fact, Normani’s debut album “Dopamine,” released on June 14 after a six year hiatus from music, takes the cake. “Dopamine” feels like sipping a tall, sleek can of sparkling mineral water. There’s no strong, particular flavor but it feels cool, refreshing and bubbly. Upon first listen, the album as a whole is sonically cohesive. However, it may feel too cohesive and strike some audiences as predictable and boring.

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Culture

Sundance short films hit the Guild

Addison Fulton | July 5

From June 23 to June 27, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour – created by the nonprofit Sundance Institute – came to the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque. The showcase featured seven short films spanning genre and medium, from animation to documentary. Three of the seven films received awards. “Bug Diner,” directed by Phoebe Jane Hart, won the Jury Award for animation. “Bug Diner” follows three stop-motion couples: a pair of praying mantises in an unhappy marriage, an anteater pining after a squirrel who does not feel the same and a fly in love with a mole with a “hot ass.” The film culminated in an explicit and chaotic ending – especially for a claymation film – as Hart pushed the medium to its limits.

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Culture

Two days, 27 films, one prop guitar

Maria Fernandez | July 3

On Friday, June 21, the 48-Hour Film Project (48HFP) in Albuquerque held its 2024 “best of” screening and awards ceremony. During the opening ceremony of the 48HFP, participants are each given a random movie genre and a required prop. Then, the 48-hour clock starts, during which the filmmakers write, film, edit and musically score their films for submission. The top 12 films submitted are shown at the “best of” event for the season’s judges and an audience to watch. This year, competitors made 27 films total.

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Culture

‘Nuclear Communities of the Southwest’ exhibit challenges the narrative of nuclear history

Maria Fernandez | June 28

From March to September of this year, the Albuquerque Museum, located in Old Town, is displaying “Nuclear Communities of the Southwest,” an exhibit that tells the story of the history of nuclear science and the people it continues to affect. The exhibit features historical objects and artist reactions to New Mexico’s involvement in nuclear development, according to the City of Albuquerque website. The 2023 release of the film “Oppenheimer” brought renewed interest to Los Alamos and the nuclear history of New Mexico.

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Culture

This is a fluff piece

Addison Fulton | June 21

Is there anything more “purr-fect” than a night at the cinema? The fifth annual Feline Film Festival hosted by Animal Humane New Mexico occurred on Saturday, June 15.  This year’s festival line-up featured seven short films spanning genres, mediums and nations – but all were focused on one thing: cats. A documentary on Australia’s feral cat problem, an homage to old detective noirs such as “Casablanca,” slice-of-life animations and films, as well as pieces on love, loss and time all found their place on the screen. In addition to the films, the event offered kitten yoga and a cat-lover cocktail hour.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’ aims to destigmatize schizophrenia through gaming

Kelsa Mendoza | June 12

During a time when action-packed video games rise to the top of the charts, “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” sets itself apart as an introspective narrative that challenges the player to understand an altered reality. Video game company, Ninja Theory, released “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” as the sequel to “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice” on May 21. The games follow Senua (portrayed by Melina Juergens), a Celtic warrior with schizophrenia, navigating a world ravaged by violence and influenced by Norse mythology. The game is available on Windows and Xbox X/S for $49.99.

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Culture

Albuquerque celebrates diversity with 2024 Pride parade

Nate Bernard and Paloma Chapa | June 10

On Saturday, June 8, Albuquerque held the 2024 LGBTQ+ Pride parade. The event celebrated diversity of sexuality and identity through a caravan of parade floats with signs displaying messages of love and acceptance. The event also included music and dancers. Many attendees waved Pride flags and dressed in rainbow, while some –  including several people on top of floats – dressed in drag.

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Culture

OPINION: Pay no attention to the bot behind the curtain

Addison Fulton | June 5

The University of New Mexico film and digital arts (FDMA) department offers a variety of classes that teach students the ins and outs of the film industry and give them experience in every part of collaborative art filmmaking, from screenplay to silver screen. Recently, a new class was added to the FDMA roster – FDMA 491.003: Data-Driven Digital Art, Collaboration with AI and Interdisciplinary Art. “We explore the cutting-edge field of artificial intelligence, which has gained significant traction since the 2000s, to craft imaginative projects in digital art. In this class, we investigate ethical collaborations with computer-generated and data-driven creations, utilizing them as innovative tools across various creative domains such as photography, painting, video art, performance and beyond,” the course description reads.