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Culture

REVIEW: Mitski’s ‘Laurel Hell’ cuts with pure, silver fury

Zara Roy | February 6

Mitski’s sixth studio album “Laurel Hell,” released on Saturday, Feb. 4, is a distant, synthy opus that looms over its listener, leaving behind an unshakeable lingering dread. It is Mitski to the highest degree. Coming out of a nearly three-year hiatus originally intended to be a permanent departure from music, this album is about Mitski’s tumultuous, fraught relationship with her own career. As a long-time fan, it’s completely heart-shattering to listen to. It’s tinged with regret, or perhaps total ambivalence, to the fame she’s garnered through her work. One of the most effective tracks for me was “Valentine, Texas.” It starts off gently before suddenly erupting into rapturous instrumentals, similar to the opening tracks of “Texas Reznikoff” and “Geyser.”

Culture

Outgoing UNM nursing student, cheerleader enriches community

Megan Gleason | January 31

University of New Mexico student Jackie Jagers is no stranger to challenges. As a junior juggling both nursing school and cheerleading, she still manages to maintain a friendly, outgoing attitude with a drive to continue pursuing what she’s passionate about. As a level two nursing student, Jagers plans to ultimately become a travel nurse working “in all the different fields and all the different areas.” This, she said, will allow her “to help as many people as I can throughout my nursing career” while also aiding in avoiding burnout. Before working as a traveling nurse, Jagers wants to practice in New Mexico and later in Arizona.

Culture

UNM professor, artist amplifies need for Black representation

Megan Gleason | January 31

As one of the few Black female professors in the University of New Mexico art department, Stephanie J. Woods is making her mark nationally and internationally as an artist representing her culture. Now an assistant professor in interdisciplinary art at UNM, Woods has traveled all over the world as an artist, winning awards and participating in residencies and fellowships along the way. Woods is a multimedia artist and works with a variety of different formats, including sculpture, textile, photography, video and more. She also partakes in community-engaged projects. Although Woods resides in New Mexico currently to teach at UNM, she originally is from Charlotte, North Carolina and draws heavily from her personal life in her art.

Culture

REVIEW: JoJo Siwa dazzles Las Cruces

Maddie Pukite | January 31

Nothing short of show-stopping, JoJo Siwa made her presence known in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the 105th stop of her D.R.E.A.M. tour on Wednesday, Jan. 26. A masterful stage presence complete with five costume changes made for a captivating performance from Siwa that I’m glad I didn’t miss. The show as a whole used childlike creativity and joy. Dancers rolled around on Heelys, themes of cotton candy and rainbow brightened the night, Siwa’s outfits were bedazzled with jewels that made her shimmer like a disco ball onstage: what more can you ask for? This, combined with a spectacular effort and skill, created a show that grabbed my attention and felt larger than life.

Culture

Art exhibit by UNM adjunct lecturer shows in North Carolina

Megan Gleason | January 31

Johannes Barfield, University of New Mexico adjunct lecturer in the art department, was commissioned to show his new art exhibition “my sun is black as the glowing sea by night” at the University of North Carolina’s Rowe Gallery. This image-based narration is an immersive experience that started its display on Jan. 10 and will be on view until Feb. 25. The exhibit’s narrative is based on a fictional character, yahyah, who was inspired by two children’s books that Barfield grew up reading – “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats and “Danny and the Dinosaur” by Syd Hoff. Yahyah accidentally encounters a tear in the space-time continuum and experiences alternate versions of himself after walking into the portal.

Culture

REVIEW: 'Passing' explores the delicate and the dangerous

Zara Roy | January 31

Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing” deftly explores the ways in which we craft beauty out of race, class, gender expectations and the innermost desires that bubble beneath the surface within us all. Released on Netflix on Oct. 27, “Passing” is based on a Nella Larson novel of the same name which follows Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga), two Black women in 1920s New York who are able to “pass” as white. Irene lives her life as a Black woman, while Clare is married with a child to a white, virulent racist who is unaware of her true heritage.

Culture

UNM award-winning staff member advocates for individuals with disabilities

Natalie Jude | January 24

Winton Wood, a consultant with the University of New Mexico’s Center for Development and Disability’s Mi Via Waiver Program, which is a self-directed care program for people with disabilities, was one of six recipients of the Gerald W. May Outstanding Staff Awards in 2021. Guiding her pursuits for the equity and representation of people with disabilities are the many people with disabilities throughout New Mexico, their families and Wood’s own daughter. “(I’m) a family specialist because I have a daughter who has Down syndrome and autism and is medically complex, so I know first-hand from the family point of view and the (consultant) point of view. We forget the value of our people who have intellectual disabilities,” Wood said.

Culture

UNM student actor premieres at Sundance Film Festival

Natalie Jude | January 24

Jack Justice, a sophomore film student at the University of New Mexico and local actor, had his most recent project, “When You Finish Saving The World,” which was directed by Jesse Eisenberg, screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on opening night on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Jack began acting when he was seven and joined the Screen Actors Guild at 11 years old. His career was prompted by his parents placing him into an acting class when singing lessons were unavailable. Despite his devotion to the art of acting, there were certainly struggles. “I was thrown into it pretty young … I had to communicate with adults at such a young age that peers didn’t always understand what I was doing outside of school as a kid.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Paris is Burning’: A composition of vibrant expression

Joseph McKee and John Scott | January 24

“Paris is Burning” was a landmark film upon its release in 1990 and, to this day, remains one of the finest and most celebrated examples of LGBTQ+ cinema. Its impact on filmmaking has been widespread and actually served as direct inspiration for the hit FX show “Pose,” on which “Paris is Burning” director Jennie Livingston served as a producer. It’s not hard to see why the film has had such a large-scale impact. Setting aside the visual and technical aspects, the film captures a community that has historically been underrepresented within film and approaches its subject with grace and sympathy. It’s distinctly human and fantastically fun to watch.

Culture

OPINION: Why I got a meaningless tattoo

Emma Trevino | January 24

Body modifications have become increasingly common and acceptable in the past decade, but tattoos still remain a polarizing subject. I used to be someone who never wanted a tattoo and was positive I’d never get one. Then, last summer, I had a sudden urge to get one, and two weeks later, I had sizable ink on my thigh that has no special meaning or reason behind it. Growing up, I wasn’t discouraged from tattoos by my parents at all. Since I never showed interest, we never talked about it. When I brought the design I had in mind to them — an Old West style line drawing I found through an online deep dive — they were indifferent, but reminded me that I’d have their support no matter what.

Culture

OPINION: 2022 editors’ style forecast

Joseph McKee and Zara Roy | January 24

Does pandemic exhaustion have you uninspired? As the new year reins in, it's time for a new you. Get ahead of the trend cycle with our start-of-the-year predictions for the hottest fashion trends. Joseph’s Predictions: Indie sleaze The ten-year fashion cycle has returned yet again — let’s take a quick trip back in time, shall we? Picture this: the year is 2012; you throw on a pair of skinny jeans, black converse, a faded band tee, a plaid overshirt shirt and a scarf, you’re going for a grungy look but not too rough as you want to perfect the careless hipster vibe. This could be you later this year.

Culture

UNM costuming program offers unique undergrad experience

Elizabeth Secor | January 24

While most people will only see what’s on stage when they go to watch a play, there is a large amount of work being done behind the curtains to ensure audience members have a phenomenal theater-going experience. The costuming department is just one small cog in a much larger production machine. Costuming for a production takes many steps, and costume shop supervisor and senior lecturer Stacia Smith-Alexander emphasized the importance of all a play’s elements coming together to form one seamless “composition.” "Once everything is together on stage, you have made a picture, even though it's a lot of people, it's lights and sounds and set as well.

Culture

ABQ local artist brightens University, city with artwork

Maddie Pukite | January 24

Bright chalk drawings complete with cartoon-style characters and witty sayings adorn the sidewalks of the University of New Mexico, and even more works from the artist, Maewyn Padilla, can be found every first Friday of each month at the Albuquerque Artwalk. Working in a variety of mediums, Padilla has experience with many different types of art but primarily enjoys chalk art at the moment. Chalk art is fairly new to Padilla, who began doing it in her driveway about a year ago. She began by putting out a bucket of chalk and a sign that invited anyone to draw on the concrete, which is something open to everyone and a resource that doesn't cost money.

Culture

Nonbinary students navigate social roadblocks, personal safety

Natalie Jude | January 23

The decades-long trials of nonbinary people continue even at the University of New Mexcio, and two students in particular — Ari Williams and Noe Fields-Perkins — have felt the struggles of standing out against the majority. Williams, a Washington-based film student at UNM, identifies as both nonbinary and transgender and is forced almost daily to question the societal guidelines that align with and rely on a binary gender construct to determine social roles. “Boy or girl, when you don’t pass as one or the other or both, your worth is put into question, the validity of your gender is put into question, your humanity is put into question,” Williams said.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ is a beautifully minimal take on Shakespeare’s classic play

John Scott | January 18

“Macbeth” has been done a thousand times over, both on stage and on film. You may know it for its timeless story of ruthless ambition or you may know it as that Scottish play you had to read for your high school English class. Either way, Shakespeare’s play has had some staying power and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is only another testament to the English playwright’s genius. The film, having just been released on Apple TV+ on Friday, Jan. 14 after a limited theatrical run, follows — you guessed it — Macbeth and his bloody journey to become king of Scotland prompted by a strange encounter with a trio of witches.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Red Rocket’ is a raucous romp

Zara Roy | January 18

This review contains spoilers Sean Baker’s newest film “Red Rocket” is a solid addition to his catalog of endearing, embodied tributes to the lives of marginalized groups in America. Released for limited theatrical release on Dec. 10, “Red Rocket” tells the story of Mikey, a charming, egoistic former porn star, as he wedges his way back into the home of his estranged wife and proceeds to wreak havoc in such a way that only a cisgender, heterosexual white man who has never been told “no” in his life could ever accomplish. “Red Rocket” follows Mikey (Simon Rex) as he sometimes charms and sometimes weasels his way back into his “old life” in Texas, before he moved to California some years ago.

Culture

‘We’re in this together’: Lobo Prevention Pack protects campus

Megan Gleason | January 18

To advocate and educate – this is the goal of the University of New Mexico’s campus COVID-19 prevention team, the Lobo Prevention Pack. Students lead efforts to ensure that the campus community is not only safe but also accurately informed about the pandemic raging around them. From spreading accurate information about COVID-19 when the pandemic started in March 2020 to educating others about vaccinations when those became available, this team has been adapting to new trends as the pandemic has progressed.

Culture

‘Prepared for the worst’: University faculty teach amid omicron surge

Zara Roy | January 18

As the state of New Mexico consistently breaks 3,000 new COVID-19 cases daily attributed to the new, highly infectious omicron variant, the University of New Mexico has no current plans of moving to remote learning for the spring 2022 semester. Even as the school tightens up its COVID-19 protocols, many faculty members still feel apprehensive about returning for an in-person semester. Meagan Vigus, a teaching associate in the linguistics department and member of the United Graduate Workers of UNM, said her primary frustrations with coming back in person lie in the inadequate and chaotic communication between the University and its faculty, particularly in the recent announcement that UNM is requiring medical-grade masks indoors.

Culture

New cafe, plant nursery brews love for coffee, plants

Maddie Pukite | January 18

Power Plant, a new cafe and plant nursery, opened its doors to the Albuquerque community on Saturday, Jan. 15. With a large emphasis on collaborating with artists, the shop aims to become a local hub for young artists to gather and show art. The space is co-operated by Tytianna Harris and Juan Jimenez. They aim to continue having a studio space in the shop that artists can rent to showcase their art, similar to how the space was used before Power Plant started up. “We've had, actually, photographers, videographers or different business owners who just come in and use it like a photo studio,” Harris said.

Culture

5 and Why: 5 ways UNM senior plans to stay well during school

Natalie Jude | January 17

With the new semester often comes a new set of challenges, but University of New Mexico senior Matilde Jacobson is ready to start the spring semester with plans ahead of time on how to balance school and life. Jacobson sat down with the Daily Lobo to share what she does to stay well throughout the school year. Work toward a career Work is fulfilling and, in Jacobson’s case, it happens to align with her interests and career plans. Jacobson used to work in a lab, but is preparing to begin an internship in Washington D.C. with the Emerging Infections Surveillance Program, an organization that conducts studies on different infectious diseases.