Culture - The Daily Lobo

Culture

Movie Review: "Shazam" proves a compelling superhero movie

Justin Schatz | April 24

Imagine Gary Winick’s “13 Going on 30,” but without the stress of renting in New York City and instead transforming into a goofy superman doppelganger. DC Comics' latest solo entry “Shazam,” is a fun and deceivingly dark entry that promises potential for DC’s inconsistent cinematic universe. Directed by David Sandberg, “Shazam” finds its emotional core and compelling storytelling through its exploration of family. The movie invested itself in Billy Batson (Asher Angel), an orphan on a relentless quest to find his mother. After another fruitless lead, Billy finds himself fostered by Victor (Cooper Andrews) and Rosa (Marta Milans) Vasquez. He meets his foster brother, Frederick ‘Freddy’ Freeman (Jack Grazer), who happens to be an expert on everything superhero related. Billy, after defending Freddy from their high school’s bullies, finds himself in the presence of a powerful wizard (Dijimon Hounsou) and here we meet Shazam (a perfectly cast, Zachary Levi).

Culture

420 Festival hosts downtown block party

Katie Monette | April 22

The New Mexico 420 Festival took place this past weekend in downtown Albuquerque. The booths spanned 3rd Street to 7th Street, selling clothing, jewelry, food and beverages, a wide variety of CBD and hemp products, as well as music and local comedians and artists. The block-party style event got off to a slow start, with a sparse crowd browsing the numerous cannabis-related goods. Some vendors were selling rasta-theme t-shirts and paraphernalia, but some booths attracted more attention, like a glass-blowing demonstration by hand-blown glass art studio and gallery, Glass Etc. Glass Etc provides glassblowing lessons and creates custom pieces, including non-cannabis related glass products and pendants.

Culture

UNM expo advocates for sustainability

Amanda Britt | April 22

The University of New Mexico’s Sustainability Program hosted their 11th annual Sustainability Expo last Thursday. Students and other members of the community partook in several sustainable activities, including a clothing swap, purchasing plant starters, learning from multiple sustainable organizations and eating locally sourced food from different food trucks. The Cornell Mall was decorated with booths overflowing with plants and flowers, something UNM student, Abby White said she enjoyed seeing.

Culture

Student supports the environment through clothing line

Sophia Sambrano | April 22

Many students have ways of showing their passions to the world. University of New Mexico sophomore, Trinity Miller-Aragon, expressed her passion for sustainability through her clothing line, Eco Aesthetic. The apparel industry currently accounts for around 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and documentaries like "The True Cost" are shedding light on the environmental and ethical issues with our current model of buying clothing. Miller-Aragon, a sophomore studying economics and sustainability said she is taking action by producing her own line of sustainable and ethically-made clothing.

Culture

Move Review: "Hellboy" reboot falls drastically short

Justin Schatz | April 21

From its opening scene, it was clear that “Hellboy” was going to be a bloody, gore-riddled mess. Neil Marshall’s “Hellboy,” a reboot of Guillermo del Toro’s beloved two installments “Hellboy” and “The Golden Army,” invests the majority of its time (and apparently its budget) on gore rather than compelling storytelling. The visual splendor and extensive world building of del Toro is sacrificed for the sake of an R-rating. Marshall’s reboot begins with an opening struggle between King Arthur and the British sorceress, Nimue, the Queen of Blood (Milla Jovovich). Nimue is defeated by King Arthur and his sword, Excalibur, and her dismembered limbs are sent out to the most isolated corners of the British Isles.

Culture

Five and Why: Inspirational Women in Fiction with Dr. Leslie Donovan

Katie Monette | April 18

Dr. Leslie Donovan is a professor at the University of New Mexico, teaching in the university's Honors College. She teaches a few interdisciplinary classes such as the introductory level seminar, "Monsters and Marvels through the Ages," which is planned to start this fall. She serves as faculty coordinator for UNM's Regents Scholars and has received honors such as the university's Presidential Teaching Fellowship. Her work involves topics including medieval studies, science fiction, disability studies, women's studies and more. Many of Donovan's writings focus on author J.R.R. Tolkien's universe and can be found in the Honors College with the other faculty publications. She took some time to share her top five favorite inspirational fictional females with the Daily Lobo. "Choosing only five was nearly impossible as there are so many other fictional female characters who have made me who I am today and, perhaps more important, who I would like to be someday and who I see clearly in my own students," Donovan said.

Culture

"Hamilton" to come to Popejoy

Justin Garcia | April 15

Last week Popejoy announced that "Hamilton" will be coming to the University of New Mexico sometime during the 2020-2021 season. The dates of the performance, the price of tickets and the sale date of the tickets have not yet been announced. However, Popejoy said that 2019 - 2020 season pass holders will have first access to purchase tickets.

Culture

Movie Review: "Pet Sematary" fails to live up to standard of other Stephen King adaptations

Justin Schatz | April 15

“Pet Sematary,” continues the critical revival of Stephen King film adaptations, but fails to reach the heights of “It” and “1922.” The movie begins with the Creed family— husband Louis Creed (Jason Clark), wife Rachel Creed (Amy Seimetz), daughter Elle Creed (Jete Laurence) and son Gabe Creed (Hugo Lavoie), moving from Boston to the small town of Ludlow, Maine. The house is idyllic and situated on fifty acres of pristine Maine wilderness, yet comes with a catch: there is a highway frequented by speeding, and often out of control, semis just off of their driveway. Shortly after moving in, Rachel and Ellie explore the property and come across an unnerving procession of kids adorning paganistic animal masks disappearing into their backyard. The girls come to discover, from their neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) that a pet cemetery, noticeably misspelled as “sematary,” is located on their property. Crandall explains that local kids have been using the “sematary” since he was a child, and from there a sense of dread grew.

Culture

Downtown Growers Market brings fresh produce to city

Elisabetta Mackin | April 15

On Saturday morning, vendors from across the greater Albuquerque area gathered at Robinson park to kick off this season's Downtown Growers Market. “We are the longest running farmers market in Albuquerque,” said Danielle Schlobohm, the assistant manager of the market. The market was held at the grassy park under a canopy of trees where you could find all sorts of fresh produce, handmade art, artisan bread, fresh tea and free-range eggs. Dogs and children played in the grass while live musicians performed, free yoga and Zumba classes were held and authentic New Mexican breakfast burritos were prepared and served.

Culture

UNM's Annual Sustainability Expo is back

Amanda Britt | April 15

The 11th annual University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo will be held Thursday, April 18, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Cornell Mall – just east of the Student Union Building on UNM’s Main Campus. This one-day event will feature local farmers and food trucks, live music from Eryn Bent– a Santa Fe folk artist, a clothing swap and a variety of opportunities to learn about sustainable practices and connect with community partners. The event is presented by the UNM Sustainability Studies Program. According to the program’s online home page, they provide hands-on, community-focused learning that informs student’s academic work, careers and personal lives.

Culture

Student's art exhibit includes how-to-cook videos

Luisa Pennington | April 15

Small electronic screens decorated the University of New Mexico's College of Fine Arts Downtown Studio as part of Zac Travis' thesis exhibition, “Recipe for Disaster." Last Friday Travis showcased his installation of videos and photographs. “Recipe for Disaster” featured five how-to-cook videos. The room was dark, except for the light from the exhibit pieces, with the only sound in the room projected from the speakers in sync with the screens. At a first glance, the exhibit seemed to host standard cooking videos. The videos included clean countertops that featured a point-of-view perspective of two hands. After patrons took a closer look, the intricacies of Travis’s exhibit came to view — not all of the ingredients were appropriate to consume.

Culture

UNM student gives crochet lessons at Duck Pond

Anthony Jackson | April 11

If you walk past the Duck Pond on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., chances are that you’ll see Lyndsey Ross teaching students how to crochet. Ross, a psychology major and art minor, graduates this May. She’s spending some of her time outside with many balls of yarn. “I’ve been crocheting for over 10 years,” Ross said. Ross said she first got the idea from a friend who interviewed her for a podcast about things they can do to change the world.

Culture

SUB to give away planted pots for "Uni Night"

Megan Holmen | April 11

The University of New Mexico Student Union Building "Uni Nights" will be hosting a plant night on Friday April 12. According to graduate student and organizer Anders Flagstad, this will be the third plant night hosted by the University. Flagstad is the projects coordinator of the SUB, he is studying educational leadership. He said "Uni Nights'" motto is: always free and always different.

Culture

Popup Exhibit celebrates indigenous knowledge

Sophia Sambrano | April 11

LOOM Indigenous Arts presented its first popup exhibit, "Indigenous Feminist Spatiality: Celebrating Indigenous Knowledges + Bodies" at the University of New Mexico's School of Architecture and Planning (SAP). The exhibit features a range of artists from the Albuquerque community, and what is now known as the greater United States, and features many themes such as community, resilience and celebrating culture. Building community and showcasing indigenous knowledge production were key features of the exhibit. Community involvement and collaboration were especially important in this event, seeing as it is LOOM Indigenous Arts' first exhibit in Albuquerque. The LOOM Indigenous Arts Gallery's home is in Gallup, New Mexico. The gallery aims to showcase innovative and contemporary Indigenous artists. Allison Johnson, a master's student at UNM's IDPI, conceived and curated the show.

Culture

Poetry slam held at Canvas Artistry

Elisabetta Mackin | April 11

Last Thursday, local poets congregated at Canvas Artistry to showcase their best slam poems and compete for a chance to win poet of the night. The open-mic event was hosted by the Burque Revolt Poetry Slam in collaboration with the Lobo Slam team. “We welcome and embrace the stories of women of color, our LGBTQ community, our youth and our college students," said Mercedez Holtry, president of the board and co-founder of Burque Revolt. "We hold a space for people to be themselves through spoken word, poetry, writing and creative writing.” At the event poets performed in 30 minute rounds and were scored by patrons of Canvas Artistry. A local DJ performed in between rounds, and a percentage of food and beer purchased throughout the evening was donated to the Burque Revolt and Lobo Slam teams.

Culture

Students have blast at Fiestas

Justin Garcia | April 8

It’s unclear how many people attended this year’s Fiestas. But whatever the headcount was, the place was packed. On Saturday, Johnson Field played host to the annual Fiestas music festival. Eight performers took the stage from one o'clock to just after 9 p.m. The headliner was Ookay aka Abraham Laguna, a Los Angeles based DJ. The event is partially funded by the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, who allocate a portion of student fees to student organizations. ASUNM dolled out about $83,000 to SSE for Fiestas this year, according to the Student Governing Accountant Office. That is down from last year’s total of about $99,000.

Culture

Inside the Fine Art Library's massive vinyl collection

Sophia Sambrano | April 8

In the depths of the Fine Arts & Design Library lives The "Archives in the Grooves," a collection showcasing the range of the University of New Mexico's large LP collection. The various cases on display showcase a select few of the 20,000 LPs kept by UNM Libraries. The showcase covers a range of musicians and styes such as African American Classical Musicians, a Cecil Taylor display case, as well as displays dedicated to flamenco music, blues music and audiobooks. LPs, or long play records, hold importance in 20th century history, and the collection aims to showcase the multiple ways that these recordings are important. This is not only through musical recordings, but through audiobooks, oral histories, broadcast recordings and the infamous album artwork of the LP. The display cases were curated by UNM Library staff Stephenie Akau, Jonathan Hartshorn and William Kinney. Stephanie Akau, a library information specialist, curated the display case dedicated to African-American classical musicians, and discussed not only the volume of LPs available, but the range of different materials hosted in the showcase.

Culture

Art show calls for reflection on experiences

Amanda Britt | April 8

Can I reflect? – A question that not only asks you to think deeply, but a common question asked in the field of pathology. “We always have to ask during our examination, before we open up the head, we ask them ‘can we reflect’. That means reflecting tissue back,” said Alivia Magaña, a master's of Fine Arts student at the University of New Mexico. Magaña came to UNM in 2016 from Junction City, Kansas looking for a “ground shaking experience." She found just that working as a forensic photographer for the Office of the Medical Investigator.

Culture

NM Humanities Council hosts talk on album artwork

Luisa Pennington | April 6

Last Thursday, members of the Albuquerque community gathered to discuss album artwork and the personal sentiments that listeners attach to them. The New Mexico Humanities Council launched their exhibition, “Stories on the Sleeve,” with an opening reception. Walking into the exhibit, visitors were immediately drawn to the records displayed along the tall white walls. At eye level, cover art of albums created by the Rolling Stones, Joy Division, Dolly Parton, Rush and Iron Maiden illustrated the sounds of the physical copies within them. On the wall next to each album sat little black letters, telling the contributors’ stories. According to Jodi Hedderig, program officer for NMHC, the organization put out a call for entries. He said the idea behind the exhibit was to get community members to communicate about the common grounds found within music.

Culture

Albuquerque High School celebrates mural restoration

Katie Monette | April 6

Last Friday, April 5, Albuquerque High School hosted Nuestra Juventud, a celebration of the mural adorning Albuquerque High School. The event was hosted by the Chicana and Chicano Studies Preparatory Program and Pathway to Careers, which is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and local high schools. “Gracias por esa pelea,” one presenter said, thanking the audience for fighting for the mural. He called the mural an expression of New Mexican culture on the very walls of the school. Several prominent New Mexicans were in attendance, including Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, artist Francisco LeFebre, UNM Dean of Arts and Sciences Mark Peceny, UNM Chair of Chicana and Chicano Studies Irene Vasquez and several members of the Albuquerque Public School board.