As Netflix’s list of original content grows, the new film “Bird Box” was one of the most highly anticipated releases in the history of the streaming service.
Being a mother and a student are full-time jobs on their own, and Lori White has managed to do both at the same time during her years at the University of New Mexico. White, who is graduating with a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the School of Public Administration, is now able to share her graduation with her daughter, Alea White, as they both graduate from their respective programs this semester.
Sabrina Baca is a first generation college student and a senior who will graduate Friday with a Bachelor of Arts in theater from the University of New Mexico. Baca said she took five and a half years to graduate with her degree which she said at times was discouraging. However, after five years of hard work Baca will be joining the workforce.
University of New Mexico graduate Ryan Joshua Betty strayed far from his home town of Rio Rancho, traveling to 12 different countries during his time studying abroad. Originally born in Las Cruces but later moving to Rio Rancho, Betty grew up going to Rio Rancho High School. After graduating, Betty said he felt great to move on to the University of New Mexico. Upon entering college, Betty initially wanted to become a special education teacher, but later changed his mind after studying abroad in the Netherlands for one year.
One of the University of New Mexico’s fall 2018 graduates represents the non-traditional route to achieving a degree that many students take. Mamadou Sidibe moved to the United States when she was 20 years old from Guinea, a country in West Africa. After almost 10 years going after a bachelor’s degree, she has reached her goal of earning a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution. After graduating high school in Guinea in 2009, Sidibe attended a local university for two and a half years. In May of 2011, Sidibe made her way over to the U.S. Sidibe said that's when her whole life changed.
With the holiday season officially beginning, Albuquerque marked by the change of seasons with Albuquerque BioPark’s annual River of Lights display. Set up in the BioPark’s botanical gardens, the River of Lights features millions of glowing Christmas lights covering nearly every inch of the gardens. Many of the lights are arranged into the 550 sculptures designed to amaze the crowds attending.
This past Friday, the University of New Mexico Arts Research Technology Science (ARTS) Lab hosted an artist talk and performance event featuring Ryan Dennison. Guests were invited to complementary dishes as a piece of Dennison’s Navajo culture. They were seated in a dimly lit ambient atmosphere noted with subtle hues peeking through the ceiling. The Diné transdisciplinary artist hails from Tohatchi, New Mexico, and began his talk by introducing himself to the audience in Navajo. “Diné,” meaning “person” in Navajo, reviving the indigenous, Navajo way of life as a means to connect one back to their indigenous roots to keep the culture alive. Although admittedly not fluent in the language, Dennison explained through archives of pictures from his community work, artwork and even childhood memories, that he manages to keep in touch with his roots through a variety of artforms.
New York Times co-chief theater critic Ben Brantley opened his second “Hamilton” review writing “Yes, it really is that good.” Four years later, it is still that good. “Hamilton: an American Musical” began its Broadway run on August 6, 2015 at the Richard Rogers Theater. Since then, the smash hit, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, has gained a level of fame few other performances could imagine. That stardom, dozens of different cast members, the tsunami of cash (cheap seats at Rogers start at $300) and criticisms of historical inaccuracies are seemingly unable to worsen the performance. It is still that good.
Last Saturday the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s Southwest Film Center presented the 2018 Cherry Reel Film Festival. Each film was a student production, giving a platform for a variety of different genres and plot matters, making the festival a showcase of various talents. LeAnna Walters, a freshman volunteer said that she thinks that the event is a good way for people at UNM who are interested in film to come together for one night and just celebrate artwork and lift each other up. “It’s just really fun to watch people enjoy everyone else’s work so much,” Walters said.
On Friday the University of New Mexico lit up with luminarias for the annual Hanging of the Greens. Students, alumni and community members gathered outside of the UNM bookstore to start their campus stroll, but after a cup of hot chocolate first. Whether referred to as luminarias or farolitos, thousands of these little lights decorated campus. School organizations who participated created their own designs out of the glowing paper bags.
On Friday night, University of New Mexico students and members of the community gathered for drinks and cheer at the third annual student art auction, hosted by the UNM chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS).The event was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in George Pearl Hall and featured 48 art items including works from students, faculty and other professionals. According to one of the coordinators for the auction Magdalena Kerkmans, a senior architecture student the money from the auction will primarily fund the students trip to the AIAS national forum in Seattle, WA that is being held from Dec. 29, 2018 to Jan. 1, 2019. “This is our biggest fundraiser,” said Kerkmans. “The auction will help (AIAS) pay for hotels and registration.”
It’s 2018 and only 14 out of the 50 U.S. states have laws against minors attending gay conversion therapy camps. This startling fact is what the film “Boy Erased,” starring Lucas Hedges as Garrard Conley, is attempting to change or at least bring awareness to. With Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe backing Hedges as his character’s parents, this heartbreaking story serves as coming of age tale that (as the film states) 700,000+ LGBTQ youth have had to endure. Playing the antagonist is Garrard’s father, a preacher of a local church, and Victor Sykes (Joel Edgerton) who leads Love In Action (LIA), the gay therapy camp that Hedges’ character attends after being forcibly outed as gay to his parents.
This Saturday, the Southwest Film Center (SWFC) will host the 2018 Cherry Reel Film Festival in the Student Union Building. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., guests are welcomed to gather and enjoy "a film festival for student filmmakers, by student filmmakers.” The event is sponsored by Canon, and has a $5 entry fee which is cash only. Students presenting their work this year have the opportunity to win a new DSLR and lens that value over $2,500.
As the end of the semester approaches students at the University of New Mexico begin to plan their class schedules for the spring, with each semester bringing new classes for students to take advantage of. In the Africana Studies Program, a new creative writing class called Introduction to Black Creative Writing offers students the chance to explore the work of black authors as well as expand their own writing skills. Taught by Naima Yael Tokunow, the class includes not only fictional prose, but also nonfiction, poetry and drama in order to give students a well-rounded view of black authors and their work.
Many students have jobs and small businesses they run outside of their coursework, but one student is redefining what running a small business means to her. Hendrika Masire originally came to the U.S. from Kenya for her studies, but found herself becoming more and more interested in fashion, eventually starting her own sewing business. “In Kenya I modeled and made clothes for several local celebrities and was also featured in a couple local TV shows,” Masire said. “I am just taking that experience and trying to make a name for myself here in the U.S.”
Last week the University of New Mexico was enchanted by the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the University’s annual Harry Potter Day. To get into the wizarding world attendees were served Butterbeer, a drink mentioned throughout the Harry Potter series, while they had the opportunity to decorate cookies and play Harry Potter trivia.
This week from Wednesday to Friday, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico are bringing back their three day ASUNM Arts & Crafts Fair. Local artists, and some from out of state, are bringing their art to the table for students to browse and purchase in the ballrooms of the Student Union Building on UNM main campus.
Art has long been used as a form of commentary on current events, and Ricardo Caté’s “Art Through Struggle” exhibition is one local artist’s unique way of accomplishing this. Displayed in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center until Jan. 6, “Art Through Struggle” is a depiction of Caté’s personal experiences as a Native American man in New Mexico. While the title of the exhibit gives the impression that it is a solemn experience, Caté approaches his subject matter with a sense of humor. His work as an artist also includes the comic strip “Without Reservations” that has been printed regularly in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, making him the only Native American artist whose work can be seen in a mainstream daily newspaper.
Students at the University of New Mexico will have another option for lunch come the Spring 2019 semester. Rocket Kitchen plans to open a second location in the Bricklight District on Harvard Drive and Central Boulevard, serving turkey burgers, street tacos and protein waffles. Owner and founder of Rocket Kitchen, Carlo Dominguez, said his goal was to reinvent the fast food industry.
This past weekend the fifth annual Pueblo Film Festival showed off films created by Native American filmmakers from across the world. The main theme for this year’s film festival was to focus on the female filmmakers of the Native American community. “The theme is ‘Empowering Women Through Film’ in the Native American filmmaker community, which is a very important theme,” said Jonathan Cabada, the coordinator of the volunteers of the event.
Solutions by The State News
