Culture

Culture

Graduate Art Association holds 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition

Megan Holmen | March 24

The University of New Mexico Graduate Art Association is having its 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition at the UNM Art Museum now through May 5. The graduate students in the art and art history department at UNM have an opportunity to have their work on display every year in this exhibit. The exhibit is put on and run by the GAA. The GAA chooses the juror and oversees the jurying process, according to Mary Statzer, the UNM Art Museum curator of prints and photographs and this year’s juror for the art exhibit. Statzer is new to the UNM Art Museum and collaborated with Steven Hurley, the UNM Art Museum coordinator of exhibitions to put up this year’s exhibit.

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Music

Music department gears up for 47th Annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium

Aubrie Powell | March 22

The University of New Mexico music department will host the 47th Annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium from March 23 to 29. The symposium brings distinguished composers from around the world to campus. This year it is hosting a larger-than-usual number of composers, including Betsy Jolas, Cort Lippe, Hilda Paredes, Augusta Read Thomas, Hans Tutschku and Hildegard Westerkamp. To get an idea of the individual voices of these composers the Symposium has put together a YouTube playlist.

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Music

Concert Review: Opener shines in Tigers Jaw performance

Colton Newman | March 22

The mysterious Meow Wolf played host to a night of rock ‘n’ roll fun, with the indie rock band, Tigers Jaw. The band is currently touring its new album, “Spin,” and is joined by the female-led bands, Looming and Yowler. Looming proved to be a lot — like four electric guitars at once a lot.

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Culture

Movie Review: "The Strangers: Prey at Night" a mediocre film

Timber Mabes | March 22

Released on March 9, “The Strangers: Prey at Night” hit theaters 10 years after the original film, “The Strangers, ” which in all honesty is tremendously better. “The Strangers: Prey at Night” was still scary, don’t get me wrong, but it was also predictable and lacked a complex plot. Where “The Strangers” originally followed a couple's fight to survive in a secluded cabin in the woods, “The Strangers: Prey at Night” takes place at a trailer park and features a family of four. 

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Culture

Movie Review: “Annihilation” loses its quality with lengthy runtime

Hector Valverde | March 19

Unlike what seems to be the majority, I was not at all impressed by director Alex Garland’s previous film, “Ex Machina.” It’s a trite, boring piece regurgitating the dangers of AI — and the humans that make it, ooh — for the umpteenth time. I just didn’t get it I suppose. Regardless, I went in giving “Annihilation” and Garland another fair chance. Natalie Portman leads as Lena — a cellular biologist who, after the mysterious reemergence and near-death of her missing husband Kane (Oscar Isaac), joins an investigative team to explore a spreading alien anomaly dubbed “the Shimmer” in hopes of curing him.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Thoroughbreds" a provocatively dark film

Hector Valverde | March 18

There’s an unsettling air of control hovering over Cory Finley’s directorial debut, “Thoroughbreds.” Lily’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) strict stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks), lurks in the background of their enormous, empty mansion almost omnisciently. Her mentally unstable friend, Amanda (Olivia Cooke), effortlessly feigns emotion and can cry on command. Even the claustrophobic locations and camerawork are overbearingly oppressive. The film becomes a wonderfully tense ride of unpredictability when this control is lost as Lily and Amanda incapably hatch a plan to kill Mark.

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Music

Concert Review: Red Light Cameras pack Sister Bar for tour kick-off party

Colton Newman | March 18

Sister Bar hosted the tour kick-off party for local Albuquerque band Red Light Cameras and their guest performers, the Timewreckers and Jared and The Mill. Despite a disrespectfully low amount of monthly listens on Spotify, Red Light Cameras was able to gather a huge amount of fans for their opening tour performance. The opening band that stood out the most was, by far, the Arizona band, Jared and The Mill. Led by ultra-skinny-jean-wearing Jared Kolesar, Jared and The Mill ramped up the audience with a strong folk rock performance only topped by genre giants Mumford & Sons.

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Culture

Ane Gonzalez Lara teaches on Latin American architecture

Megan Holmen | March 18

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of five profiles on women associated with the University of New Mexico, who have been recognized by Albuquerque Business First as women of influence in New Mexico. Originally from Spain, Assistant Professor of Architecture Ane Gonzalez Lara has been teaching at the University of New Mexico for the past two years. Gonzalez Lara is passionate about teaching, designing buildings and understanding architecture as an interdisciplinary topic, she said.

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Culture

Book Review: "Cinder" mixes fairytales with dystopian fiction

Nichole Harwood | March 18

No. 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Marissa Meyer plunged me, along with many others, into a thrilling adventure when she published her first book in her “Lunar Chronicles” series, titled “Cinder” back in 2012. Then, she left her readers equally breathless when the series wrapped up with the book “Winter” in 2015. Meyer hasn’t left the world she meticulously set up in her “Lunar Chronicles” behind however. Readers were given another glimpse through “Wires and Nerves,” a graphic novel sequel series written by Meyer and illustrated by Douglas Holgate, the second part of which was released Jan. 30 of this year.

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News

New class explores feminist identity

Aubrie Powell | March 18

A course that began this semester at the University of New Mexico Honors College aims to present different feminist perspectives and encourage exploration and critique of these theories. “A Dialogue on Creating a Feminist Identity,” taught by Dr. Dawn Stracener, strives to enable learning through multidisciplinary experiences. Above all, the course provides its students with tools to explore their own identities, feminist or not, Stracener said.

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Culture

Book Review: "The Road" offers harrowing dystopian story

Colton Newman | March 18

The legendary novel, “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, lives up to its reputation. Taking notes from Ernest Hemingway, McCarthy keeps things simplistic and vague. “The Road” follows the skeletal unnamed characters of a Man and a Boy who endlessly wander the roads of an ash-covered gray Earth. McCarthy makes “The Road” amazingly timeless. There are no mentions of technology or years, and the vagueness of information gives “The Road” only a time period in the minds of the readers.

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News

Traciana Graves talks inclusion, empowerment and being free

Ajinkya Patil | March 11

Traciana Graves discussed inclusion, empowerment and being free Wednesday at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building Atrium. Voted as one of “America’s Most Fearless Women” by Huffington Post, Graves gave examples of heroes and sheroes, including Harriet Tubman, Mahalia Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dave Chappelle and Rosa Parks. During the event, which was organized by the Associated Students of UNM Student Special Events, Graves gave students advice on the best practices to comfort and navigate through life.

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News

Event highlights student writing

Tom Hanlon | March 11

Students were given a chance to showcase their writing abilities at the ninth annual Celebration of Student Writing event at the University of New Mexico Thursday. The event showcased displays that included interactive writing games, digital projects and displays of students’ favorite pieces of literature. Undergraduate students enrolled in English 110, 120 and 220 classes, along with students from various other writing classes at UNM, presented versions of their coursework from the first half of the semester in the Student Union Building.

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Culture

Column: Some ideas for Spring Break, 2018

Danielle Prokop | March 7

So, you’re stuck in Albuquerque for spring break, whiling away the hours, while your friends are on some beach somewhere. What is there to do in Albuquerque? This list should have you covered on low-budget spring break options in the 505. Outside: Albuquerque is full of outdoor excursions on the cheap. If your idea of going out means lacing up your hiking boots, grabbing your bike helmet or snagging your crash pads, then you’re in the right place.

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Culture

Centennial hosts free coding education program

Ariel Lutnesky | March 7

This Friday marks the second Friday of the month — and that means it’s time for Coffee and Code at Centennial Library. Jonathan Wheeler, a data curation librarian, and Karl Benedict, director of research data services, put the program together. “It's a combination of business and introduction and information about what the technology is, why you may or may not want to use it and how it gets used, but then also a hands-on chance for folks to experiment with it and get their feet wet,” Benedict said.

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News

Sonia Rankin loves watching students learn

Shayla Cunico | March 4

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of five profiles on women associated with the University of New Mexico, who have been recognized by Albuquerque Business First as women of influence in New Mexico. Sonia M. Gipson Rankin is an Africana Studies senior lecturer, the Associate Dean of University College and the director of first-year success projects at the University of New Mexico. She teaches a course at UNM’s School of Law and is also a wife and mother of three. She never fails to find inspiration from her students, she said.

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News

Annual LoboTHON supports young cancer patients

Megan Holmen | March 4

The University of New Mexico hosted the fifth annual Lobothon Saturday. Organized and run by UNM students, this fundraiser aimed to support UNM Children’s Hospital, the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in New Mexico. LoboTHON is a 13.1 hour dance marathon created to support children who have or have had cancer, said Jessica Marrello, LoboTHON committee member. According to Marrello, LoboTHON is UNM's chapter of Dance Marathon, an organization with chapters across the country in over 300 colleges and universities.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Red Sparrow" comes short of impressing

Hector Valverde | March 4

“Red Sparrow” had me totally breathless in its opening scenes. The seamless interflow between a prima ballerina’s beautifully tragic final performance and the thrilling intrigue of a CIA spy exchange had me going well into the first chunk of the film as the situations diffused into what would become the central plot. Unfortunately this initial momentum progressively fizzles out throughout the film’s girthy 120-minute runtime. Sabotaged and permanently crippled by her fellow ballerinas, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is coerced by her uncle, a high-ranking member of Russian intelligence, to serve as bait for a politician. Following problematic outcomes, Dominika is sent to a secret Russian facility training spies — known as “sparrows” — for the state.

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News

Lecturer takes audience on a road trip through history

Megan Holmen | March 4

Jon Hunner, Ph.D. presented “Driven by History: A Road Trip through our Nation's Past” Thursday as part of a spring lecture series, “People and Places” through the University of New Mexico Southwest Research and Special Collections hosted. In his lecture, Hunner, a UNM alum and professor of U.S. history and public history at New Mexico State University, discussed a 2016 road trip across the United States, in which he visited over 100 national parks and drove 20,000 miles. According to Hunner, the national parks are an excellent place to learn about the nation’s history.

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Culture

"A Chorus Line" comes to Popejoy

Sherri Barth | March 4

Tony Award-winning director, actress, choreographer and author Baayork Lee brings Michael Bennett’s original production of “A Chorus Line” back to life with a 33-city national tour stopping at Popejoy Hall for three nights, beginning Thursday, according to broadwayworld.com. Lee portrayed Connie Wong in the original 1975 Broadway play, and now she is taking the musical across the Pacific to Tokyo, Japan after the national tour. Since her outbreak performance on “A Chorus Line,” Lee has gone on to direct and choreograph 35 international productions of the musical, according to broadwayworld.com.