Culture

Culture

UNM students celebrate friendship at ‘Galentine’s Day’ event

Detroit Kallunki | February 16

  On Monday, Feb. 13, the University of New Mexico hosted a “Galentine’s Day” celebration in the Student Union Building atrium. With a combination of information tables and fun holiday activities, the event was equal parts entertaining and educational; conversations around consent and activism were a focal point, according to event organizer Courtney Love. Several tables sporting festive pink and red tablecloths were set out in the atrium. Students could circle each table and participate in cookie decorating and card making. Attendees also took turns in front of a decorative backdrop to have their photos taken by Love with a polaroid camera.

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Culture

REVIEW: 2023 Super Bowl halftime show doesn’t quite ‘shine bright like a diamond’

Elizabeth Secor | February 16

  Households across the U.S. tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday Feb. 12. Did I watch any of it? Nope. However, I did start paying attention when the halftime show began and Rihanna replaced the football players on the field. I found the halftime show a bit lackluster, but still enjoyable. Rihanna’s singing and the set list was what made the show for me. The performance included songs I easily recognized to ones I didn’t — though this may be because I realized I don’t listen to nearly as much Rihanna as I thought I did. The set list included songs like “Work,” “Run This Town” and “Diamonds.”

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Culture

Multicultural Greek Council offers Greek life experience for all

Elizabeth Secor | February 13

  For a diverse array of students at the University of New Mexico, the Multicultural Greek Council fosters experience in leadership, collaborations across campus and much more through providing a space for cultural connection and community. The Multicultural Greek Council consists of nine sororities and seven fraternities, each of which aims to provide a space for their students to collaborate, communicate and support each other through community, according to their website. The multicultural Greek organizations on campus first founded the UNM MGC in order to form a community for students of color and help them through college and beyond, according to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. member Danielle Bell. She was particularly interested in joining the Divine Nine, a national council made up of nine historically black sororities and fraternities

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Culture

Black Education Act seeks to support Black students

Maddie Pukite | February 13

  The Black Education Act, which passed during last year's legislative session, has since been implemented to support Black students from preschool through higher education by giving students more resources and expanding curriculums to include the Black American experience. On Jan. 23, 2023, the Florida Department of Education blocked the inclusion of Black history in their school curriculum by blocking the creation of an AP African Studies course in the state, calling the course “a form of political indoctrination and a violation of state law,” according to NPR. This AP course follows others that already study different regions' histories, cultures, politics and languages, among other science and math classes. 

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Culture

OPINION: No way to justify the Oscars’ continual snubbing of Black artists

John Scott | February 13

  Casual and hardcore movie fans waited with bated breath on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to see what films would garner nominations for the 95th annual Academy Awards: would we see a best director nod for Gina Prince-Bythewood for “The Woman King?” or maybe Jordan Peele for “Nope”? Could Keke Palmer break through and grab a Best Supporting Actress — or even Best Actress — nomination?

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Culture

Black Student Union builds community through outreach, education and advocacy

Spenser Willden | February 13

  The Black Student Union, a Black student organization in the African American Student Services department at the University of New Mexico, aims to foster community for Black students through a combination of outreach, education and advocacy work. The BSU offers a space for Black students to connect with the community, both on campus and across the city, according to Nakia Jackson: BSU president and UNM junior majoring in signed language interpretation.

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Culture

OP-ED: Black is joy, community, culture and love

Imani Knox and Kaelyn Moon | February 13

 From Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, African Americans across the nation celebrate the impact Black culture has had on this country. They pay tribute to the ones who came before them and recognize the countless contributions that have been made by African Americans and their ancestors. This month, the hub for Black students on campus, African American Student Services, is centering the notion that Blackness is not a monolithic experience through the themes of Black joy, community, culture and love. 

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Culture

Hot-diggity dog: Clowndog brings joy to Nob Hill through hot dogs

Elizabeth Secor | February 6

  On the corner of Central Avenue and Hermosa Drive sits a clown-themed hot dog restaurant with over 50 different topping options called Clowndog. The owner, Rich Bartel, was inspired to open Clowndog because of similar restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio. “There's a place in Cleveland that does (a) build-your-own hot dog concept and a couple of other places in the Cleveland area opened up doing the same … and I thought, well, if they can do it three times there, we can do it once here,” Bartel said.

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Culture

Navajo Code Talker collections open in the Center for Southwest Research

Cyrrene Giaccardo | February 6

  In November 2022, the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico opened the Carl N. Gorman and William Dean Wilson Collections, presenting the materials and records of two original Navajo Code Talkers from the largest donation of Indigenous history materials ever received by the CSWR. Zonnie Gorman, a doctoral candidate within the UNM history department whose research focuses on the Navajo Code Talkers, discussed her journey maintaining the materials of her father and uncle, Carl Gorman and William Dean Wilson, two original Navajo Code Talkers. The process of bringing these materials to the Center of Southwest Research took between two to three years, according to Gorman. 

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Culture

John Sommers Gallery serves up fresh student works this semester

Zara Roy | February 6

  On Thursday, Feb. 2, the University of New Mexico art department kicked off their semester with a reception for their juried exhibition showcasing undergraduate works from across disciplines at the John Sommers Gallery, the main exhibition space at the university where students and faculty present their latest works. The gallery, which is free to all, rotates shows every two weeks, meaning there is always something new to experience at the gallery, according to manager Anna Rotty. This semester, a variety of solo shows from master and bachelor of fine arts students will be presented at the museum, along with a capstone exhibition for the graduating seniors.

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Culture

OPINION: How to pull off a successful ‘soft launch’

Sierra Martinez | February 6

  With Valentine's Day approaching, ‘tis the season to “soft launch” your new partner. If you’re wondering what a soft launch is, think back to every cryptic Instagram story of two people holding hands with no tagged account to be found — those were soft launches. One of the most appealing parts of a soft launch is the mystery. Why would you announce your new relationship with a picture of their face and a tagged account when you could keep people guessing, turning your followers into the Pepe Silvia meme? If you’re looking to execute a flawless soft launch, look no further. These tips will have your entire social media network chomping at the bit to find out who could be attached to the other hand in the photo.

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Culture

Artwalk draws together artists from all walks of life

Jessica Baca | February 6

  This past Friday, Feb. 3 Albuquerque Art Walk took place in downtown Albuquerque to provide artists the chance to share their work with the public. Every month, Art Walk picks a featured artist for the event. This month’s artist is Beedallo, a local artist from Los Chavez, New Mexico. As a painter and illustrator, Bedallo’s work revolves around combining her love for cartooning with traditional folk art to create surreal scenes. The event attracts more than just featured artists, though. Jacob Spill, a local artist born in Española who has done a gallery show at the OT Circus in the past, attended this past walk as a spectator, allowing him to experience what he likes most about the event.

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Culture

OPINION: Valentine’s Day recipes to fall in love with

Elizabeth Secor | February 6

  Baking is a wonderful way to show your loved ones how you feel about them, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I decided to hit the kitchen to whip up some delicious Valentine’s themed recipes that are sure to satisfy anyone — whether it be significant others or friends and family.

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Culture

UNM Theatre and Dance present their monstrous spring 2023 lineup

Marcela Johnson | February 2

 With a new semester comes new works on the horizon for the University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance. Their spring 2023 lineup will include works such as “Monstro/us,” “Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light,” “Bat Boy: A Music Showcase,” “Fearsome Creatures,” the semiannual departmental Linnell Festival of New Plays and “(Type)Writer,” a co-production with UNM SCRAP, the student theater organization. The theme for this year’s non-Linnell and SCRAP shows is monsters, according to UNM theater and dance marketing representative Madrone Matishak. The dance production “Monstro/us” follows this idea, with choreography by UNM dance faculty member Vladimir Conde Reche and other guest choreographers.

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Culture

Loboscopes: February general predictions

Zara Roy | February 2

 February kicked off with a dreamy start as Venus, planet of love, entered Pisces, where it will thrive for the next several weeks. With Jupiter and Venus entering Aries and reaching a conjunction at the end of the month, this will be the perfect time to get a jump-start on plans that have lied stale for a while — the active energy of the first sign of the zodiac calls you to action.  This is only heightened by the fact that, currently, no planets are retrograde. This is the universe calling for you to outwardly channel any energies that have previously been internalized. Read on to find out what this means for your sign.

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Culture

Filmmaker irrigates a flow of change through documentary

John Scott | January 30

 When asked about the one thing she wants people to take away from her films, tears formed in the eyes of Aracely “Arcie” Chapa, a documentary filmmaker and manager of multimedia services with the University of New Mexico’s Center for Regional Studies. She recounted a memory of attending a Rocky Mountain Collegiate Press Association competition. Her mother was a month away from dying. “She was so happy when I got back, and when I told her, (she) couldn’t believe I had won the big award. And she said, ‘Always use your talent to give a voice to the people who don’t have a voice and to make a difference.’ That’s always been my mission and my goal. That’s what drives me,” Chapa said.

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Culture

House Bill 134 seeks to place free menstrual products in public schools

Elizabeth Secor | January 30

 A bill seeking to create menstrual equity in schools by providing free menstrual hygiene products in New Mexico public schools will be introduced on Monday, Jan. 30: House Bill 134, titled “Menstrual Products in School Bathrooms.” The bill is sponsored by Reps. Christine Trujillo and Kristina Ortez and will be introduced first to the House education committee with a proposed budget of $3 million.

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Culture

REVIEW: ‘A Thousand and One’ is a hazy epic straight from a storybook

John Scott | January 30

 It’s never too early to plan ahead: while some moviegoers concern themselves with what might take home the gold at the 2023 Oscars, others look to this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which has once again provided us an early glimpse at the films to watch for next year’s upcoming awards season. There may not be any making quite as many waves as the Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic winner “A Thousand and One,” whose millenium-spanning story announces writer-director A.V. Rockwell as a talent to watch.

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Culture

AFMX provides a film festival experience like no other

John Scott | January 30

 With the film industry in New Mexico growing at a rapid pace and big-name production houses like Netflix bringing large-scale operations to Albuquerque, it’s clear more college graduates will gravitate toward the field after finishing school. The Albuquerque Film and Music Experience seeks to provide those opportunities in the field to students by connecting them with industry professionals while also allowing them to showcase their own work, according to executive director Ivan Wiener. The festival is currently open for submissions to its 2023 festival, with students interested in submitting in the student film category being permitted free submissions by emailing info@afmx.com for a fee waiver code.

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Culture

‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ succeeds on charisma check, but just barely

Spenser Willden | January 30

 On Friday, Jan. 20, Amazon Prime Video released the first three episodes of the second season of “The Legend of Vox Machina,” animation studio Titmouse Inc.’s adaptation of the wildly successful Dungeons and Dragons actual-play show “Critical Role.” Though impressive in scope and showing plenty of promise for what’s to come, season two so far is underwhelming, if not as an adaptation, then as a story on its own. This season, “The Legend of Vox Machina” follows titular adventuring party Vox Machina as they track down legendary magical items to help them defeat a cadre of villainous dragons dubbed the “Chroma Conclave,” bent on ruling the world. If it sounds played out, that’s because it is — mostly.