Camillo Cretara

Culture

‘The Mighty Colorado’ river flows to Zimmerman

Camillo Cretara | March 9

The Colorado River is the sixth longest river in the United States and one of very few “wild” rivers in the lower 48 states. Running through New Mexico, it is one of the most important natural features to maintain in the West for conservation photographer Dave Showalter. On Friday, March 6, University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library hosted Showalter with a panel discussion and presented works from his new book “Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado.” Showalter doesn’t refer to the river as a resource, but rather a life force.

Culture

Tamarind Institute remembers artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

Camillo Cretara | March 2

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith was a Native American visual artist known for her striking colors and strong shapes. On Feb. 12, Smith posthumously celebrated 46 years featured at the University of New Mexico’s artistic printmaking workshop, the Tamarind Institute. Originally opening its doors in 1960 in California, Tamarind moved to Albuquerque in 1970, with Smith starting her residence in 1980. Tamarind Institute Director Diana Gaston said Smith has made approximately 40 editions. “Our former director saw her work and invited her to come work with us, and that was about 40 years ago, so we’ve had this really long arc of time with her,” Gaston said.

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News

REVIEW: ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ a Black History Month must watch

Camillo Cretara | February 16

Of all the Black and African American directors there are, none stand out in history as much as Spike Lee. Lee’s 2018 film “BlacKkKlansmen,” starring John David Washington as Ron Stallworth and Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman, is a movie based on the story of Colorado Springs’ first African-American detective and his infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan in 1979. Stallworth begins as a filing officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department, filing evidence and paper work until one day, he is moved straight into intelligence. With the movie being set in the 1970s, you can see the stark differences between how detectives gathered information and intelligence then and now. Newspapers were a great way to find things out and were considered more central to the general population.

Culture

Africana Studies Department kicks off Black History Month with brunch

Camillo Cretara | February 2

The University of New Mexico Department of Africana Studies “41st Annual Black History Month Kickoff Brunch” started Black History Month off strong, with the Student Union Building full of smells, sounds and an electrifying sense of community that could be felt as soon as one entered the ballroom. The Saturday, Jan. 31 brunch started off with attendees and speakers singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson; a hymn first written in 1900 and adopted as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The afternoon began with brief messages from UNM students and Mr. and Ms. UNM Afro, Jayden Charter and Judie Oyinatumba, as well as a quick introduction from Albuquerque’s first African American City Council member, District Six’s Nichole Rogers.

Culture

UNM alum, songwriter and artist Hataaliinez Wheeler makes Indie Rock his own

Camillo Cretara | January 26

Staying in one place is never good for an artist and University of New Mexico alum Hataaliinez Wheeler, who performs under the name “Hataałii,” recently realized that when he moved to New York City, New York, to continue writing music and painting. A 23-year-old singer, songwriter and painter, Wheeler is known for creating a psychedelic fusion of indie-rock and melancholic pop. Wheeler, who recently attended UNM, first started writing songs and painting in his dorm room, he said. Art can come from a lot of different places, and for Wheeler, his music and paintings often come from similar places, described as “Ntł’iz and Yódí,” he said.

‘The Mighty Colorado’ river flows to Zimmerman

Tamarind Institute remembers artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

REVIEW: ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ a Black History Month must watch

Africana Studies Department kicks off Black History Month with brunch

UNM alum, songwriter and artist Hataaliinez Wheeler makes Indie Rock his own

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