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Events On Tap For Downtown Las Cruces

January 6, 5 – 7 p.m.

Exhibit opening with artist Emmitt Booher

During the month of January, Mesilla photographer Emmitt Booher will continue to exhibit works that were completed during his artist-in-residency at the Organ Mountains —Desert Peaks National Monument. Booher is a native New Mexican, born and raised in the eastern part of the state. He spent his early years living and working on a small ranch, which he credits with cultivating his appreciation of the landscape, history, and people of New Mexico. His work is represented by the Tularosa Basin Gallery of Photography in Carrizozo. He and his wife, Rosa, live in Mesilla with their two rescue dogs.

The exhibit will open with an artist reception during the First Friday ArtRamble on December 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Regular exhibit hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

January 7, 7:30 p.m.   

El Paso Pro Musica presents The Complete Beethoven Trio  

The El Paso Pro-Musica Chamber Music Festival will kick off with the Complete Beethoven Trios with the incomparable trio of Zuill Bailey, cello, Kurt Nikkanen, violin, and Scott Rawls, viola. They have been sharing these amazing works by Beethoven on tour this summer. They will diagram the compositions and engage the audience in the journey of Beethoven during a pre-concert at talk at 7 p.m. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at eppm.org, by calling (915) 833-9400, or at the door for $25 adults, $20 seniors and military, or $5 students.

January 20, 7:30 p.m.  

Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks present Telluride Mountainfilm

Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks present a film screening in conjunction with the  Telluride Mountain Film Fest. Started in 1979, Telluride Mountainfilm is one of America’s longest-running film festivals. Through the years, the festival has always been best described by one unchanging word: inspiring.

The tour will visit Las Cruces at the Rio Grande Theatre with a documentary films that will explore the themes connected to Telluride Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world.

Tickets are $10. For tickets and event information, visit organmountainsdesertpeaks.org.

January 21, 7:30 p.m. 

NM Heritage Series #3 at the Rio Grande Theatre:

Randy Granger & Friends Native Music & Stories

Native American musician Randy Granger brings his storytelling, drumming, and flute playing talents to the Rio Grande Theatre stage. Granger will be joined by several guest performers from the Mesilla Valley to bring you an unforgettable evening of entertainment by some of our best local talent: actor Algernon D’Ammassa; Flamenco guitarist Jake Mossman; musician, magician, and entertainer Jamie O’Hara; cellist and singer/guitarist Alison Reynolds; and some dancers. 

This concert will feature Granger’s award-winning music as well as some Native American stories he shares with audiences around the U.S. He performs on the ethereal Hang drum, Native American and world flutes, world percussion, guitar, and voice as well as the ukulele. 

A lifelong musician, he makes his living full time at music. Recently he won an Indian Summer Music Award for his recordings, his second award. He’s won the Great American Song Contest and flute playing competitions. He’s been nominated for several Native American Music Awards, New Mexico Music Awards, and broadcast industry awards. 

Tickets are $12 – $17 and are available at www.riograndetheatre.com, at the Rio Grande Theatre box office on the second floor of the theatre, or at the door one hour prior to the event.

January 27, 6 – 9 p.m.

January 28, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. 

Awakening in Taos

Awakening in Taos, a New Mexico-produced independent film, tells the story of Mabel Dodge Luhan’s personal evolution as a writer, salon hostess, art patroness, and social activist, and a resident of New Mexico. Born in Buffalo, New York, Dodge was a woman unique to her time. Her influence extended into the world of arts, music, literature, and activism for social change. In her late 30s, she experienced a life-altering arrival at a small town in Northern New Mexico and embraced a Native culture in a way that seized the attention of the artistic and literary world. Dodge helped put Taos on the world map as a place of distinctive beauty and transformative spiritual power. 

On January 27 and 28, 2017 there will be three screenings of the film at the historic Rio Grande Theatre in downtown Las Cruces:

First Screening:  Friday, January 27, 2017 from 6- 9 p.m.  Gala Las Cruces Premiere  including a Pre-Party at Film Las Cruces headquarters (340 Reymond St.), Film Screening at the Rio Grande Theatre, a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers, and an After–Party with filmmakers at the Rio Grande Theatre.   Tickets for the Gala Las Cruces Premiere are $40 per person or $65 per couple (general admission, all fees included; tickets available at riograndetheatre.com or 575-523-6403).

Second Screening: Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 1 p.m.  As part of an effort to reach out and connect with local filmmakers and film students, there will be a special screening with the filmmakers on Saturday, January 28, at 1 p.m.  In conjunction with this screening, there will be a workshop directly following the film about the process of making the film in New Mexico, about the film industry, and the future of the film industry in the state. Gordon says they are looking to partner with other filmmakers within the state and to encourage film students to become part of the burgeoning New Mexico film industry.  Student/Filmmaker tickets for the January 28 1 p.m. screening and workshop are $12 (open seating; all fees included; tickets at riograndetheatre.com or 575-523-6403).

Finally, for those who could not attend the previous two screenings, there will be a public screening on Saturday evening January 28th at 6:30 p.m.   Tickets are $12 (open seating; all fees included; tickets at riograndetheatre.com or 575-523-6403).

January 29, 2 p.m.

The American Association of University Women present One For the Girls

The American Association of University Women will hold a fundraiser to support programs and scholarships for local women. Performers include Remember Then...A Class Act, Michele's Dance Academy, and ShowStoppers. The organization’s mission is to advance equality for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. More information about AAUW is online at http://lascruces-nm.aauw.net.

Tickets are $20 and are available at www.riograndetheatre.com, at the Rio Grande Theatre box office on the second floor of the theatre, or at the door one hour prior to the event.

January 2017 Artist: Emmitt Booher

El Paso Electric Gallery at the Rio Grande Theatre

Mesilla photographer Emmitt Booher will extend his exhibit of works that were completed during his artist-in-residency at the Organ Mountains — Desert Peaks National Monument. Booher is a native New Mexican, born and raised in the eastern part of the state. He spent his early years living and working on a small ranch, which he credits with cultivating his appreciation of the landscape, history, and people of New Mexico. His work is represented by the  Tularosa Basin Gallery of Photography in Carrizozo. He and his wife, Rosa, live in Mesilla with their two rescue dogs.

Booher says, “As the first artist-in-residence photographer to represent these unique and magnificent lands, it was a rewarding experience to explore the monument's cultural and natural resources. I would like to commend the Friends of the Organ Mountains — Desert Peaks National Monument and the Bureau of Land Management for having the foresight to institute an artist-in-residency program at the OMDPNM. Artist-in-residency programs are an invaluable source for promoting the preservation and conservation of our public lands for future generations.”

His artist statement reads, “I seek to discover and reveal, through photography, the natural world that sometimes goes unnoticed. My goal is to evoke mindfulness and contemplation within the observer. I choose to present my photographs in black and white. This is not only an artistic decision but also driven by the need to remain true to my original visualization of the world as I see it.”

Every month the Doña Ana Arts Council welcomes local artists to exhibit in the El Paso Electric Gallery in the lobby of the Rio Grande Theatre. Regular exhibit hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, or to book an exhibit, call the Arts Council offices during regular working hours.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is managed by the Doña Ana Arts Council. The theatre box office and Doña Ana Arts Council office is on the second floor of the theatre. Box office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to show time. For more information or to purchase tickets online, go to www.riograndetheatre.com or call (575) 523-6403.