AARP Brain Health Webinar: Conjunto Blues
2021-05-02 | NM
2 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom with suggested donation. Click here to donate. You may also email marmijo@nhccfoundation.org to register for any of these events. We will send you the link to the performance.
Conjunto Blues, performance sponsor, AARP will offer a live webinar on brain health and the arts, including the intrinsic connection between music and memory, the lasting effects of music on the brain, and tools to assist in boosting brain health and wellness.

In Conjunto Blues, playwright, actor, and musician Nicolás Valdez explores the social and historical conditions that led to the development of conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation. Centering on Valdez’ personal experience growing up in the conjunto music scene, the work is loosely based on his relationship with his grandfather, also an aficionado of the music. Audiences are taken through a shifting landscape of memory and reflection that is highlighted throughout by traditional music performed live by Valdez and accompanied by musicians Luis Gonzalez on bajo sexto (12-string Mexican guitar), Sarah Rocha on tololoche (upright bass), and Joaquin Abrego on batería (drums). With a cast of colorfully poignant characters, Conjunto Blues is a deeply personal performance for viewers of all ages and backgrounds, and one that is sure to entertain as well as educate.
The world premiere of Conjunto Blues took place in Denver in 2013 with the support of Su Teatro, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Performance Network. The work has also been performed at venues including Tucson’s Fox Theater and San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (GCAC), and as part of the Los Angeles Theater Company’s Encuentro de las Américas. Conjunto Blues was adapted for online viewing in November of 2020 through collaborations with the GCAC and Teatro Vivo of Austin, Texas.
This performance, the Albuquerque premiere of Valdez’ critically acclaimed work, is made possible through the generous sponsorship of AARP. Access to the artist’s live workshop on May 1 and to an AARP webinar on May 2, both described below, is free to members of the NHCC Foundation and AARP members, as well as to donors contributing $50 or more.

Virtual Book Reading and Discussion: Craig Harris, Crossing Borders: My Journey in Music, Max Baca
2021-05-02
3 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom. Register HERE
Max Baca’s music grew out of the harsh life of the borderland, and the duality of borderland music—its keening beauty—remains a recurring theme in everything he does. Craig Harris and Baca have collaborated on this book which tells the story of Max Baca’s extraordinary career.
Free community event

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Baca founded the conjunto band, Los Texmaniacs, in 1997, which incorporated elements from genres such as rock and roll and jazz while still honoring the roots of conjunto tejano. Combine a hefty helping of Tex Mex conjunto, simmer with several parts Texas rock, add a daring dash of well-cured blues, and R&B riffs, and you’ve cooked up the tasty TexManiacs groove. Baca is a legend on the bajo sexto, a twelve string guitar-like instrument, which customarily provides rhythm accompaniment for the button accordion, thus creating the core of the conjunto sound. Baca has appeared on national television programs such as Conan O’ Brien, David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Austin City Limits. He has also participated on ten Grammy winning projects including the double-platinum CD for the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge (Virgin 96). Craig Harris is host of The Craig Harris Show on Fridays 10 PM at Bluegrass Country Foundation DC Radio
Presented by Bookworks, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and UNM Press

Workshop: Conjunto Blues
2021-05-01
2 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom with suggested donation. Click here to donate. You may also email marmijo@nhccfoundation.org to register for any of these events. We will send you the link to the performance.
Nicolás Valdez will present an hour-long workshop and discussion live from his home, revolving around specific themes drawn from pre-recorded interviews and historical documentary footage that he has compiled. This workshop will explore the complexity of conjunto music’s origins and evolution and its long-term impacts on the Mexican-American community, delving into topics including conjunto’s campesino origins, its stylistic evolutions, women and the recording industry, and pachucos and the nightlife, and including ethnographic interviews with prominent figures in the conjunto music scene. The crux of the conversation will be the way in which the evolution of conjunto music parallels that of the Mexican-American identity.

“The focus of this work, for me, has always been to highlight the many contributions of the Mexican-American community to the cultural fabric of this country,” says Valdez, “and to show audiences how conjunto music, an original and uniquely American form of musical expression, became the soundtrack for the 20th century Mexican-American working-class experience.”
In Conjunto Blues, playwright, actor, and musician Nicolás Valdez explores the social and historical conditions that led to the development of conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation. Centering on Valdez’ personal experience growing up in the conjunto music scene, the work is loosely based on his relationship with his grandfather, also an aficionado of the music. Audiences are taken through a shifting landscape of memory and reflection that is highlighted throughout by traditional music performed live by Valdez and accompanied by musicians Luis Gonzalez on bajo sexto (12-string Mexican guitar), Sarah Rocha on tololoche (upright bass), and Joaquin Abrego on batería (drums). With a cast of colorfully poignant characters, Conjunto Blues is a deeply personal performance for viewers of all ages and backgrounds, and one that is sure to entertain as well as educate.
The world premiere of Conjunto Blues took place in Denver in 2013 with the support of Su Teatro, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Performance Network. The work has also been performed at venues including Tucson’s Fox Theater and San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (GCAC), and as part of the Los Angeles Theater Company’s Encuentro de las Américas. Conjunto Blues was adapted for online viewing in November of 2020 through collaborations with the GCAC and Teatro Vivo of Austin, Texas.
This performance, the Albuquerque premiere of Valdez’ critically acclaimed work, is made possible through the generous sponsorship of AARP. Access to the artist’s live workshop on May 1 and to an AARP webinar on May 2, both described below, is free to members of the NHCC Foundation and AARP members, as well as to donors contributing $50 or more.

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor
2021-04-30
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor, a documentary produced by María del Puy Alvarado and directed by Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, is a richly revealing portrait of Andalusian writer and professor Antonio Muñoz Molina. One of the great figures of contemporary literature and a former director of Instituto Cervantes’ New York office, Muñoz Molina has divided his time between Madrid and New York for many years.
2014; Spanish with English subtitles; 60 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

On-Line Albuquerque Premiere: Conjunto Blues
2021-04-29
7 pm (MST)
The premiere performance will be on our Foundation YouTube page HERE
This performance, the Albuquerque premiere of Valdez’ critically acclaimed work, is made possible through the generous sponsorship of AARP.
In Conjunto Blues, playwright, actor, and musician Nicolás Valdez explores the social and historical conditions that led to the development of conjunto music as an expression of cultural resistance and liberation. Centering on Valdez’ personal experience growing up in the conjunto music scene, the work is loosely based on his relationship with his grandfather, also an aficionado of the music. Audiences are taken through a shifting landscape of memory and reflection that is highlighted throughout by traditional music performed live by Valdez and accompanied by musicians Luis Gonzalez on bajo sexto (12-string Mexican guitar), Sarah Rocha on tololoche (upright bass), and Joaquin Abrego on batería (drums). With a cast of colorfully poignant characters, Conjunto Blues is a deeply personal performance for viewers of all ages and backgrounds, and one that is sure to entertain as well as educate.

Join us for three members only/donors webinars in association with the premiere of Conjunto Blues.
Following the opening night performance at 7 pm on April 29, Valdez will host a live question-and-answer session via Zoom, during which audience members can discuss the show and ask questions about conjunto music in general.
On Saturday, May 1 at 2 pm, Valdez will present an hour-long workshop and discussion live from his home, revolving around specific themes drawn from pre-recorded interviews and historical documentary footage that he has compiled.
On Sunday, May 2 at 2 pm, Conjunto Blues, performance sponsor, AARP will offer a live webinar on brain health and the arts, including the intrinsic connection between music and memory, the lasting effects of music on the brain, and tools to assist in boosting brain health and wellness.
Please register, with donations suggested HERE through 9 pm on Sunday, May 2, 2021. You may also email marmijo@nhccfoundation.org to register for any of these events. We will send you the link to the performance.
The world premiere of Conjunto Blues took place in Denver in 2013 with the support of Su Teatro, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Performance Network. The work has also been performed at venues including Tucson’s Fox Theater and San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (GCAC), and as part of the Los Angeles Theater Company’s Encuentro de las Américas. Conjunto Blues was adapted for online viewing in November of 2020 through collaborations with the GCAC and Teatro Vivo of Austin, Texas.
This performance, the Albuquerque premiere of Valdez’ critically acclaimed work, is made possible through the generous sponsorship of AARP. Access to the artist’s live workshop on May 1 and to an AARP webinar on May 2, both described below, is free to members of the NHCC Foundation and AARP members, as well as to donors contributing $50 or more.

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Pulse
2021-04-27
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
María del Puy Alvarado, often collaborating with director Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, has produced films in a variety of genres. In Pulse, a thriller shot in Madrid but set in the Ukraine in late 2008, the body of 14-year-old Anna Skobalski is found on the outskirts of Kiev.
2013; Spanish with English subtitles; 17 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

"NHCC Learning" Workshop For Educators
2021-04-24
10 am (MST)
Live via Zoom
In this free workshop for educators, learn about and discuss NHCC Learning‘s educational resources and the AmeriCorps project, meet some of the NHCC’s Visual Arts staff, and be entered in a raffle to win a special prize for attending!​
There are two opportunities to join this workshop: Thursday, April 22, 6:30pm (MST) & Saturday, April 24, 10:00 am (MST).
To register, click here!

Tertulia Histórica Albuquerque: The Pen and The Sword: Literary Works of Colonial New Mexico
2021-04-24
2 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom, Register HERE
Join State Historian Rob Martínez as he explores New Mexico’s early literary tradition with influences from epic poems of the ancient Mediterranean, colonial Mexico, and the mystic poetic traditions of San Juan de la Cruz and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. The talk will take you on a journey showing how these different styles are manifested in the works of authors like Villagrá, Benavides, Sigüenza y Góngora, and Quintana.
Free community event

Tertulia Histórica Albuquerque is presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center in collaboration with the Office of the New Mexico State Historian.

Because It’s Time: Unraveling Race and Place in NM (online exhibition)
2021-04-23 - 2021-10-21
The exhibition, Because It’s Time: Unraveling Race and Place in NM, was presented in the NHCC Art Museum in 2018. We are honored to present the content again in a virtual format and to continue sharing the work of these amazing artists whose contributions to discussions regarding identity, culture, experience, belonging, place, and equity remain of critical importance three years later.
View Exhibition Here

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Nos hacemos falta
2021-04-23
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
In Juanjo Giménez’ first feature film, Nos hacemos falta, a prisoner granted leave to attend his mother’s funeral encounters an old friend, a newly discovered little brother, and a truck with a clandestine cargo. As the assorted characters travel through the desert in this “peculiar road movie,” they discover what unites them, as well as what keeps them apart.
2001; Spanish with English subtitles; 97 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

"NHCC Learning" Workshop for Educators
2021-04-22
6:30 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom
In this free workshop for educators, learn about and discuss NHCC Learning‘s educational resources and the AmeriCorps project, meet some of the NHCC’s Visual Arts staff, and be entered in a raffle to win a special prize for attending!​
There are two opportunities to join this workshop: Thursday, April 22, 6:30 pm (MST) & Saturday, April 24, 10:00 am (MST).
To register, click here!

NHCC Book Club: Everyone Knows You Go Home—Natalia Sylvester
2021-04-22
5:30 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom
To join, contact cassandra.osterloh@state.nm.us
Winner of an International Latino Book Award. “The first time Isabel meets her father-in-law, Omar, he’s already dead—an apparition appearing uninvited on her wedding day. Her husband, Martin, still unforgiving for having been abandoned by his father years ago, confesses that he never knew the old man had died. Omar asks Isabel for the impossible: persuade Omar’s family—especially his wife, Elda—to let him redeem himself.” – Goodreads.
Free community event

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Rodilla
2021-04-20
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
Several of Juanjo Giménez’ short subjects explore the world of soccer, and its emotional impact on fans. In Rodilla, a chance sighting of the legendary player Rodilla working as a cab driver leads a middle-aged man on a search for a missing trading card to settle childhood scores.
2009; Spanish with English subtitles; 16 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Marsella
2021-04-16
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
Belén Macías’ second feature film, Marsella, dramatizes a tug of war between two women, raising the question of who should have custody of a child—the struggling working-class biological mother unable to raise her “properly,” or the wealthy middle-class adoptive mother who can do so. Does having money give one a greater claim on motherhood?
2013; Spanish with English subtitles; 98 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

NHCC Children’s Bilingual Book Festival
2021-04-15 - 2021-04-18
9 am-5 pm (MST)
Live online.
Visit the festival website
This annual festival is the only one of its kind in the U.S. that features children’s books in Spanish and English and Indigenous languages and English. The focus on Spanish, English, Indigenous languages books and authors makes this festival particularly meaningful and vibrant, reflecting the identities of many children in New Mexico, the American Southwest, and beyond. We want to encourage children to see themselves in contemporary children’s literature as well as introduce a bilingual body of work to a wider audience. The four-day event features author readings, workshops, and interactive events for kids and families.
For additional information email HLA.Admin@state.nm.us
Image: Julianna Kirwin (used with permission).

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Mala espina
2021-04-13

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Asamblea
2021-04-09
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
Álex Montoya’s first feature film, an adaptation of the play La gente by Juli Disla and Jaume Pérez (who also wrote the screenplay for the film), is a comic look at the decision-making processes of assemblies formed as a result of political movements after 2011. In a last meeting before the summer, Josep wants to move forward on the approval of a plan, while respecting differing ideologies and allowing all members an opportunity to speak. The group’s attempt to reach a unanimous agreement challenges progressive notions of participation.
2019; Spanish with English subtitles; 75 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

Colcha Community Stitch-Along
2021-04-09
1 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom
Our Virtual Colcha Community Workshop is open to all levels of experience in an informal setting, wherever they may reside. This workshop is instructed by Annette Gutierrez-Turk. Annette has taught this art form to groups internationally and at the NHCC for many years. She is also an award winning artist, most recently recognized in 2019 at Santa Fe Spanish Market. This workshop is for all levels of experience in an informal setting. Annette will demonstrate as well as answer questions. We hope you will join us every month on the second Friday, for this virtual stitch-a-long. Everyone will have a chance to share what they are working on.
Please register here every month and we will email the zoom link to you.
Questions: Please email Elena at ElenaD.Baca@state.nm.us or call 505-220-7928
Thank you to the Sandia Mountains- EGA for their continued support of this program.
This is a free community event

For more information on Colcha, please watch this video.
Colcha Circle Video
Here is the pattern used in the beginner colcha kit. Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

***
***
***
***
***
***
***
Materials needed: Fabric, wool yarn, needle (recommended needle, chenille #18 ,sharp point, large eye) marking materials, sewing or embroidery scissors and copy of pattern piece.
Sources for Materials:
3-ply wool embroidery yarn Is available at Yarn Store at Nob Hill, 120 Amherst, NE, Albuquerque NM 87106
or
Single ply needlework wool at Twisted Stitches, 1011 Juan Tabo Bl NE, Albuquerque NM 87112
Osnaburg utility fabric as base cloth can be purchased at JoAnn Stores, usually found in upholstery department; 2 stores in Albuquerque.
Recommended needle, chenille #18 (sharp point, large eye), also found at Jo Ann Stores in needlework department.
Quilter’s blue marking pen or Sharpie also available at Jo Ann Stores.

Desde Mi Balcón / From My Balcony
2021-04-08 - 2021-09-10
Desde Mi Balcón / From My Balcony
Bosque Gallery outdoor exhibition space
The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Visual Arts Program, in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes of Albuquerque and the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D. C. presents “Desde Mi Balcón/From My Balcony,” a new exhibit on view April 8 through Sept. 10, 2021, in the Bosque Gallery outdoor exhibition space.

This traveling exhibition consists of 28 large-format photographs (80 x 70 centimeters) of day-to-day situations, images that could be seen from windows and balconies, taken by ordinary citizens of Spain last year during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
PhotoEspaña, the International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts of Madrid, aware of the role that balconies and windows could play in the early days of a national stay-at-home order, launched a call through social media to Spaniards who wanted to share their images during the quarantine. More than 60,000 submissions were received and the 23rd edition of the festival was inaugurated with exhibitions in 50 cities across Spain.
“No matter where you are from, the images exhibited in ‘Desde Mi Balcón’ draws you in and certainly provide often emotional and humorous reflection on the experiences the world has gone through during the past year or more,” said Tey Marianna Nunn, director of the Art Museum and Visual Arts Program at the NHCC. “They are poignant reminders of the importance of place, communities, family, and connection and all the ways these necessities manifest themselves.”
The original PhotoEspaña call for artists eloquently captured this timely theme: “Windows, balconies function as we have seen throughout art history as a separator between the interior (and personal) space and the outside world. But also as a source of longing and freedom. Confinement and infinity. Immediacy and transience.”
“Quarantine, isolation, and stay-at-home orders vary immensely depending of where home is,” said Josefa González Mariscal, Executive Director of the NHCC. “’Desde Mi Balcón/From My Balcony’ allows us to see how Spain, where the population density is more than 10 times that of New Mexico, experienced the COVID-19 confinement.”
“Desde Mi Balcón/From My Balcony” was first on exhibit in the United States on the facade of the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Inaugurated this past October, the Bosque Gallery makes use of 730 feet of fencing along the western border of the NHCC campus, facing the Paseo del Bosque Trail, to present exhibitions that rotate among the key program areas of the NHCC – History, Literary Arts, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts – and include topics that support the Center’s mission to preserve, promote, and advance Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities.

National Council for History Education (NCHE) Conference Virtual Field Trip
2021-04-08
2 pm (MTS)
Live online. To attend Register HERE
El Voto Femenino: The Remarkable Lives of Latina Suffragists Worldwide
Join the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) for a journey into the remarkable lives and accomplishments of Latina suffragists instrumental in women’s suffrage worldwide. In 2020 the NHCC produced a landmark exhibit, “The Women’s Vote: Latina Suffragists Fighting for the Right to Vote/El voto femenino: sufragistas Latinas luchando por el derecho al voto,” in celebration of 100 years of the U.S. women’s vote. It features women from 27 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries who made significant sacrifices to gain the women’s vote.
Free community event

You will learn, for example, about Prudencio Ayala (1885-1936) who fought for civil rights and social reforms in El Salvador. With only a second grade education she created the newspaper “Female Redemption,” wrote several books, and ran for the El Salvadoran presidency in 1930. Her candidacy was denied by the Supreme Court of Justice. Magdalena Portal (1901-1989), of Perú, was a poet, journalist, feminist, and central figure in Perú ’s political vanguard. She spent extended periods of her life imprisoned and in exile.
The “tour,” hosted by the History and Literary Arts program at the NHCC, includes archival photographs, historical documents, an international timeline of women’s suffrage, and live (and lively) narration by NHCC staff.

Film: Del corto al largo (y viceversa), Lucas
2021-04-06
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
In Álex Montoya’s short film Lucas, a high school boy wanting to buy a motorcycle in order to impress a girl agrees to model for a photographer he met at the gym, but finds that things are not always what they seem. Montoya’s short films, striking in their narrative efficiency, have enjoyed impressive circulation. In 2019, the director adapted Lucas into a feature film, still awaiting release as a result of the pandemic.
2013; Spanish with English subtitles; 28 minutes; not rated.
Free community event

During April, Instituto Cervantes presents the work of four filmmakers in collaboration with Alcine, the film festival of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid, Spain). One of the oldest festivals in Spain, Alcine celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
To mark the anniversary of the festival, Del corto al largo (y viceversa) presents a dialogue between two works (a short subject and a feature film) by each of the filmmakers selected from among its participants. In addition to showcasing the work of Alcine, this cycle shows how filmmakers may work in one format or another, according to their interests and the stories they have to tell.
Del corto al largo includes the work of directors Álex Montoya, Belén Macías, and Juanjo Giménez, as well as producer María del Puy Alvarado, four artists who have presented their work at Alcine—known for its short film program, although it also includes feature films—throughout their careers.
Del corto al largo Film Schedule:
April 6: Lucas (Álex Montoya, 2012)
April 9: Asamblea (Álex Montoya, 2018)
April 13: Mala espina (Belén Macías, 2001)
April 16: Marsella (Belén Macías, 2013)
April 20: Rodilla (Juanjo Giménez, 2009)
April 23: Nos hacemos falta (Juanjo Giménez, 2001)
April 27: Pulse (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2013)
April 30: Antonio Muñoz Molina, el oficio del escritor (Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, 2014)

Perspectivas Modernas: The Art and Craft of Oaxacan Mezcal
2021-04-06
6 m (MTS)
Live via Zoom. Register HERE
Ronda Brulotte, The Art and Craft of Oaxacan Mezcal
Not only is mezcal Oaxaca, Mexico’s fastest-growing rural industry, it connects the region to producers, brokers, and consumers across the US-Mexico border and throughout the world. In this presentation, Dr. Ronda Brulotte discusses the rise of mezcal as a global commodity within the artisanal food movement, as well as how this transformation has impacted rural producer communities in southern Mexico.
Free community event

Dr. Ronda Brulotte is Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and Director of Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is the author of Between Art and Artifact: Archaeological Replicas and Cultural Production in Oaxaca, Mexico (University of Texas Press 2012) and co-editor of Edible Identities: Food as Cultural Heritage (Routledge 2014). She is currently finishing a book on the transformation of the mezcal industry in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Perspectivas Modernas: Latin America is a new series of talks about Latin America presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center/History and Literary Arts Program, UNM Department of History, UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute, and UNM Center for the Southwest.

Perspectivas Modernas: The Art and Craft of Oaxacan Mezcal
2021-04-06
6 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom. Register HERE
Ronda Brulotte, The Art and Craft of Oaxacan Mezcal
Not only is mezcal Oaxaca, Mexico’s fastest-growing rural industry, it connects the region to producers, brokers, and consumers across the U.S.- Mexico border and throughout the world. In this presentation, Dr. Ronda Brulotte discusses the rise of mezcal as a global commodity within the artisanal food movement, as well as how this transformation has impacted rural producer communities in southern Mexico.
Free community event

Dr. Ronda Brulotte is Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and Director of Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is the author of Between Art and Artifact: Archaeological Replicas and Cultural Production in Oaxaca, Mexico (University of Texas Press 2012) and co-editor of Edible Identities: Food as Cultural Heritage (Routledge 2014). She is currently finishing a book on the transformation of the mezcal industry in Oaxaca, Mexico

Virtual ¡Happy Arte Hour!
2021-04-01
6:30 pm (MST)
Live on Zoom
Register in advance HERE
We are back! Coming to you through zoom!
Happy Arte Hour is an adult only at making program and social gathering. We really miss seeing you at the NHCC but hope you will join us on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm (MST) February – December.
Please register and prior to the class you will receive an email with the zoom link and items/art supplies to gather from around your house. Please do not pass out the link, we will let you in to the zoom room from your registration, thank you!
Free community event

We will have simple project demos and suggestions for at home art making. We will have breakout rooms to bring back our roundtable small group discussions.
Virtual Happy Arte Hour is a chance for us to reconnect with our regular participants and for new people near and far to join us for a creative night of fun!
#NewMexicoCulture #HappyArteHour #NHCC #Make #MuseumatHome

César Chávez Day Celebration
2021-03-31 - 2021-04-10
Times TBD
Recuerda César Chávez Committee Facebook page HERE
Since 2007, the National Hispanic Cultural Center has collaborated with Albuquerque’s Recuerda a César Chávez Committee (RCCC) to celebrate the life and legacy of the renowned American civil rights leader César Estrada Chávez, co-founder, with Dolores Huerta, of the National Farmworkers Association and subsequently president of the United Farmworkers of America. In previous years, the annual Marcha de Justicia has departed from the NHCC to begin the day’s activities, returning to the Center for an afternoon community Fiesta. In 2021, we will celebrate with a week of virtual events, taking place from March 31 (César Chávez’ birthday) through April 10 (Dolores Huerta’s birthday). Please join us on the Recuerda a César Chávez Committee’s Facebook page for the 29th Annual César Chávez Day Celebration.
Free Community Event

Click on thumbnail for a larger version:

Money for Writers Workshop: Grant Writing for Latinx Writers
2021-03-27
11 am (MST)
Live via Zoom. Register HERE
Writing a Compelling Proposal and Creating a Budget
This workshop will share strategies for searching for literary grants and other financial resources, developing key elements of a successful grant proposal, and developing a grant budget. There will be time for Q & A at the end of this session. This workshop is a response to the requests for grant writing workshops expressed by Latinx writers at the National Latinx Writers Gathering in October of 2020. Presenters TBA.
Workshop fee: $20.

Pioneras: Mujeres de Vanguardia/Pioneers: Women of the Avant-Garde, Después de… Atado y bien atado
2021-03-26
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
The second part of the documentary Después de…, by Cecilia and José Juan Bartolomé, features politicians, professionals, and citizens from all walks of life as they express their opinions of the changes that have befallen Spain during the years of the country’s transition to democracy following the death of Francisco Franco. The outspokenness of some of these testimonies and the sense of tension that pervades the film caused its release to be held up until late 1983. Después de… places its directors in the vanguard of social documentarians who continue to play a critical role in Spanish cinema.
1979-1981; Spanish with English subtitles; 90 minutes; not rated
Free community event

In February, the Pioneras series featured on-line talks highlighting the work of women who have paved the way in investigating new artistic languages in disciplines such as electronic music, video creation, or photography. This programming is now complemented by “Pioneers of Spanish Cinema,” an on-line exhibition of films made from the 1950s through the early 1980s.
Pioneras Film Schedule:
March 9: Segundo López, aventurero urbano (Ana Mariscal, 1953)
March 12: La gata (Margarita Alexandre & Rafael Torrecilla, 1956)
March 16: El crimen de Cuenca (Pilar Miró, 1979)
March 19: Función de noche (Josefina Molina, 1981)
March 23: Después de… No se os puede dejar solos (Cecilia & José Juan Bartolomé, 1981)
March 26: Después de… Atado y bien atado (Cecilia & José Juan Bartolomé, 1981)
The series is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council.

NHCC Book Club: Mexican Gothic—Silvia Moreno-Garcia
2021-03-25
5:30 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom
To join, contact cassandra.osterloh@state.nm.us
“Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking novel. The main character, Noémi, receives a strange letter from her cousin, Catalina, who begs for help. She claims her new husband Virgil Doyle is poisoning her, that ‘fleshless things’ and ghosts trouble her, that ‘they will not let me go.’ Noémi — self-assured, chic and stubborn — leaves the glamor of 1950s Mexico City for the countryside, still depressed after a mining bust and fecund with secrets, to determine whether Catalina needs rescue.” – Jessica P. Wick, NPR.

Free and open to the public

Film: Pioneras: Mujeres de Vanguardia/Pioneers: Women of the Avant-Garde, Después de… No se os puede dejar solos
2021-03-23
12 pm (MST)
Available for 48 hours
Instituto Cervantes Vimeo Channel HERE
At the beginning of the Transition (la Transición—the Spanish transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975), a small group of filmmakers took to the streets to record the opinions of politicians and citizens regarding the country that was about to be formed. Today, this documentary by Cecilia and José Juan Bartolomé is a milestone in the history of Spanish cinema, compiling testimonies that allow us to understand the plurality of a young society as it thinks about its past and considers how to build its future.
1979-1981; Spanish with English subtitles; 90 minutes; not rated
Free community event

In February, the Pioneras series featured on-line talks highlighting the work of women who have paved the way in investigating new artistic languages in disciplines such as electronic music, video creation, or photography. This programming is now complemented by “Pioneers of Spanish Cinema,” an on-line exhibition of films made from the 1950s through the early 1980s.
Pioneras Film Schedule:
March 9: Segundo López, aventurero urbano (Ana Mariscal, 1953)
March 12: La gata (Margarita Alexandre & Rafael Torrecilla, 1956)
March 16: El crimen de Cuenca (Pilar Miró, 1979)
March 19: Función de noche (Josefina Molina, 1981)
March 23: Después de… No se os puede dejar solos (Cecilia & José Juan Bartolomé, 1981)
March 26: Después de… Atado y bien atado (Cecilia & José Juan Bartolomé, 1981)
The series is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New Mexico Humanities Council.

Tertulia Histórica Albuquerque: From Sea To Sand: Holy Week Traditions of Spain, New Mexico and the Philippines
2021-03-20
2 pm (MST)
Live via Zoom
Register in advance HERE
This presentation will discuss various traditions of Semana Santa (Holy Week) beginning with its origins in Spain and how those traditions spread to the Americas and beyond.The early traditions in Spain and how they are celebrated today will be explored along with how those traditions left Spain and traveled to new lands and cultures, where they took root and are still celebrated today.
Free community event

The lecture will concentrate on two former colonies of Spain, the northernmost frontier of Nueva España, New Mexico, and the farthest away from the mainland, The Philippine Islands.While many of today’s celebrations show similarities, each celebration is also imbued with local tradition and lore. In some regions sacred ceremonies are private and closed off to outsiders while in other regions rituals are conducted in full public display.
Nicolasa Chávez, a fourteenth-generation New Mexican, is Curator of Latino/Hispano/Spanish Colonial Collections at the Museum of International Folk Art. She received her master ́s degree in history with a concentration in Iberian Studies at the University of New Mexico. She is the co-curator of the recent exhibition Música Buena: Hispano Folk Music of New Mexico with maestro Cipriano Vigil. She also curated Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico and is the author of the accompanying publication The Spirit of Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico. Her interest in Semana Santa traditions was sparked when she experienced Semana Santa in Sevilla, Spain, while living abroad.
Her research into the different song forms and genres within the flamenco family has also led to an interest in the history of the Saeta, which is performed during Holy Week in Andalucía, Spain, and the Alabado, performed during Holy Week in New Mexico. Most recently she conducted research on Semana Santa in the Philippines.
Albuquerque is presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center in collaboration with the Office of the New Mexico State Historian.
