The UNM Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present the Linnell Festival of New
Plays Spring Reading Series February 12th through February 14th in the Experimental Theatre.
Stephanie Woods sculpture acquired by Perry Art Collection
Congratulations to Stephanie J. Woods! Wood’s sculpture was acquired by the renowned Perry Art Collection. After spending the summer of 2025 at the prestigious Bemis Center for the Contemporary Arts international residency program, she created a sculpture so meaningful that Elliot Perry, a former NBA point guard, and his wife, Kimberly Perry, would later request to acquire the piece for their nationally recognized art collection.
The sculpture, Never Quite, Sweet Enough I, is a black porcelain, slip-cast, seeded watermelon with braided synthetic hair, designed to be suspended from the ceiling. It references the historical practice of enslaved West African people braiding seeds and grains, such as rice, okra, watermelon, and black-eyed peas, into their hair during the transatlantic slave trade. The sculpture is intentionally abstracted, so the viewer interprets it for themselves.
When being contacted about the sculpture by the Perrys, Wood stated the following: “When the Perrys reached out to me about acquiring the piece, I was really shocked. I hadn’t even documented it yet. I had only shared a short video clip on social media. To be included in their collection means my work will live on past me, as my legacy, it’s beyond what I could have imagined for it.”
Along with this, she has also been selected as one of the 34 prizewinners to showcase a piece in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s seventh triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The artwork, My Papa Used to Play Checkers, depicted a figure with a watermelon braided into their hair. Woods says, “This piece was the beginning of me working with the watermelon motif in my practice.”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
EXPLORE the work of Stephanie J. Woods on her website https://www.stephaniejwoods.com/
LEARN MORE at https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/outwin-2025-american-portraiture-today
READ MORE about Megan Borders’ UNM Newsroom review at https://news.unm.edu/news/unm-assistant-professors-sculpture-acquired-by-renowned-perry-art-collection
Dr. Peter Gilbert Honored with UNM Research and Creative Works Leadership Award
Dr. Dr. Peter Gilbert, Associate Professor of Theory & Composition in the UNM Department of Music, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Research and Creative Works Leadership Award at the University of New Mexico.
Professor Ana Alonso-Minutti Receives Ovation Award
Dr. Ana Alonso-Minutti, Professor of Musicology, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 OVPR Ovation Award for Research and Scholarship. This prestigious recognition, presented by the Office of the Vice President for Research at The University of New Mexico, honors full-time faculty whose recent accomplishments demonstrate exceptional impact, address pressing local or global challenges, and elevate UNM’s standing on national and international stages.









