
Student Spotlight – Get To Know Our Students!
Yahir Perez is a third-year student working toward a bachelor’s degree at UNM. He is majoring in Art History and minoring in Arts Leadership and Business. His interest in art history lies in contemporary and abstract art. Some inspirations of his are Manolo Valdés and Danielle Orchard.
In his free time, he works with color film photography to capture landscapes and candid moments. After he completes his undergraduate degree, he hopes to take some time off before going to graduate school, with plans to move to Chicago.
Ruby Kraft is a fourth-year B.F.A Studio Art student who is following the footsteps of her alumnus grandfather, Jim Kraft, who was an assistant professor in the Department of Art from 1977-1996.
Kraft won the Reggie Behl Drawing Award and was featured in UNM Newsroom article, “Drawing award winner looks forward to showing work, graduation.” written by Mary Beth King.
The Reggie Behl Drawing Award is given in honor of artist, educator, and world traveler, Regina “Reggie” Behl, who taught drawing at UNM and all over the world. The award supports an undergraduate student who excels in drawing.
This November, Kraft’s thesis show, “In the Space Between Breath,” will be in the John Sommers Gallery. Stay tuned for more details!
https://catman03.myportfolio.com/
Instagram: @unm_art, @kvng.perez, @cat_man03
UNM Artists Take the Spotlight in Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession
Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12: Obsession features some incredible work from several of the amazing people who comprise the Art Department. Current second-year MFA students Luka Berkley and Justine Kablack, recent MFA graduate Taylor Engel, and instructor Jessamyn Lovell all have work featured in this most recent issue of Southwest Contemporary.
Spotlight on Art Studio & Art History Faculty: Featured Exhibitions
Art History Professor Ray Hernández-Durán was recently featured in two articles and interviewed by the Latin American and Iberian Institute. UNM News published “UNM Professors Create Exhibition, First-Ever Scholarship of Local Chicano Artists’ Work” by Anna Padilla, highlighting an exhibition curated by Hernández-Durán and Dr. Irene Vásquez. The show, now on view at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, features six talented New Mexican Chicano artists whose work has been historically underrepresented in academic scholarship.
Art Faculty: Awards, Residencies & Revisited Projects
Distinguished Professor Jim Stone is an exhibiting artist who uses photography. His photographs have been published in three monographs and exhibited internationally; they are represented in the permanent collections of over 30 major museums and public archives.