2005 - Socorro: Migration

New Mexico Arts commissioned ten temporary environmental artworks created by New Mexico artists that were exhibited in various locations in and around the county and Town of Socorro. The installation of these unique works coincided with the 18th Annual Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache and the grand opening of the El Camino Real International Heritage Center. The artworks were based on the theme of migration. 

Featured Work:

Blue House - Paula Castillo
Castillo installed the architectural performance piece that used the innovative materials of aluminum foam and LUMILUX phosphorescent coating. The work transformed in the dark into a glowing, levitating structure that reflected on the urgency of ecological thought, the recognition of migratory life, and the idea of a lighter and more flexible model for living.

Survey - Ryan Henel
Environmental artist Henel created a site-specific work composed of steel and packed-earth to provide a reference point or marker for the traveler who navigates the wide expanses of the desert.

Migration Labyrinth - Cordelia Rose
Rose assembled Migration Labyrinth to symbolize the winds, twists, and turns one might encounter on the path taken during a journey to a set destination. Viewers could view the work from the outside as one cohesive work, or walk the labyrinth and interact with the medium.

Untitled - Tracy Jamison
Jameson created a kinetic sculpture that depicted migration through the flight of a flock of birds. The wind was an integral component of the work since it triggered its movement.

One Wind - Doug Czor
Czor created a sculpture composed of sandstone base, topped with a pierced metal disk, with bird cutouts to acknowledge great migrations in nature and his concern for the environment.

Seven Hollows - Thomas Cates
The artwork consisted of seven carved pieces of sandstone representing natural indentations in the earth that harbor food, water, and resting places for migrating birds. The work was installed according to contours in the landscape with appropriate cover for small birds.

Flight of the Golden Cranes -  Stevie Famulari
A tree was painted with gold and iridescent sugar sparkles to create a glowing surface with the hint of a sweet scent. Participants were invited to create origami cranes made of gold paper and suspend them from the branches. The work sought to represent the magic and inspiration of the flight of cranes.

Island of Extinction - Magdalena High School
The students of the Creative Art class at Magdalena High School fashioned a delightful papier mâché sculpture that included a 12-foot long boat of New Mexico birds as passengers using a human mode of migration.

Interwoven Cycles - Margot Meyers
The artwork was composed of block-print silk panels of earthy hues strung between trees in a forest in a maze-like pattern to stress the repetition of cycles of the earth and life.

Mathematical Migrations -  Jonathan Wolfe
The artists created a sequence of fractal images from the Mandelbrot Set that took the viewer on an exploration of a mathematically created landscape. The work referenced the confluence of art, science, math, and technology.