Village Shops at Los Ranchos: Green Technology/Innovation

New Mexico Arts; the Village of Los Ranchos; and the Village Shops at Los Ranchos presented TIME - Temporary Installations Made for the Environment, at the Village Shops at Los Ranchos from August to September 2010. The exhibit marked the first appearance of the program in the greater Albuquerque Area, specifically the Village of Los Ranchos. The artworks were displayed for nearly two months, and at the end of the exhibit were disassembled and removed, leaving no trace of ever having existed.

New Mexico Arts partnered with Devdan Gallery and the Village Shops at Los Ranchos to commission five visually engaging and conceptually rich environmental artworks related to the theme of sustainability. The installations were displayed inside Devdan Art Gallery and Vernon’s Hidden Valley Steakhouse, and in the outer courtyards of the Village Shops at Los Ranchos. The exhibit opening featured a community celebration and artist talks.

Featured Work:

Forage/Constellate - Becky Holtzman
The piece used thin hexagonal wooden disks to create a hanging sculpture to represent the chambers of a honeycomb. Contained within the chambers of the piece, space was reserved for community members to leave hand-written meditations on community.

Zen Garden - Michael Orgel and Arthur Rosenberg
TArtist team Orgel and Rosenberg created a site-specific artwork made of orange cloth, black cord, and black bamboo sculptural forms that encompassed trees and complemented surrounding rocks.

Land of Enchantment - Evelyn Rosenberg
Rosenberg created an artwork of cooper and aluminum using her noted technique of detonography that uses explosives to make metal sculptures. The process allows her to create large-scale, monumental sculptures with beautiful and intricate detail on the surface. The artwork represented the Los Ranchos area.

Skin - Beth Rekow
The work comprised of recycled glass sculptures included LEDs. Recycled plastic-mesh was hung inside the building at the Village Shops of Los Ranchos. A 7-foot diameter ball of recycled plastic, was stitched by a nonprofit organization that helps unemployed women in Albuquerque. The work reflects the ideas of skin and transforming toxic materials in the environment, beginning at the cellular level.

White Birds - Max Almy and Teri Yarbrow
The artist team created a single projection from their Phoenix Rising series based on hope and renewal in the environment. The work used LED projectors and lights.