Daily Lobo 04/10/2023

Students get down for donations at LoboTHON Dance marathon raises $47,000 for UNM Children’s Hospital

By Zacaria Adonicam @ZAdonicam

LoboTHON, a student-run philanthropy effort, raised $47,288.90 for the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital this past Saturday, April 8.

The event centers around a 10-hour dance marathon that has been held on campus for the past nine years and has raised over $400,000 combined from past years, according to their website.

The UNM Children’s Hospital is a part of the Children’s Miracle Network, which helps fundraise for hospitals to cover costs for the children being treated there, according to CMN. Kasey Lenning, the executive director of LoboTHON, has worked fundraising for the past two years.

“Being involved in this organization for the past four years, I have personally gotten to see the positive impact this event has on the UNM community. Raising money for UNMCH also means that donations stay close to home, meaning we can tangibly see the impact the money we raise makes,” Lenning said in an article for UNM Newsroom

UNM being the only Level IV NICU in the state underscores the importance of the UNM Children’s Hospital, not only to the local community but to the entire state of New Mexico. When the final tally was

Students and faculty tackle climatewithchange art

By Maddie Pukite @maddogpukite

“Hope is hard.”

So will read the new linen banners in the Honors College, which depicts silhouettes of students with found poems.

To showcase community response to climate change at the University of New Mexico, two professors in the Honors College selected two students to work collectively on a cyanogram art display. They designed the banners and wrote the poems based on responses to a survey where students could submit their thoughts, hopes and fears surrounding the climate crisis.

The project began after profes-

sors Amaris Ketcham and Megan Jacobs received money from a grant from the Honors Research Institute and wanted to create an art display that tackled climate change through both visual and written work. They selected two students — sophomore Victoria Nisoli and senior Ethan Ward — to participate.

“(We wanted to) showcase UNM students and have them be integrated into the landscape,” Nisoli said. “So we have satellite images of the Rio Grande, and then also pictures we took of the landscape that we all integrated into one image. It’s important to also emphasize the people — the students within the crisis — since we’re using their words.”

see Climate page 2

spoken at the end of the day and the cheers of attendees rang out, the feelings of success shared by many, including Lenning, were obvious.

“Seeing the total (raised) is one of the big things to look forward to,” Lenning said. “But being here with my team and my friends and getting to meet the miracle kids and listen to their story is wonderful, too. Being part of a movement that is larger than yourself is the best part of LoboTHON.”

The event also featured table tennis and cornhole, and dances from various student teams that were fundraising. In one event, a student ate various weird and unappetizing items in return for donations.

Taking time to hear the stories of children at the hospital is also a focal point of the event, according to Dorsa Zamanian, the campus relations and outreach chair for LoboTHON.

“The cause is really great, and coming here to hear the people’s stories, you know why it’s so important and why we put so much energy in this every year … It’s important to know what’s going on in our hospitals. And this is one way you can see that,” Zamanian said.

Zacaria Adonicam is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ZAdonicam

Lobos party like it’s 2019

Liliana Esparza / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

After a three-year hiatus, Fiestas, a music festival hosted by ASUNM’s, Students Special Events was back. The lineup featured several local artists: Right on Kid!, Savings, Pocket Elephant, Jimmy Climbs and Side Montero. Along with headliners: Cheat Codes and Binki. Those who attended could listen to music, eat food and enjoy art.

Zacaria Adonicam / Daily Lobo / @ZAdonicam

Student volunteers for LoboTHON reveal the amount of money raised at the event this year on Saturday, April 8.

The banners were supposed to be displayed in Smith Plaza in front of Zimmerman Library. However, Ketcham said, due to high installation costs and concern from different departments surrounding the content of the work, they will be displayed at the Honors College.

The poems featured in the piece were written by Nisoli, Jacobs, Ketcham and Ward. Ward said the collaboration on the poems came about organically as they read through the survey submissions.

“The two poems have different tones. One is more negative going into hopeful and one is hopeful leading into some of the despair and worry of the climate crisis,” Ward said. “Having those figures facing each other and sharing that dialogue and knowing that it is repurposed words from students, it feels like a cool, artful way to represent the University and (students’) collective fears

and worries.”

The project hopes to reframe the conversation around climate change to center the lived experiences of people in New Mexico, Nisoli said.

“Reframing it in an artistic way and showing your true sentiments about the climate crisis from people on campus is super important to change this way that we’re approaching climate change … (by looking at) how it affects us here as New Mexico citizens, as people on UNM campus,” Nisoli said.

Evidence of climate change can be felt personally in the Southwest, according to Nisoli, who lived in an area impacted by the forest fires last summer.

“New Mexico is greatly affected by the climate crisis,” Nisoli said. “A very eye-opening moment, for me, were the wildfires that we had last summer. Pretty serious stuff, especially where I live. Lots of people’s homes were

at risk of being burnt down. And it’s just something that you’re often presented with.”

Concern over the scarcity of water was also a theme of the project, with deep blues being used, representative of another aspect of climate change felt in New Mexico, according to Ketcham and Ward.

“The disappearing water is something that’s really obvious and kind of felt in day-to-day life in ways that maybe other people don’t notice,” Ward said. “And so I think that maybe there’s a more immediate desperation and an immediate outcry that can be found in the Southwest.”

Maddie Pukite is the managing editor at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @maddogpukite

Baseball: Lobos lose series to San José State

By Thomas Bulger @ThomasBulger10

The Lobos fell to a 6-8 record in conference play after a tough series loss to San José State. They won the first game in the series, but then came up short in the following days.

Reed Spenrath had an excellent series, getting nine hits with 12 at bats. Brian McBroom pitched the last four innings of the first game, giving up two hits and one run.

Isaac Gallegos pitched the third game and went 5.2 innings, giving up two earned runs over the course of 121 pitches.

After the series, teammate Lenny Junior Ashby talked about Spenrath’s hitting throughout the series and is excited to see his teammate thrive.

“Nothing makes me more happy than seeing that guy doing what he’s capable of doing,” Ashby said. “Everybody knows that he can really hit. He’s shown it before. I think everyone is really happy for him. I know I am and we hope he can keep pushing.”

The Lobos won the first game

16-8 on Thursday, April 6. The Lobos had 16 hits in the game and had solid offense throughout.

At the bottom of the third, the score was tied 4-4. Ashby had a leadoff walk and Braydon Runion tripled to score. Then, Spenrath doubled to add to the Lobos lead.

Jake Holland homered to make it a four-run inning with the Lobos up 8-4.

UNM took over the game in the bottom of the sixth. With a runner on second, Olsen hit a long single to score a run. Olsen then made it home on a wild pitch. Ashby walked with the bases loaded, and Runion and Spenrath had back-toback singles to make the lead 16-7.

The second game on Friday, April 7 was an 8-3 loss. Lobo Konner Kinkade hit his first college home run to push the Lobos lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth.

Spartan Micky Thompson threw for eight innings and gave seven hits but only two earned runs.

The Lobos had an early lead. With runners on first and third, Kyle Smith hit a ball toward third base after which Spenrath was called out at home. The Lobos had see Series page 3

Jessica Baca / Daily Lobo / @Jessica_Baca_

Ethan Ward and Victoria Nisoli hold up one of the banners to be hung in the UNM Honors College on Friday, April 17.

Adrian Alexander Jones / Daily Lobo / @AAlexanderJones

The Lobos’ outfielder Deylan Pigford makes it to second base in the game against San José State University on Thursday, April 6 at Santa Ana Star Field.

Series from page 2 crafty base running, however, and they advanced on the throw toward home. This resulted in two errors and two runs. Smith sprinted for an inside-the-park home run to put the Lobos up 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth.

At the top of the sixth, the Spartans loaded the bases with no outs. Matt Spear, Theo Hardy and James Shimashita had consecutive singles to make the game 5-3. Robert Hamchuk had a sacrifice fly which brought the lead to 6-3.

The Lobos lost the third game 14-3 and did not play the ninth inning due to mercy rules. The game was close through five innings, but a rough top of the sixth ultimately lost them the game on Saturday, April 8. The Lobos gave up seven walks and had a season-high six errors. Opponent Colette had a dominant game, hitting two triples, a double and three-run homer.

UNM tied the game 3-3 going into the sixth inning. The Spartans

responded with loaded bases and then hit two singles and a sacrifice fly for three runs. With the bases loaded again, Hardy tripled to score another 3 and Shimashita singled to score Hardy. The inning ended with the Lobos down 10-3. Gallegos said a series loss is frustrating, but the team is more than capable of getting back on the right track after a mental reset.

“It’s a little frustrating losing a series, but we’ll get this week off and get back to it,” Gallegos said. “I’ll be just trying to execute pitches and just keep trying to do my job and eventually this team will get going again.”

The Lobo will next play on Tuesday, April 11 against Colorado State University Pueblo in Albuquerque.

Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10

Find Us at Sawmill Market

Adrian Alexander Jones / Daily Lobo / @AAlexanderJones

Lobo third baseman Konner Kinkade stops a San José State player from reaching third base.

Adrian Alexander Jones / Daily Lobo / @AAlexanderJones

Lobo pitcher Riley Egloff gets ready to pitch in the game against San José.

LOBO OPINION

REVIEW: ‘Bend Skin’ is a short, powerful labor of love

By Detroit Kallunki @DailyLobo

Yomi Tafdor’s newly released poetry collection “Bend Skin” combines prose with beautifully complex traditional poetry and rhythm, along with small, full-color abstract art by illustrator Nujhat Adrita.

Much of Tadfor’s poetry is based around her identity and the way it has changed over time. Tafdor, a current student at the University of New Mexico, is originally from Cameroon. Much of her poetry is about the lived experience of marginalized people in the United States and the way her experiences have influenced her sense of individuality and personhood.

The collection consists primarily of free-verse poetry. Despite free-verse’s lack of concrete rules, it is a complex format that is difficult to write well, something Tadfor accomplishes even as a first-time published author.

Tadfor’s poetry is complicated, but not beyond understanding. In her book, she addresses many difficult topics: feminism, racism, relationships, love, loss and achievement. This wide range of subjects is well-assembled and

serves as a way to break up the reading process. The throughline that connects the poetry is Tadfor’s unique writing style.

In any combination of prose and poetry, narrative can be subordinated in favor of stylization.

Tadfor’s poetry, however, remembers its purpose as a day-to-day narrative. She describes the unremarkable and its connection to impactful parts of society. An individual’s everyday routine is trivial in the grand scheme of things, but individual people are affected by larger-scale events and ideas in the world.

Tadfor’s creativity is obvious in each poem. Each has a unique premise that is treated with care, and it’s easy to see how much the writing means to her, and how much it should mean to readers.

This is a book for people who seek justice in the mundane and celebrate their smaller victories, not just those on a wider scale.

Tadfor experiments with formatting and style a few times and each is thematically relevant. One of her poems, “Question for Pooja,” is a stylized Q&A. It is a short but interesting experiment with form and function. Similarly, there is an unnamed poem that uses asterisks to indicate action, a style com-

monly used on Twitter. The poem reads like a tweet, something stylistically uncommon.

Poetry as a form leaves room for experimentation in a way that other genres often do not. Up-and-coming artists have more opportunities to break the status quo and push back against traditional formats in new ways. The internet and self-publishing also make it easier for new artists to release their work to a wider audience. This adds to the constantly growing intersectionality in the art world that allows previously unheard voices to be heard.

“Bend Skin’’ is Tadfor’s first published work and it is incredibly strong and stands on its own as a poetry collection. I, for one, look forward to her next.

“Bend Skin” is available for purchase on Amazon. You can keep up with Yomi Tadfor on her Instagram page @ytad4writes.

Detroit Kallunki is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo

REVIEW: ‘Air’ is certainly a movie with a plot, but not much else

By John Scott @JohnSnott

If I had to pick an up-and-coming film trend bound to dominate both theaters and streaming platforms for the next couple of years, it would have to be the “nostalgiaridden biopic featuring varyingly successful creative choices that feel subversive and fun for a subgenre largely dedicated to recounting real life stories.”

This could describe a number of films released in recent years (2022’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” 2023’s “Tetris” and “Paint”). This list certainly includes “Air,” a film that is, if not anything else, moderately entertaining.

As the title suggests, “Air” is about Nike’s attempt to sign basketball legend Michael Jordan to an exclusive shoe deal and the creation of the “Air Jordan” brand.

The film reteams iconic duo Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Damon takes on the lead role of Sonny Vacarro with Affleck portraying Nike co-founder and CEO Phil Knight while also stepping behind the camera to direct the feature. The

rest of the cast are characters you’ll vaguely remember doing something kind of funny at some point in the movie.

Oh, right, I forgot to mention that this movie takes place in 1984 — something that the movie never forgets to remind you. Between every silly one-liner and each “Oh my god, how are we ever going to sign Michael Jordan,” there are at least five overt references to the time period, in case the “1984” bold text at the beginning of the movie and the opening montage of various pop culture happenings of the ‘80s, or even the Michael Jordan entering his rookie season in the NBA, were not enough.

Back to the cast, one person I forgot to mention is Viola Davis, who plays Deloris Jordan, Michael Jordan’s mom. Davis is the best thing about this movie, although that’s also the case with just about any film she’s in. In every scene, it’s nearly impossible to tell what Davis is thinking, safeguarding her true thoughts to protect her on-screen son from predatory shoe industry bigwigs. It’s a shame the rest of the cast never gets off the bench and decides to play at her level.

Volume 127 Issue 31

Unfortunately, there are only two scenes where Davis actually delivers a substantial amount of dialogue. It’s a strange feeling: a runtime of an hour and 52 minutes feels refreshingly short when three hours is slowly becoming the industry standard. However, the film feels too short: time that we could have spent with Davis and Damon discussing Jordan’s future at Nike is wasted reminding the audience it’s 1984 (remember, it’s 1984) and showing Affleck’s bare feet.

The rest of the film’s elements are strictly functional. The cinematography shows us what’s happening; the music provides fine moments of filling space when there’s no dialogue; Affleck certainly directed the actors, and everyone hit their marks. It all works, but I wished Affleck and crew would have shot a bit more from the 3-point line instead of playing it safe in the paint.

The most important thing about this film took place behind the scenes. The film is the first movie to be produced and released through Damon and Affleck’s “Artists Equity” company. The goal of the company is to spread the profits made by a film to more of

The New Mexico Daily Lobo is an independent student newspaper published on Monday except school holidays during the fall and spring semesters. Subscription rate is $75 per academic year. E-mail accounting@dailylobo.com for more information on subscriptions.

The New Mexico Daily Lobo is published by the Board of UNM Student Publications. The editorial opinions expressed in the New Mexico Daily Lobo are those of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the students, faculty, staff and regents of the University of New Mexico. Inquiries concerning editorial content should be made to the editor-in-chief.

All content appearing in the New Mexico Daily Lobo and the Web site dailylobo.com may not be reproduced without the consent of the editor-in-chief. A single copy of the New Mexico Daily Lobo is free from newsstands. Unauthorized removal of multiple copies is considered theft and may be prosecuted.

Letter submission policy: The opinions expressed are those of the authors alone. Letters and guest columns must be concisely written, signed by the author and include address and telephone. No names will be withheld.

UNM Land Acknowledgement statement

Editor-in-Chief John Scott

Managing Editor Madeline Pukite

Advertising Manager Jordynn Sills-Castillo Campus Advertising Victoria Ruiz

the creatives involved, not just the writers, directors and actors, according to Variety

This is relatively obvious, as the film is essentially a commercial for the company: equity is always a fantastic goal to strive for, but debuting with a film whose climactic decision hinges on the equity of Jordan’s shoe deal feels a little off-putting.

But when the shot clock finally wound down and I was taken back to 2023 (because the film takes place in 1984), I did find myself entertained. Does the movie only really prove

News Editor Annya Loya Orduno

Sports Editor Thomas Bulger

Advertising Representatives Natalie Hughes Ahmad Oweis Sylas RodriguezSullivan

that Damon and Affleck can make a movie with next-to-no thought put into it? Yes. Is a movie made by Damon and Affleck that features a fantastic Viola Davis going to be better than most other movies that release this year? Also yes. And if at the end of the day, everyone’s getting their fair share and you’re left entertained, who’s to complain?

John Scott is the editor-in-chief at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JohnSnott

Editorial Staff

Telephone: (505) 277-7527

Fax: (505) 277-7530

news@dailylobo.com www.dailylobo.com

Advertising Staff Telephone: (505) 277-5656

advertising@dailylobo.com www.dailylobo.com

Photo Editor Mackenzie Schwartz

Culture Editor Spenser Willden

Advertising Design Ethan Weiner

Copy Editor Zara Roy

Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Secor

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New Mexico – Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache – since time immemorial, have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and also acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples. We gratefully recognize our history. This statement was developed by Pam Agoyo, director of American Indian Student Services and special assistant to the president on American Indian Affairs, in consultation with the Native American Faculty Council.

Courtesy Photo / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

Ben Affleck plays Phil Knight in “Air.” Photo courtesy of IMDb.

Courtesy Photo / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo

The front cover of “Bend Skin” by Yomi Tadfor. Photo courtesy of Amazon. Cover illustration by Nujhat Adrita

Isotopes: The boys are back in

By Thomas Bulger @ThomasBulger10

The Albuquerque Isotopes had their first home series of the season against the Salt Lake Bees. The first three games of the series were competitive, but the Isotopes only came back to win one.

The home opener on Tuesday, April 4 had a crowd of over 6,639 despite it being 43 degrees at the start of the game: the coldest first-pitch temperature at home in Isotopes history.

They won their home opener 7-5, rallying late to secure the win. Isotopes gave up four hits, but three of them were home runs, which led to the Bees getting an early lead.

Home runs and errors played a big part at the start of this series. In the first three games, the Isotopes had three home runs and one error, while the Bees had six homers and six errors. Balls flew beyond the outfield with wind in the batter’s favor. At the start of a season, errors are to be expected while teams play their way into form.

Pedro Lopez praised his team for solid play and keeping the games competitive. “I can’t ask more from them. They’re busting their butts, running the bases — I think we’re playing good defense and pitching well. Just the last two nights haven’t gone the way we wanted to, but overall I think we’re playing good baseball,” Lopez said.

During the first game, neither team scored until the fourth inning: Kevin Padlo hit a home run for the Bees. This was the only hit the Isotopes gave up down 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth.

Coco Montes had a leadoff single and got to third due to errors from Salt Lake. Aaron Schunk was thrown out at first, but it gave enough time for Montes to run home to put the Isotopes on the board. The fourth inning ended with the Isotopes down 3-1.

Trey Cabbage hit the Bees’ third

home run and Chad Wallach hit a sacrifice fly to score Taylor Jones. The top of the seventh ended with the Isotopes down 5-1.

Jimmy Herron walked and Boyle sent him home with a home run to cut into the Bees lead in the bottom of the seventh. Jones and Montes had back-to-back walks, and Michael Toglia tripled to tie the game. The bottom of the seventh ended with the game tied 5-5.

The bottom of the eighth started with Grayson Greiner getting hit by a pitch. Herron followed it up with a double. Nolan Jones doubled to give the Isotopes their first lead of their game at 7-5 going into the ninth. Nick Mears closed the game and earned the save, not giving up a hit.

The second game on Wednesday, April 5 ended in a 4-2 for the ‘Topes. The Isotopes had seven hits but didn’t find a way to rally back in the game.

Noah Davis was the starting pitcher for the Isotopes. He loaded the bases with three straight walks with two outs. The Isotopes managed to escape without giving up a hit in the inning by forcing a ground out.

Toglia hit a home run to start the bottom of the second and give the Isotopes a lead.

In the top of the third, the Bees’ Jo Adell hit a home run and the next two batters were walked. The defense stepped up, though, with Jones having an excellent throw to home plate to get an out followed by a double play. The Isotopes were up 2-1.

Padlo had a leadoff single and Cabbage tripled to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the sixth. In the next inning, Soto was walked and Adell hit a double to give the Bees the lead, but the Isotopes didn’t give up another run. At the bottom of the ninth, the Isotopes were down 4-2 and couldn’t find a way to score.

The Isotopes lost the third game of the series 6-5 on Thursday, April 6. They had another chance to rally back for a win and even got a base in the ninth, but they ultimately came up just a run short.

In the second inning, Schunk hit

deep into right field and sprinted for a triple. Jimmy Herron scored the first run of the game by hitting into the infield and reached first on an error. The second inning ended with the Isotopes up 1-0.

The Bees responded right away in the top of the third when Soto hit a single and Adell hit a home run to give Salt Lake a 2-1 lead.

Jones homered to tie the game in the bottom of the third. Montes followed it up with a single and then stole second. Schunk doubled to give the Isotopes back the lead. The inning ended with the Isotopes back in front 3-2.

In the fifth inning, Adell was walked and Moniak reached first on a throwing error. Michael Stefanic hit a ground ball but still scored a run. Taylor Jones then singled to give the Bees a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth.

Herron reached first base on an error and Greiner singled to tie the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the seventh, Doyle had a leadoff single and Jones sent him home with a line drive just right of third base for a double.

The Isotopes were up 5-4 but Padlo took back the lead for the Bees. After Taylor Jones was walked, he hit a home run in the top of the eighth to go up 6-5, which was the score at the end of the game.

When asked what fans being in the stands does for the team, Montes says the team plays hard no matter what, but the fans can be intimidating for opposing teams.

“We’re going to play hard, play the same way every time, but it’s nice to have fans, especially at home. Maybe they can get rowdy and get those other guys nervous,” Montes said.

The Isotopes have their next home series on Tuesday, April 18 against the Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10

Quintessence fools Beliebers, engages community

By Addison Key & Zara Roy @addisonkey11, @zarazzledazzle

Matthew Greer, the artistic director of “Quintessence: a community of singers,” has addressed questions about the piece they will be performing for their annual Summer Choir Festival in a letter posted on Saturday, April 1.

“We have commissioned a new piece, from one of the most popular and controversial musical artists of the last two decades,” Greer wrote. “Justin Bieber.”

The letter redirected readers to the choir’s website, which said that the group will actually prepare a performance of Johannes Brahms’ “German Requiem” — the other JB. Registration to sing at the festival will open on April 20.

Quintessence is a nonprofit music ensemble formed in 1986 and located in Albuquerque. Quintessence originated as a choir called “Quintessence: Choral Artists of the Southwest,” but this season they changed their name to reflect the group’s ongoing initiatives toward education and community music-making, Abby Greenwald, the executive director of Quintessence, said.

“Right now is a really good time for choral music, especially coming out of the lockdown when we couldn’t sing together,” Greer said.

“People seem really energized about singing together, and what we’re looking to build is in our name — a community of singers.”

The group is made up of both community members and paid professional performers. Greer said this provides a chance for the two groups to collaborate and learn from one another.

“The bread and butter of Quintessence for years has been very committed volunteer singers … There’s a high commitment level, there’s a high preparation expectation,” Greer said.

Greenwald believes that Quintessence brings a unique voice to the Albuquerque community.

“We like to say that we are one of Albuquerque’s best and definitely Albuquerque’s most quirky or eclectic ensemble. We have a little sense of humor,” Greenwald said.

Greenwald said that the music for the concerts ranges from works by modern composers to more traditional works. In the past, the concert has included technology in their music.

“One year we sang an entire

cycle of songs about cicadas, and that was very memorable,” Greenwald said. “We have sung an entire cycle of songs that are Shakespeare texts put to music. There’s another set of poems set to music that are funny. I vividly remember the bass section needing to ‘moo’ at one point. It must have been about cows.”

Recently, Quintessence finished a work titled “The Sacred Veil,” a set of songs written by a poet that lost his wife to ovarian cancer. Quintessence was able to partner with community organizations such as The Grief Center, The Gynecological Cancer Awareness Project and Southwest Women’s Oncology.

Their upcoming concerts on May 21 and 22, entitled “Homeward Bound,” are the last of this season. One of the compositions, “Home” by Andrey Stolyarov, was written as a part of the group’s first-ever run of the Estella Gahala Lange Emerging Composer Competition. Tickets to the Monday night concert are free for students.

Alongside their main fourconcert season, Quintessence has been working to create community through events like Park Sings in warmer weather and Beer Choir at local pubs.

“Another huge fan favorite is

beer choir and we meet in pubs around Albuquerque,” Greenwald said. “We come prepared with song leaders and song sheets and the people in the bar become the choir and it’s just really casual, silly, good times.”

The group also has a Summer Choral Festival where a chorus of around 200 from the community prepare and perform a work over the course of a week, according to Greenwald. Quintessence aims to make the festival accessible, with discounts for students and scholarship opportunities.

“It is tremendously hard work to program seasons, to always be thinking about what we could be doing creatively here in Albuquerque, but it is so joyful, it is so wonderful to be in an organization that is … working hard to create something beautiful,” Greer said.

These opportunities allow people to connect in a way that is unique to the choral environ -

ment, Greer said. He said he hopes that the group fosters interaction between its audience and its performers, encouraging all to get involved in any available opportunities to sing as a group.

“There is something that happens when a group of people in a room come together and sing something. I think there is no quicker way to build community than getting people to sing together,” Greer said.

Addison Key is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo. com or on Twitter @addisonkey11

Zara Roy is the copy chief at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at copychief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @zarazzledazzle

Courtesy Photo/ Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo Logo for the Quintessence: a community of singers in Albuquerque. Photo courtesy of Quintessence ABQ.

By Henry Hammel @hhfreestone

Albuquerque Museum’s exhibition “Journey West: Danny Lyon” features 175 masterworks of photography, film and montage from celebrated American photographer Danny Lyon.

His work on display spans a 60-year career and encompasses a wide range of topics. The exhibit draws from his series on the Civil Rights Movement, the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle Club, the Texas prison system, various protests, and some of his more recent work on fires, drought and climate change in New Mexico.

Familiar scenes from life along the Rio Grande, along with photos like “Bernalillo Main Canal” and “Llanito,” depict when Lyon first moved to New Mexico from his home in New York City out of opposition to the Vietnam War.

Although the exhibition quickly deviates from images of New Mexico, state residents will be stunned by Lyon’s personal and abstract renderings of early ‘70s everyday life. His composition places small yet intimate human figures in vast, open high-desert landscapes.

The exhibition as a whole urges viewers to reflect on what journeying West means to them. However, from the perspective of a New Mexico resident, “Journey West” has almost the reverse effect, inviting New Mexicans to explore more of North America as the show branches out to Texas,

Tennessee, Mississippi and even as far as Mexico and Cuba.

Empathy and protest were key themes used to curate Lyon’s work. The breadth of locations in Lyon’s photographs relate the experience of everyday people across different parts of the world. His work in Shanxi Province, China, for example, depicts a firework shop and a truck mechanic in Lyon’s usual dignified yet ordinary style. The strength of “Journey West” comes from Lyon’s style and mastery at documenting people from many walks of life.

The 1970 gelatin silver print “Navajo Pool Room” exemplifies how Lyon’s technique turns everyday life into fine art. The opposing leading lines — lines that draw the viewer’s eye to a subject — contrast the outfits of the foreground figure with those of the two background figures, revealing Lyon’s mastery in composition and light.

The curation showcases Lyon’s technique using a few selections across many works and locations rather than the narrative of an individual series, according to Josie Lopez, head curator at the

Albuquerque Museum.

“If you put all the bike rider or all the prison photographs together, then it is sort of a documentary representation of that particular subject,” Lopez said. “We wanted to put photographs together that would show visually how his work connects across these different times and these different series’ and subjects so that you could see how he was utilizing light and composition, even different photographic techniques in terms of the technology.”

Lyon’s photomontages have the

particular effect of communicating the spirit of American political life during different time periods. They are, in one sense, a window into Lyon’s countless threaded ideas, but they are also a personal experience for the viewer to create their own connections.

The museum curated the show to have other mediums and “behind-the-scenes” extras from Lyon’s notebooks and personal photo albums, Lopez said.

“It goes back to the New Journalism approach where Danny is the artist, but he also sees himself in the story … Even though we’re telling these broader histories, his story is also embedded in it. And he talks about wanting to create a time capsule to the future, and when someone discovers that time capsule, he wants to be part of it,” Lopez said.

Viewers unfamiliar to Lyon’s work might be disappointed by the lack of thematically Western photographs, but the shattering of New Mexico’s tricultural myth was one of the aims of this exhibition. The landscape of New Mexico both in contemporary and historical photographs is only one face of Lyon’s illustrious career.

Albuquerque Museum curated this exhibition in collaboration with Danny Lyon, and it will be on view March 11 to Aug. 27.

Henry Hammel is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @hhfreestone

Henry Hammel / Daily Lobo / @hhfreestone

The entrance to Albuquerque Museum’s “Journey West” exhibition, prominently featuring Danny Lyon’s bulletin board montage “Who Are We?”

UNM performs ‘auto-bio-choreo-graphy’ of prolific, controversial artist

By Spenser Willden @spenserwillden

There’s a line in “Jérôme Bel,” presented over the weekend by the University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance, that says, “The most beautiful thing a performer can bring to their audience is their vulnerability.”

The piece, titled “Jérôme Bel” after the author, French contemporary choreographer, is directed by professor Dominika Laster and reenacted by UNM assistant professor of theater Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez. In the piece, Rodriguez (as Bel) presents a performancelecture on works from the artist’s history of unique choreography.

After Bel stopped traveling, he extended an invitation to performance artists and theater-makers around the world to enact the piece, which he stylized as an “auto-bio-choreo-graphy.” Laster, who has followed Bel’s choreography and work in performance studies since graduate school, decided to bring the piece to UNM.

“I thought it would be a great pedagogical exercise and a great way to expose UNM students and faculty and community members to his work,” Laster said.

The lecture tracks Bel’s career from the ‘90s to the present, with video clips guided by Bel’s words, as spoken by Rodriguez.

“The idea is to not perform,” Rodriguez said. “The idea is to not become someone else, but rather find the limited liminal space between ‘doing Jérôme Bel’

and trying to incorporate small details or the way that he’s relating with the text. So I tried to find in myself some sort of analogy when I’m reading, but not to make a character.”

As the piece acknowledges, Bel’s work, which pushes the boundaries of dance and performance, has garnered criticism from critics and audiences over the years. Examples of his controversial works include 2012’s “disabled theater” and 1995’s self-titled “jérôme bel.”

After the lecture, there was a short series of live performances by UNM community members, inspired by Bel’s work. This practice is inspired by 2015’s “gala,” in which the choreographer had a series of dancers at varying levels of skill and experience take turns choosing their own music and leading the entire ensemble in dance.

One of the lead dancers included Matthew Holguin, an actor and senior at La Cueva High School. Holguin choreographed and led the performance of his selected song; he joined the production on invitation from Laster after they met through Cheval Oldaker’s contact improvisation class.

Though much of the lecture is presented through video, the live component adds an aspect connective to audiences, Laster said.

“There’s something immutable about liveness and having the experience of someone (telling) us the story in real life. Being in a group of people in a darkened room, we go on a journey together. It’s very different from

Students and

prepare

when I watched the piece, for example, on my own on my laptop for the first time. So I think there’s something very special in that experience. We get to create community,” Laster said.

The loose follow-the-leader style of the finale allowed for the ensemble, comprised of actors of all skill levels, to find the joy in performance, performer and master of fine arts student Jessica Wilson said.

“The point of this work is not precision,” Wilson said. “We get to witness someone creating whatev-

rehearse

er they feel like making in real time and we get to share that moment of focus and joy with them. There isn’t any pressure to get it right like in a typical piece. Instead, the focus is more on finding and sharing in the essence of their movement.”

The piece was performed Friday night in the Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance and in Santa Fe on Saturday at Wise Fool New Mexico.

“We are not trying to perfect, the dancers are not trying to do it perfect, but they engage in the game and they dance. And so, because they are in this process of finding

what the next step will be about, what is the next rhythm, the next change, it creates some transparency in the people. And that’s very beautiful,” Rodriguez said.

Spenser Willden is the culture editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@unm.edu or on twitter @spenserwillden

John Scott Editor in Chief @JScott050901

Maddie Pukite Managing Editor @maddogpukite

Annya Loya News Editor @annyaloyadl

Elizabeth Secor Multimedia Editor @esecor2003

Zara Roy Copy Editor @zarazzledazzle

Maxwell McGrael Freelance Reporter @MintyMcGrael

Mackenzie Schwartz Photo Editor @mackenzids

Alizay Chavez Freelance Reporter @Chavez_Alizay

Thomas Bulger Sports Editor @ThomasBulger10

Spenser Willden Culture Editor @spenserwillden

Gabriel Saiz Beat Reporter @Gsaiz83

Sierra Matinez Freelance Reporter @sierraaspen11

Weston Quintana Freelance Photographer @wess_jpg

Miyawni Curtis Freelance Reporter @MiyawniCurtis

Jessica Baca

Freelance Photographer @Jessica_Baca_

Aldo Jurado Freelance Photographer @Jurado11Aldo

Adrian Alexander Jones Freelance Photographer @AAlexanderjones

Gabriel Garcia Freelance Reporter @glgwrites

Spenser Willden / Daily Lobo / @spenserwillden

community members

to

the final dance sequence in “Jérôme Bel” at the Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance on April 6.

Apply to be 2023-2024 Editor

Conceptions Southwest

Requirements:

• This position requires approximately 10 hours per week and includes recruitment and supervision of a volunteer staff.

• Completed at least 18 hours of credit at UNM or have been enrolled as a full time student at UNM the preceding semester

• The editor must be enrolled as a UNM student throughout the term of office and be a UNM student for the full term.

• Preferred c umulative grade point average of at least 2.5 by the end of the preceding semester.

• Some experiencepublicationpreferable.

Deadline:

For more information call 277-5656 or email Daven Quelle at daven.quelle@dailylobo.com

by Christopher Tran

2023

you can place FREE ads in this classifieds category? Ads must be 25 words or less. To get your free ad, email classifieds@ dailylobo.com from your UNM email or come by Marron Hall room 107 and show your UNM ID.

Houses for Rent

CASITA FOR RENT. $750/mo. +$500dd W/D. Quiet, secluded, downtown. Single only. Michael McLean 505-288-1738.

Photo

DAVIDMARTINEZPHOTOGRAPHY. COM your UNM ID.

Property For Sale

HEY LOBOS! DID