Mary Ann Weems talks about local art and the Art Fest

ALBUQUERQUE, WHERE YOU CAN FIND AFFORD ABLE ARTWORK. UNUSUAL FLUSH THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT REASON...  More »

ALBUQUERQUE, WHERE YOU CAN FIND AFFORD ABLE ARTWORK. UNUSUAL FLUSH THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT REASONS WHY WE LIVE RIGHT HERE IN NEW MEXICO, FROM THE WONDERFUL WEATHER TO THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY AND ALL THE BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK, AND OF COURSE ALL THE ARTISTS WHO LIVE IN OUR OWN BACKYARD, INCLUDING MARY ANN WEEMS, OWNER OF WEEMS GALLERIES, AND FRAMING IN ALBUQUERQUE. AS WELL AS WEEMS INTERNATIONAL ARTFEST. WE HAVE HER ON GOOD DAY TODAY. GOOD MORNING, MARY ANN. THANK YOU FOR -- WE HAVE THE SAME NAME. YES, IT IS GOING TO BE A MARY ANN SHOW. WE ARE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE WEEMS GALLERIES AND FRAMING CELEBRATING 26 YEARS THIS YEAR. 26 YEARS. I OFTEN THINK, AM I OLD, OR AM I PROUD? I HAVEN'T DECIDED. YOU'RE NOT OLD. A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. 26 YEARS, WE HAVE SECOND GENERATIONS, NOW, SHOPPING IN THE GALLERY. HOW DISEASE MAKE YOU FEEL. VERY PROUD, AND THEN VERY OLD. BUT ISN'T IT GREAT THAT THEY ARE COMING BACK, WALK GO THROUGH THE DOORS. IT'S WONDERFUL. THEY STARTED OUT AS CHILDREN THERE, AND NOW AS ADULTS, THEY ARE BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN IN. WHAT MAKES YOUR GALLERY SO UNIQUE? I THINK BECAUSE WE ARE ABNORMAL, IN THAT MOST GALLERIES REPRESENT JUST A FEW ARTISTS. WE REPRESENT OVER 200. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS ABNORMAL OR AGO BIT CRAZY. SO YOU WALK IN THE GALLERY, AS YOU DID, MARY ANN, AND YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT IS. EVERYTHING'S THERE. EVERY MEDIUM IS REPRESENTED. AS OPPOSED TO JUST A FEW THINGS. TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU WALK INTO A GALLERY, IT IS FAR MORE FORMAL. I DRESS LIKE THIS. I ALWAYS HAVE. THERE ARE CANDY FOR THE KIDS, AND CHEW BONES FOR THE DOGS. I'M RIGHT THERE. I KNOW. IT IS AND BE EASY, NONINTIMIDATING ARENA FOR THE ARTS, AND THEN THERE IS JEWEL RE. THE EARRINGS I HAVE ON TODAY ARE $6. AND EVERYTHING UP TO 6,000-DOLLAR PAINTINGS. SO, IT IS A RANGE. PEOPLE CAN WALK IN AND DON'T FEEL LIKE, I'M AFRAID TO TOUCH THIS PIECE. NO. IN FACT, WE ENCOURAGE TOUCHING. THE CHILDREN WALK RIGHT IN THEY LOVE THE FOUNTAINS, BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE WATER, AS DO THE DOGS, OF COURSE. YOU LET THE DOGS IN, TOO? ABSOLUTELY. THE DUKE ROSWELL COME. WE HAVE A SIGN ON THE DOOR THAT SAYS, BRING THEM IN, AND THEY LOVE TO DRINK OUT OF THE FOUNTAINS. WHY DID YOU WANT TO CREATE AN AREA LIKE THIS. BECAUSE ART IS INTIMIDATING. THE NORMAL PERSON OFF THE STREET THINKS THEY ARE AFRAID OF IT. SO I DELIBERATE REWENT INTO A SHOPPING CENTER, WHERE PEOPLE WOULD HAPPEN IN, AND ONCE YOU WALK IN YOU GET ADDICTED, AND THEN YOU FIND OUT YOU CAN AFFORD IT. YOU CAN AFFORD WHETHER IT IS CRAFT, OR ART, OR A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS INTERESTING WITH THE GALLERY IS, I WAS CRITICIZED FOR BRINGING SO MUCH CRAFT INTO THE GALLERY, WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDERED CRAFT BEING POTTERY, JEWELRY. THE CRAFT, TO ME, IS A VERY FINE ART. AND IN FACT, A FUN THING THAT GAVE ME A LITTLE FEELING OF CONFIDENCE WAS THOMAS HOVEC, WHO WAS HEAD OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF NEW YORK, HE WAS ASKED THE QUESTION, WHAT IS THE ART OF THE 21 CENTURY, AND HIS ANSWER WAS, CRAFT. BUT NO ONE KNOWS IT YET. WELL, WE STARTED WITH IT IN THE 20TH CENTURY. NEW MEXICO IS SUCH A GREAT PLACE FOR AN ARTIST, AND OUT HERE, IT IS JUST EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, YOU MEET AN ARTIST, OR YOU WANT TO BE ONE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A COMPETITION, ASK ARTISTS TO APPLY, AND IT WILL ALL CAN YOU MINUTE EIGHT AT WEEMS INTERNATIONAL ARTFEST. FIRST OF ALL, THEIR WORK WILL BE SHOWN, THE FIVE FINALISTS AT ARTFEST, WHERE ABOUT 40,000 PEOPLE, TO 50,000 PEOPLE ATTEND. SO IT IS INCREDIBLE. THE WINNER OF THE GOOD DAY NEW MEXICO COMPETITION WILL HAVE A SPOT, WILL GET A BOOTH, IN ARTFEST NEXT YEAR. IT IS WORTH ABOUT $550. AND WILL THEY HAVE AN AND BEANCE ON THE SHOW, AS WELL? ABSOLUTELY. IT IS GOING TO BE FUN. ARTISTS, START GEARING UP FOR THIS. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WEEMS ART GALLERIES AND FRAMING AND THE ARTFEST, THIS NOVEMBER, AS WELL AS THE COMPETITION, LOG ON TO OUR WEB SITE. IN YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PIECES YOU MAY HAVE AT HOME, OR YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE SOME NEW ARTWORK, YOU CAN CONTACT MARY ANN WEEMS AND HER TEAM AT WEEMSGALLERIES AND FRAMING AT 555-293-6133, OR  « Less