Desert Intarsia Hosts Grand Opening as Part of Downtown ArtsCrawl

Whatcha doin' this Friday, August 7? Wanna go out? Let's go to the Grand Opening of Desert Intarsia Gallery during downtown Albuquerque's ArtsCrawl.

Desert Intarsia, the newest gallery on Gold Avenue, Albuquerque's up-and-coming arts district. Gold Avenue is quickly becoming the place for cool and funky art in the Duke City.

As a matter of fact, Desert Intarsia recently relocated to Gold Avenue from Old Town at the recommendation of Albuquerque's Downtown Action Team. According to gallery owners Brian and Stacey Maggard, local shoppers and businesspeople in the area have responded very well to the variety of art that Desert Intarsia offers, including intarsia jewelry by Brian, who is, himself, a nationally recognized jewlery maker. Brian is one of only eight people in the U.S. creating jewelry using this 16th Century lapidary style. People really seem to love the new gallery space, which is located at 317 Gold Avenue next door to the Atomic Cantina.

I recently caught up with Desert Intarsia Gallery co-owner Stacey Maggard to talk about the gallery's new digs. Check out the interview, and be sure to attend Desert Intarsia's Grand Opening from 4 p.m.- 8 p.m. on August 7!

Desert Intarsia Gallery Finds New Gold Avenue Home

It's amazing just how much the arts lover can find to do Albuquerque. Did you know that there are 39 theatre companies, there are film festivals, and tons of live music performances and galleries in the area? Imagine that! You don't even need to head to Santa Fe (unless you want to!).

One of the highlights of "the Q's" cultural scene are the ArtsCrawls, which usually take place on the first Friday of the month. Galleries stay open later, offer wine and cheese receptions, and, of course, great art that's even affordable in this economy.

If you happen to be in town on Friday, August 7, stop by Desert Intarsia, the newest gallery on Gold Avenue, Albuquerque's up-and-coming arts district. Gold Avenue is quickly becoming the place for cool and funky art in the Duke City.

As a matter of fact, Desert Intarsia recently relocated to Gold Avenue from Old Town at the recommendation of Albuquerque's Downtown Action Team. According to gallery owners Brian and Stacey Maggard, local shoppers and businesspeople in the area have responded very well to the variety of art that Desert Intarsia offers, including intarsia jewelry by Brian, who is, himself, a nationally recognized jewlery maker. People really seem to love the new gallery space, which is located at 317 Gold Avenue next door to the Atomic Cantina.

I recently caught up with Desert Intarsia Gallery co-owner Stacey Maggard to talk about the gallery's new digs. Check out the interview, and be sure to attend Desert Intarsia's Grand Opening from 4 p.m.- 8 p.m. on August 7!

Queer at Folk: Doin' the ABQ Art Circuit

New Mexico has so much great art, and the quality is just as high as that of the people making it. I have found other artists here to be helpful and supportive, in addition to being supertalented!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do my first folk art festival thanks to Kenny Chavez, who is a local ABQ folk art icon. Kenny Chavez's Annual Cinco de Mayo Folk Art & Musical Festival took place at La Parada Mercantile on Albuquerque's Antique Mile.

I finally have some of my masks on the walls of a gallery in Old Town. If you are in the Albuquerque area check-out Desert Intarsia. They have wonderful jewelry by Brian and Stacey Maggard, as well as pottery, paintings, and now masks! I’m including some pics of Brian’s spectacular museum-quality stone intarsia jewelry as well as shots of my work available there right on the Plaza.

Here is a brief video of Kenny Chavez’s Annual Cinco de Mayo Folk Art & Music Festival this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I made some new friends and didn’t get too soaked in the “monsoon” that followed at about 4 p.m., bringing things down a notch. Enjoy the sites—really beautiful!