Opening: North & South of the Border February 2, 2007

While crossing the US Mexico border is a new issue facing most of the nation, border crossings are a natural occurrence for artists of our region. North & South of the Border, opening on Friday, Feb. 2 at the Las Cruces Museum of Art , will exhibit work of three contemporary artists who draw inspiration from the region that includes Chihuahua and Juarez, Mexico on one side of the border and El Paso, TX and southern New Mexico on the other. Works of Antonio Castro, Diana Molina and Gaspar Enriquez will be in the Museums Main Gallery from Friday, Feb 2 Saturday, April 7, with an opening reception for the artists on Friday, Feb 2 from 5 7 pm. All exhibits and receptions are accessible and free to the public.

This project is made possible in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Antonio Castro
Antonio Castro was born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico. Today he is a resident of two sister cities: Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, TX. Ironically, his work is perhaps better known in Europe than locally. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain and in Italy, as well as in New York City and Mexico. His work is influenced by both surrealism and super-realism. In addition to paintings, his artworks have illustrated histories of El Paso and childrens books. Castros paintings are narrative. He says, I like the viewer to become interested in finding out what my paintings meanwhat I prefer is for people to view one of my paintings and then to interpret it according to their own understanding and temperament through their own intellectual and emotional filters, as it were, and through that, to form their own conclusions about it. Castro also puts an image of himself in most of his paintings. He explains, These paintings, after all, are my vision, so I try to relate that in them, as well.

Diana Molina
Born in El Paso, TX, documentary photographer Diana Molina is known for both national and international exhibitions. After a year of travel in Europe, Molina changed her career to become a writer and photographer. In Amsterdam she collaborated with Dutch photographer Ben Deiman to produce collections of photographs for the Netherlands Bureau of Tourism and Greenpeace Netherlands and went on to publish photo essays and articles for a number of international magazines. Returning to a base on the New Mexico/Texas border with Mexico, Molina drew upon her experience as a journalist to initiate CARAS, an interactive curriculum model for high school students. She also directed her first prize-winning video documentary concerning the 20 year history of La Mujer Obrera, following the struggles of women employed in the El Paso garment industry. Three collections of Molinas works which depict borderland subjects are touring museums nationally. She is currently working on a collection, Seven String Barbed-Wire Fence, focusing on the many faces of Latino immigration in the United States.

Gaspar Enriquez
El Paso born painter Gaspar Enriquez is noted for his airbrushed, ultra-realistic imagery portraying the people of El Pasos barrios. Trained in Los Angeles, the University of Texas at El Paso (B.A.) and New Mexico State University (M.A.), he teaches art at Bowie High School on the El Paso/Juarez border, and his students often provide inspiration for his work. His works provide a significant voice for sub-cultures along the border. Enriquezs work has been included in numerous exhibitions, including the nationally touring CARA (Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation) show (1990 1993), as well as the 2006 iArte Caliente! Selections from the Joe Diaz Collection in Albuquerque and San Jose, CA, and the traveling exhibition Chicano Visions: American Painters on the Verge curated by Cheech Marin (2005 2008).

The Museums Directors Gallery will feature works by Las Cruces area artists from Friday, Feb. 2 Saturday, Feb. 28 in the annual Love of Art exhibition. The Museum of Art is located at 490 N. Water St. in the downtown mall. For information about exhibits, programs or Museum Studio classes, call 505-541-2137.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of lcms.