Land Arts of the American West Visits the Centro Artistico y Cultural

Land Arts of the American West 2012 travels to Buena Vista
(Photo: Chrissie Orr)

     Land Arts of the American West, an interdisciplinary program taught through the University of New Mexico, joined the Centro Artistico y Cultural this past October for five days of intense, rewarding, and ongoing collaboration.  The collaborative efforts of the Land Arts group involved an investigation of Buena Vista, its unique resources, and the generous community that calls Buena Vista 'home'.  During the visit, the Land Arts students worked on aspects of a grant application, which involved meeting with Buena Vista residents, exploring the unique wetlands site of the Buena Vista area, and contacting and meeting with business and city officials for input and support.  The multifaceted nature of the collaboration was a learning experience on many different levels, and the Land Arts students were fortunate to have had such a rich experience.  Thank you to the Centro Artistico y Cultural and Roberto Salas for their support as well as the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association and Armando Carlos, the residents of Buena Vista that made our visit such a welcome experience, visiting artist Chrissie Orr, Land Arts coordinators, Jeanette Hart-Mann, Bill Gilbert, and Ryan Henel, and all others who made this collaborative trip a success.

Meeting outside to discuss plans (Photo: Jeanette Hart-Mann)

Roberto Salas, the director of the Centro Artistico y Cultural, gives students
a tour of Buena Vista (Photo: Chrissie Orr)

An environmental collaborative group explores the unique resources of
Buena Vista (Photo: Jeanette Hart-Mann)

The group taking a break from the hot sun (Photo: Jeanette Hart-Mann)

Buena Vista locals, Armando Carlos and Luis Jimenez (Photo: Chrissie Orr)

Celia McKinnon, Lea Andersson, Eso Robinson, and
Buena Vista resident, Luis Jimenez (Photo: Chrissie Orr)

Meeting with El Paso District Representative, Courtney Niland, and El Paso Museum
and Cultural Affairs Coordinator, Socorro Diamondstein (Photo: Amelia Zaraftis)

Arturo Trujillo of Cemex Corporation, gives a tour of the wetlands, better
known as "Cement Lake" (Photo: Amelia Zaraftis)

Checking out the recently painted and soon-to-be
new Centro Artisitco y Cultural (Photo: Amelia Zaraftis)

Thank you Buena Vista, and until we meet again! (Photo: Eric Cook)