On May 20, the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and the Couse Foundation will formally open its Lunder Research Center, an exhibition space and repository for all things related to the Taos Society of Artists. The opening will be surrounded by a VIP weekend that includes lectures, a gala and an art sale. The celebration will be massive, mostly because it has to make up for lost time—the gala portion was canceled two years in a row because of the pandemic.
Sean Michael Chavez, What’s Past is Prologue, oil on canvas, 24 x 20”
With museum patrons, artists and special guests back in Taos, New Mexico—many returning after a long absence—the museum wants to roll out the red carpet with a bash for the ages. “We’ve missed having people here,” says Davison Packard Koenig, executive director and curator at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site. “So our gala and all our festivities are going to feel really good for all of us here in Taos. We can’t wait to see all the things that have changed here at the site.”
Russell Sanchez, polychrome water jar, 5½ x 7½”
On view at the museum will be La Luz de Taos, a major group exhibition featuring the work of 39 artists working within a number of genres, including landscapes, wildlife, still lifes, figurative work and pieces that highlight the magnificence of Taos. In addition, the exhibition will feature work by Native American artists, whose works create a fuller picture of the West.
Phil Epp, Moon and Adobe No. 5, acrylic on board, 24 x 30”
Glenn Dean, In the Warm Sun, oil, 16 x 20”
Artists in the show include Tony Abeyta, William Acheff, Clyde Aspevig, Thomas Blackshear II, Eric Bowman, G. Russell Case, Sean Michael Chavez, John Coleman, Nicholas Coleman, Glenn Dean, Josh Elliott, Phil Epp, Susan Folwell, Chloé Marie Burk, Tammy Garcia, Walt Gonske, Logan Maxwell Hagege, Brett Allen Johnson, Jerry Jordan, David A. Leffel, Ira Lujan, Mark Maggiori, Ed Mell, Cara Romero, Maria Samora, Russell Sanchez and many others. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of artist Kang Cho, who passed away in December 2021.
Ed Smida, Elemental, iron, ed. of 9, 29 x 12 x 10”
Events include the VIP opening of the Lunder Research Center on May 20, a lecture on the morning of May 21, and the VIP open house on May 22. The centerpiece, though, is the Gala & Art Sale on May 21, when the works from La Luz de Taos will be sold via auction to benefit the site.
To get tickets for the event, and see the artwork, visit www.laluzdetaos.org. —
La Luz de Taos – Gala 2022
May 20-22, 2022
May 20, Lunder Research Center VIP Opening
May 21, Taos Society of Artists lecture
May 21, Gala & Art Sale at El Monte Sagrado Resort
May 22, VIP open house and artist demonstration
Couse-Sharp Historic Site, 146 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM 87571
(575) 751-0369, www.laluzdetaos.org, www.couse-sharp.org
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