Parsons Gallery of the West in Taos, New Mexico, is one of the premier art venues that is exploring emerging contemporary Western artists. So it’s fitting that the gallery’s next show, Rooted Together, will directly support a new generation of artists, some as young as 5 years old.
Rooted Together, opening May 1, will benefit the Taos Pueblo Art Education Fund, which supports students from kindergarten to eighth grade at the Taos Day School at Taos Pueblo.
Drew Macias, Taos Pueblo Cowboy, oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in.
“This program was founded by Parsons Gallery of the West and the Couse Foundation,” says Ashley Rolshoven Loveless, gallery director and co-owner. “Its mission is to support art education and cultural opportunities for students by supplying art materials, facilitating access to area museums and galleries and hosting workshops with celebrated tribal artists as well as notable national artists. Through these experiences, the program hopes to expand students’ artistic expression and creativity. One of the primary goals of the program is to provide meaningful access to the arts and create pathways for young people to explore and take ownership of their artistic talents. It is our hope that the program will foster a deeper understanding and connection to creative tools, encouraging students to become creators, painters, artists, weavers and potters. Ultimately, funds raised through this program will provide opportunities for young people to discover and develop their strongest artistic gifts.”
Aaron Garlick, The Silversmith, oil on panel, 20 x 16 in.
Loveless continues, “At Parsons Gallery of the West, we believe deeply in giving back to a community that has given so much to us. It is an honor to host this exhibition with so many remarkable artists in support of this important cause. Together, we hope to help protect and celebrate the land, culture and community while continuing the artistic legacy of Taos for generations to come.”
Each of the participating artists will provide a work measuring 20 by 16 inches (or 16 by 20 inches). A portion of each sale will go directly to the Taos Pueblo Art Education Fund. Artists in the show include Amery Bohling, Katelyn Betsill Del Vecchio, Jerry Jordan, John Lintott, Melinda Littlejohn, John Moyers, Richard Alan Nichols, Ron Rencher, Dan Stovall, Nathanael Volckening, Scott Yeager and many others.
Mary Dolph Wood, Pottery and Gladiolas, oil on linen, 28 x 18 in.
Chloé Marie, who’s had a long relationship with the gallery, will be showing Cowboy of the Square Butte in her famous folk style of painting. “Cowboy of the Square Butte, a cowboy on the tracks of C.M. Russell’s old stomping grounds…looking for strays, with the famous Square Butte for office background,” she says of the work. “The strength it takes to work these lands in the harshest of weather…[This painting is] reviving the Old West with a modern touch. I am lucky to call this ranch home and have lived on it before with the gorgeous view of the Square Butte. Charlie Russell himself used to come visit friends and paint the butte. Its history is fascinating, and I wanted to paint something strong yet quiet, dynamic yet smooth. Just like the way the weather plays with the [land], giving us insanely beautiful views that are different each day.”
Chloé Marie, Cowboy of the Square Butte, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in.
In Aaron Garlick’s The Silversmith, the artist paints a single figure standing outside. “The Silversmith is a portrait of my friend Lyle Wright, a Taos Pueblo silversmith and gallery owner,” Garlick says. “We got to know each other just before Covid. As the town was working through the pandemic, he opened a shop on the Plaza, Lyle’s Creations, where he and other Taos Pueblo artists could show and sell work. Since the show benefits the pueblo, it felt important to make something grounded in that community. I was thinking about the tradition of Taos painters like Walter Ufer and Julius Rolshoven, and this piece leans a little more tightly painted, especially in Lyle’s face. It’s a painting of a friend who has done a lot for the people around him.”
Nathanael Volckening, Beyond Bronze Fields, oil on panel, 12 x 12 in.
Garlick notes that the show hits close to home. “Rooted Together feels very true to Northern New Mexico. Art, land and culture are all connected here,” he says. “It’s not just about individual work, it’s about being part of something shared and ongoing. That’s what the phrase means to me.”
Mary Dolph Wood will be showing Pottery and Gladiolas, which “represent the colorful artistic expressions of the Native pottery made in our area and the Native expressions of the earth and beauty,” she says. “Equally, the beautiful intense colors of the gladiolas, expressions of the earth’s riches. I am fascinated with color and beauty.”
Ron Rencher, As Long as the Rivers Flow, oil on linen, 20 x 16 in.
Painter Drew Macias, known for his smoking figures, paints Taos Pueblo Cowboy with smoke twirling around his hat. He’s honored to be part of a show that will give back to the community. “I think the world would benefit from taking a page from the people of New Mexico and the Southwest in general, and realize, like them, that we are all rooted together,” he says. “If we could only put aside our differences we might realize that we are more alike than we think. We are all literally rooted together.”
Amery Bohling, Approaching the Redwall Cavern, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in.
The show hangs through all of May, but collectors are encouraged to attend May 1 for the opening reception and sale, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m. —
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