See you later, 2024: Looking back at a year of arts and entertainment
Ava Allen and Gillian Reynolds teach choreography for Durango High School’s Troupe 1096. This year, the troupe scored some big nominations at the Bobby Gs. (Courtesy)
The countdown is on to the end of 2024, and while one could argue this year had its fair share of drama and uncertainty, what we could count on was news from A&E that validated our belief that Durango and its surrounding area is brimming with talent.
Here are some of the stories – in no particular order – that made this past year stand out.
Amy Hewitt brought her collage skills to help with a fundraiser for those affected by Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy of Heather Freeman)
Local artists unite to help those affected by Hurricane Helene
Something Durango prides itself on is its sense of community, whether in sports, school or the arts. And boundaries don’t matter, especially when it comes to artists helping artists.
In October, a group of artists got together at the ArtRoom in the Smiley Building to work on 100 heart canvases as a fundraiser for artists in Asheville, North Carolina’s River Arts District who lost their studios and artwork in to September’s Hurricane Helene. Then, the pieces were auctioned off during an open house Heart Party. All money raised went to the affected artists, said local artist and fundraiser organizer Heather Freeman.
“I started seeing some of the coverage and the devastation that happened, and I started talking with some the people that were coming through my art studio,” Freeman said. “This is just heavy on my heart. I don’t know what to do. And I hate being in that position of feeling helpless and hopeless.”
Actor and director Kevin Costner caused a buzz when he swept into town to film segments of his latest project – and was looking for local extras. (Courtesy of IMDb)
Kevin Costner production seeking paid extras in Durango
Town was buzzing for weeks with the news that not only was actor and director Kevin Costner going to be in Durango shooting his latest film, but that he was also looking for locals to be extras in it.
Shooting for a segment of the third part of his upcoming film series, “Horizon: An American Saga,” was held in May.
According to IMDb, “Horizon” spans “the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, embarking on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.”
Costner directs, writes and stars in the series. The first part, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” played in theaters last summer.
Durango artist Karyn Gabaldon is seen at home in May 2016. The longtime local artist died in September at age 70. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)
Remembering a downtown Durango icon: Artist, gallery owner Karyn Gabaldon died Sept. 3 at age 70
When longtime artist and gallery owner Karyn Gabaldon died in September at age 70 after a three-year battle with cancer, not only did she leave behind grief-stricken family members, she also left a hole in the soul of downtown Durango.
“She was such a force and my pal for 40 years,” said her husband, jazz musician and teacher Jeff Solon.
And “force” is no understatement: It takes a certain level of toughness and talent to be able to thrive as an artist and gallery owner in downtown Durango, something she did for more than 40 years. She began as a potter, and when she couldn’t do that anymore because of carpal tunnel syndrome – and perhaps a little boredom, Solon said – she switched over to painting with watercolors first, then ultimately settling on acrylics.
Antonia Clark of Toh-Atin Gallery was involved with Gabaldon through the Gallery Association, which Gabaldon started. The two go back even further: When the Clark family opened their gallery in 1983, they featured her pottery.
And what will Clark miss the most about her?
“Oh, that smile. That smile and that laugh,” she said. “You know, even just through the darkest of times … she just had a way of being grounded, and sharing that with other people. She just had such enthusiasm and such optimism. That’s probably what I’ll miss the most.”
Gabaldon didn’t want a memorial service, but in her obituary, it is requested that individuals do something kind for someone else.
Jason Lythgoe was named the new executive director of Durango Arts Center in April. (Courtesy)
Durango Arts Center names new executive director
In April, Durango Arts Center announced that Artist Director Jason Lythgoe has been tapped to replace outgoing Executive Director Brenda Macon. He officially starts Wednesday.
Macon, who served as the DAC head, left the position after six years to move home to Michigan, the DAC said in a news release.
“I am honored to accept the role of executive director,” Lythgoe said in the release. “I remain committed to building on the many successes of the DAC, including our youth programming, which teaches over 2,000 students each year. I am passionate about the transformative power of community-based arts and look forward to continuing to enrich the lives of our community through our diverse range of programs and initiatives.”
Lythgoe is no stranger to the local theater scene, having worked as an actor, director and teacher for years, so his taking the helm at DAC wasn’t shocking.
And while his title has changed, Lythgoe said he is still drawn to being an instructor, something he hopes to incorporate into his new position.
“I think I’m going to try to still teach one of the youth classes or one of the camps,” he said. “I want to show that the executive director isn’t just behind the desk, it’s actually contributing to the art that we create. And look what I can share and be a part of, not only on the admin side and the fundraising – be that face, but be that face still on stage; be that face still at those gallery events; and be this champion for the Art Center that has been my home for almost a decade. … So that’s going to be fun.”
Sorrel Sky Gallery owner Shanan Campbell opened a Sorrel Sky in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City in February. (Courtesy)
Sorrel Sky opens gallery in New York City
Durango’s Sorrel Sky Gallery added a third address to its roster in February, and this one’s east of here.
The Main Avenue-based fine art gallery, which also has a location in Santa Fe, set up shop in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Gallery owner Shanan Campbell said she has wanted to open a third location for a while, but couldn’t find the right spot. Turns out, it was simply a matter of geography and a desire to get to visit one of her sons more often.
“I’ve basically been looking in the West,” she said. “I’ve been looking at spaces in Denver, in Scottsdale, in Dallas, in Austin,” and it wasn’t until she was visiting her son, who lives in New York City, that the idea of a space in the Big Apple began to form. “He and I were at lunch and he just said, ‘Mom, why don’t you just open a gallery here in New York?’”
By the end of the day, she said, she had a real estate agent on the phone looking for spots. It was then that she got in touch with photographer David Yarrow, whom Sorrel Sky represents. Yarrow has lived in New York City for about a decade, Campbell said, so he could help her with the search.
Yarrow agreed to help Campbell with the search for a new gallery, and the rest is history: The newest Sorrel Sky is located at 19 West Broadway. It’s 2,500 square feet, and for now, it is a Yarrow-exclusive space, which also makes the gallery the only Yarrow-exclusive space in New York state.
Durango High School Troupe 1096 scores big at Bobby G’s
The student actors and crew of Durango High School Troupe 1096 know how to put on a show.
And, they were in the running for some serious recognition in May courtesy of the annual Bobby G High School Theatre Awards, put on through the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
The awards – the Bobby G’s for those in the know – are focused on bringing schools across Colorado together to celebrate the amazing work educators and students are doing, said Troupe 1096 Director Ben Mattson. How it works, he said, is once a school registers with the organization, four adjudicators score the show on a variety of technical and performance categories, while providing in-depth feedback and giving workshops to students.
“The feedback and workshops alone are worth the price of admission, but some years, the work you do gets recognized and you are able to attend the award ceremony in Denver,” Mattson said. “This ceremony is based on the Tony Awards, and becomes an extravagant night of performances, speeches and awards.”
Mattson said more than 50 schools registered with the Bobby G’s this year, and 24 schools got nominations.
Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College screened “Star Wars: A New Hope” dubbed in Navajo in September. (Courtesy of Center of Southwest Studies)
FLC’s Center of Southwest Studies screens ‘Star Wars’ in Navajo
For Manny Wheeler, getting the 1977 blockbuster film “Star Wars: A New Hope” dubbed in Navajo was a labor of love, and in September, we all got to see the final outcome when Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College hosted a showing.
Wheeler, a consultant for the entertainment industry pertaining to language and culture, said the process of obtaining permission from Lucasfilm took the better part of a decade – not because the company didn’t want to give permission to use it, but because it was challenging to find the right person within the company to speak to.
“I think that they get hundreds, if not thousands, of requests for all types of things relating to ‘Star Wars,’ and it was just it was ultimately finding the person whose job it was to get dubbing done,” he said. “Finally, I found that person. And once he got the request, he sent me an email and wanted to have a meeting, and he thought it was a great idea.”
Wheeler was on hand to talk about the dubbing project – and to screen the film – at FLC.
The idea for the project came from speaking with his wife about the future of the Navajo language and its preservation, Wheeler said.
“She’s a Navajo language teacher, and that’s where that discussion was born,” he said. “How do we bring awareness and get people excited about Navajo language? Because our concern is that Navajo language could be in real trouble if we don’t do anything about it.”
The choice of “Star Wars” as the film to be dubbed was based on the selection of a film that had broad reach and appeal, to young children all the way to elders. Once “Star Wars” emerged as the choice, the next challenge was finding funding for the project.
Guillermo Figueroa, artistic director and conductor of Music in the Mountains, left the festival last summer. (Illustration by Judith Reynolds)
Music in the Mountain’s Figueroa celebrates his final festival
On Aug. 4, the 38th season of Music in the Mountains closed, and after Guillermo Figueroa conducted Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, he took his final bow as artistic director and conductor for the festival.
On July 27, 2007, Figueroa auditioned for the top job at Music in the Mountains. On Aug. 4, he conducted his final festival concert and say farewell. A lot has happened in between.
In 2007, Figueroa, 54, walked into the Festival Tent at Purgatory Village and conducted three works: “Le Corsaire Overture” by Berlioz, Barber’s Violin Concerto with soloist Anne Akiko Meyers, and after intermission, Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7. He was one of seven candidates, three of whom also conducted summer concerts: Peter Bay, Leif Bjaland and Arthur Post. Three other candidates had been guest conductors the previous summer: Boris Brott, Bruce Hangen and Joel Revzen.
Figueroa followed Mischa Semanitsky, the festival’s founder and first conductor. At the time, Semanitsky’s contract went through 2010. “But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to make the transition this year.” Semanitsky, 79, said in a 2007 interview.
That was then, summer 2007. Semanitsky led the summer festival for 21 years and was ready to step down. Now, 17 years later, Figueroa, 71, made the same decision.
So let’s raise one to an artistic and entertaining 2024 … now onward to 2025!
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