the daily times a&e: march 19 to 25

VISUALART

Get ready to votein annual PeoplesChoice showPAGE 12

EDUCATION

Meet themanwhomakesmathmesmerizingPAGE 14

MUSIC

Durango festivalcelebrates ragtimestylePAGE 16

JON AUSTRIA THE DAILY TIMES

3.19.20153.25.2015

Justin Hunts new filmFar Too Far is a localeffort from top to bottom

Dwight Toney burns brush March 5 during an irrigation maintenance program inShiprock. For more photos by Daily Times photographer Joa Austria follow him @jon_austria on Instagram.

INSTAGRAM


Inside

LEADINGOFF

Putting Farmington in focusIndependent filmmaker Justin Hunts Far Too Far is poised to hit home. 3

VISUALART

Giving the people what they wantThe annual Peoples Choice art exhibition continues to evolve in its third year. 12

EDUCATION

Hes a numbers guySan Juan College math professor Gerald Williams lectures on Dance of the Digits. 14

LIVEMUSIC

That early-20th century soundThe Durango Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival returns to the Strater Hotel. 16

Now playing: 7 Calendar: 8 Art listings: 10 Call to artists: 11

CONTACT USA&E Editor:Mike Easterling, 505-564-4610, [email protected]: 800-395-6397 Address: 201N. Allen, Farmington, NM, 87401

Explore is the Four Corners arts and entertainment tabloid published weekly by The Daily-Times, a MediaNews Group newspa-per. Explore is available free on Thursdays in the Daily-Times or in racks across the region. All stories, photographs and calen-dar listings must be submitted Thursday the week before publication. Email [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter@thedailytimes or find us on Facebook @The Daily Times.

| A+E | EXPLORE THE DAILY TIMES MARCH 19- 25, 20152 E

ByMike [email protected]@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> Theres a fine line,Justin Hunt acknowledges, betweenencouraging people to come see hisnew film Far Too Far and flat-outbegging them.

Its a line the Bloomfield nativemay very well feel compelled to crossduring the next fewweeks as he pre-pares to premiere the film at the Al-len 8 Theatre here on Friday, April 3.

Far Too Far is an independent,low-budget drama written and di-

LEADINGOFF


With his new film Far Too Far set to premiere in Farmington early next month,Justin Hunt was in town last week to stir up interest in the movie.

What: Premier of filmmaker JustinHunts Far Too FarWhen: April 3, time TBAWhere: Allen 8Theatre, 1819E. 20thSt. in FarmingtonTickets: Call 505-326-0000View a trailer at allentheatresinc.com/movie/far_too_far/

IF YOU GO

COMINGCLEANFor filmmaker Justin Hunt, Far Too Faris a catharsis and a chance to put

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MARCH 19- 25, 2015 EXPLORE THE DAILY TIMES | A+E | 3E

rected by Hunt that wasshot here over the summerof 2014, employing a nearlyall-local cast and crew.Its dark plot deals with abright and attractive sin-gle mother named Linda,a waitress who falls intomethamphetamine addic-tion and a destructive rela-tionship, then sees her lifespiral out of control until

it drives her into a desper-ate choice between the drugand her 9-year-old daugh-ter.

A typical date nightmovie, it isnt.

But for the 38-year-oldHunt a former Aztecassistant football coach,and television news an-chor, reporter and direc-tor in Farmington and Ro-swell who left TV in 2004to start his own productioncompany, Time & Tide Pro-ductions it was a projecthe had to pursue, a means

of exorcising the demonsthat haunted him after theproduction of his most well-known film to date, 2007sAmerican Meth. Thatfilm, narrated by NewMex-ico resident Val Kilmer, iswidely regarded as a cultclassic, winning numerousfilm festival awards and air-ing on cable systems fromcoast to coast.

Rewarding as that was,the production took itstoll on Hunt. He recalledthat making the film was alonely and depressing prop-

osition, as he conducteddozens of interviews withpeople whose lives had beenruined by the drug. Withonly a shoestring budget athis disposal, Hunt wouldarrive at the interview ashis own crew, setting upthe lights camera and mi-crophones, then shootinghis subject while also pur-suing a line of questioning.The human wreckage hesurveyed over the course ofthat experience the sto-ries he heard, and, worse


His new film Far Too Far helped him come to terms withthe experience he had while making the documentaryAmerican Meth, Justin Hunt says.

COURTESY PHOTO BY JANET HUDSON

Filmmaker Justin Hunt addresses the audience during a screening of his film Absent in San Rafael, Calif., in 2011.

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yet, the scenes he imaginedupon hearing those descrip-tions, such as the womanwho told him about howshe once yanked out her in-ner ear with a pair of plierswhile under the influence ofmeth tormented him.

Hunt knew he had to dosomething to come to termswith that experience. FarToo Far, his first feature-length narrative film afterthree documentaries, is hisway of purging those storiesfrom his mind, he said.

One of the films mostnightmarish scenes is a de-piction of that pliers story.

But its taken a long timefor that catharsis to oc-cur. Hunt, who now lives inColorado Springs, has beenworking on the film for 10years. So when he says hehas a lot invested in it, thathardly begins to describehow much Far Too Farmeans to him.

It brought me back tolife, Hunt said of Far TooFar. Its no secret that thethings I work on are veryheavy. ... To be able to col-laborate with people I knowand trust ... One of the guysin the film is somebody Icoached when I coached atAztec.

That dynamic was per-haps the most rewardingexperience of his filmmak-ing career, Hunt said. Com-ing back to Farmington and

shooting a film that meantso much to him using analmost entirely local castof amateurs made it feel awhole lot more like a fam-ily and not like a business.Hunt realizes hes not theonly one who poured hisheart and soul into this

project.Im so proud of every-

body who is in this film,he said, explaining thatgroup includes not just thecast and crew, but the localbusiness owners and fa-cility managers who gavehim the freedom to shoot

at their properties.Various scenes were shot

at TJs DowntownDiner, theCoronado Apartments, theSan Juan County Adult De-tention Center and variousother highly recognizablelocales. At one point, he waseven allowed to block MainStreet downtown to shoota scene. Despite its gritty,unflinching nature, Huntindicated the film serves asa sort of video postcard ofFarmington, and he said ithas a hopeful but realisticmessage that people livingin difficult circumstancescan perhaps relate to.

Hunt put the cast and

crew through a gruelingpace. There were two ses-sions a day, the first be-ginning at 8 a.m. Work onthe second session oftendragged on until 3 a.m.,meaning the cast and crewhad only a few hours to restbefore starting up again thenext day.

Nobody complained,Hunt said.

In the end, he wound upwith 70 days worth of filmin only 29 days all for abudget of $19,000, thoughhe figures hes put another$10,000 to $15,000 intothe film in post-productioncosts. Try duplicating thatpace on a Hollywood setand see how much it costsyou.

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COURTESY PHOTO BY BEN CHRISMAN

After growing up in Bloomfield, Justin Hunt became a high school coach and journalistbefore moving on to making films.

Its no secret that the things Iworkon are very heavy. ... To be able tocollaboratewith people I knowand trust ... One of the guys in thefilm is somebody I coachedwhen Icoached at Aztec. Justin Hunt


Everybody drank theKool-Aid, Hunt said, de-scribing the kind of buy-in he got from those as-sociated with the produc-tion. You dont have to gothrough Hollywood to geta film made. Everyone wasopen to direction. No onewas combative or difficultto work with. Everyone be-lieved in it. Everybody put

so much into it.The lead role is filled by

Brandi Wethington, whoseunlikely journey to thepart epitomizes the seat-of-your-pants atmospherethat permeated the pro-duction. Hunt said whenhe held auditions for thefilm, Wethington showedup with no intention of go-ing before the camera shehad simply given someoneelse a ride. And yet, with noexperience and no prepara-tion, she did a cold readingfrom the script and nailed

it. Hunt knew he had hisLinda.

She did a hell of a job,he said.

The cast also includesChris Overson, Tylor Gray,Rick Martinez, Brad Mon-clova,MarcyHower andAb-bey Hunt, Hunts 11-year-old daughter, who plays thedaughter in the film.

Odd as it seems, makingFar Too Far was an uplift-ing experience for Hunt. Heenjoyed it so much, he said,that he plans to put his doc-umentary filmmaking ca-

reer behind him and con-centrate on narrative fea-tures.

Im committed to finish-ing another documentarycalled Cardboard Butter-fly, which is about porn ad-diction, he said. But whenthats through, Im donewith documentaries. Thisis way more in my wheel-house.

Hunt is planning aclosed, cast-and-crewscreening of Far Too Farat 7 p.m. Saturday at the Lit-tle Theatre on the San JuanCollege campus. But he saidhewanted to give thosewhoworked on the film the ex-perience of seeing it for thefirst time in the company ofa larger crowd, so he posteda notice on his Facebookpage last week offering 50pairs of tickets to be givenaway by a lottery system.

Within a short time, 400people had entered.

Hunt was gratified bythat response and hopesit carries over to the filmspublic premiere on April 3.The film needs to do well atthe box office to move intoother markets, and Hunt isoptimistic he can developan audience for it in LasCruces, Roswell, Durango,Colo., and other placeswhere the Allen family op-erates theaters. If he getsenough momentum going,Hunt believes the film isgood enough to be acceptedinto some of the higher-pro-file film festivals in NorthAmerica and Europe.

I want to see it do wellfor everybody here to bea part of that success, hesaid. I also want to see itdo well because this couldbe the tipping point whereI get the chance to directsomemajormotion pictures or Im just the guy whogave it a gallant effort.

But Hunt doesnt plan onseeing Far Too Far flop,which means he was go-ing around town last weekpromoting it with an almostevangelical fervor. Perchedat what could be the mostimportant moment in hiscareer, he struck a confidenttone as he talked about his

growth as a filmmaker andhis ability to relate storiesthat matter to people.

I think Im OK at it, hesaid, pausing again to con-sider how much hes gotat stake over the next few

weeks. People have to likethis. But I think they will.

Mike Easterling is the A&Eeditor at The Daily Times.He can be reached at 505-564-4610.

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COURTESY PHOTO BY TIME & TIDE PRODUCTIONS

Brandi Wethington stars as Linda in this scene from FarToo Far.

COURTESY PHOTO BY TIME & TIDE PRODUCTIONS

Rick Martinez is featured as Trip in the new film Far Too Far.

I want to see it dowell foreverybody here to be a part of thatsuccess. I alsowant to see it dowellbecause this could be the tippingpointwhere I get the chance todirect somemajormotion picturesor Im just the guywho gave it agallant effort. Justin Hunt


ALLEN 8

(no showing Friday offirst show for Allen 8)THE LAZARUS EFFECT:Daily at noon, 2:10p.m.,4:20p.m., 6:30p.m. and8:35p.m. The film followsa group of medical stu-dents who discover a wayto bring dead patients backto life. PG13CHAPPIE: Daily at 12:30p.m., 3:20p.m., 6:10p.m.and 8:55p.m. In the nearfuture, crime is patrolledby an oppressive mecha-nized police force. Whenone police droid, Chappie,is stolen and given newprogramming, he becomesthe first robot with theability to think and feel forhimself. RFOCUS: Daily at 11:50a.m., 2:20p.m., 4:50p.m.,7:20p.m. and 9:55p.m.Will Smith plays a con manwho becomes romanticallyinvolved with a novice conartist (Margot Robbie),only to break up when shegets too close. Three yearslater, he is thrown off hisgame when his formerflame shows up in BuenosAires. Complicating mat-ters even more, each ofthem is working separatebut equally elaboratecons, both targeting thesame billionaire interna-tional race car team owner(Rodrigo Santoro). RCINDERELLA: Daily at12:40p.m., 3:50p.m., 6:40p.m. and 9:25p.m. Whenher father unexpectedlypasses away, young Ellafinds herself at the mercyof her cruel stepmotherand her daughters. Neverone to give up hope, Ellasfortunes begin to changeafter meeting a dashingstranger in the woods. PGINSURGENT: In 3D dailyat 12:20p.m. and 6:20p.m. In 2D daily at 3:30p.m. and 9:05p.m. In thethrilling sequel to Diver-gent, Beatrice Prior mustconfront her inner demonsand continue her fightagainst a powerful alliancewhich threatens to tear her

society apart with the helpfrom others on her side.PG13THE DUFF: Daily at 11:30a.m., 2 p.m., 4:30p.m., 7:10p.m. and 9:40p.m. A highschool senior instigatesa social pecking orderrevolution after finding outthat she has been labeledthe DUFF (Designated UglyFat Friend) to her prettiermore popular friends. PG13UNFINISHED BUSINESS:Daily at 12:10 p.m., 2:30p.m., 4:40 p.m., 7 p.m.and 9:15 p.m. A hard-working small businessowner (Vince Vaughn) andhis two associates (Tom

Wilkinson, Dave Franco)travel to Europe to closethe most important dealof their lives. But whatbegan as a routine busi-ness trip goes off the railsin every imaginable andunimaginable way,including unplanned stopsat a massive sex fetishevent and a global eco-nomic summit. RRUN ALL NIGHT: Daily at12:50p.m., 3:40p.m., 6:50p.m. and 9:30p.m. Mobsterand hit man Jimmy Conlonhas one night to figure outwhere his loyalties lie: withhis estranged son, Mike,whose life is in danger, or

his longtime best friend,mob boss Shawn Maguire,who wants Mike to pay forthe death of his own son. R

ANIMAS 10

SPONGEBOB MOVIE: In3D daily at 9:10p.m. In 2Ddaily at 11 a.m., 1:50p.m.,4:15p.m. and 6:45p.m.SpongeBob SquarePants,the worlds favorite sea-dwelling invertebrate,comes ashore to our worldfor his most super-heroicadventure yet. PGAMERICAN SNIPER: Dailyat 12:20p.m., 3:20p.m.,6:25p.m. and 9:25p.m.Navy SEAL sniper ChrisKyles pinpoint accuracysaves countless lives onthe battlefield and turnshim into a legend. Backhome to his wife and kidsafter four tours of duty,however, Chris finds thatit is the war he cant leavebehind. RTHE GUNMAN: Daily at1:10p.m., 3:55p.m., 6:50p.m. and 9:30p.m. A sniper(Sean Penn) on a merce-nary assassination teamkills the minister of minesof the Congo. Terriers suc-cessful kill shot forces himinto hiding. Returning tothe Congo years later, hebecomes the target of a hitsquad himself. RINSURGENT: In 3D daily at4:25p.m. and 9:55p.m. In2D daily at 10:55a.m., 1:40p.m., 4:25p.m. and 7:10p.m. In the thrilling sequelto Divergent, BeatricePrior must confront herinner demons and continueher fight against a power-ful alliance which threat-ens to tear her societyapart with the help fromothers on her side. PG13DO YOU BELIEVE? Dailyat 12:10p.m., 3:10p.m.,6:05p.m. and 8:50p.m.When a pastor is shakenby the visible faith of astreet-corner preacher, heis reminded that true beliefalways requires action. Hisresponse ignites a journeythat impacts everyone ittouches in ways that only

God could orchestrate.PG13KINGSMAN, THE SE-CRET SERVICE: Daily at11:50a.m., 3 p.m., 6:15p.m. and 9:20p.m. A spyorganization recruits anunrefined, but promisingstreet kid into the agencysultra-competitive trainingprogram just as a globalthreat emerges from atwisted tech genius. RTHE SEVENTH SON: In2D daily at 11:20a.m.,2:10p.m., 4:35p.m., 7:05p.m. and 9:40p.m. YoungThomas is apprenticed tothe local Spook to learn tofight evil spirits. His firstgreat challenge comeswhen the powerful MotherMalkin escapes her con-finement while the Spookis away. PG13CINDERELLA: Daily at11:25a.m., 2 p.m., 4:45p.m., 7:25p.m. and 10p.m.When her father unexpect-

edly passes away, youngElla finds herself at themercy of her cruel step-mother and her daughters.Never one to give up hope,Ellas fortunes begin tochange after meeting adashing stranger in thewoods. PGTHE SECOND BEST EX-OTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL:Daily at 10:50a.m., 1:30p.m., 4:05p.m., 6:55p.m.and 9:45p.m. As the BestExotic Marigold Hotel hasonly a single remaining va-cancy posing a roomingpredicament for two fresharrivals Sonny pursueshis expansionist dream ofopening a second hotel. PGMCFARLAND USA: Dailyat 12:40p.m., 3:40p.m.,6:35p.m. and 9:35p.m.A cross-country coach ina small California towntransforms a team ofathletes into championshipcontenders. PG

Nowplaying


Fivemore things to do

FRIDAY

Night Vision showopens at Studio 116New work by San Juan Col-lege art instructor MichaelDarmody will be featured inhis Night Vision exhibitionopening Friday, March 20atStudio 116, 116W. Main St. indowntown Farmington.505-801-5889

SATURDAY

Its Ultimate Date Nightat the Civic CenterJay and Laura of the UltimateDate Night Tour come to theFarmington Civic Center,200W. Arrington, at 7p.m.Saturday, March 21for a funnyglimpse into married life.Tickets are $12.50. Call 505-327-7870.JAYANDLAURA.COM

TUESDAY

Musselwhite, Hammondtake stage in DurangoCharlie Musselwhite andJohn Hammond, two livingblues legends, are featuredat the Community ConcertHall on the Fort Lewis Collegecampus in Durango, Colo., at7:30p.m. Tuesday, March 24.Tickets are $39to $49.DURANGOCONCERTS.COM

WEDNESDAY

Make yourWednesdaya wet and wild oneIf youre running out of springbreak activities to keep thekids busy, try Wet and WildWednesday at the Farming-ton Aquatic Center, 1151N.Sullivan Ave., at 4:30p.m.Wednesday, March 25. Admis-sion is $2.505-599-1167

CONTINUING

Nocturnes exhibitionat SJC closes soonThe lush, textural paintingsof Farmington native KyleRagsdale featured in his Noc-turnes exhibition remain ondisplay at the Henderson FineArts on the San Juan Collegecampus in Farmington throughMarch 27.505-566-3464

COURTESY PHOTO ED KOZALCZYK

MUSEUMS

AnimasMuseum: TheAnimas Museum is housedin a historic building built in1904at 3065W. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. Open 10a.m.to 6p.m. Monday throughSaturday. More info: 970-259-2402AztecMuseum and Pio-neer Village: Among its 12exhibit buildings, the mu-seum offers a pioneer village,an oil field exhibit, a collec-tion of farm equipment andmore. The Aztec Museumand Pioneer Village, locatedat 125N. Main Ave., is open10a.m. to 4p.m. Thursdaythrough Saturday. Admissionis $3for adults, $1for chil-dren age 12-17, and childrenyounger than 12are free.More info: 505-334-9829by e-mail at [email protected]: TheBolack Museum of Fish andWildlife and the Bolack Elec-tromechanical Museum arelocated on the 12,000-acre,privately owned B-SquareRanch, located south ofFarmington on U.S. Highway64at 3901Bloomfield High-way. Tours are offered hourlyor by appointment. Moreinfo: 505-325-4275Childrens Museum ofDurango: The ChildrensMuseum of Durango islocated at 802E. 2nd Ave. inDurango, Colo. The mu-seum is open 1p.m. to 5p.m.Wednesday through Friday.More info: 970-259-9234orchildsmuseum.orgCortez Museum and Cul-tural Center: The CortezMuseum and Cultural Centeris located at 25N. MarketSt. in Cortez, Colo. Moreinfo: 970-565-1151or www.cortezculturalcenter.orgE3Childrens Museum&Science Center: Locatedat 302N. Orchard Ave.,Farmington. Visit colorfulnew exhibits that change bi-monthly, always accompa-nied by hands-on activities.Art related programs willteach and engage childrenwith a variety of projects.Explore the new dinosaur

habitat, the most recentaddition to the permanentcollection. School and com-munity groups welcome.Special exhibition fees apply,but all programs are includedwith admission, or are freewhen visiting the permanentcollections. More info: 505-599-1425FarmingtonMuseum:Located at 3041E. Main St.Experience a wide varietyof exhibits relating to thediverse history of the areascultures, traveling exhib-its, and art shows. Lectureseries, performances,workshops, and specialdemonstrations are offeredyear-round. The museumstore Currents featuresexhibit-related merchandise,books on local and regionalinterest, toys, and educa-tional materials. The GrowersMarket is held from from4:30to 6p.m. Tuesdays and8a.m. to noon SaturdaysJune to October, depend-ing on the growing season,in the Museum parking lot.The Farmington Museum isopen 8a.m. to 5p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. Donationsare appreciated. Come to themuseum for the travellingexhibit Lost Egypt: AncientSecrets Modern Science,which remains on displaythrough April. Museum hoursare extended on Tuesday andSaturday until 8p.m. withticket sales ending a halfhour before closing. Ticketsare $12for adults and $6forchildren. More Info: 505-599-1174or go to www.farmingtonmuseum.orgSouthern Ute CulturalCenter Museum: TheSouthern Ute Cultural CenterMuseum displays artifactsand photographs.It is locatedat 14826Highway 172inIgnacio, Colo., and is open8a.m. to 5p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, and 10a.m.to 3p.m. Saturday. More info:970-563-9583or southern-utemuseum.orgNotah Dinh Trading Com-pany andMuseum: The No-tah Dinh Trading Companyand Museum has a large

collection of Two Grey Hillsweaving. It offers sandpaint-ings, artwork and jewelry. Itis located 345W. Main St.in Cortez, Colo. More info:800-444-2024Salmon Ruins: The SalmonRuins Museum hosts a col-lection of Anasazi potteryand historical artifacts at6131U.S. Highway 64inBloomfield. Exhibits includeLearning from Ancient Pot-tery: Stories Told in the DixonCollection and the Col-lection of Historical PhotosFrom Mesa Verde. Sug-gested donation $3adult, $2seniors, $1children, youngerthan 6free. More info: 505-632-2013

GALLERIES

Artifacts Gallery: Arti-facts Gallery includes twogalleries, 11artist studios,original artwork by 40areaartists, New Mexico-madechile products and uniqueone-of-a-kind gifts. Locatedat 302E. Main St. in historicDowntown Farmington. Gal-lery hours are 10:30to 5p.m.Tuesday through Saturday.More info: 505-327-2907.Artisans of Mancos:Artisans of Mancos is anartist co-op center. It is opendaily and is located at 101Grand Ave. in Mancos, Colo.More info: 970-533-7040ormancos.orgCrashMusic: Crash Musicis located in the HistoricAztec Theater, 104N. MainAve. in Aztec. Bringing livemusical performances toSan Juan County, supportingthe arts and offering privateand group lessons in guitar,bass, banjo, mandolin, drumset and two-hand drum-ming classes every week.More info: 505-427-6748orcrashmusicaztec.com.The Dusty Attic: Oil paint-ings by Anita Dotson are ondisplay at The Dusty Attic,111W. Main St. in Farming-ton. More info: 505-325-9827.Durango Arts Center: TheDurango Arts Center is alocal, nonprofit arts council.

Gallery shows change everythree weeks and showcasea diversity of media and art-ists, including national trav-eling shows as well as localartists, childrens and juriedshows. Children youngerthan 6must be accompaniedby an adult. There is a PaintBar Happy Hour on Tuesdaysbetween 5and 7p.m., whenthe cost is $5per person or$4for DAC members. Thecenter is located at 802E.2nd Ave. in Durango, Colo.More info: 970-259-2606,artsforce.com or durango-arts.org.The Earthen Vessel: TheEarthen Vessel specializesin functional, handcraftedpottery. Its located at 115W. 9th St. in Durango, Colo.More info: 800-884-1281,970-247-1281or earthen-vessel.com.Feat of Clay: The Featof Clay Artists Co-op isa collection of local FourCorners artists. The work atthe gallery includes pottery,jewelry, paintings, cards andmixed media pieces. TheFeat of Clay Artists Co-op islocated at 107S. Main Ave.in Aztec. Regular hours are10a.m. to 5p.m. Wednesdaythrough Saturday. More info:505-334-4335or 505-334-3014.The Henderson Fine Artsart gallery: The gallery islocated inside the HendersonFine Arts Center at San JuanCollege, 4601College Bou-levard in Farmington. Galleryhours are 10a.m. to 7p.m.,Monday through Thursday,and 10a.m. to 5p.m., Friday.More info: 505-566-3464.Karen Gabaldon Fine ArtsGallery: Karen GabaldonFine Arts Gallery is locatedat 680Main Ave., Durango,Colo. The gallery displayscontemporary paintingsof the area by artist KarynGabaldon, as well as finepottery, glass and jewelry.It is open 10a.m. to 9p.m.More info: 970-247-9018orkaryngabaldon.com.K.K.Walling Studio/Gal-lery: Painter K.K. Wallingworks in oil and watercolor,

as well as other media in-cluding fibers. Her studio/gallery, located at 501AirportDrive, Suite 121in Farming-ton, is open for the publicfrom 11a.m. to 5p.m. Thurs-days, or by appointment.More info: 505-360-0734.Open Shutter Gallery: TheOpen Shutter Gallery is lo-cated at 755E. Second Ave.in Durango, Colo. More info:970-382-8355or openshut-tergallery.com.A Shared Blanket: A SharedBlanket hosts originalartwork by local artistsand native Americans fromAlaska to Florida. Navajorugs, pottery, books, jewelry,fetishes, sculpture, artifacts,ceremonial pieces, flutes andknives are on display. Thegallery is located at 736MainAve. in Durango, Colo., and isopen 10a.m. to 6p.m., Mon-day through Saturday, and 11a.m. to 4p.m., Sunday. Moreinfo: 970-247-9210Sorrel Sky Gallery: Thegallery is located at 870MainAve. in Durango, Colo. Moreinfo: 970-247-3555or 866-878-3555.Silver Maple Studio: SilverMaple Studio features theart work of potter ToniTrosky. Her work is availableat the studio/gallery at 326N. Mesa Ave. in Aztec or atFeat of Clay Gallery, 107S.Main St. in Aztec. For moreinformation call Toni at 505-330-0875or email [email protected] 116: The studioprovides art classes for bothkids and adults, as well asart parties. The art of KarenEllsbury and Crystal Hazen,the photography of PatrickHazen, sterling silver jewelryfrom the Ellsbury Silver-smiths are displayed. Thegallery is located at 116W.Main St. in Farmington. AdultArt classes are Wed & Thurs,held from 6p.m. to 8:30p.m.Wednesday and Thursday.Kids Art classes are heldfrom 11a.m. to noon on Sat-urday. Couples parties arethe held at 6p.m. the thirdSaturday of each month.More info: 505-801-5889

Toadlena Trading Post:The Historic ToadlenaTrading Post and Museumhosts The Master WeaversExhibit, featuring the workof Navajo weavers from theToadlena/Two Grey Hills re-gion at the post. Located onehour south of Shiprock onU.S. Highway 491. More info:505-789-3267or toadlena-tradingpost.com.Three Rivers Arts Center:TRAC is a local nonprofit artcollective featuring worksof local member artists andoffering classes in art. Thegallery, featuring everythingfrom fine silver jewelry toyard art, is open from 10a.m.to 5p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday. The gallery is lo-cated at 109N. Allen Ave. inhistoric downtown Farming-ton. info: 505-716-7660.Wal-Art Gallery: The Wal-Art Gallery is located at 422W. Main St. in Farmington.Its hours are 9a.m. to 6p.m.,Monday through Friday, and10a.m. to 5p.m., Saturday.More info: 505-327-3336.

WRITINGGROUPS

The San JuanWriters Cri-tique Group: The San JuanWriters Critique Group meetsat 6:30p.m. on Wednesdays.Info: Gloria OShields, 505-326-6824.Cortez ChristianWriters:The Cortez Christian Writersmeet the second Saturdayof each month, except forDecember, at the CortezLibrary. Info: Connie Peters,970-564-9449.Durango Inkslingers: TheDurango Inkslingers meet thethird Wednesday of everymonth at 5:30p.m., exceptfor December and summermonths, at the Durango ArtsCenter. More info: JoyceAlexander, [email protected] Trois Riviere FictionWriters: The Trois RiviereFiction Writers meet thethird Saturday of everymonth, except for Decem-ber, at the FarmingtonCivic Center. More info: LindaCrockett, 505-325-2473.

Four Corners arts


THE IDENTITY INC. IDEN-TITY PHOTO CONTESTInformation: Entries are be-ing sought for this new showat the Identity Inc. Commu-nity Center, 218W. Main St.in Farmington.Requirements: The contestis open anyone from age 18to 25, and contestants arelimited to three entries. Thephotos should reflect subjectmatter that representsidentity or expresses whatthat word means to the art-ist. Entries must be receivedby midnight on Friday, April3. Entries should be submit-ted as an attachement toan email at [email protected]. Include your nameand phone number in thebody of the email. Entries willbe displayed on the IdentityInc. Facebook page. Judgeswill choose the top 10en-tries, and they will be printed,matted and displayed at thecommunity center. First-,second- and third-place cashprizes will be awarded at 7p.m. Friday, Feb. 10at a gal-lery opening at the commu-nity center.

THE ANNUAL RECYCLEDART SHOW AT FEAT OFCLAY GALLERYInformation: Entries arebeing sought for this showtaking place April 24-May 16at the Feat of Clay Gallery,107S. Main St. in Aztec. Theshow helps celebrate EarthDay. An artist reception willkick off the show at 5p.m.April 24.Requirements: All workmust include a minimum of70percent recycled materi-als, and the materials mustbe repurposed, meaning theymust be used for somethingother than what they origi-nally were intended. Artworkmust be accompanied by aninventory sheet includeingtitle, price and media. A gal-lery contract must be signedwhen the work is dropped off.Work must be at the gallerybetween 10a.m. and 5p.m.April 15through April 18. CallFinoa Clarke at 505-326-

5162or 505-320-4591formore information.

GATEWAY TO IMAGINA-TION A NATIONAL JUR-IED ART COMPETITIONInformation: The Farming-ton Museum at Gateway Parkis calling for entries for thisshow running May 9-July 11at the museum. The deadlinefor entries is March 14.Requirements: All mediawill be accepted, and thecompetition is opn to artists18years and older. Entriescan be submitted online atwww.fmtn.org/museums orby mail to the FarmingtonMuseum at Gateway Park,3041E. Main St., Farmington,NM 87401. The cost for entryis $35for two artworks. Toenter, fill out an entry formand submit digital images ofthe work created after Janu-ary 2014. Cash prizes total-ing $2,750will be awarded.A lecture by juror StephanieL. Taylor, a tenured assistantprofessor of modern andcontemporary art history atNew Mexico State University.There will be a reception anda lecture by Taylor on Satur-day, May 16.

THE 29TH ANNUAL RIVER-FEST FINE ARTS SHOWFARMINGTONInformation: This juriedshow sponsored by theNorthwest New Mexico ArtsCouncil features only 20booths located inside a largetent. The application processis open to all artists work-ing in various media residingin New Mexico, Colorado,Utah or Arizona. The showtakes place May 22-24inBerg Park along the AnimasRiver, attracting thousandsof visitors. Pick up a pro-spectus from Flo Trujillo atthe Farmington Library, 2101Farmington Ave., or downloadone online at http://www.nwnmac.org or send a self-addressed stamped envelopeto NWNMAC, Attn: River-fest Fine Arts Show, P.O.Box 2235, Farmington, NM87499or email a request to

[email protected] Tim Gordon at 505-486-0403or email [email protected].

THE CAPACITY BUILDERSN.A.T.I.V.E. PROJECTInformation: All NativeAmerican artists and artisansare invited to apply for grantsof up to $400to pay fair,festival and art show boothfees and application fees.Funds are sponsored by theAdministration for NativeAmericans. The project alsooffers arts developmentassistance through mentor-ships, workshops and micro-loans, and is creating a dedi-cated website showcasingquality work. Email Kahlayaat [email protected], call 505-326-4245orvisit capacitybuilders.info/native to learn more.

FEAT OF CLAY GALLERYAZTECInformation: Feat of ClayArtists Co-op Gallery is cur-rently looking for local artiststo become new members.Just drop two to three piecesof your artwork by Feat ofClay, and, if approved, youare in. Each member is askedto work several shifts eachmonth at the gallery, depend-ing on your availability; paya small commission on eachpiece of artwork sold, and at-tend monthly art shows.Shows: Feat of Clay is alsolooking for featured art-ists for its monthly showsthis year. Each show has anopening reception, featurestwo to three artists and willrun for approximately threeweeks. All artwork must befor sale, with 40percent ofthe proceeds going to thegallery.The gallery: Feat of ClayGallery is located at 107S.Main Ave. in Aztec. Its hoursare 10a.m. to 5p.m. Wednes-day through Saturday. Formore information regard-ing the shows or becominga member of Feat of Clay,please call 505-334-4335,or 505-320-6598.

Call to artists

ByRogerMooreTribune News Service

Insurgent doesnt seri-ously diverge from the Di-vergent/Hunger Games/MazeRunner formula un-til its final act.

Up until then, this Di-vergent sequel is young-adults-save-the-world ge-neric. Its action-packed inthe extreme, as YoungHer-oine Triss (ShaileneWood-ely) and Dauntless hunkFour (Theo James) runfrom the armed, motor-ized thugs that the smugErudite elitists send af-ter them, with barely timefor a betrayal, a momentof weakness and a breakfor Triss to pile on moremakeup and lip gloss.

Not everyone is brave ortrue enough tomake a rev-olution work. But theresno excuse for not lookingyour sexiest.

The blossoming Triss-Four love affair is expe-dited by the terror of thechase and the convenienceof zippered jumpsuits.

New Factions are vis-ited, with Octavia Spen-cers Joanna controllingher temper in leading thetolerant sweethearts ofAmity, who briefly shel-ter our heroes.

Go, with happiness!Candor leader Jack

Kang (Daniel Dae Kim)is indeed candid, and thattranslates as just, too.A fierce Naomi Watts in-troduces us to the schem-ing/fighting Factionless.Its all part of the endlessexposition in this post-Harry Potter/Twilightteen and tween film uni-verse. There are alwaysnew factions, or faction-less folk, to introduce andexplain.

But this derivative fluff,memorablymocked (alongwith its myriad YA sci-ficousins) last fall on Sat-urday Night Live, takesa turn toward interestingthemoment Triss, hauntedbymemories of her slaugh-tered family, tells us howshe wants this insurgencyto end.

We need to kill Jean-nine.

The Divergent girl hasbecome a hardened revo-

lutionary, and she wantsthe leader (Kate Winslet)who killed those she lovedto die.

At that point, direc-tor Robert Schwenktke(Flightplan, RED) andhis screenwriters begin totranscend the material,something it took TheHunger Games longer tomanage.Wemight think ofThe Arab Spring or theFrench Revolution and re-member that not every in-surgency leads to positivechange, that every fac-tion will have blood on itshands and that, in armedrevolts,mightmakes right,but not righteous.

The wondrous Woodleyis amore convincing toughchick here, James blandlyadequate in support,MilesTeller a colorful thirdwheel and Ansel Elgort (asTrisss meek brother) is acolorless fourth wheel.

The fights are well-staged, the chases dull.

But as Insurgentwraps up, it picks up speedand depth, and gives youhope thatmaybe this serieswont conclude as the copy-and-paste HungerGamesit has felt like, from themoment the books wereword-processed onto thebest seller lists.

In Film

LIONSGATE/TNS ANDREW COOPER

Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James, center), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) the secondinstallment of the Divergent series: Insurgent.

Insurgent one-ups Divergent,and suggests better films to come

Cast: Shailene Woodley,Theo James and KateWinsletRated: PG-13Running time: 116min-utes

INSURGENT


ByMike [email protected]@measdterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> One of the citysmore widely anticipated artsevents returns thisweekendwhenthe third annual Peoples Choice a unique art exhibit opens athree-week run at 17 venues scat-tered across downtown.

Originated by local artistLiz Stannard in 2013 after she

learned of an event with thattheme in Grand Rapids, Mich.,the Peoples Choice exhibitionfeatures work created by artistswho livewithin a 100-mile radiusof town. Art lovers are encour-aged to visit the various down-town venues and take a look atthe pieces, then vote on their fa-vorite. The top finishers will beannounced in an awards cere-mony the day after the exhibi-

VISUALART

THE DAILY TIMES FILE PHOTO

Liz Stannard, a member of the Peoples Choice committee, standsfor a portrait in November at the SnS Skate Shop on Main Street inFarmington. Stannard developed the idea of the annual art event thatreturns for its third year this week.

A REALPOPULARITYCONTEST Annual PeoplesChoice exhibitionopens three-weekrun in Farmington

CHOICE >> PAGE 13


tion ends.This year, 57 artists sub-

mitted a piece for the event.Thats down from the 68who entered last year, butStannard, a member of thePeoples Choice commit-tee that organizes the event,said that decline reflects thefact that no Colorado artistschose to enter this time.

On the other hand, therewere 15 downtown busi-nesses that volunteered toserve as host sites for thegalleries last year, and thatnumber has increased bytwo in 2015.

This year, we got a verygood response, she said ofthe participating businesses.There were no questionsasked. They were willing tojump on board and dowhat-ever it took to make it bet-ter. The last two years, it wasa little harder, but this year,everybody was waiting.

In addition to the Peo-ples Choice awards thatwillbe given $1,000 for firstplace, $750 for second, $500for third and $250 for twohonorable mention spots,as well as a $250 prize for awinner amongSan JuanCol-lege students the JurorsChoice Award also will bepresented, an addition thatwas introduced last year.That selection will be madeby Santa Fe educator and fi-ber artist Mary Beth Yates.

We offer that award tothat individual, as well, togive a balance, Stannardsaid. The popular vote cansometimes go in the direc-tion of friends and familymembers. We thought thiswould be a way of gettingpeople into all the businessesto look at all the artwork.And I think a lot of the pro-fessional artists (who partic-ipate in the show)would pre-fer to be juried that way.

In order to participate inthe voting, visitors will needto stop by the Three RiversArt Center & In CahootsGallery, 109 N. Allen Ave.,between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Tuesdays through Saturdaysto register and pick up theevent catalog. You must beat least 16 years old andpres-ent a valid ID in order to reg-ister.

The TRACs Sue Johnsonspent the last two years col-lecting entries for the event,but this year she joined thePeoples Choice committee.Shes a believer in the eventand is excited about theSpringArtWalk planned forthe final day of the exhibi-tion onFriday, April 10whenpart of Main Street will beclosed to accommodate thewalk.

I think it was a greatidea, she said. I think Liz isa genius for coming up withthe whole idea, but then, Lizis always coming up withideas to help the arts.

Johnson said the streetclosure will allow the eventto stage both indoor andoutdoor attractions, includ-ing live music and food ven-dors. There also will be agiveaway program featur-ing items or services do-nated by participating mer-chants. When voters go bythe TRAC to register, theywill be given a postcard fea-turing the nameof each hostvenue. As voters visit thosevenues and get a look at theart, they can receive a stampfrom that venue. Those whofill their postcard can thenturn it back in at the TRACwhen they submit their vote,and prize winners will beselected through a series ofdrawings.

Thats going to be a drawto get people to go to all the

different venues, Johnsonsaid.

Stannard said more than400 votes were submittedlast year.

Oneof the long-termgoalsof the event is to help gen-erate a renewed interest indowntown. Johnson said thedistrict suffered in the after-math of the opening of theAnimas Valley Mall, but shebelieves the quarterly artwalks and events like thePeoples Choice can turnthat around.

I think its made a differ-ence, I really do, she said.It bringsmorepeopledown-town. It gives people a rea-son to come downtown andwander up and down MainStreet.

The feedback shes gottenindicates this event has beenwell received by the commu-nity, Johnson said.

People are aware of it andlook forward to it, she said.

While Stannard is opti-mistic about the future of

the event and its potentialfor growth, she cant helpbut compare it to the Michi-gan event it is patterned af-ter. That event, she said, isin its sixth year and is muchmore firmly established. Italso benefits from a muchmore well developed sur-rounding arts district.

But they had to experi-ence change, too, she said.They had to make modifi-cations.

That means more tinker-ing with the event is likelyin the future as commit-tee members look for an ap-proach that gives it an evenbroader appeal.

We are open to sugges-tions from the public, art-ists and businesses to helpus make it a better event inthe years to come, Stannardsaid.

Mike Easterling is the A&Eeditor of The Daily Times.He can be reached at 505-564-4610.

THE DAILY TIMES FILE PHOTO

Artist Douglas Miller, left, sits at a table at the FarmingtonCivic Center during an awards ceremony on April 5, 2014,after winning the first place Peoples Choice award for hissculpture, Interpreting a Legend The Lost City.

What: The third annualPeoples Choice a uniqueart exhibitWhen and where: Saturday,March 21through Friday,April 10at 17 locations indowntown Farmington. Theexhibition culminates withthe Spring Art Walk at 5to9p.m. on Friday, April 10.Winners will be announcedin an awards ceremony at 2p.m. Saturday, April 11at theFarmington Civic Center.For more information: Call505-320-2314

IF YOU GOChoiceFROMPAGE 12


COURTESY PHOTO

San Juan College math professor Gerald Williams will deliver a lecture on the history of math Thursday,March 19on the SJC campus.

MAKINGIT ALL

ADDUPSan Juan Collegemath professorplans Danceof the Digits lecture

ByMikeEasterling >> [email protected]; @measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON Gerald Williams was an undergraduatestudent studying physics at California State University-LongBeach when he fell in love with mathematics.The last couple of math teachers I had there were amongthe best I ever had, he said, explaining that those instructorspresented the subject in a way that was interesting, relevantand, most of all, accessible.

EDUCATION

ADD >> PAGE 15


That changed my life,said Williams, who wenton to get a masters degreein math from Yale beforebecoming a professor ofmath at San Juan College.I started seeing math in awhole different way. It re-lates to language in manyways. It helps us commu-nicate quantifiable infor-mation to each other. Lan-guage is made up of lettersand words, but when youput them together, theyrea lot more than that. Solanguage is not just aboutletters. It can save yourlife.

In that same way, Wil-liams said he came to real-ize, math is not just aboutnumbers its a near-uni-versal form of communi-cation.

That was a huge epiph-any for me, he said.

Williams will elabo-rate on that idea and oth-ers Thursday, March 19in his Dance of the Dig-its: The Story of Our Nu-meral System lecture atSJC, which is part of the

schools Broadening Hori-zons speaker series.

Williams understandsas well as anyone why somany people dislike and/orare intimidated by math.That has everything to do,he said, with how its pre-sented.

To me, teaching mathis not just imparting ma-terial, its giving peoplean appreciation, he said,explaining that he strivesto help his students makethe same connection to thesubject that he did duringhis college days in Califor-nia. That context of wherethis came from is crucial togiving people that appre-ciation.

The contemporary sys-

tem of numerals em-ployed by nearly every so-ciety on Earth is a Hindu-Arabic system, Williamssaid, though there aresome who argue the Chi-nese influenced it, as well.But its far from being theonly numerical system hu-mans have ever employed,he said, citing simple tallymarks and Roman numer-als as other examples.

The problem with thosesystems, Williams said, isthat they dont lend them-selves very well to mak-ing calculations. By con-trast, the Hindu-Arabicsystem is relatively userfriendly, partly because itemploys zero a numeralthat doesnt exist in the

Roman system and manyothers, Williams said. Theexistence of that numeralmakes calculating ad-dition, subtraction, mul-tiplication and division a much easier proposi-tion, he pointed out. Forinstance, while it maybe simple to multiply sixtimes seven, he said, imag-ine how difficult it wouldbe to multiply 600 by 700without zeroes.

Obvious as all that mayseem in the 21st century,Williams said it took cen-turies for our current sys-tem to develop. He drewan analogy to the differ-ence between horses andcars as a mode of transpor-tation to illustrate the dif-

ferences between numeri-cal systems over the courseof human history.

Williams, who wrote abook on the subject in 2013called How Math Works:A Guide to Grade SchoolArithmetic for Parents andTeachers, said the Hindu-Arabic system didnt makeits way to Europe until theMiddle Ages, then came tothe Western Hemispherein the 1500s and 1600s.

And over time, the restof the world started usingit, he said.

Williams will exploreother concepts related tomath, as well, perhapstouching on the popularnotion that people tendto be good at numbers orwords, but not both.

Thats not true so muchin other counties, he saidof the idea, explaining thatbeing good at math is amatter of degree, just asit is at playing an instru-ment, for example. For

whatever reason, Amer-icans tend to take muchmore of an either/or per-spective on math profi-ciency. Many of us are bet-ter at it than we think, hesaid.

The math most of usknow is way more thanthe average citizen knew500 or 600, even 300years ago, Williams said.Where weve come from ispretty amazing. Thats thesuccess of our common ed-ucation system.

If you still consider your-self bad at math and wantto improve, Williams has asimple suggestion.

People can get moreproficient just throughpractice, he said. Butpeople need to understandwhy theyre doing some-thing and why it works.

Mike Easterling is thenight editor of The DailyTimes. He can be reachedat 505-564-4610.

AddFROMPAGE 14

What: Dance of the Digits:The Story of Our NumericalSystem, a lecture by SanJuan College math professorGerald WilliamsWhen: 7p.m. Thursday,March 19Where: The Little Theatreon the SJC campus, 4601College Blvd. in FarmingtonAdmission: FreeFor more information: Call505-566-3430

IF YOU GO

ByHayley TsukayamaThe Washington Post

Theres a very real chancethe Mario Bros. will soonshow up on your smart-phone. Nintendo announcedTuesday that, after resistingthemove tomobile for years,it is striking a partnershipwith DeNA a Japanesecompany that owns a popu-lar mobile gaming platform.

Its a somewhat surpris-ingmove forNintendo.Whenrumors about a possible mo-bile game have cropped upbefore, fans have been quickto cheer only to have theirhopes repeatedly dashedby the companys polite in-sistence that it would onlymake games for its own de-

vices such as the NintendoWii U and 3DS lines.

But there seems to havebeen a shift in thinking. Ac-cording to a statement, thecompany said all NintendoIPwill be eligible fordevelop-ment and exploration by thealliance, meaning that allNintendo characters shouldbe on the table, from Marioto Zelda.

Still, this doesnt meanthat all the favorite titlesfrom your childhood will bemaking it to your phone. Therelease makes it clear thatonly new original gamesoptimized for smart devicefunctionality will be cre-ated, rather than portinggames created specificallyfor the Wii U home console

or the Nintendo 3DS porta-ble system.

Theoverall strategy seemsto be to havemobile titles actas complements to the com-panys portable and consoletitles, possibly acting as ahook to buying those moreexpensive, longer titles.

Nintendo has struggled abit in adjusting to the newlandscape of games par-ticularly the rise of mobilegaming, which has eateninto sales of the lighter, fam-ily-focused fare that has beena linchpin in Nintendos cat-alog for years. The firm ini-tially struggled to sell unitsof itsWiiUconsole, althoughit saw stronger sales over theholidays. It also recently cel-ebrated the fact that its latest

Nintendo 3DS was the best-selling portable video gamesystem in the month of Feb-ruary, besting Sonys PSVita.

Nintendo has also beenlooking at new avenues ofbusiness, including a pushinto the smart health space.The company also an-nounced that it would buildan online membership ser-viceon topofDeNAs existingservices that can be reachedfrom smart devices, the WiiU andNintendo 3DS, as wellas from PCs. Thats targetedto launch this fall.

All in all, this seems likegood news for Nintendo,which has generally beenseen as behind the curvewhen it comes to buildingan online presence.

TECH

Nintendo announces its developing games for our phones

I started seeingmath in awhole differentway. It relates tolanguage inmanyways. It helpsus communicate quantifiableinformation to each other.Language ismade up of lettersandwords, butwhen you put themtogether, theyre a lotmore thanthat. So language is not just aboutletters. It can save your life. Gerald Williams, San Juan College math professor


ByMike [email protected]@measterlingdt on Twitter

FARMINGTON >> Rag-time may have a reputationfor being a musical relicfrom the Victorian era, butthat dismissive character-ization would draw a quickretort fromMichelle Thom.

As the organizer of theDurango Ragtime & EarlyJazz Festival, now in itsthird year, Thom insistsragtime has an enduringappeal that has allowed itto survive, and periodicallythrive, over the decades.

Its an institution, shesaid. It wont die. It comesin waves.

Thom, who also serves asthe general manager of theStrater Hotel, where the fes-tival will be held this week-end, has the credentials toback up that claim. She wasa music major at the Uni-versity of Northern Colo-rado and a student in theSchool of Jazz, so she haslong had an understandingof and appreciation for thatmusical style.

She also manages a his-toric, Victorian-style hotelthat offers live music everynight. So it wasnt much of astretch for the hotel to serveas the host site for a ragtimefestival.

It really fits our hotel,Thom said, noting that theStrater also offers ragtimemusic on a regular basis inits Diamond Belle Saloon.This is a rare genre to hearplayed live.

The Durango festival isfar from being the only rag-time festival in the country,she said, explaining that ahandful of others take placearound the United States,with the most prominentone being staged in Sacra-mento, Calif.

The idea for the Du-rango festival was hatchedby Strater Hotel owner RodBarker and Adam Swanson,a Fort Lewis College musicgraduate and ragtime pia-nist who cut his teeth per-forming at the DiamondBelle. Swanson is now get-ting his masters degreefrom Johns Hopkins Uni-versity, but he remains a vi-tal part of the Durango fes-tival, Thom said.

Swanson is not only oneof the dozen or so artistswho will perform at the fes-tival, hell also lead one ofthe festivals symposiums,Emmett Miller: MinstrelMan from Georgia on Sat-urday, March 21. The festi-

val also features dance les-sons and live ragtime ac-companiment to silent filmscreenings. The screeningsare especially popular withfamilies, Thom said, not-ing that several of those ses-sions have sold out over thefirst two years of the festi-val.

The Straters cozy sur-roundings also provide anintimate environment inwhich audiences can en-joy the music of some well-

known artists, includingjazz drummer Danny Cootsand Todd Robbins, a vaude-ville, slight-of-hand per-former who has appearedwith Penn and Teller in thepast.

And these are all world-renowned pianists, shesaid, referring to the rest ofthe festivals roster of per-formers.

The highlight of eachyears festival, she said, isthe after-hours parties that

take place in the DiamondBelle Saloon. Those eventsfeature impromptu per-formances by festival art-ists who usually are happyto field requests from andmingle with guests, accord-ing to Thom.

Its just real genuine, acant miss, she said of theatmosphere at the parties.Its a very rare chance peo-ple usually dont get whenthey go to a concert.

Thom said the festival

seems to be generating abuzz among ragtime fansaround the country.

Were trying to grow it,she said. One of the biggestissues we have is transpor-tation for people who liveoutside the Four Corners.But we are working on that,as well.

Mike Easterling is the A&Eeditor of The Daily Times.He can be reached at 505-564-4610.

DURANGO

Adam Swanson,a longtimeentertainer atthe DiamondBelle Saloonat the StraterHotel inDurango,Colo., returnsthis weekendto take partin the thirdannual DurangoRagtime & EarlyJazz Festival.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Domingo Mancuello is one of the featured performers at this weekends Durango Ragtime & Early Jazz Festival at theStrater Hotel.

What: Third annual DurangoRagtime & Early Jazz Fes-tivalWhen: Friday, March 20Sunday, March 22Where: The Strater Hotel,699Main Ave. in Durango,Colo.Tickets: A variety of ticketsare available, ranging fromsingle-day to full festivalpasses.For more information:Call 970-375-7160or visithenrystratertheatre.com

IF YOU GO

THE MUSIC THATWONT DIERagtime & Early Jazz Festival back for third year at historic Strater Hotel


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