*Changes is Board Membership: This group has been saddened by the death of two of its members in the past two months. Treasurer Chuck Ryan and member, Paula Parks both died suddenly. Ryan’s mother had been the director of the NM Federal Music Project and he was dedicated to preserving the work that she accomplished during that period via our organization and UNM’s library. Another board member, Judy Woodward, is being treated for cancer of the thalmus gland, a highly unusual situation, so she is having to step back from her responsibilities during her various treatments.
     Barbara Stanislawski, former National Board President, has moved off that board since she had served for six years (the maximum allowed) and joined the New Mexico Chapter board. She will also serve as the coordinator of the National Board’s Advisory Council. Stanislawski retired in 2005 after 21 years with the National Park Service. Prior to her retirement she had been the official curator of the NPS’s Old Santa Fe Trail Building caretaking its treasure trove of early Native American treasures and the artwork by notable members of Santa Fe’ early art colony. The building itself, created by the CCC, is the largest CCC adobe structure ever built during the New Deal.
     New board members elected to fill the vacant positions include Yvonne Herrera Lewis, the daughter and granddaughter of NM Native American artists; Octavia Fellin, retired librarian and historian of Gallup, NM and Jacquelyn Cattaneo, local Gallup artist.

*Another Major Loss: Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo artist, was the only the state’s remaining female Native American New Deal artist but died earlier this year at the age of 88. She enjoyed sharing her New Deal experiences with us and the public at various events and was well known for her unique artwork which included the 90 pieces of New Deal public art she created for Bandelier National Monument depicting daily life in her pueblo.

Board Advisor Moves to Wisconsin: Jane Blumenfeld, active member and board advisor, is the daughter of Holger Cahill who was FDR’s Federal Art Project Director for the WPA. Jane is making the move from New Mexico to Wisconsin to live near her daughter and before leaving has donated her car and various valuable pieces of artwork to the New Mexico Chapter to be sold at a fundraising event in the near future. The chapter held an appreciation party for her and we certainly hope she will help develop some NNDPA activities in Madison once she is settled into her next lifestyle.

New Deal Public Art Conservation: This year professional art conservators have been contracted with to restore public art at various NM universities, a courthouse and National Guard Armory. Steve Prins, Santa Fe, is working on a large Randall Davey triptych which has been in the state’s National Guard collection and a 2,000 sq.ft. mural by Lloyd Moylan in the courthouse in Gallup, NM which depicts the history of that county. Dale Kronkright has finished the restoration of a bronze bust of New Mexico’s US Senator Bronson Cutting who was involved in the committee that decided what New Deal murals would be done in the various public buildings back in the 1930-40’s. Luis Neri Zagal has started the removal of paint covering a fresco done by Olive Rush on the exterior entrance of Foster Hall at NM State University in Las Cruces. To the best of our knowledge there is only one coat of paint over this fresco as opposed to the five and six coats of white paint that had to be removed last year by Steve Prins and associates that were covering seven murals at NM Highlands University’s Ilfeld Auditorium in Las Vegas. An eighth mural was never found as was expected based on early pictures of that space. One more fresco is also expected to be preserved this year in the NM Fray Angelico Chavez History Library in Santa Fe. Most of these art restoration projects are done in partnership with the local institution and the NNDPA funds have been allocated to them by the state legislature.

New “Fireside Chats” Scheduled thru Summer and Fall—The NM Chapter has for the past years sponsored enjoyable and informative sessions focusing on the various New Deal projects and their treasures. This summer and fall the following are planned but tentative therefore more details will be forthcoming:
July--- 10th –Pueblo Indian Cultural Center—Widows and adult children of Native American New Deal artists presented about their spouses/fathers and their artwork.
15-16th Tour of Central NM to include Bosque Farms Resettlement Town; New Deal artwork at NM Tech University in Socorro and enjoying an irreverent NM Historical epic theater production in Magdalena done by the London Frontier Theater. These productions are held in a WPA school gymnasium.
Aug. 5—Reception at private home that is furnished with New Deal furniture.
Sept. 12---"New Deal Treasures on National Lands - Public Heritage or Private Fiefdom?" Speaker Jerry Rogers, prominent former Nat. Park Service staff member.
October 14 —Bosque Farms - tour the designated "Dust Bowl House"
Dec. 9 - Annual Antique and Rare Book Sale plus Artwork Sale.

Legacy License Plates
     Imagine New Deal Public Art now on the front of your car. It was exciting for Pablita Velarde, NM New Deal artist from Santa Clara Pueblo and Albuquerque, NM since one of her many paintings at Bandelier National Monument had been selected as one of the five new Legacy Front License Plates that went on sale March 26 in Albuquerque at the Albuquerque Little Theater and March 27th at the National Park Service Old Santa Fe Trail Building in Santa Fe.

     Also imagine having had the opportunity to hear Anna Roosevelt, granddaughter of the Franklin Roosevelts, come to New Mexico and share about her grandparents as part of the launch of this license plate event. She spoke both afternoons during special receptions.
Our organization is partnering on this fundraising activity with the NM Community Foundation and the NM Community Art Network--a composite of local art councils around the state. The goal was to raise money to establish an endowment fund with the NM Community Foundation that will provide funding to local community art councils for art programs for children and youth. This was certainly a method of carrying on the legacy of the New Deal Federal Art Project in the 1930-40's. The programs of the three partners also benefited from the sales during the first six months of the sales (April-Sept.) so if you want to help NNDPA, place your orders through us and we will get the FRONT license plates to you.

     The plates will cost $25 if bought individually or $100 for a set of all five. They can be put on your cars or framed and hung on display in your home or office. They will make beautiful gifts whenever you need something unique for that special person.
     Besides Velarde's creation, the other four plates have reproductions of paintings by Raymond Jonson, William Penhallow Henderson, Nils Hogner and Louie Ewing............all NM New Deal public artists. They are beautiful reproductions.
Click here to order!

     Front License Plates with New Deal art by NM artists are still for sale at $25 a piece or $100 for all five in the group. Early in January, 2006 the one artist included in this offering died. She was Pablita Velarde and 88 years old. She was also one of the country's leading Native American artist. A public memorial service was planned in Santa Fe in May. Richard: Put in the existing information See the information on the website on how you can order these plates from us.

*New Deal public art of New Mexico is also available as a colorful screen saver for $15.00. For orders, contact newdeal@cybermesa.com.

Exciting Restoration Project Almost Done But One is Missing!

     Restoration of seven New Deal murals by Brooks Willis in Ilfeld Auditorium at Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM has been completed after art conservators, Steve Prins and Deborah Uhl, removed five layers of white paint that were covering them. They were assisted by two university students. An eighth known mural was not where it was suppose to be after taking off the five layers of white paint. No one knows what happened to it. Two of the five remaining have been restored and preserved and hopefully the other five can also receive needed treatment soon. This has been paid for jointly by the NM Chapter and Highlands University.

*FEBRUARY - NM Chapter participated in the exhibits in the Capitol Rotunda all day on Feb. 13 during the legislative session along with other preservation and non-profit organizations. A memorial for deceased New Deal artist, Pablita Velarde, was scheduled to be done at the legislature.

*APRIL - The NM Chapter was present at the upcoming NM Historical Society Annual conference in Albuquerque, NM April 20-23. This group held its meeting at the same time and place as the Southwest Oral History Conference and the latter group celebrated its 25th year. Members of the NNDPA board spoke at the Oral History conference sharing about the contributions of the Federal Writers Project in capturing oral histories.

*MAY - Preservation Month in NM --Kathy Flynn, Executive Director, NNDPA was the featured speaker at Bandelier National Monument on May 16 and shared about women in the New Deal. Later in Gallup, we were on the program at the NM Heritage Preservation Alliance conference and provided a tour of the New Deal public art in that city.