Laurie Beth Zuckerman

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTAR IN 2011 BEST CURATED EXHIBIT IN DENVER'S SANTA FE ARTS DISTRICT

2012-01-23T18:37:00.005-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Madre Dolorosa" DOD altar installation detail 2011

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Day of the Dead altar installation, "Madre Dolorosa" was featured in Denver's Studio 12 Gallery's 2011 Diá de los Muertos exhibition. The exhibit, hosted by owner/artist, Sean Brown, won the Best of 2011's Santa Fe Arts District Award for Best Curated Exhibition by Denver artist, Carlos Frésquez.

I was in great company in this show. My fellow guest artists were: Jerry Vigil, Rob Yancey, George Rivera, Amber Lovelace, Fonda McDonough. My altar, "Devil May Care" was shown in Studio 12's second annual Diá de los Muertos exhibition in 2010. I am looking forward to exhibiting a new altar for this year's fourth annual Diá de los Muertos exhibition at Studio 12. I've been working on it since the beginning of the year.

Studio 12 Gallery was runner-up for the Best Gallery Award for 2011, along with the winner CORE New Art Space, Vertigo Art Space, and CHAC Gallery. You can view all the 2011 nominees at the Art District on Santa Fe website.

You can find more images of my DOD altar in my Flickr portfolio.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUGS BOOK: Instructions on how to make a memory jug, memory jar, memoryware or memory vessel

2012-01-10T17:49:00.022-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's MEMORY JUGS Book on CD is out in its January 2012 edition. Step-by-step illustrated instructions will guide you in creating your own memory jug. This 226-page "workshop in a book" includes hundreds of color images of antique and vintage memory jugs collected from museums, galleries, private collectors, and internet auctions. This book includes a special gallery of Laurie Zuckerman's own eclectic memory jug creations. No other book contains this depth of photos, and instructions, and the historical discussion behind this enigmatic folk art tradition, which is most commonly associated with southern African-American funeral customs, Victorian mourning practices, and outsider art.

MEMORY JUGS Book on CD has sold to hundreds of artists and collectors throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia during its past four years of publication. It is the perfect resource for artists, craftspeople and mosaic artists. Folk art collectors and art historians will appreciate the web links to folk art dealers who sell antique and vintage memory jugs, and links to contemporary memory jug artists.

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Laurie Beth Zuckerman is a nationally recognized and published altarmaker who specializes in making Victorian-style memory jugs, an indigenous form of American folk-art memorials. Laurie's memory jugs and home altars are profiled in artist Lynne Perrella's two recent books, Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions, and Art Making and Studio Spaces, both available on Amazon.com.

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HOW TO ORDER LAURIE ZUCKERAN'S MEMORY JUGS BOOK:

Order the 2012 MEMORY JUGS BOOK on CD for $20, plus $2.95 for shipping and handling.

Payment through Paypal: Use the "Send Money" option to send your payment of $22.95 to lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com by following this link: https://www.paypal.com/

Paying by personal check or money order: To request an invoice for your order, email lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com.

Email with questions or comments: Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your purchase.

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LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUGS BOOK CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

"I just wanted to thank you for the CD. I've been studying it for hours. You are a very generous artist. It is full of great information with thorough instructions that will help me develop my own Memory pieces. The photos of vintage and contemporary work are a treasure. Your pieces are spectacular. Rich design and so full of depth and meaning."

"Thank you so much for the CD I really enjoyed it and was very inspired by the examples. I found the CD full of great information, from the interesting ideas on history, to the how to section and list of traditional objects. I was mostly excited by the lovely photos, I haven't been able to find many examples of old jugs so they are great reference material for me and I liked how you categorized them. I will recommend the CD on my site to anyone interested in making a jug or wanting more information on them."

"I love love love your book!!! Thank you so much. Very inspirational and thank you for the instructions. I have not gotten started yet but am looking forward to starting soon. I can see that preplanning is a good idea. I have looked at memory jugs for years and wondered how on earth they were made. I knew it had to be pretty simple materials as they didn't have all the fancy epoxies that we have today. Your book really helped clear up the mystery. Your memory jugs are fabulous!!!"

"I got your book/CD in the mail and can't take my eyes off the screen. What a terrific job you did with this book and how generous you are to share all of those tips. I cannot WAIT to get to the store and buy the supplies and start exploring. I had no idea that there were others out there who shared my passion, my fascination with memory jugs…and more."

"Received your CD and I really loved it. Wow, what beautiful imagery and I enjoyed the history and deeper meaning of these vessels. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing not only the imagery of the Memory Jug but getting a deeper understanding of the symbolism and the creative process in regards to making them. It was very inspiring to me."

 "I just got my CD from Laurie Zuckerman. It's a fabulous book that gives the history and shows all the different types of jugs, vases, bowls, that people have covered with trinkets of their lives. Laurie is a fabulous artist. Check out her altars and memory jugs. If you love folk art or Mexican art like me, you'll love her art."

"Wow. I just discovered your incredible art and ordered your CD book. I cannot WAIT to get it. I've been making mosaic structures for years, but have been frustrated with my inability to find a putty, as was used years ago in making memory jars. I hope you have the answer in your book. Can't wait to see more of your work, too!"

"I watched—read LOL your CD last night and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. It is a very unique and informative way to present the memory jugs and its relations. I can’t wait to share it with my friends. Your hard work and love for the art form shows in the presentation. It was well worth the $20."

"I love the CD!! I just got home from vacation and have piles of laundry and other unpacking to do, but…had to pop in CD…and couldn't stop!! It's very inspiring and informative. Several points you made hadn't occurred to me. It was well worth the selling price. I am sure I will refer to it over and over."

"I finally got to check out the CD. I am VERY happy with it. All the wonderful photos of different types of memory art. My favorite in the book is the one you did in memory of your father. Unbelieveably beautiful. I now can't wait to get started on my first one. Your book helped so much."  

"I wanted to tell you how much I love the memory jug book. These objects have always moved me somehow and to see such an array is just unbelievably compelling. I have to admit, I love yours the best! ALL of your pieces are somehow so haunting and complex and memorable. Thanks for such a treat!"  

"I am just overwhelmed by the Memory Jars CD. It is the most comprehensive and inclusive work on them that I have ever encountered. I am so grateful to have found your website, and thrilled to have ordered the CD."

"I received the CD yesterday and watched it through with great interest (avid, I should say). I am very impressed by your scholarship, your collections, and–of course–the memory jugs themselves."  

"Received the CD and have only had time to skim it, but my initial reaction is (and you may quote me) "OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! The photographs alone were enough to make me hyperventilate."

"What an amazing art form you have taught to others. As far as memory preservation, it beats scrapbooking any day!!!"

"The cd is full of all the information one needs to make these crazy folksy works of art. I bought and love it. BUY it!"

"I purchased your CD recently from ebay.....OMG I love it!!!! Can not wait to try one on my own."  

"Your jugs are more authentic and thought provoking than other modern ones I have seen."

"AWESOME e-book I can't wait to make one. GREAT CD and PICS. Thanks so much!!"

"I am enjoying the CD so much. There is a wealth of information on it. Thank you!"

"Your CD is very inspiring! You have lots of great information in your CD."

"A - Z, useful source of info for memory ware and related folk art."

"I am in awe of what you create. I would like to order your CD."

"Excellent resource and thanks for all the examples pictured."

"Love the CD, would love to take your class."

"Very informative!!----Wonderful images!"

"LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!"

"This is a great buy."

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS THE WALSENBURG SANTUARIO GROTTO IN SOUTHERN COLORADO ON CHRISTMAS EVE

2011-12-31T19:05:00.005-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman wishes all of you a Happy New Year! 2011 ended with a glorious journey to revisit several of my favorite shrines and sanctuaries in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, as well as discover new ones. Follow along with me in January as I share some of the highlights of my holiday travels. Today's post showcases the Santuario on Highway 160, west of Walsenburg. A fresh snowfall dusts the sandstone grotto with sugar icing. Only one other person had walked to the shrine before me. I hated to disturb the snow to get these photos, but this Virgin Mary is my favorite statue of all. I have been photographing her at this grotto for more than a dozen years. This may be the best she has ever looked.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN RECEIVES NEW MEXICAN STRAW APPLIQUE PENITENTE CROSS

2011-12-13T21:20:00.008-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's husband, Thomas Mathies
designed and built this New Mexican style penitente cross

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's husband, Thomas Mathies
designed and built this New Mexican style penitente cross (detail)

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's husband, Thomas Mathies has just completed his first New Mexican-style cross, in honor of Laurie's milestone birthday, December 12. I had some old photos that I had taken in 1993 at the International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe, where we first saw examples of colonial-era wood crosses. I had always wanted my husband to try making me one of these penitente crosses decorated with straw appliqué. Finally my wish came true and Tom was able to spend the last couple of weeks designing and constructing this sensational cross. It is a whooping 50" tall. Truly, it is bigger and better than any cross I have seen in my books or in other museums we have visited, such as the new Spanish Colonial Museum in Santa Fe. Boy do I feel lucky!! My new treasure looks fabulous in our old house.

Here are a few web resources you can follow to learn more about straw applique crosses:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/localnews/International-Spanish-market-Passion-for-innovation

This website states: Straw appliqué developed from the desires of 16th-century Spanish priests to decorate their churches in the New World with gold items similar to the ones they brought with them from Spain. Since gold was not found in New Mexico, the inhabitants improvised and used other materials. They discovered that local grasses, when dried, almost looked something like gold. "It was called the poor man's gold," Donna Pedace, executive director of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, said. "It was the closest approximation to gold that they could come up with." The process involves splitting and flattening the straw and removing the inside to get very thin, golden-colored pieces. The tiny pieces are affixed to pieces of wood or metal in geometric or figurative designs. The most common items are crosses, frames and boxes.

More about the history of straw applique at this site: http://strawapplique.com/history-of-straw-applique/

"Straw appliqué–an art form practiced around the world–is believed to have originated as an art form practiced by peasants who desired marquetry, a form of decorating wooden items, typically with other wood, ivory or gold. Because of it’s visual similarity to marquetry, or inlay, straw appliqué soon was coined with the term “poor man’s gold.” Passed from the Moors to the Spanish as early as 700AD, and then practiced as a religious art form, it was brought to the New World and into what is present day New Mexico, where it flourished as an art form in the 1700’s and 1800’s, practiced by Spanish and Natives alike. At the end of the 1800’s, however, it was considered a lost art form."

To see examples of contemporary straw applique artists from New Mexico, log onto: http://newmexicocreates.org/category-26/New-Mexico-Artisan-Work/Spanish-Colonial-Crafts?filter%5Bcategory%5D=145

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTOS OF GUADALUPE FROM CHIMAYO AND TAOS

2011-12-12T07:00:00.038-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Guadalupe statue

in the courtyard outside El Santuario de Chimayo, New Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Guadalupe stained glass window
in the Guadalupe Church in Taos, New Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of a folk art Guadalupe mosaic

in the prayer room inside El Santuario de Chimayo, New Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Guadalupe painting

in the Guadalupe Church in Taos, New Mexico

In honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe's feast day, today, December 12, Laurie Beth Zuckerman is posting these diverse Virgin of Guadalupe images from New Mexico. December 12 is also my birthday, and I am always so honored to share my birthday with the Guadalupe, although she is a lot older than me. She appeared in 1531, and I didn't appear until 1951!! And she is so much more famous and well-clothed.

The stained glass window and the brown and white painting are both from the Guadalupe church in Taos, while the other two images are from the historic pilgrimage site of El Santuario de Chimayo, north of Santa Fe, along the High Road leading to Taos.

This is Day 12 of "A Virgin a Day" hosted by Rebecca Brooks. To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

To read more about the world famous El Santuario: http://www.elsantuariodechimayo.us/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MADRE DOLOROSA AT SANTUARIO DE ATOTONILCO, MEXICO

2011-12-11T11:00:00.004-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of life-size Madre Dolorosa
in Santuario de Atotonilco, Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of life-size Madre Dolorosa
at the left of main altar in the Santuario de Atotonilco, Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Santuario de Atotonilco, Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman shares her photos of the most sorrowful and powerful of Madre Dolorosa statues in the Santuario de Atotonilco, in the countryside outside of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This historic church is exquisite in every single way, and ranks as my all time favorite church in colonial Mexico.

This is Day 11 of "A Virgin a Day" hosted by Rebecca Brooks. To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF ROSARIO MADONNA IN ATOTONILCO CHURCH, MEXICO

2011-12-10T07:00:00.008-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of a blue-robed Madonna and Child
in the Atotonilco Church, outside of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

A few years ago, Laurie Beth Zuckerman visited San Miguel de Allende and photographed the El Santuario de Atotonilco church near the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At the time I was not entralled with this Madonna statue, but I thought I would share her this week, as her altar is simply glorious and this famous penitente church is so holy. It is known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, and was begun in 1740.

To read more about Atotonilco's church, log onto this website: http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/atotonilco.html

This post is my Day 10 entry to "A Virgin a Day" hosted by Rebecca Brooks' at her blogsite. To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF MADONNA IN CHURCH IN CHAMA, COLORADO

2011-12-09T07:00:00.002-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photograph of Madonna, Chama, Colorado

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photograph of Madonna at church altar, Chama, Colorado

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photograph of old Catholic church, Chama, Co

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographed this wonderful old Catholic church in the town of Chama, Colorado. This sweet and very simple altar contains this lovely Madonna. No telling how old she is. Her condition is perfect. I love her blue robe against the turquoise blue wall. I love turquoise blue walls!!!

This is Day 9 of "A Virgin a Day" hosted by Rebecca Brooks. To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF MADONNA'S HANDS IN SAN MIGUEL, MEXICO

2011-12-08T08:16:00.003-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of a life-size Madonna in San Miguel de Allende

What could I possibly say that would add to this image?!

Please enjoy Day 8 of "A Virgin a Day." To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF SORROWFUL MADONNA AT RINCONADA CEMETERY NEAR TAOS, NEW MEXICO

2011-12-05T14:47:00.032-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of a Madonna in

Rinconada cemetery, Northern New Mexico near Taos

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of the Madonna
and Jesus in the Rinconada cemetery

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographed this roadside shrine and cemetery near Taos several years ago. I have never seen such a majestic backdrop to a simple Camposanto cemetery.

This is my Day 7 entry for "A Virgin a Day." To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF MADONNA AT VIEJO SAN ACACIO CHURCH, CO

2011-12-05T10:02:00.007-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonna at the
Viejo San Acacio Church in Southern Colorado

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonnas in the

window of the adobe Viejo San Acacio Church

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonna and Child
stands by the altar of the Viejo San Acacio Mission

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of the altar reredo screen
painted by Marie Romero Cash at the Viejo San Acacio Mission

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of the Viejo San Acacio Mission, Colorado

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographed a touching image of the Madonna and Child in the window of the old church in San Acacio, is the oldest adobe mission church in Southern Colorado, built in the early 1860s. It appears that each of the religious window designs was a gift from members of the church community. Inside the church has been well-restored and contains a beautiful statue of the Madonna and Child. The reredo altar screen was painted by New Mexican artist, Marie Romero Cash. It is in the style of the reredos seen in so many of the famous mission churches in Northern New Mexico. To read more about Marie Romero Cash, click on this website: http://sacredartpilgrim.com/collection/view/47

This is my combined Day 5 and 6 entry for "A Virgin a Day." To witness all the other wonderful contributions by artists around the country, log onto Rebecca Brooks' site: http://www.corazon.typepad.com/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MOTHER OF SORROWS ALTAR TO BLANCHE ZUCKERMAN

2011-12-04T13:16:00.005-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Mother of Sorrows altar to her mother, Blanche (at right)

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Mother of Sorrows altar to her mother, Blanche

Laurie Beth Zuckerman home ancestor altar to her mother Blanche Kleid Zuckerman began in 2001 just weeks after Blanche's death from ovarian cancer. Today would be my mother's 89th birthday had she survived. A special birthday wish to you, Mom!! Can't express how much I miss you and how much you have inspired depth in my altarmaking over these past ten years.

These altar photos were taken in my home just before this Mother of Sorrows altar was exhibited in my 2009 solo retrospective at the Loveland Museum/Gallery in Northern Colorado.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTO OF MADONNA STATUE AT SANTUARIO DE CHIMAYO

2011-12-04T10:25:00.010-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madonna photo from the world famous Sanctuario de Chimayo

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographs Madonnas and Christs in every church and sanctuary she visits in the Southwest and Latin America. This beautiful Madonna statue is still one of my most favorite images I have found on my travels to document spirituality. This is today's pick for Day 4 of "A Virgin a Day" hosted by artist, Rebecca Brooks at: http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

El Santuario de Chimayo is known locally as the "Lourdes of America" lures over 300,000 people to visit every year. The Prayer Room, which is located in the sacristy of the church (next to El Posito, the "sacred sand pit"), is filled with discarded crutches, braces, and scary, handmade shrines.

To view more of my earlier spiritual photos from New Mexico, click on:

http://lauriezuckerman.blogspot.com/2011/01/laurie-zuckermans-spiritual-photos-from.html

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTOGRAPHS MADONNA AT SANCTUARIO DE CHIMAYO, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

2011-12-03T16:45:00.003-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonna
at the Sanctuario de Chimayo, Northern New Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonna

at the Sanctuario de Chimayo, Northern New Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of Madonna

in the window of the Sanctuario de Chimayo

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's has photographed the famous Sanctuario de Chimayo many times over the years since the early 1990s. Hopefully this life-size bust of the Madonna is still resident to the chapel. She's a true beauty!! She is my pick for Day 3 of "A Virgin a Day" a collective of artists impressions of the Madonna, located at the following website for the first 12 days of December: http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTOGRAPHS MADONNA AT ROADSIDE WALSENBURG SANCTUARIO, SOUTHERN COLORADO

2011-12-03T16:41:00.005-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographs a long-standing Madonna
at the Walsenburg Sanctuario in Southern Colorado.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of the Virgin Mary is always changing every time I visit her. This picture is before the big cleanup at the grotto. She is my pick for Day 2 of "A Virgin a Day" located at the following website:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S PHOTOGRAPHS MADONNA FROM HER HOME IN FORT COLLINS

2011-12-03T16:15:00.008-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's concrete garden Madonna

Laurie Beth Zuckerman collected this concrete Madonna years ago at a flea market in Fort Collins. The statue apparently came out of Santa Fe yard and has a lovely "chippy" patina. She is the guardian of my turtle pond. This Madonna is my photo pick for "Day 1: A Virgin a Day" located at the following website:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S ALTAR INSTALLATION AT DENVER'S STUDIO 12 GALLERY'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION: October-November

2011-11-21T18:12:00.015-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman created a new Día de los Muertos of the Dead altar installation at the Studio 12 Gallery in Denver's Santa Fe Arts District for this October/November. I was in great company, too!! Santeros Jerry Vigil and Rob Yancey, Carlos Fresquez, George Rivera, and other invited guest artists headlined this juried competition. Last year I created another altar for Studio 12 Gallery's annual show. What a great gallery. Very hip! Thanks to artist/owner, Sean Brown.

Entitled "Madre Dolorosa," my black Victorian-style altar contains old mourning paraphenalia, photo tintypes, and plenty of black Oaxacan pottery skulls and angels from San Bartolo de Coyotepec. I also had photography from Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations for sale at the gallery.

Click on http://BLOG.STUDIO12GALLERY.COM/ Studio 12 Gallery's blog to see what they posted about my altar: "We also invited noted installation artist, Laurie Zuckerman to create a one-of-a-kind piece for the gallery. Laurie is a true collector and painstakingly constructed a wonderfully elaborate altar of found objects in the gallery. If you missed the piece she created last year, you won't want to miss this one she created this year. You can also see her whole room installation at the Longmont Museum."

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTAR INSTALLATION AT LONGMONT MUSEUM'S FAMILY DAY CELEBRATION

2011-10-30T18:38:00.068-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Homage to Old Mexico" Dia de los Muertos altar installation at Longmont Museum's Day of the Dead Festival October 29, 2011 becomes a favorite backdrop for photos of families in costume.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman shares her photos of people enjoying her "Homage to Old Mexico" Day of the Dead altar installation at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center's 11th Annual Día de los los Muertos Exhibition. This is the largest and most popular Day of the Dead festival in Colorado. The Family Day Celebration on October 29, 2011 drew a crowd of 2178 people appropriately dressed.

Seemed like everyone wanted to take pictures of my altar as well as take pictures of their children and spouses in front of my altar. I joined in on the fun by asking people if I could take their pictures, too. Here are some of the wonderful people I spoke to. I enjoyed meeting all of you!!

Thank you for all your compliments: "Your altar is truly a feast for the eyes!" "Your altar is amazing!" "Absolutely stunning!" "Your artworks have brought so much joy to peoples lives!"

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S "HOMAGE TO OLD MEXICO" ALTAR AT LONGMONT MUSEUM'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBITION APPEARS ON "AROUND TOWN: THE LONGMONT CHANNEL"

2011-10-24T18:46:00.000-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Homage to Old Mexico altar

at The Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 2011

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's new "Homage to Old Mexico" Día de los Muertos altar at the Longmont Museum's Day of the Dead exhibition
is profiled in a video interview with education curator, Jill Overlie. Ms. Overlie discusses both my altar and my involvement with their annual Day of the Dead festival of altars. This video appears on "Around Town" The Longmont Channel in conjunction with the Museum's popular community exhibition that runs from October 1 through November 6, 2011.

The Museum is receiving lots of lovely comments from visitors about the altars and the exhibit. So far, they have had approximately 800 people from school groups and some adult groups visiting the Day of the Dead exhibit on self-guided tours. This does not include the regular visitation for this exhibit, which is free to the public. The upcoming festive Family Day Celebration on October 29 from 10am–5pm will host thousands of visitors. I will be at the museum all day to talk with families and share the meaning of my own altar.

Around Town - The Longmont Channel
http://www.longmontchannel.com/Around-Town-e243.html

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S EXPERIMENTS WITH ENCAUSTIC PAINTING IN DC KELLY'S WORKSHOP

2011-10-23T14:07:00.005-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Encaustic of Western Meadowlark #3;
works better when the background is painted first

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Encaustic of Painted Redstart #2;
lots of layers of paper and silver leaf

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Encaustic of Painted Bunting #1;

would not use found metal objects and coins again

Laurie Beth Zuckerman joined DC Kelly's encaustic painting workshop hosted by the Studio 12 Gallery in Denver. What a great group of talented artists from the Denver and Fort Collins area! And what an exciting medium to experiment with. To keep it simple I decided to practice by painting a few birds just to see how detailed I could get with the hot wax paint. The control of the brushstrokes is much more difficult than with oil paint. Scratching back into the surface of the wax with dental tools and pencils was the most satisfying technique, along with adding layers of encaustic with bits of paper, silver leaf, and foil. Thank you DC Kelly and Sean and Stacey Brown for hosting this workshop yesterday!

The Studio 12 Gallery is currently hosting their Third Annual Day of the Dead exhibit and my new "Madre Dolorosa" altar is still on display through November 6th. Next opening is First Friday, November 4th. I'll be there with the other artists in this wonderful and diverse show.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN LECTURE AT LONGMONT MUSEUM ON "HOMAGE TO OLD MEXICO" DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTAR

2011-10-17T13:24:00.002-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman lecturing at Longmont Museum, October 12, 2011

Laurie Beth Zuckerman delivered her gallery talk and powerpoint lecture at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center on October 12, 2011 in conjunction with their Día de los Muertos Exhibition that continues through November 6th. Thanks to all the wonderful people who attended!! I enjoyed your enthusiasm and your curiosity about my altarmaker-in-residency at the museum. So pleased that everyone liked my "Homage to Old Mexico" altar, pictured above.

I will be at the Longmont Museum again for their Family Celebration Day on October 29th. Stop by and visit with me and my altar.

http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/museum/education/day_of_dead.htm#programs

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN CREATES DAY OF THE DEAD ALTAR FOR LONGMONT MUSEUM'S 11TH ANNUAL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBITION

2011-10-12T12:27:00.003-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's DOD altar at the Longmont Museum after Day 1 of installation

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's DOD altar at the Longmont Museum after Day 2 of installation

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's DOD altar at the Longmont Museum after Day 3 of installation

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's DOD altar at the Longmont Museum after Day 4 of finishing her "Homage to Old Mexico" Day of the Dead installation

Laurie Beth Zuckerman began her stint as Altarmaker-in-Residence at the Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition on October 1. This gorgeous show of Day of the Dead altars and folk art will continue from October 1- November 6.

Monday, September 26, I trucked ALL the stuff to the museum and got the furniture arranged during the afternoon and took the DAY 1 shot shown above. There were still hundreds of items to go on this "Homage to Old Mexico" installation, honoring Mexico's vintage popular arts. The museum had its opening reception on September 30, so I wanted to have enough of the altar's structure to give a sense of what was to come. People actually thought the altar was finished, but you can see from my subsequent photos that I was far, far, far from being done.

Saturday, October 1, I posted my DAY 2 shot of what I accomplished on my first full day of altarmaking for the public.

Sunday, October 2, I returned to the Longmont Museum and later posted my DAY 3 shot.

Finally on Friday, October 7, I returned yet again to complete this 14.5' x 10' x 8' installation and am posting my final DAY 4 photo. Hope you enjoyed following this transition of my newest Día de los Muertos altar.

Please join me on the evening of October 12 at the Longmont Museum for my public gallery talk at 7 pm. Admission is $5 for non-members of the museum.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S "HOMAGE TO OLD MEXICO" ALTAR AT LONGMONT MUSEUM'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBITION APPEARS ON MEXICAN CONSULTATE GENERAL'S WEBPAGE

2011-10-12T12:22:00.003-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Day of the Dead altar installation at the Longmont Museum appears on the Mexican Consultate General's website: http://portal.sre.gob.mx/Denver/

This is a photo of my incomplete altar from the grand opening reception on September 30 that featured the Cónsul General, Andrés Chao along with the mayor of Longmont, Brian Baum. I finished my installation, "Homage to Old Mexico," on October 7, 2011, and my public lecture is tonight, October 12 at 7 pm.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S TALK ON ALTAR "HOMAGE TO OLD MEXICO" AT LONGMONT MUSEUM'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBITION OCTOBER 12, 2011 7-8 PM

2011-10-06T21:06:00.015-06:00

Photo of Laurie Beth Zuckerman, Altarmaker-in-Residence, appears in Longmont Times Call article about Longmont Museum and Cultural Center's Día de los Muertos Exhibition. I will be speaking to the public Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 7 pm. For more details, click on the article pictured above.

Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, Colorado

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN TO BE ALTARMAKER-IN-RESIDENCE FOR LONGMONT MUSEUM'S DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION IN COLORADO

2011-09-01T21:14:00.008-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman in front of her "Piesafe Altar"

As the Altarmaker-in Residence, Laurie Beth Zuckerman will be creating a new Day of the Dead altar installation for the Longmont Museum's 11th annual celebration and exhibit of Diá de los Muertos altars and folk art. Hope you can make it to the museum to watch me construct my altar the first week of October, or listen to my talk about my "Homage to Old Mexico" ofrenda and how Mexican culture have influenced my work. Longmont's website, reprinted below, has the all the details and dates for my residency and gallery talk at the museum. Click to enlarge each reprint.

www.ci.longmont.co.us/museum/exhibits/dod.htm

www.ci.longmont.co.us/museum/education/day_of_dead.htm#programs

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS OLD LAPEYROUSE CEMETERY IN TRINIDAD

2011-07-25T22:42:00.016-06:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographed the historic Lapeyrouse Cemetery in Trinidad's capital city of Port of Spain this May. Lapeyrouse is one of the most corroded cemeteries I have ever visited. It has huge architectural monuments and streets, much like the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. Transients seek shelter in cardboard boxes inside dilapidated tombs, while drug dealers with Bluetooths in their ears scurry around on bikes, arranging their deals. Only the occasional car enters the high-walled graveyard to traverse its acres of inner streets, likely looking for loved ones. I felt scared and cautious at every turn, even with my husband close by. Finally my mounting fear and the debilitating heat of the tropical afternoon sun drove me away before I could complete my photography documentation. I needed days there, not hours.

Below are my photos from the older section of Lapeyrouse Cemetery showing the diverse architectural styles of its once grand monuments. The first one is a monument styled after Port of Spain's characteristic Gingerbread Houses.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS JESUS CRUCIFIXES IN SANTA ROSA CEMETERY, ARIMA, TRINIDAD, BWI

2011-07-17T21:30:00.005-06:00

Below I have added wide shot photos of Arima's old Catholic cemetery surrounded by bits of urban jungle and small colorful buildings. The stark black and white of the cemetery monuments against the verdant colors of the foliage and the Caribbean colors of the houses conveys a mood I feel is unique to Trinidad's graveyards.

Laurie Zuckerman traveled to Trinidad in the British West Indies in May. These crucifixes were photographed in the Arima Cemetery in Trinidad on a gray, rainy day. Arima sits at the base of the Northern Range of coastal rain forest. This cemetery had a moldering quality that I have tried to capture with closeup digital photography. These encrusted crucifixes have been repainted and peeled over the years in this hot, decaying climate.

Arima is the third largest city in Trinidad. It is also home to the largest population of Amerindians in the country and in most of the Caribbean. Christopher Columbus "discovered" Trinidad. These Amerindians are the descendants of the indigenous peoples of Trinidad at the time that Columbus arrived and the Spanish came to rule the country for the next couple of hundred years. The remarkable thing about these images is that they look just like images I have taken in the Hispanic Southwest. The crucifixes are the same style and the way they are mounted to the crosses is also similar. Note that some of the crosses sit within nichos in the crosses. A world away, a different culture from the Southwest entirely, as most people in this cemetery were either Black, East Indian, or Amerindian. Catholic symbols, such as the cross look pretty much the same anywhere, although the style and color of the grave monuments and overall cemetery layout is extremely unique to Trinidad.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS HEART ICON IN ARIMA CEMETERY, TRINIDAD

2011-07-17T21:16:00.018-06:00

Icon heART. Laurie Zuckerman photographed this Sacred Heart in the old Catholic cemetery in Arima, Trinidad, British West Indies. IconARTe is the name of my art business. The word ART is also an intergral part of HEART. The ART of the HEART is always fascinating for me to photograph, but I don't find them that often in the Catholic cemeteries I haunt. This simple heart decorating a plain white cross has grown more iconic over the years. Weathering, patina, and lack of color add to the poignancy of this classic symbol.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS MADONNA AT PAX GUEST HOUSE IN TRINIDAD

2011-06-20T20:08:00.001-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman traveled to Trinidad in the West Indies during the month of May. These photos of the Madonna statue in the "secret garden" at the PAX Guest House in the Northern Range are my favorite ones for color and spirituality. My room looked down at this mysterious walled garden. Glass bottle shards "adorn" the cement walls, to keep out intruders and devotees.

Our Lady of Fatima graces the Mount Saint Benedict Church above the PAX Guest House. This lifesize statue is surrounded by live tropical plants and flowers.

Here is the view of PAX from the Mount Saint Benedict Monastery. What a wonderful place to stay in Trinidad. Far from the madding crowd. Cooler, breezier, plenty of lusciously colored birds. Just down the hill from PAX is this Catholic Seminary below.

Watch for more postings of spiritual photos of churches and cemeteries in Trinidad in the coming month.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS CATHOLIC CHURCHES AND HINDU TEMPLES IN NORTHERN RANGE OF TRINIDAD

2011-06-20T14:45:00.112-06:00

North Coast, Trinidad

Maracas Bay, Trinidad

Grand Riviere, Trinidad

North Coast, Trinidad

Private Hindu Temple, Arima, Trinidad

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS TRINIDAD'S NORTHERN COAST BEACHES

2011-06-19T20:01:00.001-06:00

Maracas Bay, Trinidad

Blanchisseuse, Trinidad

Grand Riviere, Trinidad

Grand Riviere, Trinidad Culture Shop with the artist/owner, David

Laurie Zuckerman spent part of her May vacation in Trinidad along the rocky North Coast of the Northern Range. I'll be adding some of my favorite iconic photos from the beaches in this post, so watch for more pictures to come. Just remember that the temperatures and the humidity were not as idyllic as these pictures appear. It was brutally humid, to the point of being downright miserable. Still the scenery was all gorgeous and reasonably pristine. The word is that Tobago has the nicer beaches, but I think the mountainous backdrop to Trinidad's beaches was jaw-dropping.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUGS FEATURED IN PASTICCIO QUARTZ #12

2011-06-13T10:59:00.015-06:00

Hot off the press!! Laurie Zuckerman's new article about the visual relationship between memory jugs and vintage ceramic shards graces this latest issue of Pasticcio Quartz #12, Sarah Fishburn and Angela Cartwright's uber-clever art zine. My article includes photos of my own memory jug creation incorporating the mosaic technique known as Pique Assiette. This is the third time my artwork has appeared in Pasticcio. Always an honor. Here's the official blurb about this issue:

"Our summer 2011 issue is fresher than ever... Want eye candy? Palais d'Art will satisfy... Looking for inspiration? Seth Apter, Roxanne Stout, Laurie Zuckerman, Amanda Marie Ploegsma, and Suzi Blu have what you need! Art history...recipes...reviews...tips...travel...a virtual truckload of brilliant imagery delivered in a gorgeous, full-color, gift-worthy package. If you missed out on any of our past issues, you can still get 'em, and stack them up right beside your Adirondack, hammock, or porch swing to savor as you sip your signature summer concoction and while away the hours."

I ordered my own copy today at this address:
http://stores.lulu.com/cartwrightandfishburn

For more info on the creators, Sarah and Angela, check out their websites and other publications:
http://www.acartwrightstudio.com

http://www.sarahfishburn.com

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN NEW PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOUTHWEST CEMETERY NICHOS IN HISPANIC NEW MEXICO AND SOUTHERN COLORADO

2011-04-25T21:04:00.007-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman's photograph of cemetery nicho

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's current exhibit of Southwest cemetery photography is on view at the Toolbox Creative in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado. I have created an album of these digital photographs for you to browse, especially for all of you who can not visit the show in person. I hope you enjoy these unique images of these intimate nichos in the Hispanic graveyards of New Mexico and Southern Colorado. Click on the image below to view all the images. All of these photos of gravestone nichos are available for purchase in archival Lumira digital prints. Please contact me at: zucky@qwest.net

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS OF JAPANESE GRAVESTONES IN SO COLORADO

2011-04-18T11:59:00.008-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman photo from Old Capulin Cemetery, Colorado

Laurie Zuckerman traveled for a week to Southern Colorado last Thanksgiving to photograph Hispanic graves in some of the most remote areas of the San Luis Valley. Much of that new work is in my current exhibit at the Toolbox Creative Gallery. But in and amongst the Spanish language tombstones, lay two Japanese gravesites, one for a child and the other presumably for an adult—the first I have ever found in all of my years of travels to the historic Hispanic lands of Southern Colorado and New Mexico. They have stood out in my mind ever since. Who were these people? What brought them to this Valley. In the most remote and forlorn "camposanto" cemetery I have ever found, these Japanese handcarved stones lay at the far end of the barren holy field on this cold November morning. After receiving a photo of a Japanese tombstone from today's New York Times via my old friend in North Carolina, I was reminded of my images and decided to share them now. You can compare them with the image from the interesting Times article, linked below.

Laurie Zuckerman photo from Old Capulin Cemetery, Colorado

Laurie Zuckerman's photo of child's grave from Old Capulin Cemetery

Laurie Zuckerman's photo of a "guardian" grave near the two Japanese tombstones.

New York Times photo from first website article below.

New York Times photo from second website article below.

Japan obviously has more trees than the high desert of the San Luis Valley.

The inscription on the stone pictured above, was quoted in the article:

"High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants….

Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis.

Do not build any homes below this point."

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/limits-to-disaster-memory-even-etched-in-stone/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/world/asia/21stones.html?hp

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN SOUTHWEST CEMETERY PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT OPENED APRIL 15 AT TOOLBOX CREATIVE GALLERY

2011-04-06T17:44:00.003-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman's photo of cemetery nicho

Laurie Beth Zuckerman is exhibiting new works from her digital photography series of Southwest Cemetery Nichos at Toolbox Creative in Old Town Fort Collins. The show is up for the two months, so there is plenty of time to visit the Toolbox. These are intimate detailed photos of cubby-hole altars decorating rustic gravestones in rural New Mexico and Southern Colorado. I find these nichos to be unique to the old Hispanic camposantos (holy fields), and I have spent the last ten years traveling, studying, and documenting these folk art shrines. They are hauntingly lovely pictures of faith, reverance, and memory, and are part of my large body of "Memento Mori" photographs, home altars, and memory jugs.

My hosts, Dawn Putney and Tom Campbell, owners of Toolbox Creative, threw me an "Art Party" public reception at their trés chic design studio office/gallery on Friday, April 15. Dawn and Tom also run the Art Lab in Fort Collins, an excellent alternative space for artists and performers. We had our Front Range Community College Art Department faculty show at the Art Lab last spring.

For information about my show, log onto:
http://www.toolboxcreative.com/portfolio/toolbox-art-party-laurie-zuckerman-april-15th-2011

Stop by or call; Toolbox Creative, 325 Cherry Street #4, Old Town Fort Collins, 970-493-5755

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN SELECTED FOR CREATIVE CAPITAL WORKSHOP FOR ARTISTS

2011-04-04T11:41:00.003-06:00

American Vodou Altar Installation by Laurie Zuckerman

Laurie Beth Zuckerman was selected to attend the Professional Development Core Weekend Workshop presented by the Creative Capital Foundation in Fort Collins, Colorado this April 1-3. I was thrilled beyond belief to be one of 24 Colorado artists picked from this competition hosted by Beet Street, thanks to large grants from the Kresge Foundation and the Bohemian Foundation.

There were 56 entries from all over Colorado. The jurors included: Ellen Martin, City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places, Merry Hummell, Bohemian Foundation, Director of Music Events, and Stephanie G'Schwind, Colorado State University, Director, Center for Literary Publishing. Emphasis was placed on individuals who are well-established visual artists, writers, musicians, composers, choreographers, and other artists who create original work.

The weekend was intense and informative, leaving my mind inundated with ideas, skills, hopes, and dreams for my future as a professional artist. Each participant made a short presentation of their artwork on the first evening of the event. I shared photographs of my altar installations from my museum and university exhibitions during the past few years. I only knew two people at the conference going in, but came away with many new friendships and potentially future colleagues in the art community.

___________________________________________________

Creative Capital is a national nonprofit organization, based in New York City and dedicated to providing integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: Emerging Fields, Film/Video, Innovative Literature, Performing Arts (including Music), and Visual Arts. The Core Weekend Workshop is the first time Creative Capital’s award-winning programs have been offered in Colorado.

Creative Capital works in long-term partnership with artists, pioneering approach to support combines funding, counsel and career development services to enable a project’s success and foster sustainable practices for its grantees. In its first decade, Creative Capital has committed more than $20 million in financial and advisory support to 325 projects representing 406 artists, and has reached an additional 3,500 artists through its Professional Development Program.

For more information about this program, visit www.creative-capital.org

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN AUCTIONS BIRDHOUSE ART AT "THE TASTE" BENEFIT Food Bank of Larimer County & Neighbor to Neighbor

2011-03-17T16:18:00.010-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman's "Aspen House" front view. Photo: Dennis Bookstaber

Laurie Zuckerman's "Aspen House" back view. Photo: Dennis Bookstaber

Laurie Zuckerman's "Aspen House" front view

Laurie Zuckerman's "Aspen House" side view

Laurie Beth Zuckerman has painted and donated a birdhouse for the Nests for Neighbors Silent Auction at THE TASTE, to be held at the University Hilton Inn in Fort Collins on April 14, 2011. Ten bird-houses have been created and donated by well-known local artists for this auction, many of them my good friends. My owb birdhouse, entitled "Aspen House" features hand-painted birds, a Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch. The rusty tin roof was fabricated by my clever husband, Tom Mathies. This sturdy bird box is suitable for use outdoors or as a decorative art object for the patio or indoors.

Fort Collins' top chefs, restaurants, wineries, and breweries gather for THE TASTE, a major fundraising event for Food Bank for Larimer County and Neighbor to Neighbor. This annual fundraiser provides support to fight hunger and homelessness in the local community. All proceeds directly benefit the Food Bank for Larimer County and Neighbor to Neighbor, two of the area's largest non-profit organizations providing resources for the hungry and homeless.

General Admission Tickets for the event are $65.00 per person. VIP Admission Tickets are $95.00 per person. To purchase tickets, and to be able to view all the artworks up for bid in the Silent Art Auction, click on: www.tastebenefit.org

Food Bank for Larimer County: www.foodbanklarimer.org

Neighbor to Neighbor: www.n2n.org

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN: JESUS CHRIST STATUES FROM COLONIAL MEXICAN CHURCHES

2011-02-20T19:36:00.007-07:00

Laurie Beth Zuckerman posts a new series of photographs of Jesus Christ from Colonial Mexico. These amazingly poignant statues grace the old churches in Colonial towns such as, Oaxaca, Mitla, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende. I concentrate on photographing these images of Jesus every time I am lucky to visit Mexico. The highlight of my trips is my time alone in these quiet, cool Catholic Churches, away from the crowds and traffic noise. Stop back by later this week for more photos from this series of Jesus with the Crown of Thorns.

Once again, my Sunday posts are crosslinked with Rebecca Brooks' blog and her weekly posts entitled, Stumbling Toward Ecstasy: http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2011/02/stumbling-towards.html

HAPPY VALENTINE'S WISHES FROM LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN AT ICONARTE

2011-02-14T12:23:00.007-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman's forget-me-not memory tin, "Be My Valentine"

Laurie Zuckerman wishes you a sweet and fulfilling Valentine's Day. Valentine's is a topic I had never used in my artwork, but two years ago, I constructed this tobacco tin with antique Valentine's postcards, porcelain doll, glass button, Sacred Heart scapulars, rabbits' feet charms, and plastic bird whistles. This work was part of a series of "Forget-me-not tins" I created for my solo exhibit at the Loveland Museum in Northern Colorado. They were designed to accompany my large installation altar entitled "Forget-me-not," dedicated to remembering my late mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman. Below are three detail shots from my Loveland installation in 2009.

Laurie Zuckerman's "Forget-me-not" altar installation 2009 detail

Here are three other examples from my sentimental series of miniature tin "Forget-me-not" altars.

Laurie Zuckerman's forget-me-not memory tin, "Sweethearts"

Laurie Zuckerman's forget-me-not memory tin, "Sweet Remembrances"

Laurie Zuckerman's forget-me-not memory tin, "Birds and the Bees,"

includes an antique valentine postcard

To view more of Laurie Zuckerman's Forget-me-not tin altars, click on this link to Laurie's Flickr photo portfolio:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iconarte/sets/72157625925432913/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN: NICHO SHRINES FROM CEMETERIES IN NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO

2011-02-08T20:03:00.012-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman is developing a book of her photography of cemetery nichos from the Southwest and Mexico. I am hoping to complete this extensive project this year. I am working through years of photograph journeys and have begun to layout the 160-page book. For a taste of what my collection will contain, here are three of my favorite photos of vandalized nichos with missing or disintegrated plaster saints. Vandalism and neglect in Hispanic Catholic graveyards in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas is sadly rampant. These two particular gravestones from Colorado date back to approximately the 1930s and 40s. It is impossible to know when they were damaged. The startling quality of these nichos is the lasting impression cast by the saint that once sat protected under the thick curved glass. If you are familiar with Jim Dine's drawings of men's robes, you might see the similarity that I see. Dine's robes float with no human head or body. Down in New Mexico I found this first nicho with the Infant of Prague's head fallen off and teetering.

Please visit Rebecca Brooks' blog for more links to images and thoughts in her weekly post, Stumbling Toward Ecstasy: http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2011/02/stumbling.html

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN DIA DE LOS MUERTOS OFRENDAS CEMETERY PHOTOGRAPHY FROM OAXACA AND GUANAJUATO, MEXICO

2011-01-31T14:13:00.008-07:00

Diá de los Muertos tapete from the San Miguel Panteon, Oaxaca, Mexico

Diá de los Muertos tapete in shop courtyard, Oaxaca, Mexico

Diá de los Muertos tapete on the Alcala of Oaxaca, Mexico

Diá de los Muertos papier maché skulls in Guanajuato, Mexico marketplace

Diá de los Muertos ofrenda (altar) in Oaxaca, Mexico courtyard

Laurie Zuckerman's photographs of Mexican Diá de los Muertos ofrendas (Day of the Dead altars), tapetes, and marketplaces are now on view at Laurie's Flickr photo website. My photos were taken on several photography trips to San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Oaxaca, Mexico between 2005-2009. I hope you enjoy this colorful photo gallery of my favorite Mexican holiday. Please email me if you are interested in purchasing or using any these copyrighted images.

Please click on this link to view more of Laurie's images of ofrendas, tapetes, and marketplaces in Colonial Mexico:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iconarte/sets/72157625817456347/

San Miguel Panteon Cemetery in Oaxaca, Mexico

San Miguel Panteon Cemetery in Oaxaca, Mexico on the Day of the Dead

Please click on this link to view more of Laurie's images of cemeteries during the Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca, Mexico:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iconarte/sets/72157625950939576/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN: CEMETERY NICHO SHRINE PHOTOS FROM NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO

2011-01-26T16:30:00.011-07:00

Colorado cemetery nicho with Santo Nino de Atocha

New Mexico cemetery nicho detail with crucifix

New Mexico cemetery nicho with Holy Family statue

New Mexico cemetery nicho with Infant of Prague

New Mexico cemetery nicho with the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Colorado cemetery Madonna in what looks like a phone booth nicho!

Colorado cemetery plastic Madonna nicho

Laurie Zuckerman hunts for nicho shrines to photograph in old Hispanic cemeteries in New Mexico and Colorado. They are hard to find!!! A few of my photos of newer handmade nichos will be shared in this post, so check back daily. Photographing through the dusty plexiglass of this southern Colorado nicho, I was able to capture the hazy image of this Santo Nino de Atocha statue in the first photo. The next two photos are from a small cemetery outside of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Thanks to cloth flowers and a plexiglass cover, this nicho stands a chance of surviving longer in the harsh climate of northern New Mexico. The fourth photo is from a nicho outside of Albuquerque. I love the cool blue colors reflected in the ice on the glass. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is from the Taos region of northern New Mexico. Way down in southern Colorado I discovered this phone booth-like nicho that perfectly fits and matches the Madonna it contains. The last shot is a tacky little plastic nicho that actually been improved by time and age.

You might be interested in more great spiritual images and writings at Rebecca Brooks' website that this post is lined with:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN: THE 619 WESTERN STUDIO BUILDING IN SEATTLE WILL BE SAVED?

2011-01-24T15:44:00.006-07:00

LATEST UPDATE Feb. 2, 2011: Seattle's 619 Western Building will be saved from the wrecking ball afterall. Read the article below.

http://crosscut.com/2011/01/27/alaskan-way-viaduct/20584/How-619-Western-escaped-tunnel-planners--wrecking-ball/

Jan. 24, 2011 Laurie Zuckerman's former art studio in Seattle's historic 619 Western Building on the waterfront is in danger of being demolished, to make way for the removal of the Viaduct. Friends in Seattle sent me this news and I feel like I am about to lose an old friend. I painted in my fourth floor studio for nearly nine years. I held open studios and art parties with my studio partner, artist Jana Rekosh. Jana and I built the 840 square-foot-space back in 1993 with help from an architect. The best thing about 619 Western was the abundance of wonderful artists filling the six-floor building. In particular, I remember fondly the late Drake Deknatel, one of the best painters in the Northwest. Losing 619 Western will be a huge loss to the art community in Seattle. I hope this building can be saved. Read more about the controversy in this Crosscut article:

http://crosscut.com/2011/01/11/urban/20534/State-moves-toward-demolishing-historic-artists--building/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S SPIRITUAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO CEMETERIES

2011-01-15T12:30:00.024-07:00

New Mexico cemetery plastic archangel

Colorado cemetery Jesus, life-size

Colorado cemetery crucifixion, life-size

Colorado cemetery Mary at the base of above crucifixion

New Mexico cemetery on the High Road to Taos

New Mexico cemetery on the Low Road to Taos, life-size

New Mexico cemetery on the High Road to Taos

Southern Colorado cemetery Jesus and Mary "Pieta" statue

New Mexico Navajo Reservation cemetery

Laurie Zuckerman's frequent travels to remote cemeteries in the Southwest are occasionally rewarded with a rare spiritual photographic image, rather than merely a photo document. I plan to share a few of my favorite spiritual images, as I sort years of photography into publication-worthy folders. Watch for more iconic shots over the next few days.

The first photo of the archangel is one where the chance elements of time, weather, and even vandalism have altered the monument maker's vision to produce something more poignant than his/her original artistic conception. The silhouetted crucifix against the setting sun is the perfect iconic image. The fireball sky is true to my experience of these life-size statues in the Aguilar cemetery, in Southern Colorado. My favorite roads to travel and photograph in New Mexico are the High Road and the Low Road, both leading from Espanola to Taos. They wind through small Hispanic villages and pueblos, past historic camposantos and mission churches. The shredded flag on the Navajo Reservation in northwestern New Mexico is typical of these high-desert cemeteries with their extremes of wind and sun and neglect. Veterans are frequently honored with flags.

This spiritual photo series is also linked to Rebecca Brooks' Recuerda Mi Corazon's blog hosting her series called "Stumbling Toward Ecstasy." Rebecca and I invite you to log on to her site:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S PERSONAL HOME ALTAR TO HER FATHER GEORGE ZUCKERMAN, 1996

2011-01-14T13:16:00.004-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman's "My Father's Altar" 1996-2011

Laurie Zuckerman shares her home altar dedicated to her father George Zuckerman, who passed away in 1996. This altar has been developing for more than fourteen years. This is the state it was in during my exhibit at the Loveland Museum in the fall of 2009, here in Northern Colorado. I am sharing this image so that my viewers can see the entire context for my current blog title image, a closeup of the top of this cabinet. My father's personal papers, books, letters, and a few belongings are stored inside this cabinet. I refer to it as a library altar. The altar lives permanently in my bedroom when it is not on display. Please feel free to ask questions or make comments about this home altar.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY BOX SHRINES HONOR HER PARENTS, BLANCHE KLEID ZUCKERMAN AND GEORGE ZUCKERMAN

2011-01-13T12:40:00.012-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman's Memory Box, "Good Luck, Blanche" front

Laurie Zuckerman's Memory Box, "Good Luck, Blanche" back

Laurie Zuckerman's Memory Box, "Good Luck, Blanche" coffin

Laurie Zuckerman's interest in collecting miniature paraphernalia extends beyond the memory jugs she makes. The above photos exhibit views of a small memory box assemblage I created in reverance of my mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman, who passed away at the young age of 78. This memory box was exhibited at my solo retrospective in the Loveland Museum Gallery in the fall of 2009, and is a good example of my obsession with the afterlife, by way of memorializing people I have loved. I wish my mother good luck, wherever she is and whatever state she is in. This shrine is inside an old wooden cigar box that I worked on over a period of several years. The coffin is an old snuff box, I believe. I am sleeping next to my mother in her coffin, just as I sleep next to her in her single bed only months before her death. I hadn't laid in my mother's bed with her since I was a little, little girl, but it is one of my favorite memories of her. I have her bed now in my studio. And her pillow.

Laurie Zuckerman's Memory Box, "Who Dreams of a Horse?"

Above is a second cigar box memory shrine dedicated to my father, George Zuckerman who was a Hollywood screenwriter and novelist. My father once wrote a Broadway play entitled, "Who Dreams of an Elephant?" My dreams as a child were of horses, horses, horses, so I titled this piece, "Who Dreams of a Horse?" Look carefully, you will see several miniature jugs in this memory box. One of my favorite things to collect. This memory box was also exhibited at the Loveland Museum Gallery in 2009. This photo represents an earlier version of this shrine. I will post new photos soon, as it is more fleshed out now with a wonderful background I found while junking in Wyoming.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S CEMETERY CROSS PHOTOS FROM NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO

2011-01-10T11:23:00.025-07:00

New Mexico cemetery cross

New Mexico cemetery cross with heart and goblet

New Mexico cemetery cross with a heart-like form

New Mexico cemetery cross with what appears to be a double-heart

Southern Colorado cemetery cross with head and arms

New Mexico sandstone cemetery cross with amazingly stout proportions

Laurie Zuckerman shares her photos of anthropomorphic crosses from cemeteries in Hispanic New Mexico and Southern Colorado on this post. These naive handmade crosses are extremely unique and represent some of the oldest gravemarkers in the Southwest. They bridge the human aspects of death and Catholicism with their body-like forms. Please feel free to leave your comments and watch for new images each day.

My cemetery cross photo series is also linked to Rebecca Brooks' Recuerda Mi Corazon's blog hosting her series called "Stumbling Toward Ecstasy." Rebecca and I invite you to log on to her site:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S CRUCIFIX PHOTOS FROM NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO CEMETERIES

2011-01-01T22:52:00.043-07:00

Southern Colorado metal cemetery crucifix

Southern Colorado metal cemetery crucifix, half-buried

Colorado metal cemetery crucifix

New Mexico metal cemetery crucifix

New Mexico plastic cemetery crucifix

New Mexican plastic/metal cemetery crucifix

New Mexico metal cemetery crucifix

New Mexico metal cemetery crucifix, detail of arms

Laurie Zuckerman begins a new series of crucifix imagery photographed in northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado on January 1, 2011. The Catholic crosses are embedded in concrete or sandstone gravestones in old rural cemeteries, referred to as camposantos —holy fields. The photos date from my travels throughout the past seven years, specifically to document cemetery art. Here is a website I just found that provides photos and historical information about these "casket crucifixes" and "coffin crosses." http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/crucifixes.htm

Check back daily for new photos from this series. If you are interested, all of these photos will be available for sale. Contact me at zucky@qwest.net

Southern Colorado metal cemetery crucifix with seashells

Southern Colorado metal cemetery crucifix with seashells and bottle

My crucifix photo series is linked to Rebecca Brooks' Recuerda Mi Corazon's blog hosting a series called "Stumbling Toward Ecstasy." Rebecca and I invite you to log on to her site:

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN WISHES YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND HOLY NEW YEAR IN 2011

2011-01-01T10:46:00.008-07:00

It's that day to make resolutions. Move more, eat less, and most importantly, stay centered on my artwork. Too tempting to start new projects while so many others remain unresolved. This break, I have been working on several series of cemetery and shrine photographs from my forays into the historic Hispanic Southwest. In between backbreaking hours at the computer, I tinker with my existing altars in preparation for a new round of photo documentation this month. I dust the cobwebs off my crucifixes and saints and stuff new offerings into every available space.

In the coming weeks, I will be constructing a new Day of the Dead ofrenda in my downstairs studio, along with some help from my space heater! Winter has finally set in here. Snow has finally fallen on our bone dry backyard after a long warm fall. The time has come for cabin-bound art projects, now that all the holiday festivities are behind us. I have two and a half weeks left of complete freedom before the spring semester begins. I want to have momentum on my side and make the most of my creative time. My wish for you: time, space, and abundant inspiration for all of your own creative projects. Happy New Year to all!!

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S "VISION OF THE MADONNA" MOSAIC IN RIVER GLASS

2010-12-25T18:18:00.004-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman experienced a "vision" right before Christmas that she could create a Madonna from the shards of river glass her husband collected for her in Wyoming this fall. Using nearly every piece, I positioned these chunks of bottle and telephone transformer glass on my outdoor patio table to resemble the Madonna's head with her blue mantle, and without the add of a picture. It still needs plenty of fussing before I glue it down, if at all. Perhaps on an old, old wine bottle I found in Leadville, Colorado. I want her to be beautiful, but at the moment, she is harsh and stern like a witch. I was reading my new book on New Guinea's Bowerbirds when my vision struck me. Male Bowerbirds collect and carefully arrange colorful baubles to entice a female to mate. Fortunately our balmy winter weather cooperated so I could run outside on Christmas Eve and work until I was finished with this rough draft. What do you think?

I've made some changes, found some more cobalt beach glass, but the snow has covered my backyard Madonna experiment for now.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN WISHES YOU A FESTIVE CHRISTMAS FROM NORTHERN COLORADO

2010-12-25T09:17:00.003-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman celebrated Christmas Eve day with a drive in the country to Cheyenne, Wyoming, hoping to spot some nativity scenes along the way. Magically, on the way home, I spotted this nearly life-size plastic family in Weld County, just east of Fort Collins. I'll be out scouting again today in Weld County, as the sun is shining here and there is no snow for a white Christmas. Hope you are enjoying your own festive Christmas!

Here's a few shots I took tonight in Fort Collins, on a lucky hunch that the historic Tres Colonias neighborhoods might have a few good nativity scenes. That's how I spent my Christmas evening, stealing into people's driveways to photograph these lighted shrines. I even caught up with this Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine, which has probably been up for the past couple of weeks, if not longer.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN SHARES A CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SHRINE FROM SOUTHERN COLORADO

2010-12-24T11:44:00.004-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman wishes you and your family a wonderful holy season. I hope your home is as spirited as this one in the tiny town of Weston, deep in Southern Colorado. The porch makes a perfect manger for the coming of the baby Jesus. These nativity figures are life-size. Wish I had the guts to kitsch-up my house like this!

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S "ROCK OF AGES" PHOTO SERIES FROM SOUTHERN COLORADO'S HISTORIC CATHOLIC CEMETERIES — "CAMPOSANTOS"

2010-12-14T11:28:00.024-07:00

Day 1: Carved fieldstone in Southern Colorado 2007

Day 2: Carved fieldstone in Southern Colorado 2007

Day 3: Carved fieldstone in Southern Colorado 2007

Day 4: Carved fieldstone in Southern Colorado 2007

Day 5: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 6: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 7: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 8: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 9: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 10: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Day 11: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2007

Day 12: Carved fieldstone Southern Colorado 2010

Carved rock by Tom Mathies at the Keota Cemetery

Carved rock by Tom Mathies at the Pawnee Buttes

Christmas Day!! Laurie Zuckerman spends her vacations cruising Hispanic cemeteries "camposantos" in the Southwest for folk art gravestones. Probably the oldest and most primitive of the markers I find are small fieldstones that unobtrusively mark forgotten plots of loved ones. The stones are irregular and encrusted with lichens, obscuring the handcarved Spanish-style crosses engraved in their faces. In honor of the twelve days of Christmas, I will display a new photo each day from cemeteries tucked away in the remote San Luis Valley of Colorado. Once governed by Spain and Mexico for centuries, the religious culture of Spain and Mexico still survives, due to that remoteness. Later on Christmas Day I will post photos of our own "rock of ages" stones my husband has carved for my birthday and Christmas presents this month. We are taking them out to the country today for their debut shoot out at the old Keota Cemetery, in the heart of dustbowl land and then on to the Pawnee Buttes National Grasslands. The last three shots are from today's Christmas journey.

"My refuge my rock of salvation!

'Tis pleasant to sing to your praises.

Let our house of prayer be restored.

And there we will offer You our thanks.

When You will have utterly silenced the loud-mouthed foe.

Then we will celebrate with song and psalm the altar's dedication.

My soul was sated with misery,

My strength was spent with grief.

They embittered my life with hardship..."

Excerpt from the Channukah "Rock of Ages" song.

Carved "moss rock" by Tom Mathies, photographed

at Keota Cemetery, Weld County, Colorado, 2010

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS BOTTLE TREE IN SOUTH FORK, SOUTHERN COLORADO

2010-12-13T21:19:00.002-07:00

It is not everyday that Laurie Zuckerman finds a Southern-style spirit bottle tree to photograph. Here is a shot from South Fork, Colorado, that I took over the Thanksgiving Break, in a place and a state I would never expect to see one. I was told a bear knocked down the tree and its original old bottles. These cobalt blue bottles are the replacements, but these days everyone is using these bottles liberally.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE SHRINE, ANTONITO, COLORADO

2010-12-01T19:48:00.058-07:00

Twelve Days of La Virgen de Guadalupe at

el oratorio de juan diego y la sagrada familia

roadside shrine in Antonito, Colorado

Day 1: Conejos, Colorado

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2010

Day 2: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2006

Day 3: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Can you find the changes in four years time?

Amazing how little has changed in this public shrine.

Day 4: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2006

This stunning Guadalupe is dedicated to Blanche Kleid Zuckerman,

my dear mother who would be 88 years old today. For you, Mom!!

Day 5: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 6: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 6: Villanueva Grotto, New Mexico 2007, comparing Guadalupe statues

Day 6: Villanueva Grotto, New Mexico 2007, comparing Guadalupe angels

Day 7: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 8: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2006

Day 8: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Notice La Madre Dolorosa's tears.

Day 9: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 10: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine window, 2010

Day 10: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine painting, 2006

Day 10: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine painting, 2010

Day 11: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2006

Day 11: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 11: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine door from inside, 2006

Day 11: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Look carefully, that is my reflection in the door.

Day 12: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Day 12: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2006

Day 12: Antonito, Colorado roadside shrine, 2010

Hope you have enjoyed my tour in Antonito!!

Day 12: Rocky Ford, Colorado yard shrine

Happy Virgin of Guadalupe Day to all who have joined in!!!

Laurie Zuckerman shares her birthdate, December 12, with La Virgen de Guadalupe, Mexico's widely revered Virgin. This might just be why I respond to her image so viscerally. Over the Thanksgiving Break, I traveled to Southern Colorado and photographed images of the Guadalupe in the oldest operating church in Conejos County, aptly titled Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. I also re-photographed "el oratorio de juan diego y la sacrada familia" roadside shrine on the southside of Antonito. Days 2 through 12 are photos I have documented from this Guadalupe roadside shrine. I have visited this shrine several times over the years, on my way to and from Northern New Mexico. I will be comparing shots from a 2006 visit with my 2010 visit, as my interests lie in how the shrine is used or changed. It is likely that the people who own the shrine have made these decorative additions and subtractions themselves. It is also probable that the community brings offerings to this shrine that are periodically "cleaned up." A third possibility is that the shrine is occasionally vandalized, but the four-year documentation of this shrine shows little change or abuse. I just want to know what happened to these beautiful flowers and leis on the Guadalupe. She is housed in a tiny, closet-sized building on Highway 285 leading south of Antonito, and well-protected from the elements, keeping her in pristine condition for a chalkware statue. I reveal outdoor shots of this shrine on December 12th.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour. Thanks for coming along!!!

PLEASE log onto Recuerda Mi Corazon to see more wonderful images of La Virgen de Guadalupe on Rebecca Brooks' blog. Rebecca is hosting "A Virgin a Day." Other artists are sharing their daily visions of Guadalupe on Rebecca's site, too. What a sweet commemoration! I am thoroughly enjoying the experience each day.

On December 13, I will begin a Rock of Ages series, plus a Baby Jesus series, honoring the twelve days celebrating the Christmas season, as I was raised celebrating Christmas, not Channukah.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S PAINTING PROFESSOR, NATHAN OLIVEIRA, PASSES AWAY NOVEMBER 14

2010-11-19T14:47:00.003-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman's former teacher, Nathan Oliveira, the hugely famous figurative painter from California, passed away a few days ago. The New York Times reported his obituary today. I was shocked and saddened, as Nathan Oliveira was the best teacher and by far the best painter I ever had the opportunity to study with. Oliveira was an art professor at Stanford University. In the summer of 1977, I applied to study with him at the Centrum Foundation in Port Townsend, Washington. I was accepted for this small and exclusive three-week workshop. I had just finished graduate school in painting at the University of Oregon. A huge fan of all the Bay Area Figurative expressionist painters, I was thrilled to have this opportunity to paint alongside Oliveira. He was the nicest, kindest man—fatherly in fact. He was also the most inspiring teacher I had ever worked with. The students lived for three weeks with him, his wife, and young son at Fort Worden State Park in the idyllic World War II army barracks at the beach. Undoubtedly the best teaching experience of my life. My heart goes out to Mr. Oliveira's family.

The following summer I received a scholarship to study with Elaine de Kooning, ex-wife of Willem de Kooning, one of my other most favorite painters. Back at UC Berkeley, my undergraduate alma mater, I studied figure drawing with Elmer Bischoff, another major figure from the Bay Area Figurative group, of which Richard Diebenkorn is the most well-known. Diebenkorn, is most famous for painting the ocean landscape I grew up in in Los Angeles in his renowned "Ocean Park" series. These men were my contemporary heroes.

Read his biography at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/arts/design/19oliveira.html?hpw

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN FAVORITE ALTAR ACTIVITY

2010-11-14T17:34:00.005-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman was up in Saratoga, Wyoming this summer and photographed this sign in the historic downtown. Unfortunately there were no antiques for sale inside this antique building. Just ice cream! These four letters sum up what I do best—shop. I think it is my greatest skill besides arranging all my treasures on my altars, memory jugs, and memory boxes. I design found-object assemblages while pacing up and down the aisles of my favorite flea markets, thrift stores, and antique malls. These stores are an extension of my studio. I debate each object for how it could be incorporated into my artwork, with most objects receiving a resounding NEVER! I am extremely picky, as I try to only buy what I intend to use now or the near future of my work. I shop alone, as few people have my stamina. And I shop frequently, something most people find a bore or a collosal waste of time and money. Not me, I do my most creative thinking on my feet.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN DIA DE LOS MUERTOS OFRENDA ALTAR at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery Fiesta in Denver on October 30

2010-11-08T09:30:00.004-07:00

Laurie Zuckerman was invited to create one of her eclectic Day of the Dead ofrenda altars at the Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery's Diá de los Muertos Fiesta, October 30 in Denver's Wheat Ridge area. Two of the six altar artists included Denver santeros, Jerry Vigil and Rob Yancey. We all gave presentations about our altars to a crowd of approximately 125 people in the Pavilion. Denver's Westword Magazine voted this the Best Day of the Dead in a Cemetery award for 2010.

This was a brand new altar for me and I had many constraints, worst of which was not being able to put anything on the wall. So I choose to let the window be my wall. It was such a sunny fall day and the Pavilion was so dark. I will make a version of this "Old Mexico" folk art altar again, hopefully next year at a venue where I can take the altar up the wall and onto the floor.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN SHARES DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTAR PHOTOS FROM MEXICO

2010-10-31T20:47:00.005-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman wishes you a wonderful Day of the Dead. Here is one of my favorite photos I took on my last trip to Oaxaca, Mexico—life-sized paper maché skeletons sitting on a wrought iron bench under a classic arch of marigold blossoms. Life AND death: it doesn't get any more magical and beautiful than this sidewalk altar.

My favorite Day of the Day ofrenda altar was photographed in Tlacolula, in Mexico's Oaxaca region countryside. I photographed this simple table display back in 2008. Sure wish I was Oaxaca today. I miss Mexico with all my heart!

One of the purest presentations for the Day of the Dead comes from the penitente church of Atotonilco, outside of San Miguel de Allende, back in 2006. Another trip I will treasure.

I wish everyone a wonderful Day of the Dead celebration, especially my best altarista pals—Kathy Pinkerton in Mexico City and Rebecca Brooks in San Miguel de Allende. You lucky ladies!!!!

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN DIA DE LOS MUERTOS OFRENDA ALTAR AT STUDIO 12 GALLERY Denver, Colorado: Reception is November 5

2010-10-31T08:19:00.029-06:00

"Devil May Care" ofrenda altar installation by Laurie Zuckerman,

in honor of Blanche and George Zuckerman.

Laurie Zuckerman was invited to create one of her eclectic ofrenda altars for the Studio 12 Gallery's Day of the Dead exhibit in Denver, located in the Arts District of Santa Fe Drive. I installed my "Devil May Care" altar on Saturday, September 25, one of the two invited ofrendas anchoring this diverse exhibition of sculpture, painting, altars, and jewelry. Jerry Vigil, internationally reknowned Day of the Dead artist from Denver, invited me to participate in this Second Annual Día de los Muertos Show. Jerry and I showed our Day of the Dead artwork in the fabulous exhibit "Grave Matters" at the Loveland Art Museum back in 2005 and together at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery Diá de los Muertos Festival in Denver this weekend.

There is one more public reception for this Day of the Dead show on November 5th from 4-9 pm. Hope to see you there!

Details at all of these Denver websites:
http://denverarts.org/local_exhibits/studio_12_2nd_annual_dia_de_los_muertos_show.html
www.artdistrictonsantafe.com/events/dia-de-los-muertos-day-of-the-dead
www.facebook.com/pages/Denver-CO/Studio-12-Gallery/325665542277

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN DIA DE LOS MUERTOS "DEVIL MAY CARE" ALTAR AT STUDIO 12 GALLERY Denver, Colorado receives good press in Kaitlin Cranor's UCD Advocate review

2010-10-30T10:22:00.004-06:00

Art Beat: Studio 12 gallery converts a skeptic:
Artists breathe life into Day of the Dead exhibit
Kaitlin Cranor, Senior Staff Writer, UCD Advocate, Oct. 20, 2010
http://www.ucdadvocate.com/infocus/art-beat-studio-12-gallery-converts-a-skeptic-1.1718316

"The works displayed at Studio 12 were obviously crafted with extreme care and undeniable talent. Anyone who has the patience to...collect hundreds of tiny knickknacks to create an enormous diorama ("Devil May Care Altar" by Laurie Zuckerman) seems like a true artist to me." Kaitlin Cranor

Read the entire review below:

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS WYOMING'S DINOSAUR MUSEUM "DAY OF THE DEAD" ART A

2010-10-02T18:55:00.003-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman drove to Thermopolis Hot Springs, Wyoming in early October and took a photo of this "Day of the Dead-like" skeleton at a defunct Dinosaur Museum, a building on the National Historic Register built from thousands of dinosaur bones. The old hand-painted sign compares this human skeleton to the skeleton of a Brontosaurus dinosaur. Nothing more charming than weathered hand-painted signs. Below is the full sign measuring five feet across, in the middle of Nowheresville, Wyoming, northwest of Laramie.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN JURIES THE COLORADO WOMEN'S CAUCUS FOR THE ARTS "CONTAINER SHOW" AT THE CORE GALLERY IN DENVER Opens August 19 - September 5, 2010

2010-08-17T19:28:00.002-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman was guest juror for the Colorado Women's Caucus for the Arts "Container Show" to be exhibited at The CORE Gallery from August 19 thru September 5 on 900 Santa Fe Drive, the popular arts district in downtown Denver. Laurie selected 24 works from Colorado women artists for this show, including found-object assemblages, sculptures, paintings, digital photography, and awarded six prizes, including Best in Show. There were a number of small "shrines" and memory pieces to consider, making the jurying particularly relevant to Laurie's own artistic leanings. Laurie is exhibiting a poster of her eclectic memory box entitled "Who Dreams of a Horse" in this CORE Gallery exhibit.

Laurie Zuckerman's juror's statement to the artists:

"I am intrigued by all of the works that appear in this Container Show. They represent any combination of the following artistic qualities: meticulous, detailed, spare, thought-provoking, conceptual, nostalgic, original, or just plain beautiful. Let me applaud all of you who contributed your time and creative spirit, whether you were juried in to the show or not. I had a wrath of personal and meaningful works to choose from, and it was an honor to have you share your heart and your vision with me to make this show a success.

"Jurying is a “challenging and subjective responsibility,” words that I have borrowed directly from the WCA Colorado chapter website. I have taken my role as juror seriously and applied the same high standards to your work as I would to any other artist or student that asks for my opinion. It is a weighty position and one guaranteed to instill dismay and even hurt feelings. It is the nature of the beast, unfortunately. Perhaps your work did not jive with the broad theme of “containers.” I tried my hardest to perceive the connection with each and every piece, many of which displayed well on their own merits, apart from the theme. Likewise, if your piece did not measure with the visual maturity of the show I was selecting, it was also passed over. Quality in both the technical details and overall aesthetic are paramount in my determination. Equal with quality is my perception of creative concept and uniqueness of form. Originality.

"I agree that a juror definitely is swayed by her own artistic preferences, and in this regard I have much experience and aesthetic criteria to bring to the jurying table. The juror wrestles with her own opinions and the artists wrestle to comprehend the juror’s vantage point, both before and after the fact. What stands above all of that second guessing, is the work itself. The art speaks for itself, silently, powerfully, wordlessly. That is the nature of visual art. This is a powerful exhibit that each of you has contributed to conceiving and realizing. Congratulations to all of you artists!"

For more information:
http://www.westword.com/events/core-new-art-space-1562709/
http://denverarts.org/local_exhibits/core_theresa_lugo_and_laurie_dunn.html

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS FOLK ART SACRED HEARTS IN NEW MEXICO CEMETERIES

2010-07-29T14:50:00.000-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman photographs folk art graves in the Southwest and Latin America whenever she gets an opportunity to travel. These are a few of my favorite sacred heart images incorporated with birds and Catholic crosses. Whether sandstone or cement, these charmingly naive carvings are as exquisite as any ancient petroglyphs and pictographs. I hope you enjoy them.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS ROADSIDE SHRINES IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO

2010-07-21T19:41:00.009-06:00

Laurie Zuckerman has been culling through her Southern Arizona photographs from earlier this year and is posting these private roadside shrines in and around Tubac, one decked out with Christmas lights. There were a string of home shrines just south of the town in a rural neighborhood along the old highway to the Tumacacori Mission. The family shrine with the hats was on an old highway heading west of Tubac, likely the site of a car crash. Very sweet and simple shrines, contemporary statuary. Real folk-art gems, the grottos themselves. Over the years, the interaction with the family and the public offerings lends visual richness and soulful authenticity to these shrines. It is what makes Arizona so unique. I have seen only a couple of roadside shrines like this in New Mexico. If you count the Sanctuario de Chimayo, then yes, that is the pentultimate shrine. Southern Colorado has quite a few gems, too.

Here is one from a private residence in Raton, New Mexico. The grotto is comprised of beautiful chunks of colored slag, large and extremely formidable. A huge plaster statue of Christ stands behind a glass wall, first shrine I have seen behind glass or plexiglass.

On the road to Mountaineer, New Mexico, I came upon this roadside shrine just outside the boundary to the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Wonderful structure, blends perfectly into the red earth hillside.

LAURIE ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS ARLINGTON WEST IRAQ MEMORIAL, SANTA MONICA PIER

2010-06-16T22:39:00.001-06:00

Not your typical day at the beach. Laurie Zuckerman just visited the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles and found this startling somber memorial to the soldiers in Iraq. Flag-draped coffins, soldiers boots and endless wooden crosses dotted the beach along the northside of the pier. The red crosses were especially effective against the sand and the sad gray sky.