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

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

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

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 SPONSORED BY BEET STREET

American Vodou Altar Installation at the Loveland Museum, by Laurie Beth 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.

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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