The Santa Fe New Mexican from Santa Fe, New Mexico • Page 138

Paintin oil, acrylic watercolors (and much, much more!) Armory for the Arts home for many arts real estate broker plaza, santa fe design 988-2533 By PETER EICHSTAEDT The New Mexican Staff The Armory for the Arts is exactly what its name suggests. It is a large building, formerly a National Guard Armory, which has been converted into a place for the production and presentation of various art mediums. At just about any time of the week and at any time of the year, there is a bustle of activity in the cavernous spaces of the Armory located at 1050 Old Pecos Trail. Dancers may be rehearsing in the mirrored room adjacent to the lobby. In the lobby, which has been converted into an art gallery, several artists may be hanging their work for an upcoming show.

In the large theater room which occupies the majority of space in the Armory, a theater company may be wrestling with the presentation of a scene from a new play. In the back rooms of the Armory, costume designers may be hard at work sewing and cutting Victorian garments for the theatrical production as makeup is applied to an actor in another room. But this Armory is a little different from most other art centers. This one is not supported by any specific governmental agency or controlled by any artistic group. Tbe Armory for the Arts is operated by Rising Sun a non-profit corporation.

The money needed to pay the bills comes from the ticket sales, rental fees, grants and community donations. Rising Sun is not an administrative organization, although that is what its job has become. The non-profit organization is in reality a film group and maintains a growing film editing and production room in one part of the Armory. The Armory for the Arts was born in February 1975 when Rising Sun decided to take responsibility for the Armory under its community access project. The building was leased from the state and work began to make it accessible for use by local arts groups and companies from elsewhere which wanted to entertain in Santa Fe.

In the first few months of the Armory's existence, it became the home for the Orchestra of Santa Fe, as well as the Rising Sun administration, and soon other tenants followed, including the Theater Arts Coprporation, the Center of the Eye Photography Collaborative, the Musical Theater Association and the New Kaleidoscope Players. The growth of the Armory has been slow but steady. "In the beginning we had to search for activites and entertainers," said Alton CUSTOM WOODWORK Anything in wood, made to your specifications or my design. Furniture, cabinetry, corbels, kitchens, you name it. New Mexican or traditional.

Photographs of my work, drawings for. your approval, quotations and excellent references available. ROB POOLING 988-5774 Walpole, president of Rising Sun and director of the Armory, "but now we have to be selective." In addition to Walpole, George Burrows, who has a position with Rising Sun, works with the Armory in an unofficial position by assisting art groups and artists with securing grants. He is the grants and development officer with Rising Sun. Suzanne Jamison, the secretary of tho Rising Sun board of directors, is the administrative assistant of the Armory.

But the Armory will not continue to be operated by Rising Sun. Rising Sun is now in the process of turning over the entire operation of the Armory to a new nonprofit corporation called the Santa Fe Council for the Arts. The Council for the Arts has not had its first meeting and is still in the process of selecting board members. The new corporation "is an attempt to build a broad-based community arts council," said Walpole. He said the council will include members from all facets of Santa Fe so that it is "truly representative of the community, and not the traditional Anglo-eJite, young, camp art crowd." The purpose of the new council will be to upgrade the Armory and to bring arts to the entire community, said Walpole.

The first meeting of the council is scheduled for Aug. 8. Presently the Armory has a'full schedule of events which runs into 1979. Operating now through Aug. 25 are textile workshops directed by Mary Woodward Davis.

The program includes seminars, and workshops with nationally- acclaimed craftsmen in weaving, quilting and embroidery. Exact fees and schedules are available from the Armory. Three plays written by Sam Sheperd will be presented in the Armory by- the members of the Vortex Theater of Albuquerque. The plays, "Action," "Killer's Head" and "Cowboys 2" will be presented at 8:30 p.m. Aug.

3, 4 and 5 and 10, 11, and 12. Admission is S3.50. Following the Sherperd plays is a trio of one-act plays by Harold Pinter which will be produced by the Santa Fe Theater Project, The plays, "Landscape," "Silence" and "Night" will be directed by Ann Schofield. The plays will be presented at 8:30 p.m. Aug.

17 to 20 and 24 to 27. Admission opening night is SG ar.d S4 for the remaining nights. From Sept. 30 through Oct. 31 the Armory will host the Armory Show, an annual art show which will feature artists from Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Taos.

Admission to the show is free. In November the Armory will present the Reliquary Theater of Puppets, a presentation by Bob Williams of Tentatively scheduled in November is the Works of Billy The Kid," a theatrical production of the Performing Arts Collective of Albuquerque. For more information about the Armory and ticket reservations call 988-1186. Suppli FVames (and much, much more!) I 8 Arts, DEVARGAS MALL SANTA FE. Phone 988-1110 "The Fair That's Always There".