The face of a man – curiously missing eyes, missing teeth, his brain seemingly evaporated – almost grins from a pedestal in Burris Hall. Spikes protrude from his head, evidence of a piercing gone mad, of the torture of migraine, of a troublesome mauling with oversized golf tees, perhaps, or martini stirrers. Matthew C. Wicker’s, “Stacks,” is both disturbing and hilarious at once. An artist from New York, Wicker is one of over eighty professional iron artists in Iron Tribe.

“I was trying to describe this group of people,” explains David Lobdell, NMHU Department of Fine Arts professor, and curator of the Iron Tribe exhibition, now on display through Friday, March 6. “We are willing to spend our extra money to do this – we’ll drive across the country, drive for 30 hours one way. We didn’t go to school together. I learned it after school, when I was just started out at Highlands. We’re not necessarily friends. We come together out of our mutual interest. The world Tribe seemed to suit the group best, especially for the name of a program that happens in New Mexico.”

by Birdie Jaworski
Soft cocoons of blue and wilted yellow vibrate, collected together in a nest spun of capillary and experience. Scored into four equal segments surrounded by deliberate black void, Alex Ellis’ encaustic painting, “Mystery Map #1,” reminds the viewer of tired eyes, of internal organs fighting for direction, for space to expand. At once otherworldly and deeply intimate, Ellis’ …

by Birdie JaworskiJames sat on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. The water shimmered, its choppy surface echoing the deep azure of Israel’s morning sky. He held a fishing net in his hands, his fingers carefully darning small holes ripped by the tides. His brother and father sat near him, and as they worked, they noticed a peaceful man …

by Birdie Jaworski

Karyl Lyne conducts the 1st Presbyterian Bell Ringers.

A row of Las Vegans stand at the front of the First United Presbyterian altar prior to Sunday service, smarty dressed in white dress shirts and black cotton gloves. They wait, each holding the handle of a gilded bell. Conductor Karyl Lyne raises her arms, pointing at one ringer, then another, …

by Birdie Jaworski

Martin Jencka (left) and Lucas Cudia get their faces painted at Synergy Fest.

A blast of high-energy live music signaled the start of the annual Synergy Fest, a celebration of renewable energy, sustainable culture, music, and learning held at Melody Park this past weekend. Organizers began the arduous task of festival set-up Friday morning by installing hundreds of feet …

by Birdie Jaworski
Demogorgon’s music hits the listener’s ears with a surprising mix of melodic electric guitar arpeggios accented by driving drum riffs and a lead singer’s deliberatly muffled lyrics. The result is music that haunts, teases, offers a glimpse of the dark powers latent in each of us. Demogorgon will play Friday evening as part of this weekend’s Synergy Fest …

A bearded man lightly plucks a deceptively simple arpeggio on his guitar. His voice carries a coat of cannon oil, carries the echo of guns set aside for one December night. The melody is vintage John McCutcheon – tight, rhythmic, with gentle curves around minor corners. The lyrics are poignant, peaceful, the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 on …