Bruce Hamilton and Susanna Carlisle's Zattere I new media installation is on view at Santa Fe's Center For Contemporary Arts as part of the Currents New Media Festival. Photograph courtesy of the Center For Contemporary Arts.

Go with the current.

When the Currents New Media Festival launched in 2002, the Santa Fe art and technology showcase primarily showed video work. But as technology has evolved, so have the offerings. “Now we show a wide range, like interactive installations, virtual reality, augmented reality, motion-reactive sculpture, light-sensitive pigment, and many other modalities,” says Mariannah Amster, co-executive/artistic director of Parallel Studios, which produces the festival.

Currents kicks off at noon Friday with small in-person events and a host of virtual events through June 27. See exhibitions at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Currents 826, and an augmented reality walk-through the Railyard. 

Get arty for a party.

Downtown Albuquerque shows off its modern-art muscles from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday during an opening party for Made in ABQ, an exhibit celebrating the Duke City, its artists, and the 30-year anniversary of the nationally renowned Richard Levy Gallery. Among the works are ones by Japanese artist Emi Ozawa, Grecian-born Mary Tsiongas, and Albuquerque muralist Noé Barnett. Together, they tackle issues like the loss of the silvery minnow and cacti as symbols of desert survival. The show is “a love letter to Albuquerque,” curator Sallie Scheufler says. “We thought, what better way to celebrate our space than by celebrating the community here.” 

The party spills over to 516 Arts next door, which opens its Dust Specks on the Sea exhibit, featuring French Caribbean and Haitian sculpture. Bring your mask, meet the artists, and enjoy the block-party vibe.

Warren WolfJazz legend Warren Wolf is among the musicians participating in the Branigan Cultural Center's Juneteenth Jazz Festival. Photograph courtesy of the Branigan Cultural Center.

Lift every voice and sing.

As the call grows louder to make Juneteenth a national holiday, Las Cruces shows what a celebration could look like. Two events—in person and online—celebrate the 1865 date when enslaved people in Texas learned that they were free. The Branigan Cultural Center’s Juneteenth Jazz Festival sets a beat at 3 p.m. Friday with performances, speakers, and activities through Saturday. Organized by musician and New Mexico Music commissioner Derrick Lee and Julian Alexander, a filmmaker, educator and hip-hop artist, the event includes acclaimed jazz bass player Nat Reeves and jazz legend Warren Wolf.

On Saturday evening, New Mexico State University’s Black Programs hosts speakers, musicians, and a candlelight vigil. The goal is to inspire participants to make a commitment for how they can help our communities understand and empower the people around them to build a better future for everyone.

Bandelier National MonumentBandelier National Monument's Frijoles Canyon. Photograph by Steve Gleydura.

Stay cool(er) in the canyon. 

Bandelier National Monument this week reopened its WPA-era visitor center in Frijoles Canyon, granting visitors renewed access to the park’s museum, theater, and ranger-led activities. See a film about the region’s Ancestral Puebloan culture and history during four daily showtimes at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. The museum also holds historic photographs and examples of artifacts found in the ancient sites. 

“Park rangers are looking forward to sharing the stories of this special place with our visitors,” says acting superintendent Dennis Milligan. One thing, though: Bring water. The temp might be cooler in the canyon, but hot is hot. Also, keep an eye out for flowering cacti, which are putting on a show. 

Take pride.

Through lyrics, music, and the emotional power of a joined voices, the hurdles overcome by gay people in America take the virtual stage this Saturday and Sunday in Unbreakable: The Untold Stories of Our Community. The New Mexico Gay Men’s Choir is the first ensemble in the nation to be granted the rights for a virtual performance of the 2018 work, written by Andrew Lippa, who won a Tony for his play I Am Harvey Milk.

Unbreakable spans 120 years of the gay experience—its hurdles, challenges, and successes. Improving current and future experiences is the aim of the New Mexico Gay Men’s Choir, now in its 40th year. For this performance, the singers will be backed by a small orchestra and promise to craft a visual presentation that matches the music. Purchase a ticket for this weekend or the encore performance next weekend.