Where We Meet: Conversations from New Mexico and Beyond

Our guest today is Yvonne Montoya. Montoya is a New Mexican choreographer whose current work, Stories from Home, is grounded in her identity and her family’s stories. With her company, Safos, they presented workshops at the Wildflower Playhouse and will present their dance performance on TCA’s stage, on Sunday, April 21st, 2024.

Stories From Home premiered in Washington DC, at the Kennedy Center. It received support from the National Endowment for the Arts and a multitude of Arizona based funding as well.

In this conversation with Alice Morillon, Montoya talks of the aesthetics and uniqueness of New Mexico, and how she incorporates them into her work. She shares the centrality of family in her life and creative endeavors. She reflects on the erasure of this region’s history on a national scale and frames her work within this context.

Estelle Laure is the author of ten published and/or forthcoming picture books and young adult novels, including acclaimed novel This Raging Light and Disney's City of Villains trilogy. Laure was raised in Taos where she still lives and works today. She is an english language arts teacher at Taos Academy and is the young writers program curator at SOMOS and runs a youth writer group.

In conversation with Sawyer Sides and Julia Edmonds, she talk about the work she completes at SOMOS, how it impacts the youth in the community, and how she came to be at SOMOS.

Sawyer Sides and Julia Edmonds are interns with TCA and seniors at Taos Academy. They are a part of the work Estelle Laure has completed within Taos Academy and SOMOS.

Our guest today is writer Miriam Sagan. Sagan has written over 30 books of poetry, novels and essays. She has been a writer in residence in many places around the world.

Since 1984, Sagan lives in Santa Fe, where she created and taught the creative writing program at the Santa Fe Community College. Her latest work, Commune of the Golden Sun, came out in January 2024.

In this conversation with Alice Morillon, Sagan tells us about the writing scene in Santa Fe in the 80s. She shares the importance she sees in supporting other writers in getting their work into the world, along with the complexities of that task. She touches on the role of inheritance in her creative work, and what education can do for one, both in personal and professional realms.

Ray Archuleta is a soil scientist and farmer, who lives in Seymour, MO and grew up in Espanola, NM.

For 30 years, Archuleta worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service before retiring in 2017. He then focused on teaching Biomimicry strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil function on a national scale.

In this conversation with Alice Morillon, he discusses the principles of Regenerative Agriculture before considering its application to Northern New Mexico.

References:

Kiss the Ground (documentary)

Allan Savory, Holistic Management

Gabe Brown, Dirt to Soil

Carlos Hernandez is a multimedia artist that has worked out of Taos since 2019. He holds an MFA in Video and Performance Art, and has pursued many fields of art including, sculpture, sound, film, painting and drawing.

His exhibition, Eros in the Ether: Figurative Architecture, will be shown at the Encore Gallery March 1st - April 14th 2024. It showcases a series of oil paintings that focus on perception of space and the relationship between individuals and their surrounding environment.

This is a live conversation with Alice Morillon.

Francisco El Comanche Gonzales is a community activist and educator whose practices center on the heritage of the Comanches. With his community, he leads dancing, singing and traditional customs. Los Comanches de la Serna are located in Ranchos de Taos.

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Sydney Cline grew up in Taos and her experience informed her desire to start Common Grounds. Common Grounds is a safe space for youth in Taos, whether they need to take a shower, need someone to talk to, or if they just want a space to hangout in. Cline, along with other youth in the Taos community began developing the concept in 2017. In our conversation Cline takes us through what led her to beginning the concept of common grounds, what common grounds does, and what she hopes for the future. 

Cipriano Vigil is a renowned Northern New Mexico musician, whose work has been acknowledged in many ways, including being recognized as a Living Treasure in New Mexico for his work with folk art. This conversation is edited in two segment - this the second one. In this segment, he performs live music and shares the tale of La Llorona. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Cipriano Vigil is a renowned Northern New Mexico musician, whose work has been acknowledged in many ways, including being recognized as a Living Treasure in New Mexico for his work with folk art.  In this conversation with Alice Morillon, he looks back on his life’s work and its fascinating, diverse aspects, through a lens focused on the music itself.

This conversation is edited into two episodes. This is the first segment.

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Lara Manzanares is a bilingual musician and weaver, deeply grounded in New Mexico. In this conversation with Alice Morillon, Manzanares reflects on community, art, and the land of rounded corners, as she comes to call New Mexico. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

The four members of Lone Piñon, Jordan Wax, Santiago Romero, Tanya Nuñez and Karina Wilson share their work in uncovering, learning and performing traditional Northern New Mexico music. They also perform two live songs and give context to the « how » and « why » of the music they play.

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

The four members of Lone Piñon, Jordan Wax, Santiago Romero, Tanya Nuñez and Karina Wilson share their work in uncovering, learning and performing traditional Northern New Mexico music. In this conversation with Alice Morillon, they reflect on the place of this music in our communities and their own relationship to this unique cultural element.

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area

David Fernandez de Taos is deeply grounded in Northern New Mexico. He is an active member of Taos’ life, in various aspects, with, to only name a few, his participation on the board of the Taos Historic Museums and the board of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. 

In this conversation with Alice Morillon, he focuses on the work of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas are places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form cohesive, nationally important landscapes. The Northern Rio Grande National Area encompasses more than 10,000 square miles, within Taos, Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Miguel Santistevan is a teacher, farmer and researcher. In this live conversation with Alice Morillon, he reflects on his own path to farming and the central role of maize (corn) in the Americas, at once cultural and for subsistence.

Santistevan earned a Master degree in Ecology from UC Davis and has led, taught and managed many projects and groups in learning about farming in Northern New Mexico.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Corilia Ortega, a funding member of the Talpa Community Market and a core member of the 100% Community Initiative in Taos County, shares her perspective and insights on community organizing. In this conversation with Alice Morillon, she reflects on her role in connecting her community members to one another and to opportunities.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

In this live conversation, Doc the High Hawk and JuanIsidro Concha talk about their relationship to art. They touch on the Leaf Festival that they performed at in October 2023, and talk of the community work they are leading.

Both Doc the High Hawk & Tha Poet have been performing their respective genres since their youth. Doc has been a part of the Taos Pueblo drum group Hail Creek and the Hip-Hop group Po.10.Cee! JuanIsidro has been performing poetry and competing in Poetry Slams since the 9th grade. Doc was nominated for the New Mexico Music Awards for his work on the Dr. Ph8 track “Let’s Grow.”

This is a live conversation recorded on 11/6. This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Aspen Mirabal is a full spectrum doula from Taos Pueblo. In this live conversation, Mirabal talks of the importance of education around birth and motherhood. She also addresses Northern New Mexico communities' specificities and the conversation that needs to be had to respect individuals' choices around their parenting choices.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Contessa Trujillo, Community Engagement Facilitator for the Destination Stewardship Plan (DSP) in the Town of Taos is TCA's guest in this episode. The DSP is aimed at promoting responsible tourism practices that promote, preserve, and celebrate Taos’ unique natural and cultural heritage.

In this live conversation, Trujillo talks of the history, challenges and ongoing work related to tourism in Taos.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Enriqueta Vasquez is a Chicana activist, journalist, writer, and artist. She began her work in Denver, CO, and later re-located to San Cristobal, NM. Vasquez was a close collaborator and friend of political leader Corky Gonzales and civil rights activist Craig Vincent. She was involved in the creation of the Chicano school Escuela Tlateloco in Denver, which led her and her husband to move to San Cristobal where the Vincent Ranch became a space for inner city students to learn wilderness and farm skills. Later, with other New Mexican Chicano activists, she funded El Grito del Norte, a bilingual newspaper that covered the Chicano movement and celebrated Chicano culture.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Enriqueta Vasquez is a Chicana activist, journalist, writer, and artist. She began her work in Denver, CO, and later re-located to San Cristobal, NM. Vasquez was a close collaborator and friend of political leader Corky Gonzales and civil rights activist Craig Vincent. She was involved in the creation of the Chicano school Escuela Tlateloco in Denver, which led her and her husband to move to San Cristobal where the Vincent Ranch became a space for inner city students to learn wilderness and farm skills. Later, with other New Mexican Chicano activists, she funded El Grito del Norte, a bilingual newspaper that covered the Chicano movement and celebrated Chicano culture.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Roberto Lavadie and Ignacio Peralta are woodworkers in Taos, NM. They both have studied the history and meaning of Santos.

In this live interview with David Silva, recorded in April 2023, they discuss the importance of the religious art form.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Juanita Lavadie is an educator, artist, and historian. Lavadie’s work spans time and space, with a focus on life in Northern New Mexico. Her work incorporates cultural and creative understandings of the traditional Hispano and Indigenous cultures. Lavadie's work is one of imagination and education, illuminating the history of this land.

This show is the recording of a live interview that David Silva and Juanita Lavadie held on 3/13/23.

This show is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Slavery is a research project with the goal of creating a centralized digital repository centered on the lives of the enslaved Indigenous people across the Americas.

Estevan Rael-Gálvez is a Doctor in American Cultures, has worked as Senior Vice President of Historic Sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Executive Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center; State Historian of New Mexico. In March 2023, he presented his research project Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Slavery, at the Martinez Hacienda. La Coalición de Taos organized the event and graciously agreed to TCA recording the presentation to later air it on the radio. La Coalición de Taos facilitates educational experiences to inspire informed community action that benefits the land and water, people, and historical cultures of the Taos, New Mexico area.

For radio purposes, Rael-Gálvez’ presentation has been edited into two 30 minute episodes. You’re listening to the second one. A video recording of the entire presentation is available online through La Coalición de Taos’ youtube channel. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Slavery is a research project with the goal of creating a centralized digital repository centered on the lives of the enslaved Indigenous people across the Americas.

Estevan Rael-Gálvez is a Doctor in American Cultures, has worked as Senior Vice President of Historic Sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Executive Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center; State Historian of New Mexico. In March 2023, he presented his research project Native Bound Unbound, Archive of Indigenous Slavery, at the Martinez Hacienda. La Coalición de Taos organized the event and graciously agreed to TCA recording the presentation to later air it on the radio. La Coalición de Taos facilitates educational experiences to inspire informed community action that benefits the land and water, people, and historical cultures of the Taos, New Mexico area.

For radio purposes, Rael-Gálvez’ presentation has been edited into two 30 minute episodes. You’re listening to the first one. A video recording of the entire presentation is available online through La Coalición de Taos’ youtube channel. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

After the screening of Acequias: The Legacy Lives On, Aracely "Arcie" Chapa (film director),  Vicente Fernandez, Miguel Santistevan, and Sylvia Rodriguez, discuss the importance of acequias to water and land use and the preservation of Northern New Mexican culture. 

This radio program is supported by the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.

Founded in Northern New Mexico in 1969, La Academia de la Nueva Raza (The Academy of the New Humanity) grew out of conversations between various scholars, community members and activists. La Academia developed its own educational model based on the concept that learning is derived from life and historical experiences - from El Oro del Barrio - and from the analysis of the history and external forces that impinge on people’s lives.

Founded in Northern New Mexico in 1969, La Academia de la Nueva Raza (The Academy of the New Humanity) grew out of conversations between various scholars, community members and activists.

La Academia developed its own educational model based on the concept that learning is derived from life and historical experiences - from El Oro del Barrio - and from the analysis of the history and external forces that impinge on people’s lives. On the first episode of this two-part series, hear about the beginning of La Academia and how critical pedagogist, Paulo Freire, influenced its founding.

AJ, “LifeTracks”, is a founding member of Po.10.Cee, a Native American hip hop group based here in Taos. We hear about how he came to love hip-hop, his relationship to art, and hope.

Dante Biss-Grayson is a Native American Veteran from the Osage Nation, clan Eagle. He is an artist, poet and fashion designer.  After learning about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic , Biss-Grayson sought to inspire others, give them strength, pride, hope, empowerment, and resilience through his work on his fashion house, Sky-Eagle Collection.

Daniel Barela is the president of the Taos Historic Museums and a third generation Spanish Colonial woodcarver. David Fernandez de Taos is on the board of the Taos Historic Museums. He is a writer and speaker involved in Taos' spiritual and artistic life. The two discuss what it’s like to oversee two historic properties in Taos and the upcoming Old Taos Trade Fair.

Tamra Carraher is a writer, editor and artist. In 2014, she started an independent press, Alexandria Quarterly Press, which would publish collections of written and visual art. In recent years, the  format shifted to the publication of books, supporting specific artists’ projects, including collections of poems or short stories. Carraher’s own poetry has been featured in Toe Good Poetry and in Burningword Literary Journal. Her latest book, long been a mortal being, is a collection of poems published in 2022.

Tom Frouge is the founder and director of ¡Globalquerque!, “New Mexico's Annual Celebration of World Music & Culture”. ¡Globalquerque! takes place each September and includes educational workshops, a global dance party, an International Cinema Series with free film screenings, panels, food demos, and performances by local and international musicians.

Ray Sandoval, the Zozobra Event Chairman, tells us about the origin of Zozobra. Each summer, the gloom marionnette is carefully crafted, at once physically as a structure of wood, wire and paper, and metaphysically, by the gathering of people who contribute their gloom before they burn it to restore hope. Sandoval reflects, in this conversation, on the celebration itself, its significance and its evolution over the past 98 years.

An American poet, spoken word artist, subsistence farmer, and water rights activist from Taos, New Mexico, Olivia Romo addresses the deep and rich history of Northern New Mexico.

Dr. Ivan Deutsch’s background is in atomic physics and optical physics and he has been working at the University of New Mexico for over 25 years within the Physics and Astronomy department. Currently the director of the Center for Quantum Information and Control (CQuIC), which is funded by the National Science Foundation, Deutsch is responsible for one of the longest standing centers for fundamental research in quantum information and technology.

Julia Reinhard Lupton teaches English at the University of California, Irvine, where she co-directs the New Swan Shakespeare Center and serves as Interim Director of the UC Humanities Research Institute. In this conversation with Colette LaBouff, Lupton shares how her academic and community work explores connections between William Shakespeare and a diversity of life elements. She works with community members, including religious entities and national experts, to explore the writer’s work and engage with wide audiences.

Dr. Sharon Erickson Nepstad is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of New Mexico. Her research spans the globe focusing on social movements, non-violent movements, and the role of religion, specifically, Catholicism, in social movements. In this conversation we hear about solidarity organizations founded by missionaries in Central America as well as in the United States, the influence of priests and nuns on US foreign policy, the spirit of service in religious traditions, and how movements engage with religion to promote social change.

Written in 1770 by André Grétry, Silvain, is restaged in the 19th century American Southwest through Opera Lafayette’s interpretation. Written in 1770 by André Grétry, Silvain addresses land right issues between peasants and landowners back in 18th century France. Opera Lafayette’s current production sets the plot in San Luis Valley, CO and the conversation today addresses the relevance of this topic.

Bob Arellano is a Cuban-American author, musician, and educator. Arellano’s literary production includes pioneering work in electronic publishing, graphic-novel editions, and six novels.

David Rocchio is an attorney, writer, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Through his organization, Stowe Story Labs, David provides opportunities for people to break into film, advance their work, and break down industry barriers. Stowe Story Labs is currently partnered with the New Mexico Film Office in launching a new training program for emerging New Mexican screenwriters.

On this show we hear from five people who agreed to lend their thoughts about Taos to TCA’s microphone. Joshua Aragon, Montserrat Oyanedel Tolmo, Ryan Brown, Ava Collignon and Sonya Vitalia Silva Baca. Each one of them has a singular relationship to Taos, having ancestral roots in this land or simply passing through. In sharing their perspective with us, they create a small mosaic, reflecting some of our community.

Since its inception in 1989, as the only independent Native women’s non-profit organization, Tewa Women United provides advocacy and prevention services to women and youth in the community. In this show, Executive Director, Dr. Corrine Sanchez speaks to healing, relation in action, releasing trauma, and how we end violence against women, girls, and Mother Earth.

Since 1957, the Santa Fe Opera has drawn people from around the world to its adobe theater that overlooks the high desert landscape in northern New Mexico. This season at the Santa Fe Opera visitors can experience Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Falstaff, Tristan und Isolde, M. Butterfly, and the apprentice scenes. We hear from Tim Hill, the Director of Marketing, about the unique apprenticeship opportunities at the Santa Fe Opera, intricacies of planning seasons, and the 2022 season.

Dr. Philip Gonzales is a doctor in sociology at the University of New Mexico. Dr Gonzales’s work explores ethnic identities and politics that were experienced by Mexican descendants after 1848. Dr. Gonzales also explores what it means to be a “cultural citizen”, and how Nuevomexicanos expressed their ethnic identity post WWI.

Roanna, or Rowie, Shebala is a Native American of the Dine (Navajo Tribe) and Shiwi (Zuni Tribe) writer, poet and performer. Shebala shares her intentionality in bringing native voices in spaces where they are not always heard. Shebala also reflects on her writing processes and the place of performance in her work.

Anakeala Trujillo is a musician. In 2021, she put together an EP of 7 songs. Isabella O’Donnell Silfverberg is also a performing artist and an active community member. She is part of True Kids One and has participated in many events, leading conversations with local political figures.

In this conversation, we reflect on places available for youth to create and gather. We interrogate the role of performing arts in developing one’s confidence and ability to meaningfully contribute to its circles.

Rupert Boyd and Laura Metcalf are partners in life and music as a dynamic guitar and cello duo. The couple arrange much of their repertoire themselves, drawing inspiration from artists across all genres. Boyd and Metcalf share their eclectic mix of musical arrangements from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé in this episode recorded after a rehearsal for their recent performance in Taos.

Three artists, Sarah Parker, a printmaker and digital artist, Jack Lorang, a musician, and Jai Knight, an interdisciplinary artist, reflect on the recent creation of The Lost Sunshine Cinema Collective. They share insights on the nature of the collective and the potential for collaboration and connection through art.