Stratas of New Mexico Art

Stratas of New Mexico Art

Juried Exhibition

April 15 - May 2, 2025

Reception: April 18, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Stratas of New Mexico Art, a juried exhibition featuring artists living and working across the state. On view from April 15 through May 2, the exhibition brings together a wide range of material practices and conceptual approaches, offering insight into how artists in New Mexico are engaging with place, memory, and transformation.

The dynamic show includes works by 32 artists, each bringing their unique voice and vision to the conversation. From abstract and conceptual explorations to intimate depictions of the local environment, the exhibition offers a multi-faceted view of how materials and mediums are used to convey different artistic expressions.

In her Chupadera Foothills Archive Book, Desara Boehm uses the landscape as a medium to explore emotional and sensory engagement with memory, time, and place. This deeply introspective piece captures moments in nature that mirror internal transformations, embodying Boehm’s practice of turning fleeting experiences into lasting visual narratives. The painting’s quiet and expansive nature uses light and texture as key tools, conveying a sense of reflection and stillness that defines her work. Chupadera Foothills invites viewers to reflect on the emotional resonance of the landscape as both a personal and collective memory.

DJ Barrett’s abstract works An Ideal Presence and Stumble offer a raw, personal language that challenges the viewer’s understanding of form and perception. Influenced by his background as a saxophone player and composer, Barrett’s work explores abstraction and improvisation, pushing boundaries to break free from predetermined artistic traditions. Barrett’s An Ideal Presence and Stumble both communicate a visceral, emotional language that calls upon viewers to confront their own internal landscapes.

Tate Rockwell Lithgow’s Where is the Friend’s House? explores the fluidity and impermanence of the psyche, using fractured, ornate structures to materialize the often intangible nature of human consciousness. Drawing on elements of architecture, philosophy, and psychology, Lithgow’s work challenges traditional ideas of permanence and authority, transforming these structures into abstract forms that reflect the malleability of memory and emotional experience. 

Working across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, the selected artists investigate personal and shared narratives through varied forms and processes. Together, these works offer a glimpse into conversations and inquiries shaping art across the state.

Strata Gallery welcomes the public to experience Stratas of New Mexico Art and attend the opening reception on Friday, April 18 from 5 to 7 PM. This exhibition continues the gallery’s commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their careers and fostering thoughtful exchange around contemporary artistic practice.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Exhibiting Artists:

Chase Ankeny, Jim Baker, DJ Barrett, Carol Belcher, Jo Bertini, Jacquelyn Blackstone, Desara Boehm, Jordan Caldwell, Elijah Chong, Anna Bush Crews, Jessi Cross, Michael Darmody, Patty deGrandpre, Mark M. Feldman, Michael Gallagher, Joan Grabel, Leah Hardy, Isabel Jerome, Justine Kablack, Katrina Lasko, Shana Levenson, Tate Lithgow, Lisa Miles, Lysha Montiel, Timothy Nero, Benjamin Normand, Andrea Polli, Mark Reynolds, Jenna Ritter, Estelle L. Roberge, Robbie Sugg, Carlos Sullivan

Timothy Nero, Clown of Unknowing, Acrylic on Panel, 48" x 60", 2024 

Desara Boehm, Chupadera Foothills Archive Book, Watercolor and Earth Pigment on Paper, Glass Vials, Cotton Cord, Leather, Grommots, 6" x 9" x 1" (Closed), 6" x 17" x 30" (Open), 2024

DJ Barrett, An Ideal Presence, Acrylic and Oil Stick on Paper, 22" x 30" (Unframed), 27" x 35" (Framed), 2025

Tate Lithgow, Where Is the Friend's House?, Mixed Media, 6 1/2" x 4" x 3 1/2", 2025 

Host or Publisher Strata Gallery