Thursday, February 21, 2008

Preston Contemporary Art Center Galleries and Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops Opening in Mesilla, NM Summer 2008

Exhibition and sale of cutting-edge, high-quality contemporary art in all media by international professional artists will come to Mesilla, NM when the Preston Contemporary Art Center opens in the Mercado district in the summer of 2008. The 9,000 sq. ft. Art Center will also house the Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops offering computer arts instruction in a series of weekend workshops.

Four galleries will show the works of international artists who are either mid-career artists who have established credentials over the past three decades or emerging artists with a strong body of sophisticated work. Artworks will include painting, drawing, textiles, mixed media, jewelry, glass, photography, printmaking and digital arts. An outdoor gallery will display large sculpture. The direction and level of the contemporary work is meant to be competitive with the highest end galleries in a six-state region.

The Gallery will be open Wednesday and Thursday 1 - 5 pm, Friday 1 – 7 pm, Saturday 9 am – 2 pm, Sunday 2 – 4 pm; closed Monday and Tuesday except by appointment. Opening receptions for seasonal exhibitions will be held on the second Friday of January, April, July, and October annually. Additional hours by appointment are easily arranged and encouraged to accommodate collectors, critics, groups and visiting artists.

The Mesilla Digital Imaging Workshops will use the gallery’s 20-station digital imaging lab and conference/classroom, offering 2 – 4 day workshops in all forms of digital imaging, as well as commercial and aesthetic shooting and composition workshops for photographers. Workshop instructors are nationally established teachers from the artistic educational community and industry. Mesilla Digital Workshops will also work closely with companies to provide corporate training sites.

In addition to on-site instruction in a variety of imaging systems and methods, the Workshops will offer field instruction at locations that include White Sands National Monument, Historic Old Mesilla, Lincoln National Forest, Gila National Forest and Cliff Dwellings, the Organ Mountains, a variety of Mission ruins and Petroglyph sites, as well as Chihuahuan desert landscapes and ghost towns located in the region.

Construction of Preston Contemporary Art Center is progressing rapidly at 1755 Avenida de Mercado in Mesilla, NM, a small historic community associated with the signing of the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, as well as Wild West legendary figures Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The town is adjacent to the City of Las Cruces, second largest urban center in New Mexico. In addition to beautiful scenery in a multi-cultural setting, local amenities include hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, museums, shopping, and seasonal festivals and other entertainment.

Most air travel is through the El Paso International Airport, less than one hour south of Las Cruces. The City of Las Cruces is located at the intersection of Interstates 10 (east-west) and 25 (north-south) in southern New Mexico. Travel to the Town of Mesilla on highway 28, just minutes south of Las Cruces.

For more information about the Preston Contemporary Art galleries and workshops, contact Paul Schranz, Director, at 575-523-8713 or email pschanz@prestoncontemporaryart.com

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