Exhibit: ArtToones: Narrative Sculpture September 2, 2010

The delightful narrative sculptures of Merry ArtToones will be on exhibit at the Las Cruces Museum of Art from September 3 through November 20, 2010. An artist’s reception will be held during the Friday Ramble on September 3 from 5:00-7:00pm.

“Thunderfoot Children” and “Empty JESTures?” are parts of the sculptural series that Merry ArtToones created to communicate serious subject matter through humor. With 40 years of experience, Ms. ArtToones combines her knowledge of painting and assemblage to create exciting 3-D sculptures. Her most recent works were influenced by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.

Merry ArtToones received her Master of Fine Art in painting in 1983. Five years ago, she began sculpting full-time. ArtToones says, “While I love painting, the paintings never stayed flat for long . . . arms and hands kept popping . . . out of them.” The artist has won numerous awards including a Best in Show Purchase Award at the Portsmouth Museum of Art, Virginia.

As of June 1, new gallery hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday. The Museum of Art will be closed Sunday through Monday.

Funded by the City of Las Cruces. The Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 N. Main Street at the end of the downtown mall. For more information, call (575) 541-2137 or visit the website www.las-cruces.org/museums