Exhibit: Chiapas: people, architecture, and landscapes August 5, 2010

Las Cruces, NM – A photo essay by Linda Montoya titled “Faces of Chiapas” opens at Branigan Cultural Center on Friday, August 6, 2010. In 1984, Montoya visited Chiapas, Mexico and photographed the people. She returned in 2003 and sought out the same people. People of Chiapas documents the changes she found. Ms. Montoya will give a gallery talk about her experiences in Chiapas on Saturday August 14th at 1pm.

Concurrently, “Chiapas: People, Architecture, and Landscapes,” photographs by Susan Bryant will be on exhibit in the Richardson Gallery. Bryant belongs to an organization that works to establish relationships with several groups of indigenous peoples in the rural areas of Chiapas, Mexico. This work is part of a series of images that she made during trips to Chiapas in 2004 and 2005. While speaking of her time there, Bryant stated “Although the people I met on my trips have lived with poverty, they were rich with their generous spirit, gratitude and joy.” Ms. Bryant will give a lecture, “Volunteer Work in Chiapas” on Saturday August 7th at 1pm.

Opening reception for both exhibits will be held during the August First Friday Ramble from 5 – 7 p.m. “Faces of Chiapas” will close on Saturday, August 21, 2010 to make way for a traveling exhibit on Frida Kahlo. The Susan Bryant exhibit will remain on display through August 28.

The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. The exhibits and events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2154 or visit the Center’s web site at las-cruces.org/museums.