About
The importance of the arts as communication, in the past, the present and the future, is pivotal.
This belief is the keystone of our programs, and it is the foundation for our primary goal, which is to expose students to the richness of art through a wide range of new and traditional media. We also seek to develop critical thought in our classes, and the practice and methods for understanding the teaching of the arts and the history of art.
The Department is dedicated to providing the best education possible no matter which degree a student might be pursuing. We are also committed to benefiting UNM, the city of Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico, as well as national, and international communities. To achieve these aims, the Department maintains a world-class faculty that is actively engaged in creative art, art education, and art history.
Art Department News
Stephanie Woods sculpture acquired by Perry Art Collection
Stephanie J. Woods’ sculpture Never Quite, Sweet Enough I was acquired by the nationally recognized Perry Art Collection following her 2025 residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. The work explores memory, legacy, and historical survival through an abstract porcelain form rooted in Black cultural history.
Kaitlin Bryson Selected for 2026 Cohort for Monument Lab Re:Generation!
Congratulations to Kaitlin Bryson for being selected to take part in the 2026 cohort for Monument Lab Re:Generation! She received a $100,000 grant for her ongoing project, Bellow Forth. Bellow Forth is a community project focused on restoring soil health and environmental resiliency through storytelling and collaboration, community and ecosystem science, and social art practice in wildfire-impacted lands and communities in northern New Mexico.
Alum Highlight: Eric-Paul Riege Receives 2025 Trellis Art Fund Grant
Eric-Paul Riege, a Gallup-based Diné artist and recent UNM graduate, has been recognized as a 2025 Stepping Stone Grantee by the Trellis Art Fund. His multidisciplinary practice uses weaving as both process and philosophy, blending ancestral knowledge, spirituality, and contemporary art to create works that are living, mobile, and deeply connected to cultural memory.
Department of Art Events
19sep(sep 19)5:30 pm07mar(mar 7)7:30 pmNecessary Futures
Event Details
The UAM is proud to present Necessary Futures. This exhibition features three New Mexico-based artists—sheri crider, Haley Greenfeather English, and Szu-Han Ho—whose work shares the strategic use of color, irony,
Event Details
The UAM is proud to present Necessary Futures. This exhibition features three New Mexico-based artists—sheri crider, Haley Greenfeather English, and Szu-Han Ho—whose work shares the strategic use of color, irony, joy, and hope as proposals for confronting and subverting the ongoing impacts of mass incarceration, racial capitalism, and colonialism. This exhibition presents a broad spectrum of art-making approaches, public projects, and community-driven collaborations, spotlighting coalitions committed to social change. Collectively, the artists in this exhibition propose art as both a space of reflection and a call to action. Beyond their studio practices, each artist actively engages with community partners, spotlighting organizations working on the frontlines of social justice in the Southwest.
This exhibition, which also presents work by hazel batrezchavez, daniela del mar, Juan Ortiz, and the fronteristxs collective, is part of a series of statewide exhibitions amplifying the voices and narratives of marginalized communities within the movement for criminal justice reform. The project is anchored in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, New Mexico—with additional activations in rural towns that are sites directly impacted by mass incarceration.
Please join us for the opening reception on September 19, 2025 from 5:30-7:30 pm. Visit our website for more information on upcoming programming. Necessary Futures will be on display from September 19, 2025, to March 7, 2026.
Time
September 19, 2025 5:30 pm - March 7, 2026 7:30 pm
09feb(feb 9)8:00 am20(feb 20)5:00 pmArt Practice Showcase
Event Details
Closing Reception: Friday, February 20, 2026, 4:00-6:00 pm
Event Details
Closing Reception: Friday, February 20, 2026, 4:00-6:00 pm
Time
February 9, 2026 8:00 am - February 20, 2026 5:00 pm
Location
John Sommers Gallery
MSC 04 2560, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131
18feb(feb 18)5:30 pm19(feb 19)6:30 pmGale Memorial Lecture Series w/Antonius-Tin Bui
Event Details
Artist Talk: Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 5:30 pm ARTSLab, 131 Pine St. NE UNM Art Museum Workshop: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 10:00-12:30 pm Antonius-Tín Bui (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work
Event Details
Artist Talk: Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 5:30 pm
ARTSLab, 131 Pine St. NE
UNM Art Museum Workshop: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 10:00-12:30 pm
Antonius-Tín Bui (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work traverses the realms of hand-cut paper,
community engagement, performance, and soft sculpture to visualize hybrid identities or histories that
confront the unsettling present. Bui’s hybridized identity as a queer, genderfluid, and Vietnamese
American informs the way they employ beauty as a refuge for fellow marginalized communities. Their
intensive paper-cutting process is exceptionally meditative; each sheet of paper represents an archive of
memories and oral histories, mirroring the intergenerational trauma that so many refugee communities are HeadshotHeadshot
faced with. Through their rigorous and reductive process, they deconstruct the white canvas,
metaphorically carving out space for the narratives that are so often omitted from recognized histories.
Bui (b.1992, Bronx, NY) received their BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD (2016). Bui
has had recent solo exhibitions at Various Small Fires, Dallas, TX (2024); moniquemeloche, Chicago, IL
(2023); Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA (2020); Laband Art Gallery, LMU, Los Angeles, CA
(2019); Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (2018). Recent group exhibitions include Flinn Gallery,
Greenwich, CT (2025); Picker Art Gallery, Hamilton, NY (2025); Portland State University, OR (2024); The
Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (2024);
the Weatherspoon Museum of Art, Greensboro, NC (2023); Artspace, New Haven, CT (2022); Orange
County Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA (2022); the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX
(2022); Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY (2022); USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA
(2021); Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (2020); Blaffer Contemporary Arts Museum,
Houston, TX (2019); and National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. (2019). In early 2026, Bui will present a
solo exhibition at moniquemeloche.
Public collections include the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann
Arbor, MI; New York Historical Society, New York, NY; BMO Harris Bank Corporate Art Collection, Chicago,
IL; Bank of America Art Program, Newark, DE; JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, New York, NY; Jordan
Schnitzer Family Foundation, Portland, OR; Eaton Workshop, Washington D.C.; Arkansas Museum of Fine
Arts, Little Rock, AR; Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C.; and the Pennsylvania College of Art &
Design, Lancaster, PA. They are a recipient of The Outwin Boochever Prize (2021) and MICA Alumni Grant
(2018). Bui is a fellow of the 2022 Queer|Art|Mentorship program, and has received additional fellowships
from MASS MoCA (forthcoming); Golden Foundation, New Berlin, NY (2024); James Castle House, Boise, ID
(2022); Kimmel Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska City, NE (2022); Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown,
MA (2019); Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY (2024, 2019); The Growlery, San Francisco, CA (2019); and
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (2018). Bui lives and works in Chicago, IL.
The Gale Memorial Lecture Series was established in memory of Dr. David Gale and his wife Sylvia whose generosity made the series possible. Since the establishment of the David and Sylvia Gale Endowment in 1993, the Visiting Artist Lecture Series has thrived, and many students have benefitted from the scholarship. Lectures are free and open to the public.
Time
February 18, 2026 5:30 pm - February 19, 2026 6:30 pm
Location
ARTSLab
131 Pine St NE
19feb5:00 pm6:00 pmFrederick Hammersley Visiting Artist: Laurie Nye Artist Talk
Event Details
Artist Talk: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 5:00-6:00 pm
Event Details
Laurie Nye’s colorful paintings of natural scenes, trees, flowers and plants explore and present the possibilities of utopia, and embody the feelings of expression and freedom. She is invested in looking, sensing, feeling and seeing through the creation of the work. The Elements of color, line, and shape are paramount to her work. Her curvy lyrical positive and negative shapes, full, emphatic and soft materiality, varied brushwork, vivid and pastel color, and sophisticated use of line presents a picture plane that melds flatness with painterly shifts and gossamer space. Laurie also has a background in surface design and brings inspiration from textiles and fabrics and exploring the intersection of painting and design.
Laurie NYE (b. 1972, Memphis, TN) received her BFA from the Memphis College of Art (Memphis, TN), and her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA). In 2026, Laurie Nye’s work will be featured in a solo show at Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), with additional group shows at Haverkampf Leistenschneider (Berlin, Germany) and Rachel Uffner Gallery (New York, NY). Laurie Nye’s work has appeared in such solo and group exhibtions as “A Particular Kind of Heaven,” Parrasch Heijnen (Los Angeles, CA); “The Moth & The Thunderclap,” Modern Art (London, UK); “Encounter,” Rachel Uffner Gallery (New York, NY); “BodyLand,” Galerie Max Hetzler (Berlin, Germany); “Unnatural Nature: Post-Pop Landscapes,” Acquavella (New York, NY); Van Doren Waxter (New York, NY); Bark Berlin Gallery (Berlin, Germany); The Pit (Glendale, CA); Odd Ark (Los Angeles, CA); Big Pictures LA (Los Angeles, CA); Blake and Vargas, (Berlin, Germany); The Dot Project, (London, UK); Day and Night Gallery (Atlanta, GA); La Loma Projects, (Pasadena, CA); and Unpaved Gallery (Yucca Valley, CA). Laurie Nye’s artist project, “Chickasaw Moon,” at Odd Ark (Los Angeles, CA) was an Artforum Critic’s Pick. Laurie Nye’s solo exhibition at Philip Martin Gallery was Artforum Best of Year 2021 feature. Nye has work in the OZ Art Northwest Arkansas, (Bentonville, AR) collection. Her work has been reviewed in such publications as Artillery, Los Angeles Times, Artforum, FAD Magazine and LA Weekly. Laurie Nye lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Time
February 19, 2026 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location
Albuquerque Museum
2000 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
Event Details
Opening Reception: Friday, February 20, 2026, 6:00-9:00 pm New works from dylan lilla.
Event Details
Opening Reception: Friday, February 20, 2026, 6:00-9:00 pm
New works from dylan lilla.
Time
February 20, 2026 8:00 am - March 1, 2026 5:00 pm
Location
6th Street Studio
1029 6th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
09mar(mar 9)6:00 pm28(mar 28)8:00 pmThe Weather
Event Details
The Weather AN MFA THESIS EXHIBITION by Fen Root Opening Reception: Monday, March 9, 2026, 6:00-8:00 pm Public Lecture: Wednesday. March 25, 2026, 3:00 @ ARTSLab Closing Reception: Saturday, March 28,
Event Details
The Weather
AN MFA THESIS EXHIBITION
by Fen Root
Opening Reception: Monday, March 9, 2026, 6:00-8:00 pm
Public Lecture: Wednesday. March 25, 2026, 3:00 @ ARTSLab
Closing Reception: Saturday, March 28, 2026, 6:00-8:00 pm
ABQ INT’L
1206 Broadway Blvd. SE
Albuquerque, NM
(not wheelchair accessible)
on view by appointment
contact: froot@unm.edu
more information: altrbody.rip
Time
March 9, 2026 6:00 pm - March 28, 2026 8:00 pm
Location
1206 S Broadway Blvd SE
24mar(mar 24)11:00 am03apr(apr 3)5:00 pmShimmering Gloom
Event Details
Reception: Friday, March 27, 2026, 5:00-7:00 pm Workshop: Saturday, March 28, 2:00-4:00 pm Strata Gallery announces an Emerging Member solo exhibition Shimmering Gloom by New Mexico-based Brianna Tadeo. Join us
Event Details
Reception: Friday, March 27, 2026, 5:00-7:00 pm
Workshop: Saturday, March 28, 2:00-4:00 pm
Strata Gallery announces an Emerging Member solo exhibition Shimmering Gloom by New Mexico-based Brianna Tadeo.
Join us for a free unique workshop on March 28, 2026, from 2:00-4:00 pm for an immersive experience exploring the captivating world of silver gelatin paper and the impermanence of photographic art by Brianna Tadeo. Reservation required on Eventbrite.
Brianna Tadeo (they/them) is a visual artist whose work explores impermanence and transformation through experimental photography. Utilizing analog and digital techniques, Tadeo embraces fragility, inviting images to crack, fade, and disintegrate in pursuit of unexpected beauty. Their practice is rooted in curiosity and the quiet magic of light and material change.
Shimmering Gloom invites viewers into a world where photography is not just about capturing a moment, but about transformation and the shimmer that appears amid change. Tadeo offers a poetic meditation on light, loss, and the beauty found in impermanence.
Tadeo holds a BFA from California College of the Arts and an MFA from the University of New Mexico. Their work has been exhibited nationally and recognized by SF Camerawork’s FORECAST 2025 and Lenscratch as one of the “Top 25 Students to Watch.”
Time
March 24, 2026 11:00 am - April 3, 2026 5:00 pm
Location
Strata Gallery
125 Lincoln Ave Unit 105, Santa Fe, NM 87501-2637
02apr3:00 pm6:00 pmFrederick Hammersley Visiting Artist: Laurie Nye Open Studio
Event Details
Open Studio: Thursday, April 2, 2026, 3:00-6:00 pm Laurie Nye’s colorful paintings of natural scenes, trees, flowers and plants explore and
Event Details
Open Studio: Thursday, April 2, 2026, 3:00-6:00 pm
Laurie Nye’s colorful paintings of natural scenes, trees, flowers and plants explore and present the possibilities of utopia, and embody the feelings of expression and freedom. She is invested in looking, sensing, feeling and seeing through the creation of the work. The Elements of color, line, and shape are paramount to her work. Her curvy lyrical positive and negative shapes, full, emphatic and soft materiality, varied brushwork, vivid and pastel color, and sophisticated use of line presents a picture plane that melds flatness with painterly shifts and gossamer space. Laurie also has a background in surface design and brings inspiration from textiles and fabrics and exploring the intersection of painting and design.
Laurie NYE (b. 1972, Memphis, TN) received her BFA from the Memphis College of Art (Memphis, TN), and her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA). In 2026, Laurie Nye’s work will be featured in a solo show at Philip Martin Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), with additional group shows at Haverkampf Leistenschneider (Berlin, Germany) and Rachel Uffner Gallery (New York, NY). Laurie Nye’s work has appeared in such solo and group exhibtions as “A Particular Kind of Heaven,” Parrasch Heijnen (Los Angeles, CA); “The Moth & The Thunderclap,” Modern Art (London, UK); “Encounter,” Rachel Uffner Gallery (New York, NY); “BodyLand,” Galerie Max Hetzler (Berlin, Germany); “Unnatural Nature: Post-Pop Landscapes,” Acquavella (New York, NY); Van Doren Waxter (New York, NY); Bark Berlin Gallery (Berlin, Germany); The Pit (Glendale, CA); Odd Ark (Los Angeles, CA); Big Pictures LA (Los Angeles, CA); Blake and Vargas, (Berlin, Germany); The Dot Project, (London, UK); Day and Night Gallery (Atlanta, GA); La Loma Projects, (Pasadena, CA); and Unpaved Gallery (Yucca Valley, CA). Laurie Nye’s artist project, “Chickasaw Moon,” at Odd Ark (Los Angeles, CA) was an Artforum Critic’s Pick. Laurie Nye’s solo exhibition at Philip Martin Gallery was Artforum Best of Year 2021 feature. Nye has work in the OZ Art Northwest Arkansas, (Bentonville, AR) collection. Her work has been reviewed in such publications as Artillery, Los Angeles Times, Artforum, FAD Magazine and LA Weekly. Laurie Nye lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Time
April 2, 2026 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location
Art Annex
1901 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
02apr5:30 pm6:30 pmPanel Discussion, moderated by Subhankar Banerjee
Event Details
Artists Neal Ambrose-Smith, Emmi Whitehorse and George Alexander discuss Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s artistic community and influence, moderated by UNM professor and author Subhankar Banerjee. Limited capacity: RSVP
Event Details
Artists Neal Ambrose-Smith, Emmi Whitehorse and George Alexander discuss Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s artistic community and influence, moderated by UNM professor and author Subhankar Banerjee.
Time
April 2, 2026 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
Tamarind Institute
2500 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106


