Press Release 2016 :: UNM Gallup | The University of New Mexico

UNM-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: December 12, 2016

By Marilee Petranovich

UNM-Gallup staff receiving scholarship donation

Gwen Wilson, executor of the estate of Dr. Ralph Casebolt, recently presented UNM-Gallup with a check for $50,000 to be used for student scholarships. Dr. Casebolt, born in 1933 in New Bremen, Ohio, taught at UNM-Gallup from 1974 until the day before his death on January 16, 2015. Casebolt received his BA from Heidelberg College and his Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago. He then went to South Vietnam and served several years as a volunteer with Church World Service. Upon his return to the United States in 1969, he attended Northern Colorado University and received his doctoral degree in Education at which time he began working and teaching for the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico. Dr. Casebolt started his career at UNM-Gallup as an adjunct faculty member and became a fulltime faculty member in 1984. Ralph, as he preferred to be called, was always humble, discreet and private about his academic achievements. He had a passion for teaching, had many academic interests and had a strong affinity for scholarly research in mythology, philosophy and psychology. When not in the classroom, he enjoyed hiking, canoeing and camping.

Wilson noted, “I feel very strongly that this is something Ralph would have wanted. He was so committed to UNM-Gallup and the Native American student population. He understood the challenges of the students including childcare, transportation, cost of books and other barriers to their education.”

The Ralph Casebolt Scholarship Fund will provide five awards per year in the amount of $1,000/semester. Recipients will apply through the UNM-Gallup Financial Aid Office and meet academic criteria as determined by the donor. See attached picture of Gwen Wilson presenting a check for $50,000 to Professor Ken Roberts, Dean of Instruction, and Jayme McMahon, Director of Student Affairs.

UNM-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: August 25, 2016

Adult Education Elders Present at State Conference

By Laura Jijon

Our Adult Education Center is honored to have four Elders from the Senior Employment Training Program of New Mexico Aging and Long Term Services (NMALTS) at North Campus. In addition to providing our Elders with job training, we also encourage them to share their wisdom and experience with our community. They have been so successful that we wanted them to share their community involvement with others at the 38th Annual NMALTS Conference August 23 and 24 at Isleta Resort. Their presentation was entitled Hope and Healing for Our Community and focused on how storytelling is the heart of traditional community building.

Mr. Anderson Lee

Adult Education Director, Laura Jijon, briefly introduced the presentation, explaining how North Campus is committed to inspiring hope and bringing healing to our area and introduced each participant. Elder, Mr. Anderson Lee began with a traditional Navajo morning song, then Elder, Mr. Harry Lee offered a traditional Navajo blessing for the gathering. He then continued by sharing a map of Navajoland and explaining how Gallup is located within the Four sacred mountains and offered a context for where we are and the inspiration of our work.

Ms. Diane Butler

Next Elder, Ms. Diane Butler joined in, performing a children’s story that the three of them had The storytelling included a number of handmade Navajo hogans and other structures so that children and their families would not only be inspired to read but also be proud of their traditions. For four years, our Adult Education Center has collaborated with the international organization, 4th World ATD, and one of their projects is the Story Garden at the Gallup Flea Market. Our Elders prepared activities for the children, read and told stories in English and Navajo, and encouraged parents and grandparents to be more involved in their children’s formal and traditional education. prepared for the Gallup Flea Market.

Ms. Butler also shared about a book that our adult education students published with the help of 4th World ATD. These stories called “The Roles We Play” are autobiographies that included the personal traumas so many of our students experience. Seeing the narratives of their lives in print, including photos of themselves surrounded by classmates and other supporters, transformed their stories of pain into strength and hope, and began the healing process for many.

Mr. Aaron Evans and Mr. Harry Lee

Next, Elder, Mr. Aaron Evans shared his experiences of being the Master of Ceremonies at the annual Quilts of Valor Ceremony held at North Campus every June. He explained how the ceremony becomes a story of healing for local veterans as they are wrapped in the comfort of a quilt made my local women who are concerned about the suffering of those who have experienced war. Many veterans leave the ceremony expressing their gratitude for having their sacrifices recognized and appreciating the understanding and warmth of their community represented by the quilt.

Finally, our center’s Lead Teacher, Mr. Shawn Ashley, concluded, sharing how working with the Elders has helped him understand and appreciate grandparents, and how our Elders can serve as grandparents in a community where many children, young people, and adults may not have Elders in their lives or have damaged relationships with them. He spoke how this is a form of healing, infusing hope into our community.

We were grateful to have our Division Chair, Mr. LD Lovett in attendance as well as ALTS representative Ms. Tup Tupper who placed our Elders at North Campus. What was most remarkable to all of us was that our presentation at the conference was packed—standing room only! Over 100 people crowded into the room and those who couldn’t get in asked if we’d be making another presentation at the conference. When we finished, all of the presenters were inundated with wonderful, encouraging comments and numerous invitations to visit Senior and Community Centers around the state to help other communities find creative, meaningful, and traditional ways to encourage the contributions of Elders to heal their communities.

Our North Campus students and staff are so proud of our Elders, and we hope the entire UNM-G family is as well!

UNM-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: June 1, 2016

Gallup, NM – UNM-Gallup Visiting Assistant Professor Kristi Wilson and two of her students attended the annual Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) Conference in Asheville, North Carolina and brought home a wealth of information, education and memories. Wilson was accompanied by Sharmayne Arviso and Jade Hustito who were both students in her Small Metals Construction class. The three participated in lectures, demonstrations, exhibits and social networking events in the field of contemporary jewelry making.

SNAG supports and advances the professional practice of jewelry designers, artists and metalsmiths. The first SNAG conference was held in 1970 with the intent of creating an organization dedicated to professional jewelers and metal arts designers. One of the keynote speakers at this year’s event was Gary Noffke of the University of Georgia who is a master metalsmith and instructor with over 30 years of experience in the field.

Noffke’s presentation had a strong effect on Sharmayne who noted “It got me thinking that whatever choice I make as a first time jewelry maker, I can always have a way of expressing myself and that it is okay to create something of your own and be proud of it.” Sharmayne, a sophomore studying Art Studio and Art History, was inspired by the conference and how it will affect her work, “You need to find your own voice to create your own ideas as a jeweler. Whatever piece you make becomes a personal, wearable signature of your own.”

Jade was also grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference, and although the cloudy and rainy weather was admittedly different from what she is used to in New Mexico, she stated, “My trip to Asheville can be summed up in one word – golden. The passion from all the presenters in their field was invigorating. Inspiration seemed to flow freely as well as knowledge.” Already in possession of an associate’s degree in Design and Digital Media, Jade is pursuing a second degree in Information Technology, but hopes to continue gaining skills in small metals construction.

Professor Wilson was impressed with the popularity of southwestern styles in jewelry-making. “A lot of makers are influenced by the Southwest, so there was a strong interest in our institution. It was a great feeling being a representative from UNM-Gallup and to promoting our programs and our students.”

The trip was sponsored by the UNM-Gallup Faculty Professional Development Committee as well as Student Senate. According to Wilson, “This experience not only inspired me as an artist in my field but as an instructor who can’t wait to share my knowledge from the conference with my students in the upcoming semester. It helps to keep ambition high and create a positive studio practice.”

UNM-GALLUP NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: May 3, 2016

University of New Mexico Associate Professor John Zimmerman will be taking his expertise in ceramic sculpture and his interest in landscapes and geological history to the Fuping Pottery Art Village in the Shaanxi Province of China as part of an international engagement project funded by the UNM Research Allocation Committee (RAC). John is the first branch campus faculty member to have been awarded a RAC grant and he will utilize the funding to conceptualize, build, dry, glaze and fire original works of art which will be exhibited and may join three of his previous sculptures that are currently on display at the on-site museum in the Art Village.

Currently on a sabbatical, John is looking forward to his second trip to China and the enjoying the artistic inspiration he experienced on his previous trip. “I have to technically figure out what makes sense. I usually have a general idea of shape, but unintended things happen. You have to go in the direction the material takes you.” On his previous trip, John was commissioned by administrators of the Fuping Pottery Art Village to create an 8’ X 10’ sculpture that is currently displayed on the outside grounds of the Village.

In reflecting on the process of acquiring the RAC funding, John noted that the process of applying for the RAC grant was not that difficult and his application clearly detailed how his work will benefit the University. Forty applications were submitted and only ten selected for these highly competitive grants. “Awards are contingent on doing something different. Many of my previous objects were based on a stratified style. Some of my newer pieces use mountains, newer colors and pixelated stratifications. I enjoy taking something new and making it look old.”

In one of John’s recent exhibits Stratified Series, he took items that exemplify current pop culture and combined them with his interest in geological timeframes. By taking everyday items such as traffic cones, cinder blocks, and fire hydrants, and encasing them in multicolored rings of ceramic he created an exhibit that combined the landscape of the local area, historical depiction of changing geological eras, and the bringing together of earth and everyday society.

His most recent exhibit, Scapes, continues to carry forward the relationship between prehistoric forces, climate phenomena and erosive landscape changes. Branded by the frequent use of the color blue, Scapes hints at the presence of water in the once-arid desert ecology. While the Stratified Series produced objects which were more life-sized, Scapes exhibits objects that are extremely large and symbolic of mountains and rock formations.

John recognizes the benefits of his travel as it relates to his students at UNM-Gallup. He hopes to either take students to China or bring Chinese students to New Mexico as part of an international exchange. “When I was a student, I was inspired by faculty doing something new. I want to be that source of inspiration for students that is different than what they are used to.”

John will leave for China on Wednesday, May 4th and will return on Thursday, June 9th.

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