Gallup kids – and adults –  will soon be getting another chance to express themselves artistically as gallupARTS is opening its Studio123 at ART123 Gallery.

According to a press release published Jan. 17, Studio123 is an “artist-led, dynamic classroom and workshop space” and it’s meant for all ages. gallupARTS’s goal with the studio is to increase access to arts education for the Gallup community and provide “high quality arts learning and creative experiences for young and lifelong learners.”

In an interview with the Sun, gallupARTS Executive Director Rose Eason explained that there’s not a lot of art programming for youth in Gallup, inside or outside of the...

Raphael Begay curates show featuring five Diné artists

Raphael Begay is of the Honágháahnii, Kin łichii’nii, Tábaahí, and Áshíí hí tribes. Honágháahnii is literally translated as “one who walks around,” and that’s exactly what Begay does with his camera. He calls what he does “cultural landscape photography.”

Begay grew up in Hunters Point, Ariz. He now lives in Window Rock, Ariz.

In an interview with the Sun, he shared the story of how he became interested in photography. He was involved in his middle school’s newspaper, and the photography instructor gave the students the opportunity to exhibit a piece. They were told to shoot something that they found...

gallupARTS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts council serving Gallup and McKinley County, is the recipient  of a $400,000 Digital Projects for the Public “Production” grant from the National Endowment for the  Humanities to build, launch and market its Gallup New Deal Art Virtual Museum—a highly  interactive website researching, showcasing, and interpreting Gallup’s expansive and impressive collection of  New Deal art. This grant will fund the third phase of gallupARTS’ GNDA project initiated by a 2018 NEH Digital Projects for the Public $30K “Discovery” grant and developed through a 2020 NEH Digital Projects for the  Public $100K “Prototyping” grant.

gallupARTS’s award...

What inspires Shannon Gurley O’Donnell

Shannon Gurley O’Donnell has worn many hats in her life.

She originally thought she wanted to be a doctor, but after a year at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., she realized that wasn’t the path for her. She went on to be a flight attendant and a manager at a Ronald McDonald House before finally getting a business degree and working as a salesperson.

But it was actually a small moment during her time as a flight attendant that would change O’Donnell’s life. She used to do a lot of writing, and her roommate at the time suggested she use a watercolor wash behind her writing.

Now, over 30 years later, some of O’Donnell’s...