Poetry in Place by For the Love of Poetry ABQ
This exhibit is equal parts celebration, preservation and commemoration of a critical moment in time for the literary and spoken word community in New Mexico. It presents a diverse spectrum of artifacts and experiences, honoring the history between the spoken word community and Harwood.
About For the Love of Poetry ABQ
Lead Collaborators of this exhibition include Hakim Bellamy, Susan McAllister, Kenn M Rodriguez, Damien Flores and Don McIver. Their mission for was to gather, develop and present a diverse spectrum or artifacts, experiences and opportunities that elevate, celebrate and demonstrate the history between the written/spoken word community and Harwood Art Center.
As part of their exhibition Poetry in Place, For the Love of Poetry ABQ honored the memory of poets who are no longer with us. Each week on Harwood’s social channels, recordings from past poetry readings and photos were shared in memoriam of the following poets:
Jerry Mondragon
Photo courtesy of Michael Santiago
Danny Solis
E.A Tony Mares
Gary Brower
Todd Moore
Albuquerque poets sit on the stoops of Harwood Art Center commemorating Albuquerque’s 5th annual celebration of poetry and the arts for Natrional Poetry Month. April 2002
Albuqueque poets recreate the photo at Harwood Art Center celebrating the closing reception of their exhibition, Poetry in Place. April/May 2025. Photo by Aziza Murray
Harwood hosted a celebration that featured four micro-keynote presentations by prominent voices, visionaries, and volunteers from the literary and performance poetry community in Albuquerque circa 2005 - 2010. After the round robin of micro-keynotes, the speakers sat for a panel and took questions. Tanesia R Hale Jones read her poem Fruiting Body. The event was hosted by Albuquerque Poet Laureate Damien Flores and featured a “group piece” performance showcase by the students from Native American Community Academy and the 2005 Albuquerque Slam Team that won the National Poetry Slam in 2005.
About Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Damien Flores: Damien Flores hails from nowhere but Old Town, Albuquerque and is a proud graduate of the University of New Mexico. Flores is best known as a member of the National Champion Albuquerque Poetry Slam and UNM Loboslam Teams. Damien was named Albuquerque Poet Laureate in July of 2024. He also received the 2024 Chatter Fellowship and NM Writer’s Grant for his poetry & community work. He was named Poet of the Year in 2007 & 2008 by the New Mexico Hispano Entertainer’s Association, and received the 2008 Lena Todd Award for creative non-fiction from the UNM English Department. His first full collection of poetry, Junkyard Dogs, was published by West End Press, Damien teaches at St. Piux X and hosts the radio show, The Spoken Word Hour on 89.9 KUNM-FM.
fruiting body by tanesia r hale-jones
In conjunction with Poetry in Place, Harwood hosted Fruiting Body, a written word installation by Tanesia R Hale Jones.
about tanesia
Tanesia R Hale-Jones is an anti-racist Montessori educator and poet. She is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans where she earned her B.A. in English Literature/Creative Writing and San Francisco State University where she earned her MFA in poetry and poetics. Tanesia is passionate about creative collaboration, which includes her work and performances with EKCO poets and the poetry/textile collaboration between she and local artist, Maude Andrade, “Romance and Necessary Fictions,” as well serving on the Organizing Committee for Albuquerque Poet Laureate Program. She has performed her original poetry at Tricklock Performance Space, Harwood Art Center, Burque Noir & Chatter. Her written work has been published in Callaloo, Sentence 5, 14 Hills, Mirage#4/Period(ical), and has been featured in multiple exhibitions at Harwood Art Center. Tanesia was born and raised on unceded Tiwa Land (Albuquerque, NM ) and is proud to be in-service to her community through art, education, and joy.
fruiting body by tanesia r hale-jones
when i die bury me in a mushroom dress
Oyster, Pleurotus ostreatus
layers of white accordian ruffles, ombre edges tinged a subtle brownish-grey the spores will populate my hair, drift upward into my sinus passages craning out of my skull in the damp darkness of my decay, I long to become a fruiting body. a mycelial network pulsing with news across the underside of trees.
But, what if before my death I wore this heavy gown, oyster white?
dragging the earth along pulling with it branches and what have you a glittering cloud of spores
wafting the magic that is nothing sprung into something with the most understated growing conditions each time I turned I’d leave behind the faint smell of bitter almonds
I’d leave behind mushrooms
growing in the cracks of sidewalks / the cushions of sofas
behind the fridge / a suede coated bathtub
perhaps you will use them as shelves for your books or step stools for your children
nothing is real when you are disappearing beneath mushrooms when you are gobbled back into the soil with so much delight when something can so easily be undone
and yet, bury me in the mushroom dress so that my body voluminous with the toxins of red dye #40 and break-up cortisol and the not enoughness of my own self-pity and the grief I carry and the wild dreams I didn’t do much with and the ways I learned to love and to survive and the countless hours I stayed up too late and the creak in my ankle bone and my stiff shoulder joint and small sweetnesses I spoke late at night and the creases and dents and all can be gathered back a winking bit of this underground constellation when I am dead I will then still hold you up you can rest upon me when you are weary head on a pillow of velvety grayish brown breath strumming cream-colored gills
Harwood Art Center is dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to working artists. 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of Harwood’s historic campus. We are commemorating the occasion with a year of public programming that reflects on a century of creative expression and imagines new futures. For more information visit: harwoodartcenter.org
JAN
JANUARY 16 - FEBRUARY 22
Between Dust & Stars: The Artists of ArtStreet, ABQ Health Care for the Homeless Harwood Art Center and ArtStreet of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless co-present Between Dust & Stars: Echoes of the High Desert, a collection of works by the artists of ArtStreet featuring surrealist landscapes and imagery honoring the past, the present and the future. This marks the 28th anniversary of this annual exhibition partnership.
Reception: Saturday, February 1 | 4:30 - 6:30pm
MAR
MARCH 6 - APRIL 12
ENCOMPASS: A Multi-Generational Art Event
An annual celebration that is both a reflection of and an offering to our community, Encompass features Open Studios, art making activities, installations by student artists, and five invitational exhibitions, including Echoes & Dreams with commissioned installations by Celine Gordon, Sofie Hecht, Mariah Rosales, Phoenix Savage, Jessica Zekus and What is Yours is Not Yours by Elton Burgest and Lisa Co.
Reception: Saturday, April 12 | 4:30 - 7:30pm
APR
APRIL 24 - MAY 31
Poetry in Place: Placemaking and Poetry in Albuquerque
This exhibit is equal parts celebration, preservation and commemoration of a critical moment in time for the literary and spoken word community in New Mexico. It presents a diverse spectrum of artifacts and experiences, honoring the history between the spoken word community and Harwood.
Reception: Saturday, April 26 | 4:30 - 6:30pm
JUN
JUNE 12 - JULY 26
SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico
SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico is the annual juried exhibition, endowed awards and professional development program presented by Harwood Art Center, to support the creative and professional growth of emerging artists and to expand their visibility and viability in our community.
Inga Hendrickson: Surface 2024 Solo Exhibition Award Winner
Reception + Artist Talk + Awards: Saturday, June 21 | 4:30 - 6:30pm
Harwood offers four annual recurring exhibition programs:
1 ENCOMPASS a Multi-Generational Art Event
2 SURFACE Emerging Artists of New Mexico
3 RESIDENCY for Art & Social Justice
4 12x12 Annual Fundraiser; all proceeds support our free community arts education, outreach and professional development
AUG
Practice // Portal
AUGUST
7 - SEPTEMBER 13
A group exhibition featuring five Harwood Studio Artists — Aziza Murray, Reyes Padilla, MB Ramos, Natalie Voelker and Chelsea Wrightson — whose work is inspired by memory, offers meditation, and moves towards the future.
Shared.Futures: A Compendium of ArtScience Collaboration
Shared.Futures is a four-month workshop where artist and scientist pairs co-create an ArtScience piece which communicates a scientific possibility through an artistic lens. This exhibition highlights work from 2021 to 2024.
Reception + Artist Talks: Saturday, August 23 | 4:30 - 6:30pm
SEPT
Artist in Residence
SEPTEMBER
25 - NOVEMBER 1
Harwood’s Artist in Residence Program supports artists working at the intersections of creative expression and social justice. The year long residency includes a private studio at Harwood, artist and material honoraria, project support and public exhibitions.
Jocelyn Salaz: Encountering Masculinity
2025 Resident artist Jocelyn Salaz explores masculinity through the lens of the performative theory of gender.
Reception + Artist Talk: Saturday, October 18 | 4:30 - 6:30pm
DEC
DECEMBER
5 - 13
12x12: Harwood’s Annual Fundraising Exhibitions
12x12, 6x6 and The Shop at Harwood feature original work by established, emerging and youth artists from New Mexico. This event includes ~200 works that remain anonymous until sold, for the flat rates of $144 (12”x12”) or $36 (6”x6”). The Shop highlights the intersections of art, design and daily living with works by notable New Mexico artists.
Exhibition Reception: Friday, December 5 | 5:30pm - 7:30pm 12x12 Online Store Opens: Saturday, December 6 | 6:00pm
Image Credits: (Left, Top to Bottom): Elton Burgest, Spiral (2022); Between Dust & Stars: the artists of ArtStreet installation 2025, Image by Aziza Murray; Shared.Futures Organizers, Shared.Futures Weavings I; Inga Hendrickson, Bundled Set, Image by Aziza Murray; (Center): Jessica Zekus, We all need prayers; (Right, Top to Bottom): Jocelyn Salaz, Remedio (side 1); Chelsea Wrightson, Quantum Vision #25; For the Love of Poetry ABQ, Sister Outsider—Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman — nationally renowned female poets will be part of a night of poetry at the Harwood Art Center, The Shop Image Credit: Zahra Marwan, handprinted T-shirt
Shop at Harwood is a
for a
Shop: harwoodstore.square.site
The
boutique gallery currently representing the following artists
calendar year: Catherine Alleva, Loren Aragon, Ereesa, Stephanie Baness, Carrie Botto, Jenn Carrillo, Cheryl Dietz, Celine Gordon, Leigh Oviatt and Emily Silva
ABOUT HARWOOD ART CENTER
HARWOOD ART CENTER’S GALLERIES
is dedicated to providing exhibition, audience expansion and professional development opportunities to artists working in any media and from diverse creative fields. Our gallery program is curated and managed by our Chief Programs Officer and Associate Directors of Opportunity and Engagement. Artists are invited to exhibit during three of our annual capstone events, Encompass, Residency for Art & Social Justice & 12x12, the rest of our exhibitions are awarded to individuals and groups through a competitive application process. Most of our applications are free to apply, any collected fees allocated to replenishing Harwood’s endowed cash awards for the program. Each featured exhibition is a supportive process, we work with the artists from concept development to installation in the galleries. For our 2021 exhibiting artists, we have developed a hybrid offering of both in person and virtual programming. For each exhibition we create comprehensive outreach and digital materials including exhibition catalogs, virtual galleries and artist talks to support the unique visions and voices of our gallery artists.
Seeded in 1991, Harwood Art Center blooms the philosophy of our parent organization Escuela del Sol Montessori, with recognition that learning and expression offer the most resilient pathways to global citizenship, justice and peace. Harwood engages the arts as a catalyst for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and social change, with programming for every age, background and income level. We believe that equitable access to the arts and opportunities for creative expression are integral to healthy individuals and thriving communities. In all of our work, we cultivate inclusive, reflective environments where everyone feels cared for. We nurture long-term, multi-faceted relationships with participants, building programs with and for diverse communities of Albuquerque. We integrate the arts with social justice, professional and economic growth, and education to cultivate a higher collective quality of life in New Mexico.
HARWOOD ART CENTER’S OFFICIAL GALLERY & EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHER
We are so thrilled to have an official Harwood Photographer for our galleries program this year! We are able to present the SURFACE Emerging Artists of NM Award and Microgrant of $250 to each of this year’s artists thanks to the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, New Mexico Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the McCune Foundation.
Aziza Murray is a New Mexico based artist working primarily in photography. In 2015 she graduated with an MFA from the University of New Mexico where she also worked as a pictorial archiving fellow for the Center for Southwest Research. Since then, Aziza has worked in different capacities in the film industry in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, further piquing her interest in cinematography. Much of her work stems from a well of nostalgia for objects and moments, the materiality of photography, and her personal history—from experiencing tragic loss at an early age, to her multilayered experiences as a biracial person growing up in Washington, DC. She has shown her work in DC at Connersmith and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Albuquerque at the Harwood Art Center, the UNM Art Museum and the National Hispanic Cultural Center and, at MASS Gallery in Austin, TX.
azizamurray.com azizamurray@gmail.com
Many thanks to our genrous supporting partners: Albuquerque Art Business Association / ARTScrawl, Albuquerque Community Foundation, Downtown Neighborhood Association, McCune Charitable Foundation, New Mexico Arts and National Endowment for the Arts, City of Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, US Bank, and A Good Sign. Special thanks to Nusenda Foundation and Sandia Foundation for support of our Creative Roots program and to Fay Abrams and to Debi & Clint Dodge for support of our exhibiting and commission artists. As well as to Marion & Kathryn Crissey and Reggie Gammon for establishing our endowed awards for this program, and to Meghan Ferguson Mráz and Valerie Roybal for their unwavering support and constant inspiration – and for whom we named new annual awards in 2019. SURFACE would not be possible without our extraordinary local collaborators.
