AMBUSH! Arts & Culture
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
― Émile Zola
― Émile Zola
11 Years At Gallup Highby Sage Addington '18 It makes me happy to see people’s eyes light up when they start to reminisce. When I interviewed Mrs. Thomas about her time at Gallup High, her eyes were so bright. It is Mrs. Thomas’ last year teaching because she will be retiring after this year. She told me that she has been a teacher for twenty-five years in total. Mrs. Thomas began her career at as an art teacher at Gallup Cathedral, teaching there for three years. Gallup Cathedral had closed down and just reopened when she began her job there and is now Gallup Catholic School located at 515 Park Ave. Mrs. Thomas has been teaching at Gallup High for a total of eleven years, first arriving in 2007. Before she taught at Gallup High she taught at Gallup’s Junior High School which is now Miyamura High School. Mrs. Thomas said quietly with a big grin, “I like Gallup High better. I think we have great teachers and great students.” I asked her what her favorite Gallup High Memory was and she laughed out loud and asked sadly, “Is this a retirement interview?” I felt bad for having caught her off guard and apologized, but she laughed it off and smiled. “Wow… That’s a big question,” She leaned into her desk and cupped her face in her hands. “A lot of memories for eleven years?” I chortled. “No kidding!” She exclaimed and leaned back in her chair to think. She told me she loved watching the girls and boys basketball team play. In correspondence to that question, I asked Mrs.Thomas what she would miss about Gallup High. “My students.” “Even the ones in hoodies?” I asked jokingly. “Even the ones in hoodies,” she smiled, glancing around briefly to make sure no one was out of dress code. “I’m going to miss my classroom. My classroom and my students,” Mrs. Thomas added on. “I’m going to miss you classroom too,” I confessed. I’ve always been fond of the art room from the colorful paintings, to the seasonal decorations, to the cluttered cabinets, to paint stained sinks, clay stained tables, and the wooden letters glued to the wall beneath the chalkboard. I even love the skeletal bird Mrs. Thomas took out of a vent in my 5th hour class in 2015. “This question is kind of fun,” I began, “What won’t you miss about Gallup High?” Mrs. Thomas chuckled and the students in my 1st hour ceramics class tuned in while they worked. “What won’t I miss?” Mrs. Thomas repeated the question. “I don’t like… I don’t like the system of teacher evaluations and observation days. Sometimes administration doesn’t realize each class is taught differently depending on circumstance and you can’t generalize things.” “What do you plan to do after you retire?” “Probably work hard,” Mrs. Thomas joked, “No, don’t say that… Golfing, gardening… And just enjoying time with my grandchildren.” I love my art teacher and sometimes forget she has a life outside of her classroom. She has a family and she’s a grandma. I know it doesn’t impact me, because I will be graduated, but future classes won’t have the art teacher I had. My final question was, “Did you enjoy teaching at Gallup High School?” “Yes, of course. If I have to leave a final word, it’s that I’m proud of it, proud of the school. I’m proud of the students and the staff, and I’m proud to be a part of it.” New Drama Group on the Sceneby Sage Addington '18 gallupARTS newsletter The Gallup Repertory Theatre is a recently formed group in the Gallup arts scene. The Gallup Rep is introducing themselves to the community with their 2018 lineup including The Frybread Queen by Native playwright Carolyn Dunn, a Performing Arts Festival, and a summer children's theater production, and a presentation of Dr. Faustus in the fall. The group held a meet-and-greet on February 9th. The meet-and-greet featured a raffle and a silent auction. Gallup Rep is currently seeking Native American actresses to audition for their production of The Frybread Queen. Overview: Three generations of Indian women come together for the funeral of a beloved son. The collision of personalities forces them to confront long-simmering tensions that threaten to tear them apart. Available roles: There are for available roles for 4 women of any Native American background. The age range is approximately 16-20,30-45, and 55-75. Audition Dates: February 18 and 19 at 6pm at the Gallup Cultural Center. Those auditioning may prepare a 1-2 minute piece to perform, but it’s not mandatory, as we will also provide readings from the script. For any additional information, contact Gallup Repertory Theater at [email protected] or 505-879-9835 (ask for Suzanne). Source: gallupARTS newsletter gallupArts Call to Native American ArtistsBackground: gallupARTS has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America grant to fund a Native American Guest Artist Program, involving a three-month paid residency and culminating month-long solo show. Overview: gallupARTS’ Native Artist-in-Residence program at ART123 Gallery in downtown Gallup will provide a Native artist from the greater Gallup region the opportunity to create original works of art responding to a relevant, community-based social justice issue/s (e.g., exposure deaths, environmental concerns, domestic violence, etc.). The residency will take place from May 1, 2018 through July 31, 2018 and involve open studio hours, artist-led youth workshops, artist talks and live demos. It will culminate in a solo show of the created work at ART123 Gallery during the month of August 2018. The selected artist will be offered a $4,200 honorarium, $1,000 materials stipend, $600 studio equipment budget and rent-free studio space for three months. Eligibility Requirements:
Download/print the Application by clicking here. Application deadline: Friday, March 16 at 5pm www.gallupARTS.org/Native-AIR Questions? Contact Rose at [email protected] or call 505-488-2136. Ambush! Art: Art and Literary MagazineAmbush! Is publishing their yearly art and literature magazine in April, and we want your submissions! Last year only four students made submissions and one teacher. The magazine still came out great, but this year we are hoping to include more Gallup High artists than in 2017. To allow total creative freedom, there is no limit to what you can submit (as long as it can be printed). Feel free to submit your drawings, paintings, photographs, poems, and short stories. There is also no limit to how much content you can submit, so go crazy. If you have art, we want to see it! Not only do we want your works, we want to know a little more about you. Who is the artist behind the art? It is completely optional, but if you want, you can choose to fill out a short questionnaire to go in your biography beside your artwork. The questionnaire will be left at the very bottom. If you want to submit any art or writing, you can do so in two ways. You can either physically drop off a copy of your work to Ms. Sweetwyne in room A202 or submit photos and documents to [email protected]. If you choose to submit any photos digitally, please send them in the highest resolution you can. If you choose to submit photographs of your work, please try to take the photos in the best lighting you can. If you have any questions regarding submissions or anything else, feel free to contact the newspaper. QuestionnaireQuestion: What is your name? Answer: Question: What grade are you in? Answer: Question: Why do you like art?/Why are you an artist? Answer: Question: What is your favorite media to work in? Answer: Question: What is your favorite content to create? Answer: Question: How long have you been practicing art? Answer: Question: What do you want to accomplish as an artist? Answer: WEEKLY POLLLast Week's Poll Results!Last week we asked students if they've ever eaten a Tide Pod and 50% of students said no and the other 50% said what?
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Associate EditorDerek Curley '19
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August 2018
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