Art in August, Vista Grande Public Library

Kimla McDonald is the library’s 2D artist for August. Her mixed-media exhibit is titled O:ku:p’I, Oekuu P’in, Turtle Mountain, (the Tewa name for the Sandias, in pueblo mythology the sacred mountain of the South of the Tewa). About her art, McDonald says, “The Sandia mountains are the inspiration for my pieces. Every day I see the peaks in the changing light, mist, clouds, rain, and snow. I measure the seasons by where the sun rises over the peaks. Capturing their ephemeral nature in paint, film, and collage is the challenge.”

McDonald is an independent documentary film producer, landscape architect, and nurse-midwife. For the past 35 years, she has worked with the non-profit native-led organization The Cultural Conservancy, based in the San Francisco Bay area and which she co-founded. The organization’s mission is to return native lands to native hands, collaborating with Indigenous communities throughout Turtle Island, Abya Yala (the Americas), and Moananuiākea (the Pacific). “I consider this work as art: animating our voices, clearing the spring, sharing good water, nourishing the soil, tending the fire, mending the circle,” says the artist, who is also a landscape architect and nurse-midwife. McDonald studied with Micheline Klagsbrun of Klagsbrun Studios in Washington DC and Telluride, but she is mostly self-taught. This is her first public exhibition. The artist’s public reception will be held at the library on August 3, from 1-3 pm.

In the display case in August, VGPL features John Segell, a Santa Fe potter and member of the Eldorado Arts and Crafts Association. Segell crafts decorative and functional high-temperature stoneware fired to cone 10 (2350 degrees) in his own hand-built sprung arch kiln. Segell received a BFA in Ceramics from University of Wisconsin, studying for four years under Don Reitz. After moving to Santa Fe in 1980 and raising a family, John continued his enthusiasm for ceramics continuing to throw pots -- to the benefit of friends and family, while working in the hospitality industry. Now retired, he is focused on renewing his love of clay, working full time in his studio, and firing. The artist’s website shows his work.

There will be a public reception on August 3, from 1-3, for the artists at the library. As always, 20% of art sales goes to benefit the library.