Homenaje—A Celebration in Honor of Luis Jiménez is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12, at 3 p.m., at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Albuquerque Journal Theatre, located at 1701 4th Street in Albuquerque. Jiménez was noted for his large public sculptures throughout the country in El Paso, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Houston, Albuquerque, Fargo and Washington, D.C. His statue “Fiesta Dancers” graces the University of New Mexico campus.
“The intent is to bring arts communities and the general public together to reflect on the life and work of Luis Jiménez, who believed strongly that his art belonged to the public," said Holly Barnet-Sanchez, associate dean in the College of Fine Arts. "His artistic accomplishments, along with his memory, forever belong to arts communities worldwide. We have lost the man, but not his spirit or his art. The event will celebrate his work, people's memories and experiences with him, as well as honor his dedication to the arts. Luis was a generous man with his talents, and he mentored many young artists.”
Since the mid-1960's, Jiménez's work has appeared in countless group and solo exhibitions, including the Whitney Biennial in 1973 and 1991. In 1994, The Albuquerque Museum organized “Man on Fire – Luis Jiménez,” a major retrospective exhibition of his work.
Jiménez's sculptures, drawings and paintings are in many public collections including the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the San Antonio Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Chicago Art Institute, as well as the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Museum of American Art, of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Tomás Ybarra-Frausto, Chicano/a art and culture scholar, hosts the event, which includes a performance by the National Institute of Flamenco.
The event and reception that follows, are sponsored by the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and at the University of New Mexico, the College of Fine Arts, the Arts of the Americas Institute, the Department of Art and Art History, and the University Art Museum. These events are free and open to the public.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Posted by kwentworth at August 7, 2006 05:06 PM