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Cosmic connections: Lapis Room group show explores spirituality through 'Celestial Beings'
With world affairs continuing to remain chaotic, the curators behind Lapis Room decided to tone it down with its last group show of the year.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 had a spiritual show,鈥� said Meg Grgurich, Lapis Room deputy director. 鈥淲e were brewing on that idea last spring and brainstorming ideas.鈥�
Cosmic connections: Lapis Room group show explores spirituality through 'Celestial Beings'
The crew at Lapis Room spent months letting the ideas grow and when it came to cultivating, it fell together organically.
The result is 鈥淐elestial Beings: Pointing to the Cosmos,鈥� which runs daily through Jan. 19, 2025. There will be an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, at Lapis Room.
Lapis Room sells a lot of zodiac-based merchandise in the gift shop, Grgurich said.
鈥淧eople really relate to that,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have this birthday book that tells you a zodiac reading of the day and the idea took off.鈥�
Artists make pieces of work that are so personal and have a specific story for them, Grgurich said.
鈥淥nce you hang it on the wall, it takes on another meaning,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e thought it would be interesting for people to put their own spirituality into what they are seeing in the art. We have a lot of artists that do very spiritual work and we keep a balance of genders. This group show is having a heavy female moment.鈥�
There are 10 artists participating in the group show. They are: Margarita Paz-Pedro, Thomas Christopher Haag, Eric Romero, Selina Baca (Desert Goddess Jewelry), Aquilla Kappy, Charlotte Driver, Ophelia Cornet, Aaron Richardson, Henri Preiss and Roe LiBretto.
Paz-Pedro is creating an installation with adobe, which will feature her ceramics, Grgurich said.
Paz-Pedro is known for her wheel-thrown functional ceramics, hand-carved porcelain jewelry and large-scale handmade ceramic tile murals.
鈥淚 draw my ideas from how time, place, material and culture intersect with my Mexican American, Laguna Pueblo and Santa Clara Pueblo background within New Mexico and beyond,鈥� Paz-Pedro said. 鈥淲ithin the medium of ceramics, its vastness allows for many avenues to be traveled. 鈥� My work is heavily embedded in materiality of clay, processed and arranged in relation to place and land. Within a position of gratitude and our interconnectedness, meaning is made through my exploration of identity, history, built structures and experiences.鈥�
Driver is also a ceramic artist and Baca is a jeweler, Grgurich said.
鈥淭his show contains a mixture of mediums,鈥� Grgurich added.
Lapis Room used Cornet鈥檚 鈥淚nvoke鈥� as the promo art for the show because her pieces highlight the experience of being a woman, Grgurich said.
It鈥檚 Cornet鈥檚 first time showing at Lapis Room.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a mixed-media artist, and hires models and photographs them,鈥� Grgurich explained. 鈥淪he then does a plaster overlay and does some fresco painting into the plaster and will add collages from other photographs. They are intricate and interesting.鈥�
Lapis Room continues to evolve and is getting better with planning 鈥� which takes about six months to a year from concept to execution, Grgurich said.
鈥淲e work collaboratively and we鈥檒l put a list of people together and will be fluid for a while,鈥� she explained. 鈥淎long the way, we鈥檒l come across a new artist who fits well with the theme. It鈥檚 a fun way to get some fresh artists in the gallery. Having a group show also helps change the perspective of how you see a certain artist鈥檚 work.鈥�
鈥淐elestial Beings鈥� feels like a very optimistic show, Grgurich said.
鈥淭he show feels joyful, welcoming, calm and soothing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 the right moment for the show.鈥�
