Amy Stroh – NeoRio HOME Featured Artist
Today’s NeoRio Featured Artist is Amy Stroh. Her piece explores the sensory experiences and delights of food, family, memories and home. Her cube is literally a sensory experience in itself; wish we could smell it in person!
Find images, artist statement and audio reflection at her page in the online exhibition HERE.
28 Days of NeoRio Featured Artists
Join us for the next 28 days as we explore the cube artworks created by our 28 NeoRio 2020 Artists of “Home: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box.”
Amy Stroh, Anne-Marie Emanuelli, Ashton McKenney, Carol Schrader, Cathy Hope, Connie Long, Crystal and Ariessa Medina, Danielle Lacome, David Vargo, Diane de Fremery, Emelina Medina, FiTaos 2nd and 3rd Grade after school group, FiTaos Nature Art Group, Geneviève de Vellis, Gillian McCombs, Jaydyn Cintas, Jennifer Vialpando, Joshlyn Medina, Joy Purcell, Kaitlin Bryson, Lee Lee and Thatcher Gray, Malia Reeves, Martha Shepp, Mary Hanrahan, Ruby Sofrae, Ricky Pass, Robbie Steinbach, and Sarah Parker.
Tell us what you think of the work here in the comments and follow the conversation on our social media pages:
LEAP Facebook
LEAP Instagram
LEAP InstagramQuesta Creative Council Facebook
Thanks!
NeoRio Artist Roundtable Videos are LIVE!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the three NeoRio Artist Roundtables via Zoom on October 9, 10 and 11. Special thanks to our participating artists, who shared their time, artworks, stories and reflections and vulnerably shared a part of themselves via the online format via Zoom.
If you weren’t able to join us live on Zoom, we are pleased to share the videos of the Zoom sessions here on the LEAP website and via Youtube HERE.
The three sessions are diverse and content rich. We hope you enjoy!
Don’t forget to checkout the online exhibition, “Home: Thinking Inside & Outside the Box.”
Thanks for joining in the NeoRio 2020: HOME project!
P.S. REMEMBER, you can still contribute to the Online HOME Archive!
The Home Digital Archive is a more open-ended digital collection point for artworks, creative expressions, writings, songs, videos, stories, poems, memories, reflections, conversations, images, and artifacts inspired by or connected to home. Contributions can be created or recorded especially for this project or can be something you’ve made in the past. We are particularly interested in hearing your short home audio stories and reflections. By “story” we simply mean a short reflection on a time in your life, a person, place, food, experience, memory, idea or object that relates to or represents home to you. You can use a smartphone to record your story or we are happy to record it for you over the phone. Submissions of any form are welcome through 2020 and beyond to be included in the Home archive.
How to contribute to the Home Online Archive:
- Create a home artwork or other creative expression
- Make it able to be shared digitally: photos, video, scans, word document etc. (help provided with this if needed)
- And/or record a short audio reflection or story (help provided with this if needed)
- Email these with your name and contact info to emailforleap@gmail.com
NeoRio Artist & Community HOME Zoom Roundtable Series – Join us!
We hope you can join us! All the details are below.
Welcome to the NeoRio 2020: Home Roundtables invitation!
We look forward to seeing you at one or all three Roundtable events.
Sessions Take Place:
- Friday, October 9, 7 pm MST
- Saturday, October 10, 4 pm MST
- Sunday, October 11, 4 pm MST
Friday Roundtable Artists: Carol Schrader, Crystal and Ariessa Medina, Danielle LaCome, David Vargo, Field Institute of Taos Nature Art Group (Malia Reeves), Joshlyn Medina, Joy Purcell, Kaitlin Bryson, Malia Reeves, Martha Shepp
Saturday Roundtable Artists: Anne-Marie Emanuelli, Ashton McKenney, Diane de Fremery, Emelina Medina, Field Institute of Taos 2-3 Grade After School Group (Cass Lundrum), Gill McCombs, Lee Lee and Thatcher Gray
Sunday Roundtable Artists: Amy Stroh, Cathy Hope, Connie Long, Genevieve de Vellis, Jaydyn Cintas, Jennifer Vialpando, Mary Hanrahan, Ricky Pass, Robbie Steinbach, Ruby Sofrae, Sarah Parker
At the event times indicated above, access all three NeoRio Roundtable events at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88213092838
The meeting space will be live ten minutes before meeting start time to make sure all artists have comfortably joined the meeting. Other guests are welcome to join the zoom “waiting room” early. We will admit all guests right at the start time of the session and begin the event promptly from there. (Friday start time is 7 pm MST, Saturday start time is 4 pm MST, Sunday start time is 4 pm MST).
If you have any technical issues with Zoom, please reach out to our Zoom Roundtable tech person, Tallie Segel. You can reach her by phone or email: 505.490.6273 or emailforleap@gmail.com.
In the meantime, you can learn more about NeoRio 2020: Home at LEAPsite.org and enjoy the HOME online exhibition: https://leapsite.org/neorio/home/exhibition/
NeoRio Roundtables are free and open to all.
If you are in the position to and feel moved to make a donation to support the NeoRio project, we would be most grateful. (Donations are fully tax-deductible and received for NeoRio via the Questa Creative Council.)
Complete Zoom Invite Details Below:
All three time slots use the same Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88213092838
Meeting ID: 882 1309 2838
To join by One tap mobile:
+16699009128,,88213092838# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,88213092838# US (Tacoma)
To call in by your location (then enter the meeting ID: 882 1309 2838)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 882 1309 2838
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcimj2Izk4
NeoRio 2020: Home – Online Exhibition is Live!
Head over to the HOME exhibition and explore the wonderful works and audio reflections by these participating artists:
Amy Stroh, Anne-Marie Emanuelli, Ashton McKenney, Carol Schrader, Cathy Hope, Connie Long, Crystal and Ariessa Medina, Danielle LaCome, David Vargo, Diane de Fremery, Emelina Medina, Field Institute of Taos 2nd and 3rd Grade afterschool group, Field Institute of Taos Nature Art Group, Geneviève de Vellis, Gill McCombs, Jaydyn Cintas, Jennifer Vialpando, Joshlyn Medina, Joy Purcell, Kaitlin Bryson, Lee Lee and Thatcher Gray, Malia Reeves, Martha Shepp, Mary Hanrahan, Ruby Sofrae, Ricky Pass, Robbie Steinbach and Sarah Parker.
Enjoy!
NeoRio 2020: Home – coming to fruition!
What: NeoRio 2020: Home – Community art and story project
Where: Virtual Events: Exhibition at LEAPsite.org and Community Roundtables via Zoom
When: Online Exhibition begins October 8, Roundtable Art & Story Sharings October 9, 10 & 11
Price: Free and open to all
Contact: Claire Coté, emailforleap@gmail.com (575) 224-9066
Are you familiar with the Citizen Scientist Movement? Defined as “…members of the general public who collect and analyze data relating to the natural world, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.” (Source: Oxford Languages) We see NeoRio 2020: Home as a ‘citizen art and story’ project; people responding to the theme of home to reflect together during the global pandemic to deepen understanding of collective experiences at this time.
This year’s NeoRio project affirms that we each have a unique experience of the world and something valuable to express. As we navigate the turbulent seas of the global pandemic together from our own boats, reflection helps us to make sense of it all.
With this in mind, everyone is invited to wear an artist’s cap and create and reflect on the theme of home, to be artists for NeoRio 2020!
For some of us, participating in this project may ask us to step outside our comfort zone. This is part of the invitation; to try something different and stretch ourselves! Organizers hope that these different ways of sharing parts of ourselves and connecting with others on the theme of home during the pandemic will open doors to conversation and exchange that might not otherwise take place.
There are three platforms for NeoRio 2020: Home and all are free to participants:
- Online exhibition, “Home: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box”
- NeoRio Roundtable Art and Story Sharings via Zoom
- The “Home Digital Archive”
Online exhibition
Over the past couple of months we’ve been extending an open call for participation in the NeoRio online exhibition. Nearly thirty submissions have been received from adult practicing artists, but also from groups of kids, teens, parents, grandparents, teachers, graphic designers, entrepreneurs, coaches, outdoor enthusiasts, an herbalist, a medical practitioner, a salon owner and a librarian.
Participating artists in the online exhibition “Home: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box” include Amy Stroh, Anne-Marie Emanuelli, Ashton McKenney, Carol Schrader, Cathy Hope, Connie Long, Crystal and Ariessa Medina, Danielle Lacome, David Vargo, Diane de Fremery, Emelina Medina, FitTaos 2nd and 3rd Grade after school group, FitTaos Nature Art Group, Geneviève de Vellis, Gillian McCombs, Jaydyn Cintas, Jennifer Vialpando, Joshlyn Medina, Joy Purcell, Kaitlin Bryson, Lee Lee, Malia Reeves, Martha Shepp, Mary Hanrahan, Ruby Sofrae, Ricky Pass, Robbie Steinbach and Sarah Parker.
It’s wonderful to witness the diversity of people who have chosen to take part and fascinating to see and hear their unique creative approaches to home during this unprecedented time. We can’t wait for you all to see the exhibition!
All participants in the online exhibition were provided with a common starting point: a 7x7x7” wooden box with a removable lid, made specially for this project, as well as the prompts, “What does home mean to you? Think inside and outside the box!” Each participant was also asked to submit a short audio reflection or story. Why audio?
Sharing stories connects us with one another and is an opportunity to be vulnerable and courageous. Hearing a person’s story in his or her own voice deepens its significance and impact and linking unique cube artworks and audio stories is proving to be fascinating!
Explore, appreciate, and purchase works for sale at the online exhibition starting October 8, right here at LEAPsite.org. We’ll post an announcement on the homepage that will take you to the exhibition landing page, where you will find all the artists, images of their work and their audio stories.
Roundtable Art & Story Sharings, October 9, 10 & 11
All are invited to a dynamic series of community roundtables on Zoom, this year’s version of NeoRio “artist talks” in connection with the online exhibition. See participating artists share their cube artworks and hear their home reflections and stories on October 9, 10 and 11. Choose one, or come to all three! Zoom sessions are Friday, October 9, 7 pm, Saturday, October 10, 4 pm and October 11, Sunday 4 pm all MST. More info and sign-up link at LEAPsite.org. The online home story-sharing events and archive is a collaboration with Questa Stories ~ Community Memory Project at QuestaStories.org.
Contribute to the ongoing Home Digital Archive
The Home Digital Archive is a more open-ended digital collection point for artworks, creative expressions, writings, songs, videos, stories, poems, memories, reflections, conversations, images, and artifacts inspired by or connected to home. Contributions can be created or recorded especially for this project or can be something you’ve made in the past. Organizers are particularly interested in hearing your short home audio stories and reflections. By “story” we simply mean a short reflection on a time in your life, a person, place, food, experience, memory, idea or object that relates to or represents home to you. You can use a smartphone to record your story or we are happy to record it for you over the phone. Submissions of any form are welcome throughout the fall and beyond to be included in the NeoRio 2020: Home archive.
How to contribute to the Home Online Archive:
- Create a home artwork or other creative expression (see above)
- Make it able to be shared digitally: photos, video, scans, word document etc. (help provided with this if needed)
- And/or record a short audio reflection or story
- Email these with your name and contact info to emailforleap@gmail.com
NeoRio is a venue for innovative art, experimental thinking, education, and exchange. For the past eleven years it has been a public gathering and celebration; artists, participants, and collaborators have enjoyed thought-provoking art installations at Wild Rivers on the rim of the Rio Grande gorge, a farm-to-table feast, music, poetry, and artist talks. This year a pandemic-responsive, transformed NeoRio takes place through your creative participation at home and online. NeoRio is a project of LEAP in partnership with Questa Creative Council and Localogy.
NeoRio is free and open to all. The event is made possible by individual donations, local business and media sponsorships as well as grant support. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts, Taos Community Foundation and Drawing on Earth, with additional sponsorships from Questa Economic Development Fund, Questa del Rio News, Questa Visitor Center, Taos Public Library, Zia Event Design, North Star Toys, Questa Lumber and Hardware, Sage Automatic Systems, and generous individual donors and volunteers.
Contact Claire: emailforleap@gmail.com (575) 224-9066 (call/text) More info at Leapsite.org.
REMINDER: Deadline for NeoRio Online Exhibition this Saturday, Sept. 26!
Almost all 100 wooden cubes have been picked up or delivered. We hope you got one and that you’re enjoying transforming it!
Saturday, September 26 is the deadline to submit your digital documentation (cube artwork and audio story) for participation in the virtual art show. Find full projects description and guidelines on how to participate HERE
and below.
Summary: how to submit by the deadline
- Fill out and email your artist contract (if you’ve done this already, thank you!)
- Finish your home cube artwork and title it
- Take well-lit photos of your creation
- Record a short audio story or reflection
- Write your artist bio and statement
- Email all these to emailforleap@gmail.com
Questions?
Contact Claire: emailforleap@gmail.com (575) 224-9066 (call/text)
Thank you for participating in NeoRio 2020: Home!
We are excited and grateful to you for adding your perspectives on home to the project. Your participation helps give wings to this project!
Here’s what to do now:
1. Ponder Home
What does home mean to you? Think inside and outside the box! Approach the theme of home with the broadest perspective: body as home, identity as home, garden as home, kitchen as home, family as home, traditions as home, Earth as home, memory of home, animal homes, imaginary homes, home during the pandemic, home as safety, refuge, confinement….?
2. Create Your Cube Artwork
Your cube came from a fabrication company in Maine, called HA Stiles. It is a starting point for your artwork. Think of the cube as a raw material to work with in two-dimensional or three-dimensional ways. Will the cube-box function as a vessel to be opened and viewed or be sealed and secret? Will the exterior six sides work in unison or be separate? Will the interior relate to the exterior? It can be modified in any way you like – carved, collaged, painted, drawn or written on, covered, attached to, drilled, cut, inlaid, quilted…..or destroyed? Just document the process and the outcome well! Take the cube and the theme and run wherever they take you!
3. Take Excellent Photos of Your Cube
The photos you take of your cube artwork are how people will experience it. Take high quality photos so that we can experience it authentically! Here are some tips:
- Start with good lighting. The goal is to have the piece evenly lit. Outside is often good. On a sunny day, finding solid shade (like from a building) can work well; overcast days can create good, even lighting too..
- Choose a simple, preferably solid background for your images. A wall or a solid colored fabric; white, light-colored, neutral tones often work well.
- Make sure it’s in focus. Take a few photos for each shot to make sure you get a good one. If you’re taking photos with a smartphone instead of a camera, tap and hold on the cube in the image to make sure it’s in focus.
- Give us a complete tour/view of your cube artwork. Shots to consider: a couple of overview shots from different angles, close-ups of each side, top and bottom, an overview of inside and a couple of detailed shots, if appropriate. Feel free to include any photos of the cube artwork in-process, other angles, or shots of particular details. Rule of thumb is to take more photos than you think you need, then select the best ones to submit.
- Edit (sparingly)….but do edit. Digitally editing your photo after the fact is not disingenuous or ‘cheating,’ as long as you don’t go too far with it. The goal of editing is to make photos more accurately represent your artwork: cropping borders and rotating, increasing or decreasing overall brightness, saturation, contrast, temperature or tint.
4. Record Your Short Audio Reflection or Story
If you’re thinking, “I don’t have any stories to tell! I’m not a storyteller!” bear with me…. By “story” we mean a memory, experience or short reflection on a time in your life, a person or a place that relates to home. It could be a cozy memory of a favorite food made by a beloved relative, it could be about discovering an animal burrow as a child, or the story of how you came to be in your current home or a reflection on staying home during the pandemic. This short audio story or reflection can be related to your cube artwork or not, that’s up to you. Artist Heather Williams says it well, “Sharing stories reminds us of our humanity and relieves feelings of isolation.” There is power in oral tradition; hearing a person’s story in his or her own voice deepens its significance and impact. With this in mind, we invite you to reflect on the expansive theme of home and express yourself in a brief audio story. Krista Tippet, host of the radio show and podcast On Being reminds us that “….the more particular you can get with your story, the more universally it can be received, and others can join their life and their imagination with what you have to share.”
Here are some guidelines:
- We ask that your story be up to five minutes in length.
- You can use a free audio recording app on a smartphone like Voice Memos (comes preloaded on iphones – you can find it in “extras”) or Voice Recorder for android to record your story or we are happy to record it for you over the phone.)
- Once you have completed your recording, go to the file and “share” – choose the email option and email it to emailforleap@gmail.com. (If you need technical assistance with this step we are happy to help).
- OR if you don’t have access to a smartphone, we are happy to record your story over the phone. Just let us know and we can set-up a time.
Exhibition of Works and Zoom Community Roundtables
Saturday, September 26 is the deadline for receiving digital documentation (artwork and story) for participation in the virtual art show. The NeoRio 2020 online exhibition at LEAPsite.org, “Home: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box” which will go live October 8. Works will also be featured on Instagram and Facebook. On October 9 and 10, we kick-off the NeoRio 2020: Home community roundtables on Zoom, during which your artworks and stories will be shared. Please indicate which date works for you on the attached Artist Contract. (The Home story-sharing and digital archive is a collaboration with Questa Stories ~ Community Memory Project, QuestaStories.org.)
Participating Artist Commitments
As a NeoRio 2020 contributing artist we ask that you:
- ASAP: Fill out and email us your Participating Artist Contract
- September 25: Complete your artwork by this date or sooner
- September 26: Email these five items by this date or sooner: 1. High-quality, well-lit photos of artwork, 2. short artist bio, 3. title of artwork, materials, and price, if for sale, 4. Short artwork statement, 5. Audio story, 5 minutes, reflecting on home and/or your experiences during pandemic – recorded on a smartphone, or we can record your short story by phone if needed
- October 9 or 10: Briefly share your artwork at one of the Zoom roundtable discussions
- Optional: Specify if you would like your work to be listed for sale in the online exhibition. Artists will handle sales and keep 100% of the profit.
Let’s come together and reflect on this poignant time and share our creations!
We can’t wait to receive your artworks and stories and share together in October.
NeoRio Cubes Arrive and Disperse
After a bit longer transit time than projected, the cubes arrived! (Click on images below for larger view.)
Questa Lumber and Hardware generously donated their commercial location to receive the freight delivery and fork lift to load the palette of cubes onto our trailer. We drove the cubes out to our home in Sunshine Valley through a much-needed drizzle. All 100 cubes arrived intact, well-made and ready to be transformed into your home creations! Thank you H.A. Stiles for making the cubes and Questa Lumber for helping to make this project possible! Now it’s time for the cubes to complete their journey to you!
Here are the pick up locations and details on how to get your cube:
- Questa Visitor Center: open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm through September 13. After that, Thursdays, 10 – 3 pm.
- Taos Public Library at the front of the Building, self-serve, weather permitting: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 – 4 pm.
- For those who live further away or picking up a cube is prohibitive, we can mail one to you or arrange delivery.
Get in touch if you have questions or need to make special arrangements to get a cube: emailforleap@gmail.com or 575-224-9066.
REMINDER: Submission deadline for the online exhibition is September 26. All the details on how to participate are HERE.
We cannot wait to see what you create with your cube!
Participate in NeoRio 2020: Home!
You’re invited to be an artist for this year’s NeoRio!
Since 2009, NeoRio has been a venue for innovative art, experimental thinking, education, and exchange. It has been a public gathering and celebration. NeoRio 2020 must respect the current, heightened safety measures while at the same time creatively respond to these extraordinary times. Affirming that we each have a unique experience of the world and something valuable to express, EVERYONE is invited to create and reflect upon the theme of home during the global pandemic. This year we’re inviting you to be the artists for NeoRio 2020…from your home!
Pondering Home
What does home mean to you? Think inside and outside the box! Approach the theme of home with the broadest perspective: body as home, garden as home, kitchen as home, family as home, traditions as home, Earth as home, home during the pandemic, home as refuge, safety, confinement….?
Starting Point: The Cube
All participants will be provided with the same starting point: a 7x7x7” wooden box, specially made for this year’s NeoRio project. Think of the cube as a raw material to work with; to be added to, subtracted from, or modified in any way you like. The cube could be carved, collaged, painted, drawn or written on, covered, attached to, drilled, inlaid, quilted or…..destroyed? (Just document the process!) Take the cube and the theme of home and follow wherever they lead you.
How to get your cube
- Questa Visitor Center: open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 3 pm through September 13. After that, cubes will be available for pick-up on Thursdays, 10 – 3 pm.
- Taos Public Library at the front of the Building, self-serve and weather permitting: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10 – 4 pm.
- For those who live further away or picking up a cube is prohibitive, we can mail one to you.
Short Audio Reflection
Reflection helps us to make sense of and glean meaning from challenging times. Sharing stories connects us with one another and is an opportunity to be vulnerable and courageous. There is power in oral tradition; hearing a person’s story in his or her own voice deepens its significance and impact. Current circumstances show us more than ever that connection adds purpose to life. With this in mind, we again invite you to reflect on the expansive theme of home and express yourself in a brief audio story. (A smartphone can be used to record your story or we are happy to record it for you over the phone.)
Exhibition and Archive
We foresee a poignant outcome with the combination of unique cube artworks and audio stories. These will be shown in the online exhibition, “Home: Thinking Inside and Outside the Box” which will go live October 8. Friday, September 26 is the deadline for receiving digital documentation (artwork and story) for participation in the virtual art show. Find full guidelines on how to participate HERE. On October 9 and 10, we kick-off a dynamic series of NeoRio 2020: Home interactive, community roundtables on Zoom, during which artworks and stories will be shared. All are invited!
We welcome the continued submission of home cube artworks and stories throughout the fall. These will be included in the NeoRio 2020: Home archive. The online home story-sharing events and archive is a collaboration with Questa Stories ~ Community Memory Project.
Helping Others Participate
Are you a teacher? Do you know people who might want to make a cube artwork and submit a story? We would love your help involving others in this project!
Summary – How to Participate:
- Pick up your cube at the Questa VC or Taos Library
- Create a home cube artwork
- Take photos of your creation
- Record a short audio story
- Email them to emailforleap@gmail.com
NeoRio is free and open to all; donations are appreciated. NeoRio is made possible by individual donations, local business and media sponsorships as well as grant support. This project is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Taos Community Foundation with additional sponsorships from Questa economic Development Fund, Questa del Rio Colorado News, Questa Visitor Center, Taos Public Library Zia Event Design, North Star Toys, Questa Lumber and Hardware, and generous individual donors and volunteers.
Questions? Contact Claire: emailforleap@gmail.com (575) 224-9066 (call/text) More info at Leapsite.org
NeoRio 2020: Home – A little preview
September 19 – October 25, 2020
We’re transforming and adapting NeoRio 2020 in response to heightened safety measures, while recognizing our need for personal connection and support. An invitation is extended to everyone to consider their experience of “home” during the global pandemic. Participants will create artwork-time capsules with an accompanying audio story to be shared and archived digitally in collaboration with Questa Stories ~ Community Memory Project. Artwork-time capsules by the public as well as local and regional artists will be shown and shared via an online exhibition and digital archive, through a series of community round tables on Zoom, and in local street front windows. Additional collaborations are also in the works.
Let’s come together and reflect on this poignant time. You are invited to participate!
Watch for details HERE or call Claire 575-224-9066.
LEAP 