THE PASEO, A FESTIVAL BRINGING THE ARTS OF INSTALLATION, PERFORMANCE, AND PROJECTION TO THE STREETS OF TAOS, IS COMING UP ON SEPTEMBER 25 & 26, for its second year of celebrating ‘unhangable art.’ LIVETAOS AND KNCE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE PASEO TO BRING YOU GREAT INTERACTIVE COVERAGE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE EVENT!
THIS SERIES PROFILES SOME OF THE MANY FABULOUS ARTISTS BRINGING THE PASEO TO LIFE FOR A SECOND YEAR.
The Paseo is happening in a couple of weeks, and this year it features a collaborative of Taos artists calling themselves “TNT!”
TNT! has created The Corridor, a 30’ long sculptural passageway to be erected in the public Lilac Garden of The Stables Gallery during The Paseo. The collaborative of Taos artists behind The Corridor includes Dora Dillistone, Jan Dorris, Dianne Frost, Sally Gray, TJ Mabrey, M. Oliver, and Barbara Zaring. The piece is created from twenty-four 12′ tall cardboard tubes, repurposed from local carpet dealers. Each artist has designed a unique tube which is mingled with 17 additional silver tubes that bear the names of women artists throughout history, from Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625) to Taos’s Agnes Martin (1912-2004).
I spoke with six of the women who make up TNT! last week, and they shared some of their experience working collaboratively for the first time and what it means for them to be collectively represented in The Paseo as working women artists of “a certain generation.”
TNT!’s work is situated within their corridor of women in history. The Corridor is created to be both a walk through the history of women in art, and a stroll towards where we might be headed in the future. Recognizing that many women were unrecognized as artists throughout history, each member of the collective selected certain artists whom they researched and became very intimate with. These women artists were just not known, and even though that is now changing, TNT! recognizes that women continue to be underrepresented in museums and their art continues to sell for less than works by men. This is simply a fact. However, The Corridor is not a protest piece — it is a beautiful, celebratory work of art.
This history of The Corridor is important also because this group of women, the artists of this piece, are all working artists, and that is not very common. It is a reflection of our times — the challenges of being a full-time artist. Collaboration has become more prevalent in the art world, and this is the first project for TNT!
As people walk through The Corridor, TNT! hopes they will becomes a natural part of this history. You’ll notice many shapes and colors when you look up at the sky from within The Corridor, and as the sky changes color, the light changes, the shadows change on the ground change; and that happens too through history, as a woman ages, and through the ages. It is an installation, not a projection. It is as good in the daylight as it is in the night. They want people to be curious about the names, and question people about the names.The ladies of TNT! will be on hand at The Paseo, so ask them about the names in The Corridor.
While they have no plans at this point for future collaborative works of this sort, TNT! believes that there may be something in their future. They enjoyed their exploration together for The Paseo, and they were all surprised at how well they all got a long and how the process went so smoothly. They may just try it again soon. Until then, enjoy TNT! at The Paseo.
For more information on The Paseo, visit their website.
Photos by Kathleen Brennan