In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s "World of Art" Podcast, artist and art historian Victoria Chick takes us inside the exciting development of the Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center in Silver City, New Mexico.

LISTEN TO THE BIG BLEND RADIO PODCAST EPISODE WITH VICTORIA CHICK:

Victoria is a contemporary figurative artist, collector of early 19th and 20th-century American prints, and the visionary spearheading this long-term museum project. The proposed museum and art center is designed not only to preserve and exhibit art, but also to provide art education, outreach, research resources, and greater access to the arts for communities throughout southwest New Mexico.

The conversation focuses on an exciting milestone: two October weekends when the public can experience a free pop-up museum inside the historic building the organization hopes to purchase and transform into its permanent home. Victoria explains the vision for the space, the importance of museum-quality preservation, and what goes into curating an exhibition.

We also explore the two featured exhibitions: “American Etching Revival,” examining the rise of etching as an artistic medium beginning in the 1870s, and “Five Artists Do the West,” featuring five 20th-century artists who interpreted the American West using five different mediums. The exhibition includes an interactive opportunity for visitors to create their own depiction of the West.

Victoria also discusses the Southwest Print Fiesta, a juried print purchase show, the museum's future outreach programs, the importance of visual observation and art education, and the exciting possibility of future exhibition partnerships through the Art Bridges Foundation.

As Victoria emphasizes, a museum is about more than putting art on walls. It is about preservation, education, access, creativity, and connecting people with art.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
October is an especially exciting month for the Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center in Silver City, New Mexico. The organization is hosting two free pop-up museum weekends inside the historic building it hopes to purchase and transform into its permanent home:

October 10–11 & October 17–18
10:00 AM–4:00 PM

MORE TO EXPLORE
- October Exhibits & Events: https://swrma.substack.com/p/art-events-in-silver-city-october 
- Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center: https://www.southwest-art-museum.or

Victoria Chick is the founder of the Cow Trail Art Studio in southwest New Mexico. She received a B.A. in Art from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and awarded an M.F.A. in Painting from Kent State University in Ohio. Visit her website at www.ArtistVictoriaChick.com and learn more about the Southwest Regional Museum of Art & Art Center.