Bronitsky and Associates Blog

August 24, 2010

After showing Lois some of New Mexico’s mesa and canyon country, I thought a chance of scene would be in order so up we went into the Jemez Valley with its majestic towering red and beige canyon walls and pine forests.  The Valley is the home of Jemez Pueblo and features hot springs, restaurants and art galleries–it’s a favored get-away place for people from Albuquerque.

We drove north to Battleship Rock, a sheer cliff that rises suddenly above the river like the prow of a ship–one of my favorite fishing places when I was growing up.  It was raining hard but that was a welcome change after the heat of Indian Market.

The rain lessened as we drove south to Soda Dam, where water from underground hot springs has flowed for centuries. The buildup of mineral deposits has formed a unique and spectacular natural dam that blocks the Jemez River.  It’s a wonderful place to see, and for small kids, a great place to climb around inside the dam–something I loved to do when I was smaller than I am now!

Lunch, then on to the canyons of the Gilman tunnels and, all too soon, back to Albuquerque.  Lois returns home August 25 and it’s been a great week full of diverse experiences and thinking about the future.  Lois has really awakened audiences here to Inuit performance–bravo!

August 23, 2010

Indian Market is over and now we have two days for just relaxing and seeing some of the beautiful places of New Mexico.  We went with friends of mine to Acoma Pueblo.  Founded over one thousand years ago, it is the oldest continually inhabited village in the United States, located on a high mesa in the heart of New Mexico’s mesa and canyon country.  First we visited their spectacular museum and had lunch there (highly recommended, by the way) and then took the shuttle to the top for the tour.  A wonderful experience indeed, with a light breeze and clouds piling up in the sky.

Then back to Albuquerque to ride the Tram to Sandia Crest.  At 2.7 miles it is the longest aerial tramway in the world, all the way up to Sandia Crest at 10,200 feet above sea level.  And this time the view was especially spectacular as we watched a major storm come in below us from the west, patches of downpour, thunder and lightning.  An incredible end to a wonderful day!

August 22, 2010

Today was the highlight of Lois’ participation in the annual Santa Fe Indian Market–her performance at the Clothing Competition.  The Clothing Competition is the most-photographed event during Indian Market, and Lois performed during the break between the Traditional Clothing section and the Contemporary Fashion section.  She played to a packed house and her performance was greeted with much applause.  And, as you can see, Lois and I also participated in a little cultural sharing!

Afterwards we visited the booths of the artists and craftspeople we hadn’t seen before, no easy task with so many wonderful artists.

Now I’ll have the pleasure of showing Lois some of the many beautiful parts of New Mexico before she returns to Nunavut on Wednesday.   We’re both looking forward to that!

August 21, 2010

Today we dove headlong into the annual Santa Fe Indian Market–hundreds of American Indian artists from Maine to Washington to Florida, thousands of visitors, an eye-popping array of the best American Indian arts and crafts, traditional AND contemporary, clear blue skies, hot weather, and more.  What an experience!

Lois performed in the morning and afternoon on the center stage in the heart of the historic Santa Fe Plaza.  She was a hit–audiences loved her singing and her explanations of the music.  And I must include a special shoutout to Melissa Sanchez and her superb staff at Emergence Productions for their work behind and on the stage.  Bravo!

And now Lois is experiencing something totally new–her first sunburn!  Evidently, sunburn isn’t a problem in Nunavut (where frostbitten noses and fingers are much more likely to be encountered).

We arrived back at my home, tired but very happy after an exciting, productive and long day.  Ever onward!

August 20, 2010

And now here is my first-ever guest blogger, Inuit throat singer Lois Suluk Locke:

New mexico is indeed hot, I am still trying to get use to the altitude. It has been great and I still have so much to see. I’m loving the scenery, the history, making new friends and of course I’m grateful to be able to stay at Gordon’s. My performances had to be adjusted, I’m playing more of the jaw harp and singing traditional drum songs. I have yet to see the Indian Market tomorrow, and I must say I’m pretty excited about it.