What we're up to

JULY – Visit to the studios of Christy Hengst and Polly Barton – Santa Fe

Visit to Christy Hengst Studio

Christy Hengst’s artwork investigates sense of place, and heightening perceptions in people. Site-specific public projects include a treasure hunt circle of paintings in a small town in Massachusetts, three bus stops in Santa Fe, a large collaborative sculpture for a plaza in Cuenca, Ecuador, two Haiku Paths (SFCC and the Audubon Center), a collaborative boat on climate change for a playground, the four-year traveling international installation “birds in the park”, and the clandestine map-linked project, “Art in the Loo”.

Hengst’s mixed media paintings have been shown in solo shows in museums and galleries in Latin America, Europe and the U.S.

Hengst is married to the blacksmith Helmut Hillenkamp with whom she often collaborates, including on raising two now grown kids. She lives and works in Santa Fe, NM.

WEBSITE: www.christyhengst.com

Visit to Polly Barton Studio

Polly Barton is a nationally recognized artist who has been working in fiber for forty years. Trained in Japan, she is known for working with traditional methods of binding and dyeing bundles of fiber to weave contemporary imagery. Her studio practice has shifted over the last fifteen years to incorporating a wide range of materials including pigment, soy milk, pastel, metallic threads, stitching, papyrus, and metal leaf.

“Fingering thread whether in winding, weaving, typing, dyeing, stitching, always leads to the next idea.” Her recent work has been weaving spun linen paper (shifu in Japanese) to create her own canvas.

As a young artist, Polly Barton points to her formative job as the personal assistant to Helen Frankenthaler, from whom she observed the inner drive and resilience necessary for an artist. Working with Helen was an introduction to the challenges and rewards of the New York art world.

In 1981, she moved to Kameoka, Japan and lived in the religious heart of the Oomoto Foundation to study with master weaver, Tomohiko Inoue. She practiced tea ceremony, calligraphy and Noh Drama with Oomoto’s master teachers. This spring, 2026, Barton returned to Oomoto to embrace her friends and connections from 44 years ago.

Barton continues to weave and practice tea ceremony and show her works in galleries on both coasts. Her work is in many collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Community Hospital Foundation of Monte Rey, and the Longhouse Reserve in New York. Hali Magazine, FiberArts, Surface Design Journal and American Craft, among others, have published her work. Barton has a solo exhibition of her pastels at Gebert Contemporary (formerly Chiaroscuro) in Santa Fe, July 10-August 15.

WEBSITE: www.pollybarton.com

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AUGUST - To be determined

Stay tuned for more information about an exciting CAS event in August.

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SEPTEMBER – Visits to the Studios of Celia Cortz and Craig Murray – Cedar Crest

Visit to the Studios of Celia Cortez and Craig Murray and the Outdoor Sculpture Garden

From Craig: “I am a sculptor working with welded and forged steel, wood, bone, and stone, inspired by Julio Gonzalez, David Smith, Alexander Calder, Anthony Caro, and Johnny Cash. In my work, I aim to relieve the inherent weight of the raw materials and impart a feeling of motion, fluidity, and exuberant grace. The works range from interior wall mounted, and self-supporting pieces, to large scale free standing outdoor sculptures.”

Celia information online: “The intricacies of nature serve as the inspiration for my work. Whether my aim is to create a detailed piece with drawing media, like ink or graphite, or whether I’m working on loose and abstract work with paints and mixed media, nature is at the heart of the concept. The forms and lines that are the foundation of every aspect of nature, the curves and spirals of shells and flowers, the hexagon in bee hives, the textures, colors and variety of species fascinate my creative mind.”

Please note there are a lot of steps and uneven walkways.

WEBSITE: celiacortez.com

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OCTOBER – Taos Studio Tours – Taos

The CAS Board is working on an exciting trip to Taos, NM in October. More information to come.