Dixon Reading Room painting by Eli Levin
Las Vegas, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands Art @ ARMAS exhibition opens Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m. and features the work of Santa Fe painter Eli Levin and others.
The public reception is for the new permanent art loan at the Achieving in Research, Math and Science Center in the university’s Engineering Building at 916 11th St. The reception lasts until 7:30 p.m. and includes light refreshments and live music.
ARMAS collaborated with the Highlands University Foundation to create the art loan.
“The purpose of this art loan it to make ARMAS a more welcoming place for students,” said Renee Buchanan, Highlands Foundation art curator. “The foundation’s art collection is meant to be a teaching collection and accessible to students. This art loan accomplishes that. It’s been an exciting collaboration with ARMAS.”
“We are very grateful to the Highlands Foundation for providing our students with beautiful and cultural spaces in which to grow and learn,” said Susan Decker, ARMAS director.
In 2013, when Eli Levin was 75, PBS New Mexico aired a tribute that chronicled his contributions to art in New Mexico and nationally. His social realism artwork is in permanent collections ranging from the Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C., to the Museum of Fine Arts in Cleveland and the Fine Arts Museum in Santa Fe.
Levin will be at the Art @ ARMAS reception.
The artworks at ARMAS come from the Dr. Robert Bell and Dr. Sterling Puck Permanent Art Collection at Highlands. Since 2001, the couple has donated more than 500 paintings to the university.
Other artists featured in the collection at ARMAS include legendary Highlands fine arts professor Ray Drew as well as some fine art prints from Highlands students.
“Highlands Students have told us that the art makes them feel more valued,” said Eli Mohanna, ARMAS supplemental instruction coordinator. “For the art reception, we also wanted to showcase the Los Alamos National Laboratory makerspace at ARMAS. Our Highlands computer science students will be doing demonstrations that give people the opportunity to experience art through virtual reality.”
After the art reception, there will be free tours at 7:30 p.m. of the Highlands Observatory located on the top of the Ivan Hilton Science Building at the northeast corner of National Avenue and 11th St. Access to the observatory in Ivan Hilton’s west wing is on 11th Street via the stairs and elevator, using the PH button.
The nationally acclaimed ARMAS Center provides comprehensive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) support services to students at Highlands.