Silver City Arts and Cultural District holds monthly meeting Feb. 11

By Mary Alice Murphy

Lee Gruber, chairman of the Silver City Arts and Cultural District board, opened the meeting by introducing the new SCACD director, Callie Kennnington. "I want to welcome Callie to our community. Her first day was Monday."

"Everyone is so friendly," Kennington said. "I can't ask for a better group of women to work with. Silver City is such a neat little town."

"We are glad to have new eyes looking at the town," Gruber said.

Gruber said a large group of folks from Silver City and Grant County went to Santa Fe last week for Grant County Day. "The Prospectors do such an incredible job of presenting Grant County. I think it makes a difference."

The annual Clay Festival, founded by Gruber, is the signature event of the Arts and Cultural District. The Western New Mexico University Humanities Department approached the district to propose a writing workshop as part of the festival. "I wasn't sure, but they want to call it 'Molding Words and Molding Clay,' so now we will have two writing workshops, one on poetry andone on prose, as part of the Clay Festival. I feel strongly this is collaboration at work. We need to keep pulling together to work together."

Amber Rheubottom, ACD events manager, said she is still looking at collaborations for events.

Mark Richard presented information on a film competition with the theme of the Pancho Villa invasion of Columbus, NM. "Professor Peter Bill and I are working on this project. On March 9, a memorial will be held in Columbus for the 100th anniversary of Villa's raid."

"I have talked to people who are getting the word out on the competition," Richard said. "We will have three categoriesG