Alt.art Cont’d from Page 26 list of the City of Las Cruces’s code issues. “We’re still quite a work in progress,” Bardey said. In addition to hosting gallery exhibits since 2012 with monthly receptions coinciding with Las Cruces’s monthly Downtown Art Ramble, We.AD has been host to several events from hip hop, rock, and folk concerts, a puppet musical, several burlesque shows and fundraisers for local non-profit groups and students. “It’s still a little rough; we’ve built it all from member dues and donations, and mostly volunteer labor. But it’s also warm, homey, and full of artwork that changes frequently,” Bardey said. “It’s also right next to the railroad tracks, which adds a certain kind of energy, noises and smells!” The depot’s 2015 plans include their fourth annual “Illegal?” show featuring works by original We.AD member and graffiti artist SABA, among other solo and group exhibits from local and visiting artists. “We’re working out the details now for an important exhibit in May of artwork created about the new Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument,” he said. “May 21 is the anniversary of the federal designation, and we’ll host a fun event with live music and a lot of notable folks from around the state.” He said the depot’s main goals are to apply for federal 501(c)3 non-profit status and writing grants, in hope of creating some paid positions. All the current leaders volunteer their time to We.AD. The depot intends to also raise funds with several benefit events and online fundraisers. He encourages both artists and art lovers to support the depot and its members through attending events or donating via their website at we-ad.org. Fab Lab El Paso Art and technology come together at the new creative workspace, Fab Lab El Paso. Established in 2013, the Fab Lab is a nonprofit organization that “provides community access to digital fabrication tools and resources for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, skillset learning, workforce training, creative collaboration, prototype development and product manufacture.” The El Paso space, located near Downtown at 806 Montana, is the first of its kind in this region. Fab Lab serves businesses in need of creating product modeling and prototypes, students and educators looking to use these skills for vocational training and education, and anyone in the community, youth and adults, interested in creating projects. This includes accessibility to Fab Lab’s 3D laser scanners and printers, laser cutters and other equipment, as well as workshops and creative events for all ages. Some of the creations spawned from Fab Lab’s equipment have included a wooden table top shaped like the Death Star from “Star Wars,” papel picado wedding invitations and detailed paper craft animal heads using laser cutters and Lego-textured iPhone cases sculpted on a 3-D printer. According to Fab Lab’s business explanation “our core belief is that the tools and resources to actualize creative ideas should be available to as many community members as possible.” February 2015 Other examples One example of multi-disciplinary arts events in El Paso is offered the first Friday of each month. The grassroots happening known as La Parada is an ongoing “arts, music and social party” representing the local culture and lifestyles of the border region. La Parada events have included live bands, DJ sets, visual arts exhibits, and other performing arts at the San Carlos Building, 501 Texas. The City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department will also offer a similar conglomeration of art for young artists this month through an event known as the “Chaos Collaboration.” Held Feb. 20 at the city’s Frank O’Brien Papen Community Center, young artists in grades 6 through 12 will show off both their visual artworks, and perform in an open mic setting. The small West Texas community of Marfa, three hours east of El Paso, has been gaining a reputation as a cutting-edge environment for artists for some time. Two examples include Ballroom Marfa, known for its events and exhibits that often meld together visual arts, film, music, drama and spoken word, and the Chinati Foundation, which houses the world’s largest collection of permanently installed contemporary art. Another way some artists are finding their niche is to create it themselves. Non-traditional gallery spaces are becoming more frequent, such as the Grocery Gallery, a coffeehouse art space set in a historic grocery store near Union Plaza that has hosted open mic and spoken word events. In El Paso, a similar co-op space similar to We.AD in Las Cruces was started in 2001 by the El Paso Art Association. Since 2001, the association has provided artists a space to gather, create and commune with other artists through its Art Junction of El Paso at 500 W. Paisano, just outside of the Union Plaza District. The space allows for the association to hold regular meetings, classes and workshop, provide studio space for artists, and host exhibits through its connected Crossland Gallery. Artspace Projects El Paso Community Foundation’s Artspace Projects has been the vision of El Paso artists and art supporters for years, and is soon to become a reality. The idea was the foundation’s response, in partnership with the City of El Paso, to an “art walk” idea considered in 2007-2008 as part of the city’s Downtown Plan. In 2009, the foundation invited the Minnesotabased Artspace Projects to El Paso. The site for Artspace El Paso lofts was donated by father and son Chris Cummings Sr. and Jr., who offered the property on North Oregon in Downtown El Paso that was the former location of El Paso Saddleblanket. “The groundbreaking should take place in late April or early May,” Community Foundation President Eric Pearson said. “We still need to raise significant money to make the project happen by that time, but we are well on our way. I jokingly call the project the ‘[YOUR NAME HERE] Artspace Lofts.’” Pearson said every office and business owner he spoke to has supported the proj- Please see Page 28 El Paso Scene Page 27