This year, Southwest Contemporary is preparing for its most exciting and impactful year yet as the only contemporary art publication dedicated to the Southwest region. And for the first time, we are hosting a fundraiser!

As a local, independent publication at the crossroads of the arts and journalism—two sectors that we need now more than ever—we are rallying our arts community to sustain and advance our work, which we make free and accessible for all to read.

We’ll be kicking off the summer season in New Mexico with our inaugural Art Party and Benefit Art Auction, a celebration of the very best art and artists across the Southwest and the launch of our 6th annual New Mexico Field Guide. The party will feature a live performance by psych-Western musician Betty Benedeadly, dance beats by DJ Raashan Ahmad, curated cocktails by As Above So Below Distillery, and light bites by Cowgirl at the Scottish Rite Center—along with an exclusive online art auction.

Join us in raising a glass, bidding on works in our exclusive art auction, and hitting the dance floor!

About the Art Party

Our first annual fundraiser will feature:

Remarks by MC Tania Katan (speaker and award-winning author of Creative Trespassing) and the SWC team.
Performance by psych-Western musician Betty Benedeadly.
Dance beats by DJ Wurzeln and DJ Raashan Ahmad.
Curated cocktails by As Above So Below Distillery.
Craft beer by Second Street Brewery.
Light bites by Cowgirl.
Raffle of gifts and experiences (hybrid in-person and online).
Limited edition art print by artist Steve J. Yazzie (Diné/Pueblo of Laguna/European Ancestry), available with VIP tickets.
Online art auction featuring 50+ artists in the SWC community.

About the Benefit Auction

Our exclusive online art auction will be open for bidding May 23–June 7, featuring works by artists in SWC's extensive community of artists across the Southwest.

Auction Artworks by:

Adrian Aguirre, Debra Baxter, Beedallo, Michael Bergt, Nikesha Breeze, Mira Burack, Dorielle Caimi, Natalie Christensen, Kyle Cunningham, Amanda Curreri, Jenny Day, Cara Despain, Esther Elia, Angela Ellsworth, Lydia Andrew Farrell, Welly Fletcher, Eric Garcia, Lex Gjurasic, Ollie Glatzer, Apolo Gomez, Nancy Good, Terran Last Gun, Paulina Ho, Aleya Hoerlein, Kat Kinnick, Caroline Liu, Tom Martinelli, Zahra Marwan, Emily Margarit Mason, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Delilah Montoya, Jennifer Nehrbass, Virgil Ortiz, Jeannie Ortiz, Andrea Pichaida, Mallery Quetawki, Daisy Quezada Ureña, Jorge Rojas, Anna Rotty, Janet Russek, Maja Ruznic, Safwat Saleem, David Scheinbaum, Hills Snyder, John Sproul, Isadora Stowe, Shane Tolbert, Madeleine Tonzi, Jennifer Vasher, Erika Wanenmacher, Will Wilson, Jaclyn Wright, and more!

Art Party Art Print

SWC is grateful to partner with artist Steven J. Yazzie (Diné/Pueblo of Laguna/European Ancestry) to create a limited-edition print (edition of 50) to celebrate our first annual Art Party. Available only with the purchase of a VIP ticket.

Steven J. Yazzie, Death of The Curator #5, 2024
14 x 11 in. Edition of 50.
Available only with the purchase of a VIP ticket

Steven J. Yazzie is a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation, video/film, photography, and community collaboration. Yazzie is a member of the Navajo Nation and a veteran of the Gulf War, serving honorably with the United States Marine Corps, 1988-92. He received a BFA in Intermedia at Arizona State University and was named 2014 Outstanding Graduate for the Herberger Institute for Design and Art. Yazzie was a Community Scholar for the Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality, University of Denver, 2019-20, and was a Southwest Contemporary Editorial Advisory Board member in 2024. Additionally, Yazzie was a founding member of Postcommodity, an Indigenous arts collective, and the co-founder of the Museum of Walking.

About the Raffle

Southwest Contemporary friends and partners have donated some incredibly special packages for this special giveaway, and we couldn’t be more grateful for these donations—or more excited to see who takes them home!

Our lineup of prizes includes art, swag, and experiences to enjoy near and (for select items) far.

Prizes include a two-person Heritage Inspirations tour bundle, a leather-tooling workshop for up to four people from Collect Santa Fe, art from Hecho a Mano and Whiskey & Clay, art books from Radius Books, and more. Here is the complete lineup:

Raffle tickets are $10 for one or $45 for five, and 100% of raffle proceeds support SWC‘s independent arts journalism. Purchase raffle tickets now through Friday, June 6, 8 pm MDT, when we will draw winning tickets during the Art Party. Can't join us at the event? You do not need to attend the Art Party to participate—or win!

About Southwest Contemporary

Southwest Contemporary advances culture and community through local arts journalism and critical discourse. Based in Santa Fe since 2019, we publish award-winning local arts journalism on a regional scale. With a focus on art journalism that informs, empowers, and inspires, our work directly supports Southwest-based artists and arts organizations by sharing their work, shedding light on local and regional issues that affect them, and connecting a geographically dispersed creative community.

Southwest Contemporary is a small business with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Tiny News Collective.

Southwest Contemporary Editorial Advisory Board: Laura Augusta, hazel batrezchavez, Angela Ellsworth, Nancy Good, Andrea Hanley, Emily Hallowell, Mary Kershaw, Lisa Le Feuvre, Djamila Ricciardi, and Chris Taylor.

southwestcontemporary.com

Virgil Ortiz, Runner Turquoise