Rio Rancho Art Association celebrating 20 years in July

Rio Rancho Art Association will celebrate its 20th anniversary July 9 with an art show in the Jemez Fine Arts Gallery.

The nonprofit association's Kandy Glaser is an artist herself.

"I taught at Lincoln Middle School as a science teacher and retired. So I was like, 'Well, now what am I going to do with myself?' I took some art classes, and I just took off," she said.

The celebration will feature works from the association, and finger foods will be available.

The association has 35 members and is always looking for more.

"It's a great place for beginners to get used to being in the art world," she said.

However, Glaser says the association doesn't accept artists that use digital mediums to create art.

According to her, while there are some issues with getting the schools to allow classes, Meadowlark Senior Center members love the classes the association offers.

"They're very receptive," she added.

Any money that comes from art sales goes toward scholarships for the high school students in Rio Rancho or St. Felix Pantry.

The group meets at Don Chalmers Ford on NM 528 every second Tuesday of the month, and they have an educational speaker talk about different techniques and materials used with art.

People wanting to buy art can buy at the show in Jemez or in town. Pieces by local artists sell at O'Hare's, Westside Lovelace, ABQ Little Theater, Milly's in Albuquerque, Bernalillo Edward Jones and several galleries. People can also see some of the works in the metro area. Some of the murals in Old Town Albuquerque were done by a member of the art association, according to Glaser.

"Mainly we're just here to support the arts in our community," she said.