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COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials today reported 228 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 195,990. The health department has designated 177,428 of those cases recovered.
Bernalillo County had 83 cases, followed by San Juan County with 33 and Doña Ana County with 19. Santa Fe County had 10 new cases.The state also announced three additional deaths from Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties; there have now been 4,023 fatalities. As of yesterday, 120 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
Currently, 57.5% of New Mexicans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 40.4% are fully vaccinated, according to the health department’s vaccine dashboard. In Santa Fe County, 62.1% have had at least one dose and 39.5% are fully inoculated.
Santa Fe County in partnership with the Aging and Long Term Services Department, Albertsons and other agencies will be holding a drive-through vaccine event from 9 am to 5 pm today at the county fairgrounds. The event is by appointment so participants will need to register with the state to receive an appointment time.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here. If you’ve had experiences with COVID-19, we would like to hear from you.
State schedules student vaccines
New Mexico’s health and education departments announced yesterday that students 16 years and older will be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines through the vaccineNM.org during the week of May 3-8, aka Student COVID-19 Vaccination Week. “With public schools back in session and summer just around the corner, we want students to know that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 protects them and their families—and will help us all get back to doing the things we miss,” DOH Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said in a statement. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one available to 16 and 17-year olds, and anyone under the age of 18 needs parental consent for the vaccine. “Vaccinating against this virus protects students’ health and the health of the school community,” Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart said in a statement. “Additionally, once students are fully vaccinated, they won’t have to quarantine if they’re identified as close contacts of someone with COVID-19. That could help reduce school closures in the future.” Moreover, as of Monday, April 26, all New Mexicans 16 years and older will be able to self-schedule their own vaccination appointments without event codes.
Judge rules against Multicultural mural
US District Judge Kea W. Riggs has declined to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent Gilberto Guzman’s Multicultural mural from being removed from the Guadalupe Street Halpin building. Guzman filed suit in March, seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction, and contended that destructing the mural would violate both his contract with the state, as well as his rights under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act. Guzman created the mural on the side of Guadalupe Street’s Halpin Building in the 1980s and ’90s in collaboration with other artists; it has been slated for destruction as the state Department of Cultural Affairs begins construction on the Vladem Contemporary satellite wing of the New Mexico Museum of Art. Riggs’ order says Guzman had failed to convince the court that his case would prevail using the Visual Rights Act argument, given that the law became effective after the mural was created. “The only evidence in the record reflects that the mural has reached the end of its natural life,” Riggs wrote.
Feds charge Santa Fe man in Capitol riots
Federal authorities have charged Matthew Martin of Santa Fe in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol. Martin, 42, is the third New Mexican charged in the incident. According to court documents, Martin faces charges of unlawful entry, disorderly conduct impeding the conduct of government business, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the capitol buildings. According to court documents, Martin, accompanied by a lawyer, appeared at the local FBI office and admitted he had been among the crowd, saying he had decided to travel to Washington DC after reading former President Donald Trump’s tweets regarding “the election being stolen.” Martin provided receipts for his purchases in Washington, DC, including airport parking, as well as photographs and videos he took during the protest. In addition to Martin, Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin also faces federal charges for his alleged role in the riots, as does Shawn Witzemann of Farmington.
Listen up
Over the weekend, Santa Fe Public Library and Teatro Paraguas will present three showings of a free event as part of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read events in Santa Fe centered on Luis Alberto Urrea’s novel Into the Beautiful North. JoJo Sena de Tarnoff directs a stage adaptation by prominent Latinx playwright Karen Zacarias. New Mexico School for the Arts senior Isabel Gallegos portrays the character of Nayeli, and classmate Elsa Sanchez takes on the role of Vampi. Veteran Teatro Paraguas actor and director Roxanne Tapia takes on the role of Tia Irma, and Pablo Angeles plays Tacho. Zoom showings will take place at 7 pm tonight and 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll find links for the shows here.
On the market
Remember last summer when Santa Fe’s major art and events organizers had to cancel everything? Yes, we do too. But now, with vaccination rates rising daily and Santa Fe County so far maintaining its turquoise status under the public health law, what do those warmer months have in store? For this week’s cover story, SFR checks in with the organizers for International Folk Art, Indian Market and Spanish Market, as well as the folks behind such popular events as the Railyard Concert series, Currents and, of course Zozobra. The logistics involved in creating contingencies for the contingencies, not to mention designing COVID-safe plans for reduced crowds in open spaces, can’t be overstated. Nonetheless, across the board, organizers are taking a cautiously optimistic approach. “If there’s a blessing in disguise about everything, it’s that it really forced downtime, which the organization hadn’t had since its founding,” Traditional Spanish Market Executive Director Jennifer Berkley tells SFR. “When you have that kind of downtime, you have a chance to take a hard look at what you do and how you do it—the time to refresh, revise, recalibrate. We’re just trying to remain as flexible as we can.”
Immerse yourself
The Economist magazine posits that the public appetite for immersive art exhibits has implications for the art market. Meow Wolf serves as an example in the story, alongside Superblue Miami, “Immersive Van Gogh” and “Proliferating Immense Life—A Whole Year per Year.” These installations, the Economist writes, “share a common trait: an urge by artists to create—and audiences to enjoy—a space in which visitors participate and play.” This draw toward immersion has roots: “Immersion in a sensory experience—a Gesamtkunstwerk or total work of art—has a long pedigree in human history, with the cave paintings at Lascaux and the overwhelming aesthetic experience of the Gothic cathedral,” the story notes. These immersive experiences’ popularity—here the story cites House of Eternal Return—has put pressure on the art market and traditional institutions. “A transformation in how people consume contemporary art is under way. These huge and costly installations, in turn, put pressure on institutions designed for a different age. In an art market built on tradable objects, how can museums and galleries remain relevant and artists who make ephemeral experiences get paid?” Both Superblue Miami and Meow Wolf represent, the story says, “ambitious new business models, based on ticket sales, that are poised to spread across the globe.” Although in the case of Meow Wolf’s Co-Chief Executive Ali Rubinstein tells the magazine its “primary goal is to value the role of artists by paying them a competitive wage” and beyond its new installation Omega Mart in Las Vegas and pending opening in Denver, Meow Wolf also has plans to expand in Asia.
Windy city
TGIF, Santa Fe, TWIAH! (The weekend is almost here). Today we face a slight chance of thunderstorms after 1 pm, but otherwise it will be partly sunny with a high near 60 degrees and “breezy,” with a northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 15 to 25 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph, at which point we believe it will be officially windy and no longer breezy. Another teensy chance for thunderstorms this evening before 7 pm and yet more wind. The weekend appears mostly sunny and windy, with a high near 69 degrees on Saturday and a high near 74 degrees on Sunday.
Thanks for reading! The Word has yet to encounter in real life anyone with brand loyalty toward a particular COVID-19 vaccine, but has encountered a slew of articles insisting it’s a new trend, complete with T-shirts and TikTok parodies.
