CORNERSTONES COMMUNITY GALLERY
Cornerstones ended the new year on a good note, wrapping up workshops in Southern Arizona and finishing projects here at home in New Mexico. As we step into the new year, we are also excited to announce the creation of Cornerstones Community Gallery.
Our team painted the walls, built a partition and cleared out filing cabinets and outdated cubicles at our office space in downtown Santa Fe to create a beautiful new gallery. In December we had a soft launch of the space, showcasing decades of photographs from artist and Cornerstones volunteer Jim Gautier. Soon we will open the gallery to the public for art exhibitions and events related to New Mexico’s architectural and cultural heritage.
Cornerstones Community Gallery.
Angela Francis applying an earthen render onto our new gallery partition wall.
Cornerstones Community Gallery.New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance (NMHPA) Board of Directors- Jeff Pappas, Vicky Jacobson and David Rasch (Shawn Evans was absent) attending their last official meeting at Cornerstones (CCP) on Dec. 15, 2022. Cornerstones Executive Director Trinette Robichaux-Chicock and Vice chair of the CCP Board Eva Schmatz are in the photo taken by CCP Program Director Jake Barrow. The NMHPA ceased operations in 2022 and transferred their remaining bank balance to CCP. CCP has a grant from the Santa Fe Community Foundation to evaluate the mission and vision of the Heritage Alliance in order that aspects of the Alliance’s activities may be incorporated into CCP operations.
PARTNERSHIP WITH ARIZONA CONSERVATION CORPS
For the full month of November, Cornerstones partnered with Arizona Conservation Corps to complete training workshops in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. AZCC sent a Tohono O’odham youth crew to work on two of our current projects within the park–the stabilization and preservation of Dos Lomitas Ranch House and Levy’s Store at Victoria Mine. The crew was developed to focus on historic preservation in National Park sites throughout Southern Arizona.
During these four weeks, the crew learned about soil composition, how to make adobes, building assessments, interior and exterior earthen plaster, basal repair and adobe stitching techniques. After working with adobe, we also included a training session on stonemasonry using earthen mortars.
AZCC crew member, Ben, placing earthen mortar at Levy’s Store at Victoria Mine.
AZCC crew with adobes made on-site from local soils. From L to R: Shane, Ben, Cole Shamira.
AZCC crew member Shane “stitching” in new adobes.