Find out more about the 'Water is Life' student art exhibit at the IPCC

For 44 years, Native American students have created works of art around a special theme for an art show at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Students from kindergarten to high school seniors across New Mexico send in their works of art to participate. This year, 196 art pieces created from the theme “Water is Life” will be featured at the Artists Circle Gallery at the IPCC.

Students will be able to compete in three different categories: drawing and painting/2D, design and collage/2D, and sculpture and ceramic/3D. Students’ artwork will be organized into competing groups based on grade: Kindergarten-second, third-fifth, sixth-eighth and ninth-12th. Students will have the chance to compete for first or second place in their category, along with competing for the Best of Show award.

A force of nature: IPCC Native American student art exhibit showcases 'Water is Life'

“We’ll also be doing a couple of new awards,” said Michelle Lanteri, head curator of the IPCC museum. “We’re going to have a People’s Choice Award. During the run of the exhibition, visitors will be able to cast their vote for their favorite artwork and at the end of the exhibition, we will tally all those up, and then we’ll do an end of show first and second place for the People’s Choice Award.”

Lanteri said the exhibit is a great step for young artists to get their work out to the public.

“This is a first step for a young, Native artist, and this really gives them an early chance in their life to be a professional artist,” she said. “It’s a time when they can show their artworks. They have an opportunity to respond to a different theme each year, and so they can create artwork that gives them a chance to portray visual stories in an artistic form. And that’s what we really want to encourage the youth to do, to really be imaginative, really think about how they can share stories that are meaningful to them in a visual form.”

Each student will also have the opportunity to sell their artwork. Students will receive 100% of the proceeds from each purchase. Artwork that is up for sale is eligible for the NM-INSPIRES & CHANGES purchase award from the University of New Mexico. Two recipients, one from the drawing and painting/2D category and one from the design & collage/2D category, will be selected for the recognition.

For the 44th annual art show’s theme, judges are asking students to portray what water means to them and how water affects their daily life.

“Especially in the desert, we’re even more aware of that just because there’s certain times of year that we’re getting more moisture,” Lanteri said. “That cyclical way of living, especially for Native communities here, and thinking about rainfall and snowfall, is what produces food for each year.”

Lanteri said the exhibit allows students to build a community, and students who participate have begun to bond over a mutual love of art.

“We really want to keep the door open for youth artists to be able to try this out at an early age to see if it’s for them and at the same time, it’s really fun,” she said. “It kind of gives everybody a reason to get together each year and there’s a chance of building a community around this show.”