WomenFest of Socorro County will showcase women of Socorro County. Audiences can look forward to performances
from local musicians.
Photos courtesy of NMT PAS

 

Music, art, discussion panels, workshops, demonstrations, vendors and more are scheduled at New Mexico Tech this month as part of Women’s History month.

The art exhibit at Macey Center features the work of some 30 Socorro County women and will hang all month long. Visitors are welcome to view the work any time during regular business hours. A reception for the artists is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 25 before the regular Performing Arts Series concert.

Terri Sunflower will be one of many musicians performing at Wom￾enFest.

In fact, a full calendar of events is slated for Friday and Saturday, March 25-26 during WomenFest. Last year, due to the Covid shutdown, WomenFest was all online, mostly concerts interspersed with interviews about Women in STEM and Women in the Arts. Organizers this year are pleased to return to a more normal, in-person festival, although some events will also be streamed online.  And with the mostly in-person format, the event continues to re-invent itself.

Friday starts off with a panel of women who will discuss climate change and how it affects New Mexico. Sponsored by the New Mexico Tech chapters of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), panelists are each distinguished professionals in hydrology, environmental engineering and health. Titled “Voices of Women – Our Climate, Our Community” the panel discussion is set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Macey Center or online via Zoom. The event is free. (To join by Zoom register at https://tinyurl.com/VOWClimate.)

Tori Murillo

Still being finalized is “Women at Work” Open House, on March 25-26, with designated hours between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., which will have a map with directions to each site. Women at Work will include a variety of sites in health and well being, arts, STEM, business and more, to visit where women work and learn more about what they do.

Then, the regular season PAS WomenFest concert is set for Friday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. with G Precious and The Nacha Mendez Trio. Featuring two award winning New Mexican singer songwriters: G Precious, hip-hop/spoken word from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo; and the Nacha Mendez Trio, blend of Latin, folk, country, flamenco and more, originally from Southern N.M. and now Santa Fe.

Saturday’s festival outside Macey Center will feature Mainstage performances and WomenFest Mall with inspiration stations of organizations, businesses and individuals in health and well being, STEM, Arts, and much more, plus a MarketPlace of vendors, demonstrations, food trucks and lots of mingling. Among the participants is Chrystal Gutierrez who is an anchor at KRQE News 13, who grew up and still has family in Socorro County. The free event is from 1 – 7 p.m.

WomenFest is locally sponsored by NRAO/AUI, Nusenda, the Betty Clark and Susan Miller Memorial Endowments.

Look for more information at nmt.edu/pas and in future articles and advertisements in the El Defensor Chieftain. If you are from or connected to Socorro County and want to participate, please email [email protected] or call 575-835-5688.

Gwen Roath, NMT Performing Arts Series