Pushcart Prize Nominees: Santa Fe Literary Review

Santa Fe Literary Review announces Pushcart Prize selections.

2025 Pushcart Prize Nominees: Santa Fe Literary Review

Creative Non-Fiction:
“Becoming Human” by Cheryl Marita

Fiction:

“Howl” by Erin Averill
“Crossing the River” by C. Belletini

Poetry:

“Ancient, Stoic Tenderness” by Ivy Raff
“Last Rites” by K. A. McGowan
“What a Ghost Can Do” by Jennifer Markell

The Pushcart Prize is an annual American literary award that recognizes the best works of poetry, short fiction, and essays published by small presses and literary magazines in the previous year. The Pushcart Press, which established the prize in 1976, publishes an anthology of the winners each year, making it one of the most honored literary projects in America.

To read or download the issue with the nominated works visit: https://www.sfcc.edu/literary-review-issue/2025/ Copies are also available at the SFCC Library.

Congratulations to all the selected nominees! It is a prestigious recognition.

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New Student Orientation sessions on Dec. 10, Jan. 9 and Jan. 13

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Clay Club Ceramic Sale drew large crowds

Thank you to Ben Lauer who took these photos. Click to enlarge. See more at this SFCCNM Facebook Album.

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SFCC and IAIA have holiday fairs on Saturday, Dec. 13

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Santa Fe Community College at 6401 Richards Ave. Santa Fe, NM, 87508
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Institute of American Indian Art at 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87508

SFCC and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) will showcase more than one hundred of the finest artists and craftspeople from across New Mexico at SFCC’s Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair and at the Institute of American Indian Art’s Holiday Art Market on Saturday, December 13. SFCC’s Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair will be in the Main Hallway and Campus Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 6401 Richards Ave. IAIA’s Holiday Art Market will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Performing Arts and Fitness Center at 83 Avan Nu Po Road. Admission and parking are free at both events. Shoppers can easily visit both campuses, which are only a six-minute drive or an 11-minute bike ride apart.

SFCC Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 13
Main Hallway and Campus Center 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508

The SFCC Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair will feature jewelry, metal art, tinwork, holiday ornaments, hand-carved birds and angels, beadwork, baskets, leatherwork, quilts, handmade vintage stockings, wreaths, straw applique, photography, greeting cards, scarves, ponchos, wooden bowls, ceramic dishware and mugs, fiber art, wooden cutting boards, small canvas paintings, aroma products and much more. The Manko food truck will have food for sale. For information contact 505-428-1402 or email chad.gasper@sfcc.edu. Note: All booths are sold out.

IAIA Holiday Art Market
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 13
Performing Arts and Fitness Center, 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87508

Artists representing more than 50 Indigenous nations and groups will be participating. Art available for purchase will include handcrafted beadwork, pottery, glasswork, bronze, wood carvings, jewelry, prints, paintings, textiles, ribbon shirts and skirts, quilts, stickers, and more. Concessions will be available, offering breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For more information, please contact holidayartmarket@iaia.edu.

SFCC and IAIA are jointly promoting the markets. The colleges are encouraging shoppers to stop at both markets.

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Register by Dec. 6 for Yuletide Pickleball Palooza on Dec. 14 at FEC; fundraiser will support students

Pre-register by December 6 at https://bit.ly/4pdiw7d. Times for all levels of players.
Part of registration fee supports SFCC Foundation Student Emergency Assistance Fund.
Gently used winter clothes will be collected at the event for SFCC Campus Clothing Exchange

Santa Fe Community College’s Pickleball Club will present a Yuletide Pickleball Palooza on Sunday, December 14 at the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center (FEC), 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, 87508. Pre-registration is required online at https://bit.ly/4pdiw7d. Time slots accommodate players of all levels. Beginner and Intermediate play is from 10 a.m. to noon (doors open at 9:30 a.m.).
Advanced and Advanced Intermediate play is from 1 to 3 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.).

The event will support SFCC students in two ways. Fifty percent of the $20 registration fee supports SFCC Foundation’s Student Emergency Assistance Fund. Additional donations are welcome. Pickleball enthusiasts who are unable to play and would like to donate can do so through the online registration form. The Pickleball Club will also be collecting gently used winter clothes at the event to give to the SFCC Campus Clothing Exchange in SFCC’s Wellness Center.

Players of all levels are welcome to participate if they pre-register. Players can select one of four categories:

Beginner

• New players and beginners
• Make most of their serves
• Short rallies

Intermediate

• Know rules and can keep score
• Longer rallies
• Comfortable on the court

Advanced Intermediate

• Good technique
• Implementing game strategy
• Long sustained rallies

Advanced

• Great technique
• Minimal unforced errors
• Execute game strategy

Beginner and Intermediate play is from 10 a.m. to noon (doors open at 9:30 a.m.).
Advanced and Advanced Intermediate play is from 1 to 3 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.).

For more information or registration assistance, please contact Gayle Torrez with the SFCC Pickleball Club at gayle.torrez1@sfcc.edu.

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Check out the latest Inside SFCC

Check out Inside SFCC Vol 10. Read the story, “From making fries to saving lives: SFCC student finds his purpose in Human Services.” Tom Vimont, a Human Services student who returned to school after decades in the restaurant industry, shares thanks for advising by Advisor Jonathan Harrell, encouragement from faculty member Carlos Balladares, and support from the Tutoring Center, Financial Aid and other Student Resources.

In Noteworthy, read Celebrate student success and the power of giving. In the first section, read about dual-credit New Mexico School for the Deaf student Kane Wilding who was recently honored at a National Science Foundation Conference. Wilding was accompanied by SFCC mentors Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Academic Director R. Charlie Shultz, Director of the Innovation Center Ondine Frauenglass, and faculty member Stephen Gomez, Ph.D. Shultz shared how the NSF-ATE grant is supporting the SFCC team’s efforts to introduce young people to science and technical skills.

Also, learn how everyone can support students on Giving Tuesday, December 2, through the SFCC Foundation by giving on that day or now. In addition, see a round-up of upcoming events.

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Watch Writing Generation Series Fall 2025 Participant Reading video

SFCC’s Library hosted a free participant online reading on November 19 as the culmination of the Fall 2025 Writing Generation (Wri-Gen) Series. The participants were invited to read any writing inspired by their participation in the Fall 2025 series. The attendees had viewed and/or participated either in all or some of the online readings and creative sessions that had been led by esteemed authors Chip Livingston, Rowena Alegría and James Thomas Stevens.

To read more about the distinguished authors who read their work and led creative sessions this semester please read this press release.

SFCC Library Director Valerie Nye and SFCC professor of English and Creative Writing Stanley (Austin) Eichelberger coordinated the free Fall Writing Generation Series and are developing a Spring 2026 series.

All videos can be found in the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7H67Ojgmmo&list=PL6AhJfrOrlErcvW8Iayqy72Z4IaVtJKgp

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CHESS celebrates five years of collaboration and innovation

CHESS marked its five-year anniversary with a warm celebration at the Higher Education Center in Santa Fe, hosted by CHESS CEO Dr. Shaun McAlmont and CHESS Board Chair and SFCC President Becky Rowley, Ph.D. The event brought together partners from across the member colleges to reflect on the consortium’s achievements, highlight the progress of the Workday Student implementation, and reaffirm CHESS’s mission to strengthen higher education through shared services, collaboration, and student-centered innovation. Attendees enjoyed a relaxed gathering that honored five years of teamwork and looked ahead to the next chapter of transformation. The event was livestreamed and all employees at member colleges were invited to attend online.

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SFCC a presenting partner at the 2025 New Mexico Broadband Summit on Dec. 3

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Therapy dogs in the Library from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 3

SFCC Library is hosting a finals week visit from furry, friendly therapy dogs! Please join us in the Library from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, for some canine cuddling and stress relief. Sponsored in conjunction with the Santa Fe Animal Shelter’s Pet Outreach Team.

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Attend Graduate Nurse Pinning at 11 a.m. Dec. 4 in Jemez Rooms

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Works in Clay exhibition by ceramic students in Dean’s Gallery through Dec. 4

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Swing Shift Holiday Concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 in FEC

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Splash Mob (Swim Club) will meet at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 11 in FEC

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‘Burned in’ exhibition by student Jen Turner continues in Ripple Effect Gallery in Room 723 D through Jan. 30

The Ripple Effect Gallery (Room 723 D) presents artist and SFCC student Jen Turner’s “Burned In.” The opening was on November 14 and the show continues through January 30. The installation explores the theme of deep time and its existence within civilization and in the natural world. While working, Turner considers the phenomenology of evolution, interconnectedness, and ideas of control vs. chaos. She applies the grid as a motif, sometimes carved in clay or woven with horsehair onto geometric forms.

Lastly, she uses Iive plants to mark time.

The main installation features a hand-tied horse hair grid applied to the entire space and three large clay sculptures. The show will also include four other works: three small sculptures and one large wall work.

Jen Turner lives and works in Santa Fe. She has studied art at various institutions including the Glassell School of Art and Parsons/The New School. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Texas in Austin. She has designed exhibits for The Museum of the City of New York, The Women’s Museum in Dallas and The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Her design work has been featured in The New York Times, wallpaper, and Dwell, among others.

A closing reception in January 2026 will be announced soon.

The gallery is open to the public when the college is open:

Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–10 p.m.;
Saturday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; and
Sunday, 12 p.m.–5 p.m.

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Glass Club Sale was a success

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Glass Club Sale and those who supported the artists. Thank you to Ben Lauer for the photos.

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Free Little Art Gallery at SFCC Library

Please contribute your (tiny) art to the Free Little Art Gallery at the SFCC Library! Located near the front desk, the Free Little Art Gallery accepts tiny paintings, sculpture, and other artwork.

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Exhibition “Art, Extraction, and Imagination – If the Land could speak, what would it say?” had a successful opening and continues through Dec. 19 by Room 567

SFCC Academic Director Shane Tolbert shared a report about the successful opening reception on November 3 for “Art, Extraction, and Imagination – If the Land could speak, what would it say?” (See this press release about the exhibition opening, which featured work by artist Shayla Bratchford and students who participated in the Pocacito student workshop offered at SFCC on November 1.)

Shane Talbot’s report: The School of Arts and Design at Santa Fe Community College hosted an opening reception for the Pocacito Student Workshop led by local artist and activist Shayla Blatchford. More than 40 guests attended, including Markus Hatzlemann, Deputy Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Houston.
Max Gruenig, Pocacito Co-Founder, opened the evening by introducing the workshop and its participants. Dean James Wysong welcomed guests to the college and spoke about the importance of elevating local voices and creating visibility around uranium mining—an issue deeply connected to New Mexico’s history and communities.
Blatchford shared insights into her ongoing Anti-Uranium Mapping Project, highlighting how the visual arts can serve as a bridge for understanding and healing. Through the workshop, students explored themes of Interdependence, Reciprocity, and Rematriation, fostering dialogue that connects audiences across regions and cultures.

As part of Pocacito initiatives, four SFCC students participated in the workshop and 40 students attended two presentations on uranium mining in East Germany and in the Navajo Nation. 
The exhibition runs through December 19 and is funded by Germany’s Foreign Office. It can be viewed in the exhbition space next to Room 567.

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Holiday Sculpture $99.99 Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 and Thursday, Dec. 4 in the main hallway

All sculptures will be priced at $99.99 or less.

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) announces that the Sculpture Union (student club) will present its Holiday Sculpture $99.99 Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, December 3 and Thursday, December 4 in main entrance hallway at the SFCC campus, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM, 87508.

The SFCC Sculpture Holiday Sale will include sculptural objects and functional art. All work is priced at $99.99 or less. The work includes the use of a range of techniques and materials, such as welding, forging, clay, wood, casting, found materials, assemblage, and glass.

Exhibiting artists include Suzanne Villmain, Colin Barker, Graham Ansell, David Jones, Cary Cluett, Jeanne Walker, Susan Ohori and John Boyce.

The SFCC Sculpture Union will donate 10% of all sales to SFCC Friends of the Arts, which supports students. For more information call Jeanne Walker at 773-318-7180.

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Library’s expanded hours include Saturday hours

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SFCC offers Group Fitness Instructor Certificate

Do you enjoy fitness and are you interested in helping others get fit? Consider the Group Fitness Instructor Certificate, which can be completed in just three semesters. The 28.5 credit program prepares students the skills and experience to lead safe and effective and engaging group fitness classes in a variety of formats.

For more information contact Kim Hopkins via email at kimberly.hopkins@sfcc.edu. Find out more about the program/certificate at https://www.sfcc.edu/programs/group-fitness-instructor/.

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Library lockers available for day use

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Registration for Spring 2026 semester now open

Registration for the Spring 2026 semester opened to all from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 4. Encourage students, friends and family members to register as early as possible to get the best selection of classes. Employees consider using your EEB Benefit.

For information on how to apply or register visit sfcc.edu/get-started/apply-and-register/ or call 505-428-1270.

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“Cirque du Celestia” exhibition by Joan Zalenski continues in 5×5 Gallery (Room 702) in Fine Arts Center through Dec. 4

 5×5 Gallery is a new student-run exhibition space to showcase Photography program students’ work
Room 702 in the Fine Arts Center, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM, 87508

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) announces an opening reception for the “Cirque du Celestia” exhibition by student Joan Zalenski from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, November 6, in 5×5 Gallery (Room 702) in the Fine Arts Center on campus, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508. The exhibition runs through December 4. The 5×5 Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 702.

“Cirque du Celestia” exhibition featuring artwork by Joan Zalenski

The first exhibition in the 5×5 Gallery was awarded to Joan Zalenski and curated by Jordan Mount. Zalenski’s solo exhibition titled, “Cirque du Celestia,” expresses her personal experiences and wonder with the night sky while living in the mountains of New Mexico. Her installation of ceramics demonstrates an imaginary gathering of stars, planets, meteors, space junk, rocks, dust, and gas, constellations, asteroids, comets and other things that one might see on a trip in space; it is a ruckus of small, toy-like ceramic elements associated with what we see and think we know about our sky. These pieces work along with her photographs of the Milky Way and other astronomical events that are not imagined such as the solar eclipse.

Bio for student artist Joan Zalenski and student curator Jordan Mount

Zalenski is an accomplished interdisciplinary artist engaged in photography, ceramic and mixed media sculpture, and public art. Her work has been exhibited nationally, and she has received grants and commissions for major public art projects most notably in California, New York, Texas and New Mexico. Her work is represented in many private and public collections, including a permanent photographic installation at the Santa Fe Convention Center.

Zalenski was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She received a BFA degree in Sculpture and Ceramics from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and studied for an MFA at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. After an artist-in-residence position at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, she moved to the Bay Area in California, where she completed several public art commissions in Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose, CA. After multiple moves around the country including Texas where she established her photography career, Zalenski settled in New Mexico. She currently resides and works in Santa Fe.

Curator, Jordan Mount, holds a BFA in photography from the Savannah College of Arts and Design. She has worked assisting photographers and professional fine art printers, managed her own freelance photography work, and has experience in the educational sphere. A current SFCC student, she is continuing her dedication to the arts and her own artistic practice.

About 5×5 Gallery, the new student-run gallery at SFCC

The SFCC Photography Program is introducing a new student-run gallery project, 5×5 Gallery. The 5×5 Gallery offers current photography students a generative learning opportunity outside of the bureaucracy of traditional art spaces for students who are interested in curating and/or pursuing a solo exhibition of their work.

This gallery space is established with an asset-based approach, focusing on the strengths and potential that already lie within the student body of the SFCC Photography program. The gallery is led by student volunteers. Gallery curators will rotate on a yearly basis, and exhibitions are chosen through an application process. By taking this approach, the 5×5 Gallery aims to further foster and exhibit the diversity and individuality that inherently exists in the student body while combating elitism and power imbalances that tend to be inherent in traditional gallery spaces.

The 5×5 Gallery gives students the opportunity to strengthen their professional skills, build confidence, and gain experience in curating and/or exhibiting their work, which can be applied to future opportunities outside of the college and/or their career/artistic goals. For more information about SFCC’s Photography program visit https://www.sfcc.edu/programs/photography/.

For more information about the exhibition contact Director of Art on Campus Linda Cassel at linda.cassel@sfcc.edu or call 505-428-1501.

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Medical Assisting Program accepting applications

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Respiratory Care Open Houses on Dec. 3

The Respiratory Care program will host several open houses on November 17 and December 3. The Respiratory Care open houses offer prospective students the opportunity to visit the college’s state-of-the-art simulation labs, meet the Respiratory Care faculty and staff, and ask questions about the program. Prospective students can choose from a selection of open houses on different dates and times.

Respiratory Care Open Houses
in SFCC Health and Science Center, Room 433

Upcoming Respiratory Care Open Houses

• Wednesday, December 3, 10 a.m. to noon.
• Wednesday, December 3, 3 to 5 p.m.

Sarah Rodriguez, SFCC Director of Clinical Education for Respiratory Care said, “The faculty and staff are eager to talk with prospective students about the many career opportunities in New Mexico for respiratory therapists. We’re glad to answer questions about the program or application process.”

SFCC’s Respiratory Care program is great fit for individuals interested in getting into a fast-paced, in demand career in the health care field. The Respiratory Care program prepares people to become a respiratory care practitioner, a specialist in assessing and treating people with breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders.

Applications open until Dec. 12 for the Spring 2026 term

Applications are open through December 12 for the Respiratory Care program for the Spring 2026 term

The Respiratory Care program is accepting applications until December 12, 2025. If you would like more information about the program please reach out to the Director of Clinical Education, Sarah Rodriguez at 505-428-1082 or sarah.rodriguez2@sfcc.edu.

For program details, the application form, and instructions on how to apply, visit https://www.sfcc.edu/programs/respiratory-care.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. SFCC’s spring term begins January 20.

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Register for The Rewriting Room session on Dec. 19

Santa Fe Community College’s Wellness Center invites everyone to The Rewriting Room, a monthly hybrid experience that blends writing, reflection and well-being. The next session is from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Friday, December 19 in the SFCC Wellness Center, Room LL312 in person or online. RSVP encouraged at https://luma.com/sfccswc. To get a virtual link, participants must pre-register.

This monthly non-guided session offers an opportunity to write without writing prompts. Writers of all levels are welcome. Participants can write anything. Each session is a calm, welcoming space to reflect, write, and reconnect with yourself—no pressure, just presence. The free event is hosted by LaNysha Adams, Ph.D. Call 505-428-1349 for assistance registering.

The Rewriting Room is open to students, employees and the public.

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CHESS Connection Newsletter – November 10, 2025

The second November CHESS Connection celebrates new CHESS Superstars—including SFCC’s Melissa Martinez—for their leadership in developing Workday training resources, and recaps the CHESS 5th Anniversary Celebration led by President Becky Rowley alongside statewide partners. The issue also highlights San Juan College’s full-day End-to-End testing sprint, invites employees to become Workday Student Change Agents, and shares upcoming CHESS CHAT details and tech support resources.

Read the full issue here.

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Duplicating Center accepting photos for SFCC Pet of the Month

Ferreira and Harrell were selected to give an hour-long presentation titled, “Can Community College Students Save the Soul of Higher Education?”

On October 28, SFCC Academic Advisors Nicole Ferreira and Jonathan Harrell presented at the Annual Conference of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) in Las Vegas, NV. Academic Advisor Cahalan Fiddes and Advising Director Reynaldo Maestas were also in attendance and helped represent Santa Fe Community College at this national conference.

This year’s NACADA conference hosted over 3,000 academic advising professionals from around the world. Out of a competitive pool of applicants, Ferreira and Harrell were selected to give an hour-long presentation titled, “Can Community College Students Save the Soul of Higher Education?” Their presentation was a response to a talk given at last year’s annual conference by Dr. Marc Lowenstein of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, “Can Advising Save the Soul of Higher Education?” In this talk, Lowenstein spoke on the rise of the “transactional” view of higher education and the threat that this view poses to higher education’s “soul,” or its teaching and learning mission.

Inspired by Dr. Lowenstein’s presentation, and by conversations they’d had with their students, Ferreira and Harrell developed a set of reflection activities to better understand SFCC students’ goals and their views on work, life, and education. They brought these activities to a handful of first-year Composition classes and led the students through a series of writing prompts followed by a group discussion.

While participation in the discussion was voluntary and the written responses were collected anonymously, Harrell and Ferreira were impressed that nearly all the students they visited chose to participate and share their responses to the questions.

“Students were eager to talk with us and share their views,” Harrell said. “We asked them questions about what they hoped for from their lives and from their work and about how they viewed the purpose of higher education in their lives. They had so many thoughtful things to say and many of them told us that they had never really been asked these kinds of questions before.”

Several themes emerged from the activity, including students’ desire to make a positive impact, a desire for personal growth and fulfillment, and the need for meaningful work that fits with their values and interests.

“The students we heard from are definitely concerned about jobs and money,” the advisors explained. “They want to be able to support themselves and their families and to not have to live from paycheck to paycheck. But they also want those jobs to be meaningful. They want careers that allow them to contribute to the community. They are also expressing anxiety and pressure to choose a path right away, and the fear of getting stuck in a job or career that they don’t like, or that’s not a good fit.”

Some students mentioned the range of interesting classes that SFCC has to offer, their desire to explore different interests at the college, and the hope that attending college would equip them with the knowledge and experience to become a better person.

“It felt really meaningful to share our students’ words and thoughts with the conference participants. People were genuinely moved by the things that SFCC students had to say,” Ferreira commented.

Attendees of the presentation gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, writing: “the advisors’ talk made me tear up (genuinely and in a good way) hearing their quotes. It gave me so much hope.” Another said, “Truly enjoyed this session. Both Jonathan and Nicole did a fabulous job. They were well prepared and shared incredible findings and knowledge.” Another mentioned that the presentation “brought them back to their ‘why.’”

“Beyond the rewards of uplifting our students’ voices, it was heartwarming and validating to see the impact this had on other advisors!” Ferreira added. “It was a wonderful experience of connection and community. We are thrilled that we could bring some hope to academic advisors and remind them of the impact they can make not only through their advising sessions, but through research and sharing their knowledge with the campus community.”

Attendance at this year’s NACADA conference was supported by funds from the SFCC Title V EXITO Grant. The academic advising team is especially grateful to Title V Program Director Julie Gallegos and Senior Administrative Assistant for Student Affairs Loretta Lopez for their warm support in getting us to the event!

Writing Generation videos of James Thomas Stevens’ Oct. 22 reading and Oct. 29 creative session available

Writing Generation videos of Rowena Alegría’s reading and creative session now available

SFCC’s Fall 2025 Writing Generation (Wri-Gen) series featured author Rowena Alegria in two online sessions. Her reading was on September 17 and her creative session was on September 24.

‘Adventures of Odysseus’ exhibition continues through Jan. 7 in Main Hallway

Photos above are from the September 25 opening of “Adventures of Odysseus” featuring the art of Artemis Jegart (1927-2015). Click to enlarge.

Santa Fe Art on Campus is pleased to present Adventures of Odysseus by Artemis Jegart (1927-2015) in the Main Hallway exhibition space near the Main entrance (across from the Cashiers). The exhibition opened with a reception on September 25 and continues through January 7, 2026.

The exhibition focuses on twelve individual works created in 1968.  The work was publicly exhibited at Watergate Galleries, Inc., Washington D.C. in 1972. Subsequently, Adventures of Odysseus remained privately on view in the home of the artist until her death in 2015. 

Special thanks to the artist’s daughter, Rudi Artemis Jegart, as well as Academic Director of School of Art and Design Shane Tolbert and Director of Art on Campus Linda Cassel who helped make this exhibition possible.

Text below is by Katya Kirilloff.

I am five or six years old.  I have come to dinner with my parents and sister to the house of a family friend.  It’s a typical 1970’s style suburban home in Frederick, Maryland, seemingly no different from the neighbors along the street.  We park and walk up the concrete walkway to the front door where we are greeted by our host Artemis Jegart.  The foyer is dark and dramatic.  My sister and I are guided down the stone floor hallway to a room full of vintage clothing.  We are given bathing suits to change into that feel like costumes (hand-me-downs from Artemis’ two daughters).  We shed everything from the outside world and are completely under Artemis’s spell.  Now that we are appropriately dressed for dinner, we are led into the dining room.

I am floating on my back in a deep emerald pool in Artemis’s dining room.  I lift my head up and I hear the soothing noises of my parents and our hosts talking, laughing, silverware and glasses clanking gently.  Behind them is an entire wall covered in oyster shells, each with the mother of pearl metallic inside exposed.  Sporadically throughout the wall a shell is turned to create a shelf. There are lit candles on all these little shelves.  The wall dances with candlelight.  It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  I dip my ears back under water and turn my back to the dinner scene and there, high up on the opposite wall in a row, is the Adventures of Odysseus.

Twelve squares of concrete embedded with shells each depicting a character or piece of a story like an ancient comic book. This is my introduction to The Odyssey. There is Polyphemus, the towering cyclops, dominating the square with his massive chest and shoulders, while Aeolus with puckered lips and full cheek seems to blow forth a mighty wind. What strikes me most is Penelope, weeping tears for her long-lost husband, tears so endless that with a touch of humor, Artemis added a spigot.

As Circe welcomes Odysseus,

She opened her gleaming doors at once and stepped forth, inviting them all in, and in they went, all innocence.  Only Eurylochus stayed behind—he sensed a trap…She ushered them in to sit on high backed chairs, then she mixed them a potion—cheese, barley and pale honey mulled in Pramnian wine—but into the brew she stirred her wicked drugs to wipe from their memories any thought of home. Once they’d drained the bowls she filled, suddenly she struck with her wand, drove them into her pigsties, all of them bristling into swine—with grunts, snouts—even their bodies, yes, and only the men’s minds stayed steadfast as before. So off, they went to their pens, sobbing, squealing as Circe flung them acorns, cornel nuts and mast, common fodder for hogs that root and roll in mud.

The Odyssey as translated by Robert Fagles.

Artemis Jegart brief bio

Artemis Jegart earned her BA (1949) and her MA (1953) from Florida State University. In 1956, Jegart was named an outstanding new talent by Art in America.  She created a mural of the Capitol Center for Tallahassee’s original Municipal Airport which was dedicated April 23, 1961, a mural later re-created and exhibited at Tallahassee International Airport. In 1969, Jegart moved to Frederick, Maryland. In 1993, the artist relocated to Lamy, New Mexico. She died in 2015.

Watch videos of Chip Livingston Wri-Gen Aug. 20 reading and Aug. 27 creative session

If you missed the inaugural reading and creative session with Chip Livings of the SFCC Fall Writing Generation (Wri-Gen) series you can watch the videos above.

Participants need to pre-register just once for any part of the fall series at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WriGenFall2025.

Fire Alarm System Upgrades & Renewal

Fire Alarm System Upgrades & Renewal at SFCC

SFCC is undergoing a large Fire Alarm system upgrade and renewal. There will be no impact to current Fire Alarm systems or normal daily activities. You may see our vendor, Intraworks, working in various areas over the next few months.

For questions please contact: Andrea Mueller, SFCC Assistant Director, Facilities and Operations, c. 505-930-9781 w.505-428-1873, andrea.mueller1@sfcc.edu

Video of Miriam Sagan’s reading “Herding Poems” now available

Enjoy the video recording above of Herding Poems an Online Reading with Miriam Sagan presented by the SFCC Library on July 31.

When Miriam Sagan was approaching 70 she started to sort her files of “uncollected” poems. These poems had been published in magazines, but not in books. Did they merit being collected? The answer was that most did not, but there was a book-length manuscript that could be assembled. These poems begin in the mid 1970s and run to the present. They are quirkier, perhaps more eccentric, her more publicly accessible writing.

In this presentation viewers were invited to share in the experience of excavating poetry, memory, landscape, and a life in New Mexico. The event began with a half-hour reading by Sagan from WHAT SOLITUDE SEES IN ME: Uncollected Poems 1976-2023 from Casa Urraca Press in Abiquiu. Then there was an open discussion on how to put a poetry manuscript together. This editorial process can be daunting for both beginners and established poets, but there are numerous handy strategies that create a readable and enjoyable book of poetry.