ANITA RODRIGUEZ, WINNER OF THE CHARLES STRONG AWARD The Taos Fall Arts Festival deeply honored and pleased that Anita Ro At age 45 Anita retired from contracting and started painting full-time driguez has been chosen by the Board of Directors as this year's recipientHer work mirrors the stories, landscapes and traditions of her beloved of the Charles R Strong Distingulshed Lifetime Achievement Award. Her New Mexico and her second country, Mexico, where she ived for 15 work wl be dsplayed in a special section of the 2018 Festival, Beyond yeark "1 started out as an abstract expressionist" Hays Anita. "But Iendled the Horizon/Mas Mis Alls del Horizente September 21-30 in the historic ukig for a visual vernacular that transcends class and cuure, th Cuadalupe Parish Gym. She will receive her award at the opening public has plenty of intellectual chewtoys for those so inclined, but that is ac reception 500-700pm on friday, September 21. The Award is supported cestle to the people I grew up with" An outspoken activist Anta has in part by the Charles R.Strong Fund at the Taos Community Foundation never been afraid to speak her mind and take a stand She s, 1am not alberalor a progessive-lama revolutionary? Anita Rodriguer was raisedon Taos Plaza where her lather, Aleedo Anto nio Rodriguez (better known as "Sheezi) owned a drugstore. Her moth er, Grace Graham King was from Texas and came to Taos for art study with Walter Ufer,a member of che Taos Society of Artihts In her lite 20s Anita resurrected the tedhnology of the enjarradora, or traditional female ado be fnisher and she became the first icensed female contractor in north en New Mexico During 25 years of peofesional practice she brought the enjarradora's techniques up to code and made them standaed practice in the earth-building industry KIDS GIVE BACK GRANTS CARL COKER, Juror for Best of Show and Two Honorable Mentions Kids Give Back was created by the Taos Fall Arts Festival in 2011. Each year the Board makes an award to a children's art programs in and around Taos. Award recipients receive a cash prize and are invited to mount an exhibit during the fol lowing year's Festival 2017 recipients include Taipa Center Ceramics department, Taos Inter- national School and Taos Charter School aos Fall Ares Fest welcomes 2018 udge, Carl Coket who will be selecting ou Best of Show artist along with two Honorable Mention artists. Carl Cokes, retired Profesor of Art at Univernity of Tusa, has exhibited in over 100 national and regional exhibitions and has been the reciplent of numeroias graents includieg a Fulbright Hays Fellowship in Peru and a United Stabes International Commanica tion Agency Grant, lso in Peru His art has found its way into a multitude of private collections as well as muse- ums, induding New Mexico Stane University, Museum of New Mexco and Intemational Museum of Art He has been a guest lecturer at the Harwood Museum and given several talks at the Taos Art Associa tion, as well as a jaror for the Tacs Art Auociation Taos Today Compestion in 1984. IMAGE ARTIST AWARDS Image Awards are presented to finalists velected from submissions to the poster artist's annual award. Because of the high level of quality of work received each year, the TFAF Board initiated this award in 2017 to share addtional work with the community and promote Taos County artists These award winning artists are featured in selected Taos Fall Arts Festival print materials and advertising, provided a shared, designated wall at the Fall Festival and may enter two works in the show. They are aso invited to participate in the TEAF Exhibit at the Taos Ski Valley Art Festival in August along with the Poster Artist. The Taos Fall Arts Open Exhibition, the Poster Artist Award and the Image Artist Awards are inclusive of all cultures, styles and materias An abundance of well known, established artists as well as emerging artists enter work into the poster The 2018 Image Award winners are CATHY CAREY for Miles of competition and the main show in the fall Taos Fall Arts Festival ofers a way to Clouds, oil on canvas, 24 x30 (above left) honor the heriage and the future of art in Tacs. and STEPHEN KILBORN for Sunflowers and Gorge, acrylk on canvas, 40x30 (above right www.TaosFallArts.co