Navajo artist R.C. Gorman commissioned the late Rory Wagner to paint his “Aunt Mary.”
Navajo artist R.C. Gorman commissioned the late Rory Wagner to paint his “Aunt Mary.”Courtesy of Sorrel Sky Gallery

The event will feature the remaining original works by Wagner, including one of his earliest and his last. For Wagner fans, “Remembering Rory Wagner” will provide a rare insight into the life of a reclusive artist.

Wagner moved to Taos in the 1970s and quickly shot to fame after meeting R.C. Gorman, a widely known Navajo artist. But it wasn’t until Wagner began his poetic depictions of Native Americans that he grew into his own. Near the end of his life, Wagner delved into his interests in art history, crossing Native American folklore with ancient Greek, biblical and Classical references.

“Especially after his passing, I feel so strongly about Rory’s work,” Sorrel Sky owner Shanan Campbell Wells said. “He was such a fragile man with so much to give the world. His passing was an untimely tragedy.”

During the “Remembering Rory Wagner” event, Nightingale, the owner of the Wilder Nightingale Gallery in Taos, will speak about Wagner’s life and the meaning of his work. Wagner was notoriously shy, appearing at only one solo show in 25 years.

“We are very fortunate to be able to represent Rory Wagner,” Wells said. “This show is so important to me personally because I want people to know about and appreciate his work.”

Wagner was awarded the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2006 by Bill Richardson.

Nightingale will speak about 5:30 p.m.

At other stops on the First Thursday Art Walk (5-8 p.m.)

Pine River Valley Bank (1701 Main Ave.; begins at 3 p.m.): “Stitches to Steel and Pictures In Between” is a collaborative show featuring work by needlepointer James DiSanto, Bayfield painter Merilyn Cross, Durango photographer and woodworker Thomas McBride and Ignacio blacksmith Dan Verniero.

Durango Arts Center (802 East Second Ave.): Louise Grunewald will host an opening reception for her exhibit “Postcards from Germany,” which will remain on display in the upstairs Art Library through December. Grunewald will show a new series of solarplate prints and handmade books based on her travels in Germany in October 2012. She is known nationally as a calligraphy artist but her work is always a new slant on the calligraphic line.

Studio & (1027 Main Ave.): Local First will host a reception at the Main Avenue studio and gallery and display the submissions for the “Wrap It” locally produced holiday wrapping paper campaign. Six designs will be chosen for this year’s batch. Toh-Atin Gallery (145 W. Ninth St.) will feature a collection of Native ornaments and Nativity sets. Native Artists featured this Thursday include Navajo Spirit Figure artist Peter Ray James; Navajo sandpainting artist Bingo Smith; Navajo folk art carver Charlene Watchman; and Pueblo potter Marilyn Alson.

Other venues participating in the First Thursday Art Walk are Rochester Hotel, Diane West Jewelry & Art, Azul, A Shared Blanket, Earthen Vessel, Wildshots, Pongas, The Lost Dog Bar & Lounge, ENO, the Downtown Welcome Center and Cocktails & Creations.

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Artist Dave McGary dies in Arizona

Rory Wagner is not the only artist being remembered this week at Sorrel Sky Gallery. Internationally renowned sculptor Dave McGary died Oct. 11 in Paradise Valley, Ariz., from a rare kidney cancer. He was 55. Sorrel Sky carried the Arizona artist’s work, and owner Shanan Campbell Wells was a personal friend of McGary.
“Dave McGary was truly one of America’s greatest artists,” Wells wrote. “He contributed so much to the art community as well as the process of bronze making. His talent as well as his spirit will sorely be missed. I feel honored to have known and worked with him.”
McGary is a former Durango resident. Wells said she has no plans for any retrospective events of McGary’s work; however, the gallery has a substantial collection of his pieces.
McGary’s sculptures adorn the campuses of the University of Wyoming, Concordia University and others, as well as the New Mexico Capitol Building in Santa Fe and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Several are housed in the permanent collection in the Old Executive Office building at the White House Complex.
A celebration of life for McGary was held Oct. 27 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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