{"id":13049,"date":"2026-03-05T18:34:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-artists-league-will-hold-get-creative-event-to-encourage-senior-artists\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:35:10","slug":"southwest-artists-league-will-hold-get-creative-event-to-encourage-senior-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-artists-league-will-hold-get-creative-event-to-encourage-senior-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Artists League will hold \u2018Get Creative!\u2019 event to encourage senior artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Southwest
Southwest Artists League members look over the charcoal and pencil work of artist Curtis Moss. (Courtesy Theresa Goldstrand)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The Southwest Artists League is inviting community members, especially seniors, to explore their creative interests at a free public program \u201cGet Creative!\u201d<\/p>\n

The one\u2011hour event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Cortez Library, 202 N. Park St. It will feature a PowerPoint presentation, personal stories from four SWAL members and printed handouts. Light snacks and beverages will be provided.<\/p>\n

Local artists Lucky Mercy Star Bast, Susie Gallagher, Theresa Goldstrand and Frances Wisner will share how they found their way into art and how those experiences continue to shape their work.<\/p>\n

\"Southwest
Southwest Artists League member Jann Margeson works on an oil painting during the Tuesday gathering at the Cortez Senior Center. (Courtesy Theresa Goldstrand)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Goldstrand, SWAL president, said members\u2019 paths to art vary widely. She said some have made art all their lives, while others started recently or returned after setting creativity aside for family or work obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one has the same story,\u201d she said. Her hope, she added, is to encourage \u201call of those \u2018closet artists\u2019 to come out and join a friendly, diverse, dynamic group of artists \u2013 no matter what your current skill level is \u2013 make friends and enjoy the company of other artistic types.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in Cortez, the Southwest Artists League brings together people who want to pursue individual creative projects. The group encourages skill development, fosters appreciation for all art forms and helps members find opportunities for exhibitions and events.<\/p>\n

Goldstrand said the league wants potential artists to know they are welcome, whether they want to experiment or advance their abilities. \u201cThere\u2019s no better time than now to start,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Southwest
Southwest Artists League artists Richard Valentine, Curtis Moss, Joe Slaughenhoupt and Ginny Getts adjust painting displays at the Cortez Senior Center. (Courtesy Theresa Goldstrand)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The league became more formally structured in 1979 after several years of meetups. Members gather every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the activity space at the Montezuma County Senior Center, 117 N. Chestnut St. The second Tuesday of each month is reserved for a business meeting, while the others focus on hands\u2011on creative work.<\/p>\n

The Cortez Library displayed SWAL artwork in January and February and plans another exhibit of members\u2019 work in April.<\/p>\n

For more information, contact the Southwest Artists League at (970) 529-0206.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

artists will share about their art<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[363,21,28,60,29,687],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-13049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arts","tag-cortez","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter","tag-senior-citizens"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13049"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18787,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13049\/revisions\/18787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13049"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=13049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}