Greetings!
How about something a little different and fun? When I saw these posters from J.R. Absher’s gallery shows, I thought they were wonderful and wanted to share them with you.
Naturally, seeing a poster for a John Stermer show definitely caught my attention!
So, it is my pleasure to do a special short article about J.R. Absher’s Continental Divide Gallery in Silver City, NM. As stated above, it was one of the first galleries opened in the downtown area. He operated the gallery in the early 1980s.
About The Gallery.
In an email about his gallery and Silver City, J.R. wrote:
“I think I ran those businesses a couple years or more, but it was some time before galleries really began appearing and expanding in downtown Silver City.
I landed there out of journalism school in Tucson and wrote, reported and took photos for the Enterprise—and worked as a stringer for KOAT (TV Station, Albuquerque, NM), the Albuquerque Journal and El Paso Times. Later I packed mules for the Forest Service in the Gila as Wilderness Patrol.
I considered your folks (John & Lucy Stermer) good friends, and visited their home multiple times. Your mom relentlessly tried to talk me into running for City Council but my better judgment prevailed.”
About The Show Posters.
Mr. Absher shared with us several of the posters he created for various art shows in his gallery.
“Tonight I decided to produce scans (for the first time) of some of the other show posters I made during that same time period, with some artists from the region you may or may not remember. Designing and printing them was one of my favorite parts of having the gallery.
I worked with my good friends Jack Walz and Charlie Marquez and printed them using various paper and card stock on job presses. The quality has held respectfully well. Donna Samuels did the typesetting. Unfortunately, I’m missing more than a few–at least one from a show for Harry Benjamin”.
Personal Notes.
I knew some of these artists. In particular, Ruben Gonzalez I know from my childhood growing up in Bayard, NM. His daughter, Mary Ellen, was a classmate. I knew Bob McCullough through my parents. And, I knew Harry Benjamin (though he showed at the gallery, J.R. no longer has a copy of his poster). Harry was my 8th grade art teacher at C.C. Snell Junior High School, Bayard NM. He was a good teacher. Years later, when Harry worked at the Silver City Museum, I would stop by from time to time for a chat.
And, I am certain John Stermer knew all these artists as well; several were his friend.
Contact Us.
By the way, if you have a poster from Continental Divide Gallery, we would love to hear from you. And, if you have a copy of the one for Harry Benjamin’s show, it would be great to know. Also, if you remember the gallery, let us know. We welcome your comments.
More Posters.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy seeing these posters. Creating them is an art and craft in its own right. Please scroll downwards to see more of J.R. Absher’s posters for Continental Divide Gallery in Silver City.
My thanks to Mr. Absher for letting me share this with you.