SaveArtSpace, in collaboration with the UNM-Taos Art Department, and See You Next Thursday (SYNT) is proud to present New/New, a public art exhibition on billboard ad space in New Mexico & New York City.

The New/New selected artists are Cristina Vergano, & Melissa Lind. Curated by Paige Beeber and Sarah Stolar.

The New/New initiative aims to create a dialogue between the bustling streets of New York and the serene landscapes of New Mexico, recognizing that both are sites of powerful, transient connections. Whether through the physical spaces that shape our lives or the metaphysical journeys that shape our souls, these places, both with known vortexes, are a testament to the shared human experience that connects us across time and place.

Artists were invited to interpret the theme of "Transcendental Landscapes" as expansively as possible. The metaphysical aspect may involve explorations of identity, memory, spirituality, or the subconscious, while the physical aspect might include depictions of natural environments, urban spaces, or entirely imagined worlds. This theme was open to any creative expression that engages with the idea of  "landscape" or “place”  in its broadest sense, encouraging submissions from all mediums and disciplines.

“Transcendental Landscapes” encompass both the metaphysical and physical, inviting interpretations that go beyond traditional representations of landscapes. This exhibition considers how landscapes—whether they are natural environments, urban scenes, symbolic spaces, or imagined realms—can evoke transcendence, transformation, and connection.

The metaphysical aspect of transcendental landscapes speaks to the spiritual, philosophical, and abstract dimensions. It is about the landscapes within—the emotional topographies, the spiritual journeys, and the mental terrains that shape our understanding of the world and ourselves. These are the landscapes of the mind and soul, where one might encounter the sublime, the infinite, or the transcendent.

Conversely, the physical aspect grounds these explorations in the material world. Here, the landscapes might take on recognizable forms—mountains, forests, oceans, or urban spaces—but they are imbued with a sense of the extraordinary. The physical landscapes serve as portals to the metaphysical, reminding us that the natural world is often the starting point for transcendence.

This exhibition to uncover the diverse ways in which landscape and place—real or imagined, external, or internal—serve as powerful vessels for transcendence and discovery. This initiative will bridge the connections between the metropolitan energy of New York and the magical allure of New Mexico, celebrating the profound links that bind two vastly different places rooted in rich artistic legacies.

Opening January 10, 2025, SaveArtSpace will launch public art installations for each selected work on billboard ad spaces in New Mexico & New York City. The public art will be on view for at least one month.

Selected Artists

Location: Central Ave NW & Sunset Rd SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Cristina Vergano is known for her paintings that blend a classical style with fantastical, surrealistic content containing layers of meaning. Author Gail Leggio said of her work, "All of Vergano's subjects—human, animal or hybrid—project warmth and intelligence; a spark of soulfulness emanates from their eyes. While many traditional allegorical figures are essentially mannequins to be accessorized with attributes, Vergano’s figures are beings that elicit a response from the viewer."

Vergano has received critical acclaim in The New York Times, ARTnews, Art in America, and New York magazine, among other publications. She was also featured, alongside Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Agnes Martin, and Yayoi Kusama, in the September 2014 article, "Wise Buys: 50 Women Artists Worth Watching," published by Blouin Art+Auction.

Born in Milan in 1960, Vergano studied at the International School of Milan, Liceo Cassini, and Università di Genova before moving to New York where she currently resides. She is represented by Tourné Gallery in New York, and her work has been featured in the Parrish Art Museum (Southampton, NY), Islip Art Museum (Islip, NY), Anthropology Museum of the People of New York (Queens, NY), Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach, CA), Madison Museum of Fine Art (Madison, GA), DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (Lincoln, MA), and the Chicago Athenaeum (Chicago, IL). Vergano has also designed a line of objects for the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY). She counts among her collectors Whoopi Goldberg, Robert and Cortney Novogratz, and Madonna.

Connect with Cristina on Instagram at @cristinavergano.

Location: Morgan Ave & Harrison Pl, Brooklyn, New York

Melissa Lind’s current work is shaped by 14 years living in Taos, NM, where she explores themes of working-class celebration, vernacular community, neuroplasticity and the struggle for growth. She uses photography, sculpture, and land art to capture the tenacity of life in northern New Mexico’s challenging environments.

Lind is drawn to niche Taos communities, their struggles to establish roots, and how this shapes the fabric of the community as a whole. While her work is deeply personal and rooted in a specific time and place, the themes it addresses—growth, togetherness, resilience, and nature—are universal, resonating with concerns many people grapple with.

Raised and educated in the American Southwest in a lower-middle-class family, Lind’s mother insisted their church was nature. These early influences heavily color Lind’s approach to art and the materials she uses: found objects, photography, glass, metal, wood, sand, rock, and vibrant color.

Lind practiced as a licensed landscape architect for a decade before founding and directing a creative agency for architects and builders, Dwelling Creative. Her architectural photos have been published in magazines and websites nationally and she was selected as a speaker for the American Institute of Architects national symposium and again for the Boston Chapter.

Connect with Melissa on Instagram at @melissahlind.

Curators

Paige Beeber (b. 1993 Syosset, NY) is best known for kaleidoscopic abstract paintings that could be mistaken for textiles which she makes in Brooklyn, New York and Taos, New Mexico. Spending most of her life between Long Island and New York City, Beeber incorporates a wide range of materials—oil, spray, acrylic paints, inks, dyes, and found objects—into her large-scale, intensely detailed works. Beeber received a BFA from Alfred University. She has since been noted for her distinctive approach to mark-making, incorporating abstract and geometric patterns that give her paintings the appearance of needlework, forging a link to past generations of artisans in her family’s history. Beeber’s prominent use of zesty colors and dynamic mix of techniques create moments of harmony and discord that reflect the rhythm of contemporary life.

Beeber is an innovative artist and the visionary owner + founder of See You Next Thursday (SYNT) and its sister platform SYNT.Pi, a platform dedicated to fostering independent artistic voices. Selected as one of Art in America's top 20 global artists to watch, Paige blends her passion for art with a mission to help creators discover their own unique style. Her work has been showcased worldwide, spanning from solo exhibitions in Sicily, various group shows worldwide, and to completing her third solo exhibition in Manhattan last year in Tribeca.

Connect with Paige on Instagram at @paigebeeber.

Sarah Stolar (b. 1974, Chicago, IL; she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The breadth of her work includes painting, drawing, multimedia installation, film, video, and performance art. Rooted in a 30-year investigation of the feminine psychological narrative, common threads in her work include loss of innocence, sexuality, power, death, spirituality, and identity. Sarah is the daughter of artist and educator Merlene Schain (1948-2022), and a descendant of 19th-century German painter Adolph von Menzel and Rookwood Pottery master potter John von Menzel of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. She grew up in her mother’s art studio and award-winning art school Schain Studios in Cincinnati, and holds a BFA in Painting from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and an MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has exhibited across the United States and internationally with solo exhibitions at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, BGMoCA in Montevideo, and the School of Visual Art in New York City. She is an internationally award-winning filmmaker, including Best Experimental Film at Synergy Film Festival, New York City, and finalist for the Andy Warhol Award for Best Experimental Film in the US. Sarah also works collaboratively with notable artists, including Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Annie Sprinkle, Beth Stephens, and Linda Mary Montano. She was Annie and Beth's costume designer for six years, and exhibited and performed with them at numerous venues, including documenta 14 and the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Fear Society Pavilion. Specializing in large-scale figurative oil painting, she recently portrayed Balitrónica Gómez of La Pocha Nostra, Jessica Blinkhorn, and Lucy Lippard. Sarah has been featured in multiple media outlets including Yale University Radio Archive, Fifty Feminist States, The Nation Magazine, Hyperallergic, Southwest Contemporary, and CNN Style. A committed educator for over fifteen years, Sarah Stolar is currently the Chair of the Department of Fine Arts, Film and Digital Media at the University of New Mexico - Taos.

Connect with Sarah on Instagram at @sarahstolar.

Participating Organizations

See You Next Thursday is redefining the art world by connecting collectors with the visionaries of tomorrow. By curating a diverse collection of groundbreaking artworks, See You Next Thursday is at the forefront of discovering fresh artistic voices and bringing them to the forefront of the global art scene.

With a commitment to fostering creativity and nurturing talent, this platform is revolutionizing the way we discover and collect art in the digital age. See You Next Thursday continues to be a platform of choice for those who are eager to uncover the hidden gems and witness the rise of the artists who will shape the future of art.

Connect with See You Next Thursday on Instagram at @seeyounexthursday.

UNM-Taos Department of Fine Arts, Film and Digital Media inspires students to tap into their creative potential by learning practical techniques, exploring alternative methods in art making, and honing their critical eye. The Fine Arts and Film and Digital Media Arts programs are made up of a diverse group of students with a range of interests and approaches to creative practices. We embrace this diversity and support all students with their degree choice, future goals, and artistic intentions. Students taking courses in Fine Arts, Film and Digital Media discover how these creative fields positively impacts their personal and professional lives.

The UNM-Taos Department of Fine Arts, Film and Digital Media is committed to engaging students in a rich dialogue on contemporary art and art history, as well as equipping students with the training necessary to work in the art world and media industry. Students learn hands-on skills, traditional foundations, contemporary approaches, interdisciplinary practices, and conceptual problem solving. A core belief of the department is to help students understand the ever-changing nature of art, its impact on contemporary culture, and the discovery of their place in the global art community. 

Connect with UNM-Taos on Instagram at @unmtaosart.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.