Cortez Cultural Center to reopen with new events

The Journal

The Cortez Cultural Center will reopen to the public Tuesday after its winter hiatus. The center will host a new art exhibit and a happy hour in February.

An opening reception for “Some Assembly Required: Works by John Reimers and Keith Williams” will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 7. The exhibition will run from Feb. 4 through March 7. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, beginning Tuesday.

This two-person show will feature local artists John Reimers and Keith Williams. Both artists are creating colorful artworks – and post-retirement careers – from selectively assembled bits and pieces. Reimers mines the materials of his own building career to create relief wall “puzzles” that reference Op Art, Escher and the mid-century hard-edged geometric abstraction that emerged in his native California. Keith, a photographer and transplant from Santa Fe, creates folk art assemblages from recycled materials, often incorporating his own photographs into his work.

The center will also host Cocktail Culture, the first of their monthly first Thursday happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the cultural center. There is a $15 suggested donation. For more information, visit www.cortezculturalcenter.org.