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  • 17 Oct 2025 9:41 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    It comes with great sadness that the Millicent Rogers Museum announces the passing of its beloved Executive Director, Karen Chertok, who passed away on October 9, 2025.

    Karen was a breast cancer survivor for sixteen years before the illness returned unexpectedly, taking her from us far too soon. The suddenness and speed of her passing came as a profound shock to everyone on our team. There was little warning and no time to prepare. Yet, in true Karen fashion, she continued to think of her staff and the museum’s unfinished work until the very end. Her unwavering dedication, quiet strength, and compassion for others defined her life and leadership. She was an extraordinary colleague, mentor, and friend — and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

    Karen began her journey at the Millicent Rogers Museum in 2019 as a volunteer and quickly became Director of Education. She found immense joy in nurturing young minds through art, crafts, books, snacks, and exploration — particularly during her beloved Museum Mondays program each summer.

    During her memorial service, staff and volunteers fondly reminisced about Karen walking through the museum’s galleries, surrounded by a flock of toddlers eagerly searching for the little surprises she had hidden throughout the exhibits. Her energy, imagination, and joy in teaching made the museum a place of discovery and wonder for all children and families alike.

    While serving as Education Director, Karen pursued her Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma, a reflection of her lifelong commitment to learning and professional growth. Shortly after earning her degree, the position of Executive Director became available, and Karen stepped in as Interim Director while official processes were followed. To the staff and board, it was clear there was no better person for the role. Karen had already proven herself to be a natural leader. Karen was deeply knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated to the museum’s mission and staff.

    “There was no one better suited for the job, it had to be Karen,” said JonnaLynn Mandelbaum, President of the Board of Directors. “Karen was more than our Executive Director — she quickly became my friend. I was fortunate to work with Karen.”

    Karen was officially named Executive Director in February 2025, and under her leadership, the museum quickly began to thrive. She cared deeply for her team, recognizing each person’s strengths and encouraging them to develop their talents. She listened, inspired, and empowered those around her, creating an environment rooted in trust and collaboration. Her ability to balance strong conviction with openness to new ideas was her superpower — one that left an indelible mark on everyone who worked with her.

    We lost a great leader, a dear friend, an exceptional light, and a vibrant example of faith and will. To say Karen’s time as Executive Director of the museum was too short would not do justice to the depth of this loss. The staff, board, volunteers, and every visitor who entered the museum during Karen’s brief tenure could see the bright future she was helping to paint.

    Karen will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

    In honor of her love for education and her passion for sharing the museum with the public, the Millicent Rogers Museum has established the Karen Chertok Education Fund. This fund will continue her mission of expanding young minds while connecting them to the deep culture and history of our region. Though her time with us was short, Karen’s legacy will remain strong — a guiding light for the museum and the community she cherished.

    Donate to the Karen Chertok Education Fund >

    Karen's Obituary

    Karen Chertok was, in the words of her aunt, “a multi-stage rocket,” and in the words of her mother, “a quiet observer of life and forever searcher of knowledge.”

    Karen was a mother, sister, daughter, niece, author, teacher, student, cookie baker, animal lover (with the exception of spiders), nature lover (particularly Taos Mountain), caregiver, painter, poet, author, seamstress, creative powerhouse, and museum director.

    She re-invented herself several times during her too-short lifetime, ultimately realizing her dream of being Director of the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, New Mexico. Karen had an inimitable style that was hers alone. She was a beautiful soul who experienced highs and lows that novels are made of.

    A breast cancer survivor for sixteen years before it returned, uninvited, into her life, Karen was, above all, a devoted Christian who daily studied her Bible at her desk in her humble home, looking at “her mountain,” writing her inspirations, and making her lists for each day. She had the most magnificent view in Taos, which became her adopted home for the last nine years.

    Karen worked in a hotel, painted houses, and cooked vegetarian food at an inn. Though an exceptionally private person, she was a strong influence on those in her orbit. Once she obtained a position at the Millicent Rogers Museum, she realized she was “home.” She dove into studying—and mastering—the local culture, exploring the interaction of the multiple traditions that contribute to the richness of Taos.

    She studied Millicent. She studied the collection, the museum team, and the world of museums. Ultimately, she decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies. At that time, Karen had been promoted to Educational Director at the museum. She worked by day and studied by night for two years, immersing herself in all things “museum.”

    When the position of Director opened in December 2024, following her graduation from the University of Oklahoma in May of that year, Karen was selected by the board to serve as interim Director. She was officially named Director in February 2025—and was adored by her team.

    During the last two years, Karen traveled abroad with her brother and his husband, enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving with her mother, and celebrated a surprise birthday party in Las Vegas just two and a half months before she was called back to God suddenly on October 9th.

    Karen has once again embarked upon a new journey and will undoubtedly continue to inspire all those who knew her here, and all the souls she will connect or reconnect with on the other side.

    Karen is survived by her mother, Joan Wheeler of Vancouver, WA; her children, Alex Chertok, Ben Chertok, and Hannah Kaune of Washington State; her grandchildren, Charlie, Rosemary, and Aldus; her sister, Bridget, of Seaside, OR; her brother, Matthew, of Burlington, VT; and her aunt, Jane, of Pacific Palisades, CA.

    Donations can be made to Karen’s Education Fund at the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, New Mexico.



  • 16 Oct 2025 7:15 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    PAPNM members Diane Stoffel and Katy Korkos, who manage Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library in Los Alamos, announce the opening of the exhibit “Projection and Confession: Self-Portraits,” September 18-October 18. 

    Please come see the show which includes self-portraits by PAPNM members: Wendy Ahlm, Phyllis Gunderson, Marcia Williams, Lee Ann Costello, Rachel Pearson, Diane Stoffel, and Katy Korkos. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite self-portrait. People’s Choice Awards will be presented at the closing reception at 2:00-3:30pm on Saturday, October 18 at Step Up Gallery, 2400 Central Ave., Los Alamos. 

         

    Step Up Gallery Managers


    Here’s a link to the September 19th edition of Santa Fe New Mexican’s Pasatiempo Magazine: 

    https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/exhibition-at-los-alamos-gallery-exhorts-artists-to-look-within/article_25fca914-b33d-4837-afac-e47195bb4f57.html


    Congratulations on the article.

    Article beginning:

    Step Up Gallery manager Diane Stoffel conceived of Projection and Confession: Self-Portraits as a way to inspire artists to gaze within during an era of stress-intensifying overstimulation.

    “It goes along with the political climate right now, because I wanted people to look at themselves and discover their own courage,” she says. “I think it’s necessary for us to put the brakes on what’s going on politically and find our own morals, find our own strengths, and eventually find the courage to do something about it, to speak out. I was thinking of reality TV and how people are sort of voyeurs, and that’s how they entertain themselves. I don’t know how much introspection goes on anymore.”

    Stoffel didn’t seek to showcase works specifically by female artists, but it certainly worked out that way: Only three of the 51 featured artists are men. As a result, Projection and Confession serves as a glimpse into a collective New Mexico female psyche, reflected not just in standard portraits but in fiber arts and even a gargoyle head. Stoffel aims to offer a different slate of exhibitions each summer; this is the first featuring self-portraits."


  • 15 Oct 2025 8:55 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    Congratulations to Carolyn Lindsey, 1st Place!! And to Barbara Coleman in the top 20!!


  • 15 Oct 2025 7:30 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)

    Evening Drama by Katherine Irish

    24 x 36 in, Pastel
    To inquire visit KatherineIrish.com

    Katherine has been painting the skies of Santa Fe and winning awards for her exceptional work, just recently she was awarded First Place Quick Draw at Estes Valley Plein Air 2025 at the Art Center of Estes Park. Follow along her art journey @Katherine Irish

    Congratulations, Katherine.

  • 15 Oct 2025 7:00 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    FROM SURFACE TO SOUL

    Eclipse

    Eclipse

    A solo exhibit of transcendent paintings

    The Gallery ABQ
    Hoffmantown Shopping Center

    8210 Menaul Blvd NE
    Albuquerque, NM 87110

    Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am - 4 pm

    Reception: October 3, 5 - 8 pm

    Exhibit: October 2 - 28

    MORE INFO

    In this digital world, we have grown accustomed to flat images without three-dimensional form. Carla Forrest creates a dynamic, tactical quality in her paintings that appeals to the viewer's sense of touch and feel. From thin to the thick and from transparent to opaque, the unusually rich surfaces of her paintings immerse the viewer into a multi-dimensional world where they experience the soul of creativity.

    The Renaissance occurred after the crises of the late Middle Ages, which halted European stability and transitioned humanity to Modernity with great social change - including recovery from the Great Famine, Black Death, demographic collapse, political instabilities, and religious upheavals. The intellectual basis of the Renaissance was humanism, a new thinking that became manifest in art, architecture, literature, science, and politics.

    Forrest believes that we are now emerging into the New Renaissance, birthing a new society with elevated respect and compassion for all sentient beings and our Mother Earth. During this transition, humanity will move beyond cognitive and emotional intelligence into the higher level of spiritual intelligence. So, the intellectual basis of the New Renaissance is transcendence, which will bring a new level thinking that will become manifest in art, architecture, politics, science, and literature, and move us toward a multi-dimensional world where we can experience the soul of creativity.


  • 12 Oct 2025 11:39 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    From Natasha: "Super exciting news! This painting is getting some attention much to my delight. And when the recognition comes from someone whom i admire so much, it’s even more validating thank you Richard McKinley, for that validation !

    Dear Natasha:

    Congratulations! Your pastel work, DEFY!, has won an HONORABLE MENTION in the Landscape & Interior category (juried by Richard McKinley) in the 27th Annual Pastel 100 Competition."

  • 06 Oct 2025 2:04 PM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    Katherine Gauntt has a show hanging at the East Mountain Public Library through the end of October.

    487 NM 333
    Tijeras, NM 87059
    505-282-8508

    She will have a reception (no food or sales, it is a public library) on Saturday October 11 from noon to 3pm.

    She has about 43 paintings, mostly watercolor paintings, in this venue. Come and enjoy during business hours;

    Tues, Wed. Friday and Saturday from 10-6 and Thursday from 11-7. 

  • 01 Oct 2025 12:16 PM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)

    Our very own Natasha Isenhour was the judge for the AUGUST 2025 competition! Click on the link below for more information. Natasha wrote detailed descriptions of why the top three paintings won (well worth reading):

    https://pleinairsalon.com/

    Awards and Finalists: August 2025:

    Congratulations to the PAPNM artist Top Finalists and the Award Winning Paintings in August:

    Barbara Coleman, Best Landscape

    Kath Reilly, Best Building

    Jane Hunt, Honorable Mention, Clouds and Sky

    Donna Barnhill: Finalist Figure & Portrait






    Finalists: June 2025:

    Congratulations to Peggy Immel and Natasha Isenhour for their paintings that were chosen in the top 100 finalists this month



    Awards: May 2025

    See all May 2025 awards here.

    The judge for the May competition was award-winning artist Dave tulationsSantillanes.

    Congratulations to Jane Hunt, PAPNM Master Artist, for awards:  Headed Home (May 2025 Best Nocturne), Ablaze (May 2025 Clouds and Sky Honorable Mention). She also placed two additional top 100 finalist paintings. 

    https://www.janehuntart.com



    ------------------------------------------

    Awards: April 2025.

    Congratulations to John Misner for his Category Award for Best Western and to Jane Hunt for her Honorable Mention in the Landscape Category:

    See all April 2025 awards here 



  • 28 Sep 2025 12:10 PM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)


    Give the Gift of Creativity This Holiday Season

    The holidays are just around the corner, and I'm excited to share a quick 21-second video that might spark your next gift idea for the little artists in your life.

    Video Link

    Corrected link!

    This special coloring book is filled with the magic of New Mexico-historic sites, plants, animals, and fun facts-making it both playful and meaningful. At just $14.95, it's an affordable way to give kids (and even grown-up artists!) the gift of creativity.


    Reserve your copy by calling ahead:

    Local-Book-Stores

    Collected Works Bookstore: 505-988-4226, 
    Garcia Street Books: (505) 986-0151, 
    Artisan Santa Fe: (505) 954-4179

    Art is one of the most lasting gifts we can share-it brings joy, imagination, and memories that last far beyond the season.


    Warmly,
    Stephanie West

    text or call: 505-470-8844

    stephaniewestart@gmail.com

  • 25 Sep 2025 10:16 AM | Admin PAPNM (Administrator)

    Top Three Awards for PAPNM Members!

    Congratulations to Paul Murray, Rachel Pearson and Mike Mahon for their top awards in the Pastel Society of NM Sense of Place Show at the Legends of the West Gallery in Santa Fe through Sept 27.


    https://legendsofthewestfineart.com

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PAPNM
P. O. Box 20503
Albuquerque, NM
87154-0503

Mail Payments to: 

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PO Box 4612
Santa Fe, NM 87502

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