It was UNM Art Professor Sommers who encouraged Allen, then a student in his printmaking course in Canada, to attend Tamarind. Clinton Adams was a wonderful mentor and taught me many things, including how to write and to not take myself so seriously. They were good lessons. Lessons learned from her teachers is translated to Allen's students. Art school is to push you to think, states Allen.
Students have to know who they are so they can produce good art.
You can't fool anybody. Alicia Perea Dancer and Teacher Frida Kahlo visited the Volga this summer. The original work includes text and speaking which added to the challenge and necessitated an interpreter. And assuming the audience had no knowledge of Frida, Perea gave a pre-show introduction to the Mexican artist's life and work. Frida was a huge success.