My Photographs Acquired for the Albuquerque Museum of Art

Exhibition Installation, Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, Albuquerque Museum of Art 2009

When you are in the throes of a project time passes without much notice. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls this mental state where a person is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus—flow. I like that.

Life has been good down in Alamogordo hiking for miles across the gleaming dunes of White Sands National Monument, making photographs for my next book. Capturing just the right moment with my Nikon—when light and inspiration meet if only for a second—have filled my days.  I am astonished to learn that my last post—about my mighty Toyota Tundra named Helios—was back in February. Helios and I fortunately continue to work diligently and happily together in Alamogordo following the light. My apologies for my tardiness . . . I will endeavor to do better.

iPhone Screen Shot, Photopills App, White Sands National Monument, March 8, 2015 @ 6:29pm

We have been working for months on something. Discussing the possibilities and the details with people who are committed to our idea. Many conversations over the telephone back and forth. Frustrations mount and then quickly dissipate. Memos are exchanged over the internet for clarification. Eventually all the “i’s” are dotted and the “t’s” crossed. Signatures are affixed and hands are shaken.  Then finally . . .

It is with surpassing pride that I shout from the rooftops that the original photographic prints from the exhibition Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby: Photographs by Craig Varjabedian were acquired last week for the Albuquerque Museum of Art by the Albuquerque Museum Foundation. This immensely popular exhibition was originally presented at the Albuquerque Museum in 2009 and then travelled to six museums across the United States. I am grateful and humbled.

Exhibition Invitation, Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, Albuquerque Museum of Art, 2009

P.S. The award-winning photography book, also titled Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, was published by the University of New Mexico Press to coincide with the exhibition and continues to be available at many fine bookstores and Amazon.com. The book received the prestigious Outstanding Photography Book Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. You can get a signed copy from my studio.

Using a Viewing Frame, Children's Educational Event, Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, Albuquerque Museum, 2009 Photograph by ©Craig Varjabedian