Forest of Azure Draws Visitors Into an Alluring World of Discovery

South Broadway Cultural Center Gallery, a community exhibition space of the Albuquerque Museum, presents Forest of Azure, a collaborative show featuring mixed media pieces by three artists whose practices span both two- and three-dimensional forms. Forest of Azure, including the works of Colin Weston, Margaret Fitzgerald, and Chelsea A. Benally, opens August 6 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Through sculpture, painting, and experimental materials, the exhibition transforms the center’s gallery into a space where curiosity leads the way.

 Inspired by the idea of a dreamlike, limitless landscape, Forest of Azure explores the artistic process as a journey of intuition, experimentation, and discovery. While each artist brings a distinct visual language and approach to their work, the exhibition is united by a shared willingness to embrace uncertainty.

 “Forest of Azure references the freedom of creating art, a domain without boundaries that alludes to new frontiers,” explains Museum Curator Augustine Romero of the Albuquerque Museum. “The artists share a sense of searching, wandering. Their work realizes this freedom.”

 Throughout the exhibition, viewers are invited to navigate a landscape where the lines between form and space, concept and emotion become fluid. Rich textures, layered compositions, and sculptural elements create an immersive experience that rewards close observation and personal interpretation.

 Rather than offering definitive answers, the exhibition opens the door to reflection, letting audiences wander through a creative terrain shaped by possibility and the shared spirit of artistic exploration.

 Colin Weston’s practice is rooted in a lifelong fascination with creating. After a career in architecture, Weston shifted focus to making sculptural and wall-mounted works that explore form, material, and the balance between the familiar and the unknown. West draws on techniques from cabinetmaking and construction.

 Margaret Fitzgerald’s paintings function as self-portraits, reflecting on the artist’s inner life while responding to the social and political realities that shape it. Through each work, Fitzgerald explores relationships and the complexity of human experience. Every painting begins as an open-ended journey, guided by intuition, emotion, and the search for a visual language that gives form to what she wants to express.

 The work of Chelsea A. Benally looks at identity, perception, and the values that shape our lives. Through abstraction, Benally examines themes of truth and morality, drawing from both personal reflection and broader social observation. By questioning expectations and highlighting resilience and individuality, the artist aims to spur dialogue about how we understand ourselves and the world around us.

 Forest of Azure is on view through October 16. South Broadway Cultural Center Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.