Character Day

On May 17, 1911, the Wednesday Club presents a program featuring characters from the Bible. NMSU records don't tell if the audience liked the ladies' performances, but surely their costumes impressed the college crowd. (Photo provided by the Rio Grande Historical Collections at the NMSU library.)

Pathfinders

In alumna's hands, the arts are learning tools

Although Irene Oliver Lewis, '75,'78, jokes that the 49,000 square-foot Court Youth Center building "represents all of my dysfunction," it is really an example of what the executive director/theater artist can accomplish with vision and plenty of hard work.

The facility - a former Las Cruces junior high school facing demolition - was rescued and put to good use thanks in great part to her efforts. Far from being completed, the center already sparks the creativity of young people, who take advantage of the art, dance and meeting space in popular after-school and summer programs. And when the auditorium and culinary arts areas are completed soon, there will be even more opportunities for children to learn and grow.

Irene Oliver Lewis, right, discusses watercolor technique with Court Youth Center art apprentices Alex Medina and Monique Mata-Hill, who help teach classes at the Las Cruces facility. (Photo by Michael Kiernan)

"Irene Oliver Lewis brings youth to the center," says Nazario Sandoval, one of the young art apprentices who attended classes in this building located in one of the city's historic districts. "She's an amazing lady," adds fellow apprentice Alejandro Medina. And she is. Since she began her career of involving children with the arts in 1978 as artist in residence with the Hatch Municipal Schools, Lewis has made a real difference for many. But she is quick to point out that she also has gained from her work with children. "When I began, I found that they brought out the child in me. Kids take such risks without the fear adults have. They allowed me my childhood, allowed me to play and experiment."

Lewis also served as cultural coordinator for the Cross Cultural Department of the Albuquerque Public Schools, artistic director for a magnet arts elementary school and became the producing artistic director of La Compania de Teatro de Albuquerque in 1986, when she pulled the floundering nonprofit out of debt to become financially secure. In 1988, she founded ALMA Productions, a consulting company specializing in theatrical productions and arts in education and served as artist in residence throughout the United States and in Asia.

As far as Irene Oliver Lewis is concerned, though, "Everything I needed to know, I learned at New Mexico State," she says with a grin. She gained valuable experience at the Alumni Association office and as a journalist with Information Services (now University Communications) during her undergraduate years. Mentors she will never forget - Isabel Crouch, who got her involved in the Readers Theater, and Hershel Zohn of the theatre arts department - gave her the direction, challenges and confidence she needed. Lewis began the teaching component of her career at NMSU from 1976-78 while working as an instructor in the speech department. She received the NMSU College of Arts and Sciences Centennial Alumni Award in 1988 and currently serves as trustee for the University Art Museum.

Her roots are firmly planted in Mesilla Valley soil, with her parents being raised in Dona Ana and Mesilla. "I'm proud of my heritage, and I think that's one of the reasons I'm here," she observes. One endeavor at the Court Youth Center reflects those feelings: "Shared Memories," which will be a collection of artifacts and oral history of the building's former life for a small museum there. Lewis is working with playwright Mark Medoff to produce a play stemming from this memorabilia, and she invites alumni to contact her with their memories of Las Cruces from the 1940s-1984 at (505) 541-0145 or P.O. Box 7027, Las Cruces, N.M. 88004.

Even though the youth facility has reached thousands of youngsters and adults since 1996, Irene Oliver Lewis has a staggering list of goals for the center and herself. Her wish list includes a production studio, computer lab, more school field trips to the facility, continued cultural and intergenerational programs and more connection with NMSU.

On a personal level, she feels drawn to return to her love - performance - and also hopes to write about her experiences with children.

"I feel that I have something to say about the arts as a learning tool," she says with conviction. With her track record, she certainly has.

Pamela Porter, '92