Las Cruces, NM– The University Art Museum (UAM) is excited to
partner with Santa Fe-based, Axle Contemporary, to present E
Pluribus Unum: Mogollon in the UAM’s Mullennix Bridge Gallery
from June 5-August 20, 2025.
E Pluribus Unum features over 800 portraits from residents across
New Mexico that were collected from August 23rd to October 20th,
2024, while artists Matthew Chase-Daniel and Jerry Wellman
traveled around South-Central and South-Western New Mexico in
Axle Contemporary, a mobile artspace and solar-powered
photography studio. This is the sixth and final phase of Axle
Contemporary’s E Pluribus Unum project in New Mexico, which focused on communities south of
Interstate 40 and west of Interstate 25. The artists captured portraits of residents from Belen, Deming,
Lordsburg, Columbus, Truth or Consequences, Hatch, Socorro, Magdalena, Pie Town, Zuni, Pine Hill,
Grants, Acoma, Las Cruces, and Silver City.
Founded in 2010 by Chase-Daniel and Wellman, Axle Contemporary was built in a retrofitted 1970
aluminum bread truck. As part of E Pluribus Unum, visitors were invited to sit for a portrait holding an
object of personal significance. Each participant received a printed photo to keep, and another was posted
on the mobile studio’s exterior, creating a dynamic, growing portrait of the region. By the end of the tour,
more than 800 portraits covered the truck.
The exhibition at the UAM and the accompanying book, captures the time and place of this project and
underscores that, while unique, we are part of a larger whole. This concept is reflected on the book’s
cover, where all the portraits are overlaid in translucent layers, aligned by the eyes of each subject. The
exhibition will present this singular image, the full set of over 800 portraits, photos of the 2024 project in
action, and a life-size image of the mobile studio.
Axle Contemporary, a collaborative project by Chase-Daniel and Wellman, has evolved since 2010 to
include book publishing, performance art, and other socially engaged projects. To date, it has featured
over 400 New Mexico artists in more than 180 exhibitions.
Mogollon, 2025. Blend image composed from all portraits. Inkjet print on Epson Cold Press paper with
wood mounting bars.
Join us for the opening reception on June 5 from 5:30-7:30 PM. For more information on UAM
exhibitions and programs, visit www.uam.nmsu.edu. The UAM is located at 1308 E. University Avenue,
Las Cruces, NM, and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM.
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