“On February 13 2022 we hosted 13 Love Songs at Milagros Coffee House in downtown Alamosa. 13 Love Songs is a show that was originally created by George McConnell, artist and professor (ASU Theater Department).
Christopher Cates Jr. and I reached out to 13 local artists to create the line up. Once they agreed to participate they were each assigned a love song to inspire their own piece. This includes performance, dance, spoken word and visual art.
It is not necessarily an annual event, but it will definitely happen again at some point. McConnell and many of his friends, collaborators, and past students have hosted this event. It’s bound to make another appearance.
As for Christopher and I, we will definitely be making more work in the near future.”
– Hannah Eubanks
By Madeleine Ahlborn | maddy@alamosacitizen.com
GEORGE McConnell is a professor at Adams State University in the Theatre Department. We had a great conversation via email, talking a little bit about the history of 13 Love Songs and the origin of the series.
Creative Citizen: Where has this series been performed?”
George McConnell: “I curated/produced it I think four times in Tallahassee, one time in Tucson, one time in Minneapolis, and one time in Alamosa. Then other people have curated/produced it a few times in Tallahassee, three or four times in Chicago, one or two times in New York, one time in Minneapolis, one time in Denver, and the most recent time in Alamosa.”
CC: Where did the idea for 13 Love Songs come from?”
wide variety of performers that night from our endlessly creative and talented community here in the valley.”
– Isabel Rae
You can see more of Isabel’s work this spring at the upcoming Adams State University BFA Exhibition, and current works at the SLV Museum on Hunt Avenue in a group exhibition through the end of March as part of a new monthly rotation of local artists.
IN 2020 I was asked to participate in 13 Love Songs as an Adams State University Alumni. The “Alamosa Remix” was hosted by Square Peg Brewerks and my assigned song was Geyser by the artist Mitski. My piece took the form of spoken word poetry. Even though I am familiar with speaking in front of a crowd, being the first performer of the evening can bring a different sense of pressure, in a good way.
All artists, performers, or however you identify, have a different process when interpreting something/anything. I often use a “cut and paste” mentality in a very physical way in order to arrange and rearrange my thoughts. My spoken word piece was a conglomerate of statements, sentences and words compiled together to create a poem. All of these words and phrases were from the year prior to joining the project.
Keep an eye out for Hannah Eubanks, Christopher Cates Jr., and George McConnell for future performance projects. Who knows where it will land, but be sure you can find updates on Alamosacitizen.com
That’s for your ongoing support for Rural Journalism !
Photos by Sabin Eubanks and Madeleine Ahlborn