1 See an artist take a new path.

Taos-based oil painter Boramie Sao expresses existential essence in her canvases. Pale blue shapes float among little dots that feel like spirits. Wavy lines make peaks that could be mountains, boat sails, or something else entirely. Her color palette feels drawn from flowers, oceans, skies, or all of the above.

On Friday, Santa Fe gallery Folklore debuts Sao’s new solo exhibition, Temples of Spirit, featuring 16 works with titles like Dark Dove and Kismet. The show marks a new chapter in Sao’s career. “This body of work is a stretch from previous collections,” she says. “It’s changing in a way I hoped it would.”

Deming's Great American Duck Race brings parades, hot-air balloons, tortilla tosses, and duck races to Luna County Courthouse Park all weekend.

2 Get down with ducks.

The Great American Duck Race splashes into Deming this weekend with a flurry of feathered fun. Starting Thursday, the event includes day and evening duck races, a carnival, hot-air balloon mass ascensions, softball tournaments, live music, a parade, a golf tournament, tortilla tosses, outhouse races, and more. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be both wet and dry duck races at the McKinley Duck Downs at Luna County Courthouse Park, where attendees can enjoy cold drinks from the Deming Coca-Cola refreshment tent.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center stages "Anonymously," a witty play about love, lowriders, and office gossip. Photograph courtesy of the Sandia Performing Arts Company.

3 Laugh at a comedy with New Mexican themes.

Lowriders, pachucos, and unrequited love are on stage in Anonymously, a comedy staged by the Sandia Performing Arts Company at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, in Albuquerque. The show follows a woman who anonymously sends flowers to her coworker crush, a move that becomes the talk of the office. Catch performances Friday and Saturday this weekend and next.

The Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site hosts a free Family Day Fiesta with mariachi music, kids' activities, and historic fun. Photograph courtesy of New Mexico Historic Sites.

4 Party with the whole family.

Family Day Fiesta at the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site promises a lively Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy mariachi music, explore the historic site, and let the kids get their faces painted. Look for an appearance from the Wonders on Wheels Museum and play with bubble wands while bubble machines fill the courtyard from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The event is free to attend.

Step back in time during For Stanton Live with reenactments, Pueblo dancers, music, and hands-on history. Photograph courtesy of New Mexico Historic Sites.

5 See a historic site come alive.

Step into the past at Fort Stanton Live, where re-enactors, historic presentations, and era-appropriate games bring history to life. Happening Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the event near Capitán includes a scavenger hunt for kiddos, a parade, Pueblo dancers, infantry drills, live music, demonstrations of ceramic making, spinning and weaving, and more.

For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.

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Soul fest brings live music and dance to the stage over two nights. Photo courtesy of Soul Fest.

 

Experience the magic of music and dance.

The sixth annual Santa Fe Soul Fest sets the artistic tone with music and dance on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, enjoy The Life Changing Magic of African and African American Dance, a free lecture demonstration by Shani Diouf, Madeleine Wright, and Elise Gent at the Railyard Performance Center. Sunday brings An Afternoon of Gospel Music, Dance, and Song with Toni Morgan and friends at St. Francis Auditorium.