1 Catch a rising artist.

Artist and author Zahra Marwan was seven when she immigrated with her family from Kuwait to New Mexico. Her first solo exhibit in Santa Fe opens at Hecho Gallery on Friday evening, an expansion on the watercolor-and-ink works in her children’s book, Where Butterflies Fill the Sky. “Zahra’s work is both dreamlike and very real,” says Frank Rose, creative director at Hecho Gallery. “She never shies away from painful experiences but presents them in a way that is easier to digest through her use of playful illustration.”

Marwan’s exhibit, Pickled Dreams: Torshi and Kurkum, features work inspired by both her old and new homes. “New Mexico’s mesas are full of color,” she says. “I’ve taken pleasure in recreating the beautiful colors of Persian carpets. The overall mood is the comfort of home and the people we love.” Attend the opening reception Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.; see the exhibit through June 26.

Ria Thundercloud (Sandia/Ho-Chunk) performs at noon on Saturday and Sunday in the IPCC Courtyard as part of the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival. Photograph courtesy of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

2 Hear Native storytellers.

Film screenings, dances, and musical performances are part of the Indigenous Cultural Arts Festival at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center this weekend. Continuing the Indigenous tradition of storytelling through a digital medium, the films in the festival showcase ideas like sustainability, the power of women behind the camera, and the artistic capacity that goes into cinema. Dancers from Sandia and Zuni pueblos, along with the Apache tribe and other pueblos, will perform Saturday and Sunday.

“We incorporate storytelling so that performers and producers can be the stewards of their own narratives,” says Alicia Ortiz, arts and programs director. “Indigenous civilizations, for generations upon generations, have developed and perpetuated their distinctive designs and motifs, which they can rightfully claim as their heritage. The story is always the principal premise.”

While you’re there, don’t miss the new exhibit, Testament of Empowerment, featuring the work of Shaun Beyale (Diné), whose love of comic books led him to create Ayla, the Monster Slayer, now a part of the Marvel universe. “Art can empower,” Beyale says. “This body of work reflects my artistic journey of empowerment using my inspiration, comic books, and my culture.” See the exhibit through October 10.

Colorful cruisers and classic cars paint the mountain scenery at the Red River Car Show on Saturday. Photograph courtesy of the Red River Car Show.

3 Hit the road.

Hot rods, vintage vehicles, 4x4s, sports cars, muscle cars, and lowriders roll into Red River’s Brandenburg Park Saturday during the Red River Car Show. The family-friendly event includes food and vendors, plus live music. After the car show, Nashville-based country singer John King performs in the park.

The Lowrider Super Show rolls in low and slow to the Albuquerque Convention Center. Photograph courtesy of the Lowrider Super Show.

4 Go low and slow.

An awesome display of lowrider magic comes to the Albuquerque Convention Center Sunday during the Lowrider Super Show. The event includes a hop, where riders show off their hydraulics, bouncing the cars up and down. See a live performance of upbeat Spanish songs and cumbias by New Mexican musician Gonzalo. Doors open at noon.

Sterling Trantham's "Welder #2" is among the works featured in the Doña Ana Arts Council's new exhibit, "La Frontera: Hopes and Fears." Photograph courtesy of the Doña Ana Arts Council.

5 Experience life on the border.

Five artists use their creative powers to document existence on the U.S./Mexico border in the new exhibit, La Frontera: Hopes and Fears, at the Doña Ana Arts Council, in Las Cruces. A variety of mediums are represented, including photography by Paul Ratje and Sterling Trantham, political portraits by Adrián Aguirre, mixed-media pieces by Cleo Arévalo, and prints and drawings by Elizabeth Calil Zarur. Each artist brings a distinct eye to their medium, and together they create a striking image of what it means to cross a border. See the exhibit through June 28.