Sara and I spent about eight hours in the car on Sunday during our journey from Denver to Albuquerque. Clear, blue, and sunny skies allowed us to take in all the beautiful changes in landscape as we traveled south on 285. Upon arrival, we were greeted with one of the worst storms said to have hit Albuquerque in several years, causing flash flooding in many places. On Monday morning, after much anticipation, we were finally able to meet the subjects of our two upcoming films. Nanibah (Nani) Chacon, a Navajo and Chicana artist, will be painting a mural on the side of a local drug store. The mural will be a portrait of another amazing woman, the subject of our other film, Maclovia Zamora, who has been prescribing herbal medicine inside this building since 1981. 

Day 1:  Eager to get started, we immediately set up one of our four cameras to interval shooting so that we can have a time lapse of the mural as it is created. Nani had a young intern with her from an Albuquerque organization called "working classroom," which pairs up high school students to intern with art professionals, giving the students an opportunity to gain hands on experience in that career field. Together, they made a grid covering the brick wall where the mural will be. After creating the grid, they began the process of sketching the mural, square by square, with charcoal pencils. 

     We spend some time getting to know Nani, discussing her art, the film, the mural, etc. Around 9:45 a.m. a car pulls into the parking lot, and out comes Maclovia Zamora, her husband Eloy, and daughter Beatrice. Eloy served in the Air Force for 31 years, retiring in 1981 as a Chief Master Sergeant (the highest attainable enlisted rank), and served in both the Korean and Vietnam War. He comes into the pharmacy each day with his wife of 64 years, while she opens the store from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday through Friday. After only talking with her and seeing the store for a few minutes, we understand why Nani has chosen to pay tribute to her with a beautiful mural portrait on the wall outside. The store is filled with just about every herb you can imagine. Shelf after shelf of dried herbs, tinctures, oils, and savs. Though the store has a quirky feel, and lacks organization in many areas, we see why she still opens every day. Customers drop by or call on the phone to ask her questions about herbal remedies, recipes, dosages, and recommendations, of which she seems to know right off the top of her head. As if that isn't impressive enough, she has an entire wall assortment of dried herbs, bagged and labeled, for only $2 each. We found later that one of these same herbs at the local Whole Foods cost $14, and didn't come with a free explanation by an experienced woman, eager to share her wealth of knowledge and experience. I began mulling over the narrative for our film, and knew it must capture the authenticity of a store like Maclovia's. How is it that herbalism and naturopathic medicine, which have been practiced by many ancient and indigenous people for thousands of years, have now become what some in modern society would consider “trendy” or “alternative” medicine, and allowed to be gradually taken over by big business instead of resting easy in the hands of local herbalists like Maclovia?

     Going back out to check on the mural, Nani finishes up the grid and sketch of what will start to be painted tomorrow. Nani tells us about some of the other murals she has done, and how she likes to draw inspiration from the landscapes around her for each one. Now that everyone has warmed up to the cameras, and we have gotten a lot of the story and shot ideas, I am really looking forward to start getting the real filming done tomorrow.