“Backcountry Basin is inspired by the tropes of the western genre in film and literature. It feels familiar but unexpected. It is somewhere and nowhere in particular. It is suggestive of Victorian society, Eastern European gypsies, and the ‘old west’ but reimagined to fit in the otherworldly, barren, white gypsum sand dunes in which it was filmed. It plays with ideas of openness and also claustrophobia blurring the lines between interior and exterior. Most importantly, it is a celebration of my hometown, the City of Las Cruces, NM, and the beauty of the surrounding areas.” ~Joshua L. Peugh

We believe artists as public figures hold a responsibility to set an example in our daily lives and through our art. We continue to stand with those demanding liberation, freedom, and justice for Black Lives as well as for the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We must stop racism and bigotry in America. We acknowledge and mourn the racist murders of Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Hyun Jung Grant, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, and countless others.