Photos can obscure as much as they reveal. When we encounter historic photographs, it can feel like we’ve entered the past through a portal. But like contemporary photographs, what is left out of the frame is as interesting and puzzling as what we can observe. Still, the donation of historic photos to any archive can…Read more
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Button Box Dreams & Repair-Shop Flair: Mastering the Art of Accordions with Tony Tomei and Antonio Maestas
Accordions are woven into New Mexico’s soundscape—at fiestas, on plazas, and in the musical storytelling traditions that travel across generations. In this episode of Encounter Culture, host Emily Withnall talks with Tony Tomei and Antonio Maestas, a master-and-apprentice duo who completed the New Mexico Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program in 2024, focusing on accordion restoration and traditional New Mexico tunings. Tony and Antonio fell in love with the accordion in different decades and play different styles. Tony first encountered the accordion as a child in the 1950s, growing up in an ethnically diverse community where… Read More




