The Truth or Consequences of Delmas Howe

Delmas Howe—who was 70 years old when this 2004 documentary by Matt Sneddon was made—is an artist based in the oddly named city of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, who has achieved a degree of notoriety for his frank yet spirited homoerotic creations. The Truth or Consequences of Delmas Howe details the creation of Howe's project “Stations: A Gay Passion,” a series of male nudes celebrating New York's gay scene during the 1960 and 1970s. The titular “stations” are not New York subway stops, but rather the New Testament's Stations of the Cross. The six-years-in-the-making work seems like a lightning rod for controversy, particularly from gay-bashing fundamentalists, but that's not the point here. Instead, this is mostly a hagiographic celebration of Howe's career within the gay art community and the wider spectrum of contemporary art (although the New Mexico art community appears to have kept him at arm's length because of the gay subject matter in his work). The camera follows Howe as he revisits old haunts in New York and San Francisco, recalling watershed moments in gay American history as well as deeply personal moments, such as remembering a lover who passed away from AIDS. Called “arguably the best living painter raised in and returned to New Mexico” (Albuquerque Tribune), Howe is clearly deserving of this inspiring and engaging tribute. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)