Journey Off the Beaten Path
Local gallery owners and activists Donna Rand and Berle Van Zandt chat with the Reader about art, community, and mountain life.
Donna Rand and Berle Van Zandt greet me in the patio and sculpture garden outside their pink-and-turquoise gallery, Off the Beaten Path.
The name fits. Tucked just behind Burro Avenue, Cloudcroft’s main street, the shop feels like a hidden find.
Off the Beaten Path carries a range of eclectic art and handmade gifts—wind chimes, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork—the list goes on.
Many of their artists use repurposed and unusual materials, an alchemic process resulting in fine arts, like Arizona-based artist Lorie T. Luipold’s “splashed” recycled metal copper waste sculptures. One sits on the wall like an iridescent lava flare.
Donna’s smile lifts her rosy cheeks as she tells their story. Berle arches one silver eyebrow, softening whenever a cat—or Donna—wanders close.
When the talk turns to Cloudcroft, Berle’s shoulders ease. “Good people,” she says, a mantra that captures how the pair have found their place here.
On the Mountain
“We’ve lived here for 38 years, we’ve had the shop for 29,” Donna says.
“When I came up, well, my mom was pregnant with me—I couldn’t see anything. But coming up here as kids, we just loved it. We stayed muddy all summer, back then, because it rained a lot,” Donna remembers.
Donna grew up in El Paso, while Berle grew up in the Dallas area. Then, the pair met at Texas Tech University (TTU) in Lubbock, where Berle was seeking her degree in entomology, the study of bugs.
Donna, then Berle’s editor at the campus newspaper at TTU, introduced her to the area during spring break in 1983.
“We both liked Tech,” Donna remembers. “And then I said, let’s move somewhere where there are trees. We moved to Austin and spent some time there. Five years, very short.”
“We moved to the city for a while to make some money, so we wouldn’t have to work so hard when we got up here in our mid-20s. We did that, and moved up here a few years later,” Berle says.
The partners are now moving into the village proper—finding a single-level living space to ease mobility for Donna, who lives with Multiple Sclerosis.
Off the Beaten Path
Inside the gallery, a rainbow constellation of rooms display handmade, actually affordable art and artisan wares.
Joyous suncatchers, baubles like “contemplation rattles” and other oddities and one-of-a-kinds are surrounded by upscale fine art pieces.
Berle and Donna focus on local and regional artists. The “Unusual Beasts Lovable Art” plushie series by artist Galen Wales and dream-like paintings by Michael Copeland are sourced from Alamogordo.
Inspired by Cloudcroft’s artistic energy and a personal gift—a loan from Berle’s parents—the duo purchased and renovated a small cabin and launched their gallery.
“We decided we would have everything handmade in the U.S. But it’s all artists who are good people who create with love and passion, so it’s from the heart,” Berle says.
Over 29 years, the shop grew into a local landmark, cherished for its cheerful presence and annual return customers, even as Cloudcroft transformed with new businesses and a changing tourism landscape.
“High Altitude opened six months before we did,” Berle remembers. “The Bear Track and the Turquoise shop have been here longer—like 50 years? All the other businesses on Burro have changed.”
Desert Mountain Tourism
“You’ve got to concentrate when you’re busiest in summer, that’s when you’re going to make all your money,” Donna says.
“Tourists are the biggest customer base. We get a few locals who shop here,” Berle says.
While grateful for the economic boost from tourism, Berle worries about the effects on the village’s resources. “Why can’t we get a village ordinance that says any overnight rental—I don’t care if it’s a hotel, if it’s a cabin—to put signs in there. I know Teri Scott does, but put a sign in there that says, like the rest of the West, we are in a severe drought. Please conserve water.”
“The businesses are staying longer than typical now. Used to, they’d be maybe a year, at the most three,” Berle says.
While many businesses struggle, Off the Beaten Path is nearing its 30th anniversary.
“Somebody actually said, I thought it was a house,” Donna adds. “It took a while, but now we have returning people who come every year.”
One Cat at a Time: 1CaT
“When somebody comes in and just looks at you, you know they have a cat,” Berle says.
As we walk through the gallery, we’re followed by a mobile exhibit—Mazie, a slinky black kitten happily springs from room to room as we explore the gallery, followed by a fluffy orange critter named Jules.
Jules occasionally hitches a free ride, scaling Berle like a tree, turning her into a makeshift pirate, complete with a living shoulder accoutrement.
While their trademark penguin serves as the gallery mascot, cats call upon Berle and Donna’s passionate activism.
With no animal control in the village, Berle and Donna have taken up the challenge of managing Cloudcroft’s stray and feral cat population. The 1CaT (One Cat at a Time) program, which they began in 2011 and turned nonprofit by 2017, relies on trap-neuter-release (TNR) system to keep numbers stable and protect local birdlife.
At any one time, their “cat house” shelters 15–30 cats—many feral, some adoptable.
Volunteers and donors sustain the effort, with fundraising through raffles, auctions, and a humble donation can on the gallery counter.
The program also serves as a support hub for neighbors needing help with spay, neuter, adoption, or rescue, filling a vital need for animal welfare on the mountain.
“The two of us do the boxes. Also, Maryann Bigelow helps. Susan Difani volunteers two days a week, and we have another volunteer, Cheryl Puterbaugh, who does one day a week. Bodhi West, who just graduated from CHS, has done one day a week since he was 14. Lately, he’s been doing three days a week,” Berle says of the program’s demands. “It’s just killing me because I don’t have the time.”
They’re looking for an employee to help manage the 1CAT program—reach out for details and to apply.
Finding Good People
“One of the biggest fights I ever had with my mom—we were really close—one time we were talking and I said I’m not Texan, I’m New Mexican. I chose to live here,” Donna says.
“She said I’m sorry you had a miserable childhood. My mom had such a good sense of humor. And I said call ‘em all up, talking about my siblings—my brother Pat’s in L.A., he’ll probably say ‘California’. My sister’s in Phoenix, she’ll say ‘Arizona’. There are six in the family, all over the country. And damn it, when she called them, if they didn’t all say they were Texan.” Donna laughs.
Later, Donna fills out the rest of the story.
“When I said I wasn’t Texan, I thought I’d be taken out the will. There was no will, but I told mom: you know, I told you I was gay, it was no problem.”
“And growing up Catholic, she told her she was an atheist, no problem,” Berle adds.
“And I tell you I’m not Texan, and you blow a gasket!” Donna sums up.
Here in Cloudcroft, Donna and Berle have found their community.
“People will go out of their way to help you,” Donna says.
“Like when Dave’s burned down. The whole village was up there, and it was a sad day and everybody could feel it. Immediately, everybody was like let’s figure out how to get money to these people that are losing their livelihoods. The community was just there for you,” Donna says. “I remember when I was in a really bad accident. The real estate agent was driving, and we were hit head on. She (the driver) passed.”
“I was behind and saw the whole thing,” Berle says.
Donna remembers, “The community was so amazing afterwards. I love my family, but these people are family. And I still feel that way.”
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