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As Stefan Jennings Batista was traveling to the Land of Enchantment to attend graduate school in the summer of 2014, the surrounding landscape left an indelible impression on the aspiring artist.

鈥淭hat drive coming to the East Mountains was incredibly epic and almost like alien landscape for me because I鈥檓 coming from Florida where it鈥檚 incredibly, incredibly flat,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� It was a very transformative moment.

鈥淎nd I鈥檒l still remember the first day that I came into New Mexico, I came through that pass during sunset, and I was just really in awe of that experience. It also just marked a life-changing period of time for me.鈥�

That moment also served as the inspiration behind the design for this year鈥檚 New Mexico Pint Glass Day. A fundraiser for the New Mexico Brewers Guild (the organization receives $1 from each glass sold), the sixth edition will take place on Wednesday, June 17, at participating breweries throughout the state. The midweek date was selected intentionally.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a fun way to get people to go out and go to a brewery on a Wednesday, a day that they might not already be planning on going out,鈥� Ebbie Edmonston, NMGB executive director, said. 鈥淚t tends to be a slower day in the beer industry, or at least in tap rooms. So it鈥檚 a good reason to get out. Maybe you can try a brewery you haven鈥檛 been to before, especially if your local spot is really popular and the glasses have already sold out.鈥�

A New Mexico theme for each year鈥檚 pint glass design is the goal. Past editions have included a roadrunner (the state bird), a Rio Grande cutthroat trout (the state fish) and 鈥淥ld Man Gloom鈥� of Zozobra fame, to name a few. This year, it was a no-brainer to focus on the Route 66 Centennial celebration. The iconic road has an 18-mile stretch that runs through the Duke City, the longest urban section anywhere in the country. That, in turn, hearkens back to Batista鈥檚 journey into sa国际传媒官网网页入口 more than a decade ago. Batista drew the design for the glass by hand and experimented with different color schemes before translating it to a digital format.

鈥淭hat scene coming through the pass and being in my car, kind of seeing the valley floor and seeing sa国际传媒官网网页入口 at sunset, was pretty amazing,鈥� Batista said. 鈥淎nd I just remember every time I go through that pass, I think about that. If you look at the design, it鈥檚 inspired by the profile of the East Mountains at the Sandias. I鈥檓 kind of driving through that pass at the foot of it.鈥�

After initially traveling to New Mexico to further his education, Batista has made the state home. In addition to freelance photography, illustration and design work, he teaches art classes part-time at Central New Mexico Community College. Batista was also already embedded in the state鈥檚 brewery scene, doing graphic design and illustration work for Sidetrack Brewing Co.

This was the third year in a row that NMBG has held a competition to select the artist who provides the design for Pint Glass Day.

鈥淚t makes me feel like a big part of the community,鈥� Batista said. 鈥淚 guess I鈥檝e always felt kind of like an outsider to New Mexico. And especially lately, I feel like I鈥檓 more part of the community here in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 (and) in the beer community as well.鈥�

New Mexico Pint Glass Day has continued to grow since its inception. According to Edmonston, NMBG sold more than 6,000 glasses to participating establishments 鈥� up from approximately 4,000 a year ago. The glasses tend to sell out quickly, and though NMBG will sell some at other upcoming events, it鈥檚 best to plan on visiting a brewery on the designated day.

鈥淪ome years they sell out within the day, and that鈥檚 what we really strive for,鈥� Edmonston said. 鈥淓specially for those completionists that have had one for every single year, get there early. Or if you have a friend that can get there, work together and just get it.鈥�