THE magazine, April 2014 by FlavorGrafix Design

Santa Fe’s Monthly

of and for the Arts • April 2014

THE VISVIM JOURNEY CONTINUES… ONLY AT SHIPROCK SANTA FE

WMV IN STORE NOW

letters

universe of:

art forum:

studio 23

artist Timothy Nero

Antonio Stradivari at Work in his Studio, an 1893 oil-on-canvas painting by Edgar Bundy

visits:

Joe Bova and Jane Lackey

ancient city appetite:

food for thought:

one bottle:

dining 31 art 35

Taqueria Adelitas

Brain Freeze

The 2005 Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” by Joshua Baer

guide:

315 Restarurant & Wine Bar and Talin T-Bar at Talin World Market

openings

36 out &

about

previews: Michael Scott at David Richard Gallery and Poetics of Light at the New Mexico History Museum 42

national spotlight:

feature:

critical reflections:

Made for Magazines at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

What is Real? by Susan Wider Contemporary Masters at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art; Feast at SITE Santa Fe; Giving Voice to Image at ViVO

Contemporary; Gordon Parks at Richard Levy; Heart of the City at 516 ARTS; M. Oliver at Encore Gallery (Taos); Patrick Nagatani at Andrew Smith Annex Gallery; Susan Christie and Deborah Klezmer at Rio Bravo Fine Art; The Blinding Light of History at the University of New Mexico Art Museum; The Great Beauty at the CCA Cinematheque; The Hawaii Pictures at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum; Legacy of Abstract Expressionism at David Richard Gallery; and When Cool Was King at Monroe Gallery of Photography 64

flashback:

green planet:

Walter Chappell, ElRito, 1993

architectural 53

writings:

Cyril Christo and Family, photograph by Jennifer Esperanza details:

Early Spring, photograph by Guy Cross

“Listening” by Timothy P. McLaughlin

CONTENTS

Georges Seurat, Bathers at Asnières, oil on canvas, 79 1/8” x 118 1/4”,1884

It is naive to believe that creativity flashes like a light turned on in a dark room. Artists work under the influence, just as any of us do—from the world around us, the things that intrigue or fascinate us, or moved us as kids. For the visual artist, it is not uncommon that some work seen makes a dent in the psyche, an impression that compels further exploration, investigation, and sometimes a breakthrough. In My View: Personal Reflections on Art by Today’s Leading Artists (Thames & Hudson, $40), edited by Simon Grant, presents short, one-page essays by numerous, notable contemporary artists in which they reveal the predecessors who in some fashion inspire their work, and offer personal insights that provide thoughtful reading. There’s much to choose from: Urs Fischer on the Italian sculptor Medardo Rosso, Marlene Dumas on Ingres, Raymond Pettibon on Victor Hugo, Hiroshi Sugimoto on Petrus Christus, Vija Celmins on Philip Guston— there are seventy-eight in all. Images by both artists accompany the text. To learn the connections they make to the grand or short-term history of art will help readers to better understand both artists’ work. while accommodating our contemporary, short attention spans and our hunger for more knowledge about art and artists.

Wilhelm Sasnal, Bathers at Asnières, oil on canvas, 63” x 47 1/4”, 2010

In Pursuit of Cultural Freedom A lecture series on political, economic, environmental, and human rights issues featuring social justice activists, writers, journalists, and scholars discussing critical topics of our day.

DAVE ZIRIN

with DAVID BARSAMIAN WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL AT 7PM LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Our sports culture shapes societal attitudes, relationships, and power arrangements. It is where cultural meanings — our very notions of who we are and how we see each other, not only as Americans but also as individuals — play out. It frames the ways in which we understand and discuss issues of gender, race, and class. And, as ever, it is crucial for understanding how these norms and power structures have been negotiated, struggled with, and resisted. — from Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down, by Dave Zirin © 2013

Dave Zirin, widely published independent sports journalist, author, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of Edge of Sports Radio, has brought his blend of sports and politics to multiple television and radio programs, including MSNBC, CNN, ESPN’s Outside the Lines, C-SPAN’s BookTV, Democracy Now! and National Public Radio. Zirin is well known for his book The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World. His new book, forthcoming in May 2014, is Brazil’s Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics and the Future of Democracy.

READINGS & CONVERSATIONS

brings to Santa Fe a wide range of writers from the literary world of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to read from and discuss their work.

BENJAMIN ALIRE SÁENZ with CECILIA BALLÍ

WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER AT 7 PM LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Seven stunningly evocative short stories . . . a haunting tableau of characters wrestling with the boons and burdens of existence . . . Sáenz, with these masterfully hewn stories, presents this hardscrabble yet tenacious city as beautiful in its contradictions, disquieting in its ambiguities, and heartbreaking in its quotidianness. Filtered through this book are the lives of its singular people: doomed, broken, resourceful, and, above all else, faithful — to the city and to the parts they play in its intricate dimensions. — Chicago Tribune on See Now Then

Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s latest book, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, is a collection of stories whose characters are all tied in one way or another to a famed watering hole on the Avenida Juárez, where the author says, “people go when they’re in trouble, when they’re looking for trouble or when they’re trying to get out of trouble.” A prolific writer and master of many genres, his books include the novel Carry Me Like Water, the young adult book Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood, and the poetry collection Dark and Perfect Angels. Born in Old Picacho, New Mexico in 1954, Sáenz has been a member of the faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso since 1992.

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LETTERS

magazine VOLUME XXI, NUMBER VIII

WINNER 1994 Best Consumer Tabloid SELECTED 1997 Top-5 Best Consumer Tabloids SELECTED 2005 and 2006 Top-5 Best Consumer Tabloids P U B L I S H E R / C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R Guy Cross PUBLISHER/FOOD EDITOR Judith Cross ART DIRECTOR Chris Myers COPY EDITOR Edgar Scully PROOFREADERS James Rodewald Kenji Barrett S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H E R S Dana Waldon Anne Staveley Lydia Gonzales PREVIEW / CALENDAR EDITOR Elizabeth Harball WEBMEISTER Jason Rodriguez SOCIAL MEDIA

Laura Shields CONTRIBUTORS

Diane Armitage, Joshua Baer, Shanti E. Bannwart, Christopher Benson, Davis Brimberg, Jon Carver, Kathryn M Davis, Marcella Ernest, Jennifer Esperanza, Hannah Hoel, Ann Landi, Marina La Palma, Drew Lenihan, Timothy P. McLaughlin, Iris McLister, Susan Morgan, Richard Tobin, Lauren Tresp, and Susan Wider COVER

555, mixed media on steel by Michael Scott Courtesy David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe See page 42.

Origami in the Garden, an out-door sculpture exhibition created by Kevin Box at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden (at Museum Hill). Sunday, April 27 through Saturday, October 25, 2014.

TO THE EDITOR:

I was delighted to see the review of my work in THE. Thank you Diane Armitage for a thoughful review and for making the trip to Albuquerque to see my work. —Mary Tsiongas, via email TO THE EDITOR:

By now no one can mistake Roger Salloch’s writing, or his grappling with finding meaning and depth in a digital world. In his article, he only forgot the most elemental apposition of depersonalization/intimacy, which occurs in medicine, where you present the most intimate parts of your body to a specialist who does his best not to look at them or touch them, but rather submits you instead to one sort of machine or another for testing. Your nails, your skin, your mucus membranes, and your nerves—or lack of—are no longer permitted to tell their story. Like a tree falling in the forest, they are soundless, and so one’s illness is never given its due until you are far from that person called the doctor—who is ironically connected to healing when, in fact, it is only a matter of the greatest luck that he ever heals. —Charla Bolton, via email TO THE EDITOR:

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Jimmy Montoya: 470-0258 (mobile) THE magazine is published 11x a year by THE magazine Inc., 320 Aztec St., Santa Fe, NM 87501. Corporate address: 44 Bishop Lamy Road Lamy, NM 87540. Phone number: (505)-424-7641. Email address: themagazinesf@gmail.com. Web address: themagazineonline.com. All materials copyright 2014 by THE magazine. All rights reserved by THE magazine. Reproduction of contents is prohibited without written permission from THE magazine. THE magazine is not responsible for the loss of any unsolicited material, liable, for any misspellings, incorrect information in its captions, calendar, or other listings. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views or policies of THE magazine, its owners, or any of its employees, members, interns, volunteers, agents, or distribution venues. Bylined articles represent the views of their authors. Letters to the editor are welcome. Letters may be edited for style and libel. All letters are subject to condensation. THE magazine accepts advertisements from advertisers believed to be of good reputation, but cannot guarantee the authenticity of objects and/or services advertised. THE magazine is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers for copyright infringement by its advertisers and is not responsible or liable for errors in any advertisement.

APRIL

2014

In regards to your feature article Bodies in Spades in your February/March 2014 issue: Roger Salloch’s criticism of the body in contemporary art and culture really misses the mark. To rant negatively on the ways our bodies have become disconnected, employ apocalyptic language to deepen the slouched posture I’ve acquired as the reader of such a tone, and then crudely wrap up a disjointed and sloppy criticism with “we are the line in the sand” is insulting. Mr. Salloch, if you’re going to provoke intrigue with good questions in the opening of your article, please offer some pith rather than the grumpy diatribe of someone who can’t even bother to mention the power and importance of the feminine (among other things) in Hirst’s sculptural series. —Mindy McGovern, via email

TO THE EDITOR:

I read Dr. Davis Brimberg’s great review of The Master in your November 2013 issue. Recently, on “Democracy Now,” I heard that Errol Morris, who made the The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War, will have his new film, The Unknown Known released in April. In my opinion, Dr. Brimberg would have lots to figure out about Mr. Rumsfeld, and I believe the doctor would get it right. I respectfully suggest that THE magazine have Dr. Brimberg review this film. —Arthur Panaro, via email TO THE EDITOR:

I came across this artist on the Internet and thought it would be of interest to your readers. Here is the gist: after twenty-five years of consistent refusal, this artist has returned to the art world under the pseudonym “An Idiot,” as a “painter from nothing.” During the eighties the artist destroyed his entire body of work, chopped it into pieces, and burned it as a protest against the recognition value encouraged by the art market to foster faster sales. A quarter-century later, he responds with works of art that distance themselves from restrictive limitations on his creativity and established styles. The only information about him is an X-ray self-portrait of his lower head. This anonymity protects his freedom of movement and spirit. This copious body of work that was generated following his quarter-century of silence includes countless pieces, demonstrating the pent-up creativity that has been explosively released as if in high speed. In addition to the hitherto unseen artistic-stylistic variety, he also creates inter-connected cultural and thematic transitions—stylistic works that incorporate topics such as the past, present, and future. See his work at http://www.anidiot.com. —William Presser, Portland, OR, via email Letters may be edited for clarity and space Mail: 320 Aztec Street, Santa Fe NM 87501 Email: themagazinesf@gmail.com

THE magazine |5

SINCE JULY 1992 Published over 2,400 art reviews Over 200 Universe of articles Over 110 One Bottle columns Over 440 Out & About pages

Manjari Sharma • Darshan • March 7 - April 18

Over 250 Book reviews Over 220 Writing pages Over 430 Studio Visits

Color Rhythms

April 25 - May 30

Anna Bogatin Suzanne Caporael Jeff Kellar Matt Magee Richard Levy Gallery • Albuquerque • www.levygallery.com • 505.766.9888

Over 70 Interviews Contemporary Fine Art by Established New Mexico Artists

Over 800 Previews Over 16,000 advertisements

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DAVID SIMPSON Heaven and Earth: Interference Paintings

APRIL 4 - MAY 5, 2014 Friday, April 4, 5-7 P.M. / Opening Reception Friday, April 25, 5-7 P.M. / Closing Reception with the Artist Saturday, April 26, 3:00 pm A conversation with David Simpson and David Chickey in anticipation of the upcoming book release, “David Simpson,” with text by Louis Grachos.

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In the Railyard Arts District / 554 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 T e l 5 0 5 . 9 8 9 . 8 6 8 8 / w w w . c h a r l o t t e j a c k s o n . c o m left to right: “Enthrone,” “Mississippi,” “April First,” 2014, Acrylic on Canvas (interference pigment), 75 x 48 inches each

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Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawai‘i Pictures This is the first exhibition to bring together the work Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams created in Hawaii. Known for their iconic views of the American West, each artist responded to the unfamiliar tropical environment with originality, avoiding clichés and stereotypes, to visualize a unique sense of place in dramatic landscapes as well as intimate compositions of ancient petroglyphs and exotic foliage. Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawai‘i Pictures was organized by the Honolulu Museum of Art and made possible with generous support from Barney Ebsworth, First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Patrick and Edeltraud McCarthy, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for this exhibition and related programming is provided by a grant from The Burnett Foundation, New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax.

Georgia O’Keeffe, White Bird of Paradise, 1939. Oil on canvas, 19 x 16 in. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Gift of Jean H. McDonald. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Ansel Adams, Leaves, Foster Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1957-1958. Gelatin silver print, 13 x 9 7/8 in. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona.

Georgia O’Keeffe: Abiquiu Views Georgia O’Keeffe found constant inspiration in the architecture of her homes and the views of the surrounding landscape. The first in a series of presentations, Abiquiu Views features artwork inspired by O’Keeffe’s residences, as well as her original studio worktable, arranged with her art materials and personal effects. Subsequent installations in coming months will focus on her garden, the iconic patio with the black door, and the landscape surrounding her home at Ghost Ranch. Georgia O’Keeffe, Untitled (Road from Abiquiu), undated. Photographic print, 6 1/4 x 4 5/8 in. Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum 2006-06-1372. Georgia O’Keeffe, Mesa and Road East II, 1952. Oil on canvas, 26 x 36 in. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation (2006.05.235). © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

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Curator’s Wall: Nine works by M. Oliver at the Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux Street, Taos. Exhibition on view through Sunday, May 4. Artist talk on Saturday, April 12 at 1 pm.

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2–4 pm Poetics of Light book signing and reception in museum lobby. Free with admission; Sundays always free to NM residents.

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UNIVERSE OF TIMOTHY NERO

From the busy mind of artist Timothy Nero comes random thoughts: “Yes, all the time… psychedelic camouflage… unrelated segments… everything is layered… failure of nerve not allowed… don’t much care for preciousness in art, especially mine… music is more interesting and honest than most art these days… prefer Rolling Stone far more than Art in America or Art Forum… Minimalism is hardly Zen—it is more like an exclusionary inside joke… not a moment to be lost.” Nero makes paintings, drawings, and sculptures, has had many one-man shows, and has participated in a plethora of group exhibitions. His work is in numerous corporate, private, and permanent collections. Timothy Nero: Mind Gears—an exhibition of ovoid-shaped canvases painted with acrylic will be on view through May 14 at Ellsworth Gallery, 215 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe.

OBSESSIVE THINKING My obsessive thinking is the reason why I maintain a meditation practice. Obsessive thinking is the issue that has informed and driven my work for over twenty years. I suppose that I obsessively think about thought and the nature of the endless stream of pointless thought. When and why did that begin and what does it serve?

DISPARATE ELEMENTS My works on paper, as well as the paintings, are multi-layered. I am looking to create an insane patterning. The marks I make create a spatial layering effect that makes it difficult to determine which elements are in front or on top.

RESURRECTION I often page through old sketchbooks and return to forms that I had made for over two decades. I do it to work out ideas and images. Nearly all of my work tends to need a resurrection. It seems that my paintings usually pass through an ugly and untenable stage where I despair over their resolution. Yet the work has its own logic, one that I have to discover and then respond to before it comes fully together. I often leave a painting alone and work on another, while keeping my eye on it for an undefined period of time until I can find my way back and obtain resolution. I see this as a subconscious filtering. It is as if I need to sneak up on the unsuspecting work, or perhaps the work sneaks up on me, the unsuspecting artist. Much of the time the painted marks from earlier attempts serve as a history and direction for the final piece.

NEW WORK My shaped paintings are evolving into smaller shaped multiples, which create a tension and act as a foil against each other when on the wall. I want the paintings to come off the wall and begin to intrude into space. On some of the paintings I make marks that deny the shaped surface. Other times, I allow the shape to dictate the movement of marks and help describe the form. In a way, it is a game.

photograph by APRIL

2014

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ART FORUM

THE MAGAZINE ASKED A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE ART TO SHARE THEIR TAKE ON THIS 1893 OIL PAINTING BY EDGAR BUNDY ENTITLED ANTONIO STRADIVARI AT WORK IN HIS STUDIO . THEY WERE SHOWN ONLY THE IMAGE AND WERE GIVEN NO OTHER INFORMATION. The violin symbolizes emotion, harmony, and romance.

so they would not intrude on the tender encounter.

The soft stillness in the triangle between the eyes and

Yet, almost none of the violins in this painting have

The violin is naked like a woman in the arms of her

hands of the artist is saturated with contentment. One

strings. They have been silenced, rendered impotent.

beloved; she longs for the moment when she will sing

can hear the Muses whisper in the corners of the room.

A Renaissance violin maker somberly examines his

in ecstasy. The whole scene is pregnant with sensuality,

A perfect moment! I believe that in our hectic time these

work. His dark emotional tone contrasts strongly

even the grapes in the foreground seem to smile,

pauses are missing—moments when we connect with

against the bright light that bathes him and his creation.

prostrating themselves and waiting to be consumed.

our environment and our own soul, touched by deep

I am reminded of Johannes Vermeer: the sharp angle of

The chaos on the table and beyond is ripe with promise,

and authentic beauty.

the light and the choice of a tradesman as the central

every piece known to the artist who dropped it there.

—Shanti E. Bannwart, Author & Psychotherapist, Santa Fe

figure. Perhaps the light here also suggests a burst of creativity. Bright light is associated with ideas, spiritual awakenings, and personal transformations. Additionally, wine and fruit appear in front of the man. No doubt they suggest Bacchanalian scenes in which violins are joyfully played. However, the violins inside this painting have been stripped of their power. Without strings, they cannot inspire dancing or lovemaking. Instead, the festive instruments appear as metaphors for death. They hang in the background like carcasses in a butcher shop.

—Davis Brimberg, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Santa Fe See how the cotton and the bark glow of the same light—undressed. This one won’t hang on the line. It can’t. The craftsman will refuse to hang it because he and it are of the same cloth. He sees himself in it. The violin looks like him. On this morning the light erupts from a hidden vantage point. Wine sustained inspiration through the night. Hold it up to the light, the masterpiece. From within, the unfinished birch bark beams too bright for dust motes. This violin will sing differently. A certain type of light allows for a certain sort of suspension, balancing on the cusp of losing one’s mind and reveling in the awe of creation. This master has mastered mastery. Easily he sits in this light, not the least bit frightened of the luthier, the builder. He holds the neck of the violin at a distance to examine it. Time and again he has done this as part of his routine, his process. Today he finds it different and new. Today he and the violin emanate virtuosic light.

—Sarah Rogers, Writer, Editor, Poet & Researcher, Santa Fe We all long to be seen and received without distortion. In those encounters our inner and outer beauty are free to unfold and shine. Such a “seeing” is happening here. The artist looks at his work, the violin, and—wrapped in his love and satisfaction—he leans back and into deep intimacy with her. Time has stopped. This is a love story, so intimate that the other violins have turned around

20 | THE magazine

APRIL

2014

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STUDIO VISITS

SØREN KIERKEGAARD WROTE, “IF ANYTHING IN THE WORLD CAN TEACH A MAN TO VENTURE, IT IS THE ETHICAL, WHICH TEACHES TO VENTURE EVERYTHING FOR NOTHING, TO RISK EVERYTHING, AND ALSO THEREFORE RENOUNCE THE FLATTERY OF THE WORLD HISTORICAL… THE ETHICAL IS THE ABSOLUTE, AND IN ALL ETERNITY THE HIGHEST VALUE.” TWO ARTISTS RESPOND. As far as I am concerned, Kierkegaard sets a dialectical trap. Generally artists, especially great artists, live for their art. Often in their wake are damaged family and friends. There are many examples of artists who were/are anti-Semites, misogynists, racists, yet some are devout religious practitioners, so, ethically instructed. Consider Wagner, Ezra Pound, Picasso, and dubiously, Woody Allen. Were Oscar Wilde living he might differ about the absolute nature of the ethical in our time of changing same sex mores. When it comes to art, the work should not be judged on the basis of the morality of its maker. Once realized, art lives separately from and beyond its maker, not itself good or bad morally, so its highest value is not ethical. It is esthetic. Much of the twentieth century neglected the philosophical consideration of esthetics until Arthur Danto re-invigorated it. I make some art that has social/political and/or erotic content, garnering my fair share of adverse criticism over the years by some who stake their ground as ethical.

—Joe Bova Bova is Professor Emeritus from LSU Baton Rouge and Director Emeritus from Ohio University School of Art. Exhibitions in 2014 include: Fiftea: the 14th Biennial Teapot Exhibition, at Craft Alliance, St. Louis; Old Hands in Clay at the University of Wisconsin Parkside Gallery; May to June at the Contemporary Clay 2012, 5th Biennial at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction; 50 from 6: Contemporary Ceramic Art from 6 Rocky Mountain States from September to November at Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, Cedar City, Utah; and Members Exhibition during September and October at the International Academy of Ceramics, Dublin, Ireland. He was a Senior Fulbright Fellow at The National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland, 2011. joebova.com

Art requires risk, small or large, it doesn’t matter. All focus, momentum, intention, or play needs to edge towards openended questions and unpredictable outcomes, towards art that is active, engaging, and resonant.

—Jane Lackey Jane Lackey’s most recent installation, Enveloping Space: Walk, Trace, Think will open in the Spector Ripps Project Space at the Center for Contemporary Arts, on April 11 and will continue through May 30. Recent works on paper are included in Material Worth, a threeperson exhibition at the Inpost Artspace, Albuquerque, through April 25. Lackey’s drawings, sculptures, and installations are exhibited and collected throughout the United States and internationally. She has received numerous awards, including a five-month United States/Japan Creative Artist Fellowship and Residency during 2011. janelackey.com

photographs by

APRIL

2014

A nne S taveley THE magazine |23

Take the journey to art through the historic Village of Corrales. Learn about art, the processes, and individual artists in an one-on-one environment over this two-day weekend. From contemporary to representational to pure abstract, including, ber, glass, metal, photography and ceramics, there’s a wide selection of ne art and ne crafts... for every taste and every budget. For more information, visit www.corralesartstudiotour.com or www.nmartistsmarket.org/events_programs.

Take the journey to art through the historic Village of Corrales. Learn about art, the processes, and individual artists in an one-on-one environment over this twoday weekend.

Make it an Art Weekend... From contemporary to representational to pure abstract, ber, glass, metal, photography and ceramics, there’s a wide selection of ne art and ne crafts...something dne c for every taste and every budget.

www.corralesartstudiotour.com

Serigrafix.com 505.316.0237 “Hiroshima” 32” x 48” 6 color Serigraph with Gold Leaf on Raw Silk (detail)

An Invitation to Fine Dining

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IDTOWN bistro

901 West San Mateo • Santa Fe, NM Reservations: 505-820-3121 Open Monday - Saturday Lunch 11am - 2:30pm | Dinner 5pm - 9pm Sunday Brunch 11am - 3pm MIDTOWNBISTROSF.COM

ANCIENT CITY APPETITE

Ancient City Appetite by Joshua

Baer

TAQUERIA ADELITAS 3565 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days. Taqueria Adelitas is a ten-minute drive from downtown Santa Fe, on the north side of Cerrillos Road, halfway between Richards Avenue and Vegas Verdes. It is not to be confused with Adelitas Restaurant, at 3136 Cerrillos Road, on the south side of Cerrillos Road. Taqueria Adelitas serves beer, including Negra Modelo, and accepts credit cards. 505 428-6390. You can order blindfolded at Taqueria Adelitas. Their food is that good. But there

you if you would like to see a menu. The menu is above your head, as you walk in.

are two items you don’t want to miss: The Tacos de Lengua ($1.25, a taco), and the

Seating is at simple wooden booths. Mariachi music is playing. There is almost always

Pollo Asado ($7.95 for a half of a chicken, $14.95 for an entero, or whole chicken).

a soccer match on the big screen television mounted above the booths on the south

Adelitas’ Tacos de Lengua, or beef tongue tacos, are tied with the tacos de lengua at

wall of the room.

the nameless roach coach located at the corner of Sixth and Hopewell for the best

Santa Fe is as New Mexican as New Mexico gets, but there are parts of Santa

tacos in Santa Fe. Before you eat them, load them with guacamole, salsa arbol, and

Fe that are more Old Mexican than New Mexican. It’s hard to know where New

tomatilla salsa from the salsa table.

becomes Old, or vice versa. It’s more a matter of pockets than boundaries. Airport

Most days, I order four. If I’m starved, I order five, with a salad and a side of rice and beans.

Road southwest of Cerrillos is an extended Old Mexican pocket. Taqueria Adelitas, owned and operated by a family from Chihuahua, is thoroughly Old Mexican, but

The Pollo Asado, or roast chicken, is the best in Santa Fe. While Adelitas’ Tacos

in a contemporary, post-cliché, anti-obsequious way. During the lunch and dinner

de Lengua are best consumed on site, the moment they come off the grill, their Pollo

hours, there are children in the restaurant, eating and laughing and making their

Asado makes a great take-out dinner for two or three people. A salad comes with

parents smile. If you live here and need a place where you can eat and / or take out

the chicken. If you’re hungry, order a side of rice and beans or a bowl of menudo.

once or twice a week, Taqueria Adelitas will make you happy.

The bottom line: $10 per person, tops, plus a tip. You can eat at Taqueria Adelitas for less, but the food is so good and the prices are so reasonable, why not dive in and explore the menu? On Fridays, the shrimp tacos are delicious. This is not the kind of place where someone greets you at the door and asks

APRIL

2014

Ancient City Appetite recommends good places to eat, in and out of Santa Fe. Contents are ©2014 by ancientcityappetite.com. Photograph is ©2014 by THE magazine. Send the names of your favorite places to places@ancientcityappetite.com.

THE magazine | 25

ALERT Artists, sculptors, photographers, ceramicists, jewelers, dancers, and others in art-related fields. Be a part of a Special Project in the July 2014 issue of THE magazine. Send name and email address to:

themagazinesf@gmail.com Type “knock knock” in the subject line

Details will be emailed to you on May 1.

* ORGANIC GARDENING WATER CONSERVING SIMPLE & SUSTAINABLE KNOW YOUR FOOD SOURCE GROW YOUR OWN YEAR-ROUND GIVE THE GIFT OF FOOD TO OTHERS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Brain Freeze We’ve all been there before. It’s a hot summer day. You need an ice cold drink, like a 7/11 Slurpee—the beverage you can drink/eat with a straw. When the cold stuff touches the roof of your mouth it can set off a nerve reaction that causes the blood vessels in your brain to swell. When the blood vessels swell, you get a hideous headache that is triggered when the pain receptors in your mouth signal your brain using the nerves in your face. The result is pain in your forehead, or as most might exclaim, “Aahh, brain freeze!” One of the quickest ways to alleviate the pain of brain freeze is to warm your palate with your tongue. Another solution is the warm air method: Cup your hands so they are barely overlapping each other. Then put your hands on your face. Position your hands so that they’re over your mouth and nose. Then breathe in and out quickly. The air should warm your mouth. Or, put your thumb on the roof of your mouth. Apply pressure. Push hard on the roof of your mouth for thirty to sixty seconds. Note: do not follow the remedy with another Slurpee. APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 27

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Lunch • Dinner • Bar

restaurant bar 231 washington avenue - reservations 505 984 1788

gift certificates, menus & special events online www.santacafé.com

photo: Kitty Leaken

e Los L od u ch

ros ce

Ra n

Drink different.

Small Batch Heirloom Spirits from the Great Southwest

www.kgbspirits.com

ONE BOTTLE

One Bottle :

The 2005 Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” by Joshua

Baer

Ploutos, the Greek god of wealth, was the son of Demeter, the goddess of the

and property than the kings and queens of England, France, Italy, and Spain

harvest. In Attic Greek, Πλοῦτος, pronounced “PLOO-tuss,” means “wealth.”

combined. All of the Church’s wealth—and the influence that came with it—

While the Greeks worshipped Demeter as the goddess of fertility and grain,

was at the disposal of the Pope, known to the clergy as the Bishop of Rome.

she was also venerated as Thesmophoros, the lawgiver, and as the guardian

Pope Boniface VIII, the one-hundred-and-ninety-first Pope, died in 1303.

of the cycle of life and death. In The Odyssey, Homer described Demeter as “the

Boniface’s successor, Benedict XI, died eight months later. In 1306, after

blonde-haired goddess who separates the wheat from the chaff.”

a year of deadlocked negotiations, the conclave of cardinals elected Raymond

Ploutos’ father was the demigod Iasion, the hero of the Samothracian

Bertrand de Goth, the Archbishop of Bordeaux, as Benedict XI’s successor.

mysteries. Iasion’s mother, Electra, was mortal but his father was Zeus,

Following de Goth’s coronation—in Lyon, France—as Pope Clement V, the

the king of the gods. After the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia, which

new Pope announced that he would not be relocating to Rome. Instead,

took place on the island of Samothrace, with all the gods from Mount

he would remain in France, in the Rhone Valley, at a palace in Avignon.

Olympus in attendance, Demeter and Iasion wandered away from the

Which brings us to the 2005 Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape

celebrations. In a field that had been plowed three times, they enjoyed a private celebration. Some time later, Demeter gave birth to Ploutos. On Greek vases and in marble statues, Ploutos appears as an infant

“La Crau.” In the glass, the 2005 Vieux Télégraphe is a deep scarlet. You can see into it but not through it. The bouquet is simultaneously raw and refined. It

in Demeter’s arms, gazing up at his mother’s face. In the Eleusinian

offers the promise of a journey that emerges from prehistory and disappears

Mysteries, Ploutos is the Divine Child. Aristophanes wrote that Ploutos

into the future. On the palate, the wine satisfies all kinds of aspirations,

was blinded by Zeus so that Ploutos would dispense gifts of wealth without prejudice. In Lucian’s satirical dialogue Timon, Ploutos

cravings, and impulses. If you like depth in your relationships, you and the person you love will feel right at home with this wine. The

described himself and his ancestry: “It is not Zeus who sends me,

finish is what I imagine dying and going to heaven must be like.

but Pluto, who has his own ways of conferring wealth and making

On one level, it’s all over. On another, the best is yet to come.

presents. Pluto and Ploutos are not unconnected, you see.” These days, we think of death and wealth as being

Between 1309 and 1378, seven Popes lived in the papal palace at Avignon. All seven were natives of France.

mutually exclusive, but in the ancient world the conflation

Clement V’s successor, John XXII, referred to the vineyards

of Ploutos and Pluto made sense. From Pharaonic Egypt to

in and around Avignon as Vin du Pape—“the Pope’s wine.”

Periclean Athens to the Roman Empire, wealthy people

Over time, the same vineyards came to be known as

were buried with some if not all of their earthly possessions.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape—“the Pope’s new castle.” To this

A grave, or tomb, was like a trust fund established for future

day, each bottle of wine made from grapes grown in the

generations. If you ran out of your money, you exhumed

Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation is embossed with the

your ancestors and spent their money.

Papal Seal: A pair of keys crossed below a bishop’s mitre.

When Jesus was born, the people of Bethlehem

After the Council of Constance, in 1417, the office of the

assumed that his parents were Mary and Joseph. After his

Pope returned to Rome. Last year, following the resignation

death and resurrection, a new story was told. Mary was

of Benedict XVI, the conclave of cardinals elected Jorge

Jesus’ birth mother but Joseph was not his father. His father

Mario Bergoglio, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires,

was Yahweh, worshipped by the Hebrews as the Lord of

as Pope. Cardinal Bergoglio took the name Francis I, in

the Universe, which meant that Jesus was both mortal and

honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals,

divine. He could die and live forever.

merchants, stowaways, and the city of San Francisco.

Before he died, Jesus told his disciple Simon Peter

This year, at the World Economic Forum, in Davos,

that Peter was the rock on which Jesus would build his

Switzerland, when Pope Francis told the world’s wealthiest

church. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom

audience that “humanity is served by wealth but not ruled

of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall

by it,” some of the billionaires in the audience took offense.

be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose

Where did the Pope get the right to question the global

on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)

sovereignty of wealth? In a world where more people

After the crucifixion, on Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the

worship money than God, does anyone have that right?

dead as Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Peter traveled to Rome,

I hope and pray that we do.

where he became the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Over the next thirteen centuries, the Church transformed itself from a persecuted minority into the wealthiest religion on earth. By 1300 A.D., the Church owned more art, gold, jewels, APRIL

2014

One Bottle is dedicated to the appreciation of good wines and good times, one bottle at a time. All content is ©2014 by onebottle.com. If you can’t find a bottle, write to me at jb@onebottle.com, and I’ll help you find it.

THE magazine | 29

DINING GUIDE

Steak Frites at

315 Restaurant & Wine Bar 315 Old Santa Fe Trail - Santa Fe Reservations: 986-9190

$ KEY

INEXPENSIVE

up to $14

MODERATE

$15—$23

EXPENSIVE

$$$

VERY EXPENSIVE

$24—$33

$$$$

Prices are for one dinner entrée. If a restaurant serves only lunch, then a lunch entrée price is reflected. Alcoholic beverages, appetizers, and desserts are not included in these price keys. Call restaurants for hours.

$34 plus

EAT OUT OFTEN photographs :

G uy C ross

...a guide to the very best restaurants in santa fe, albuquerque, taos, and surrounding areas... 315 Restaurant & Wine Bar 315 Old Santa Fe Trail. 986-9190. Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: French. Atmosphere: An inn in the French countryside. House specialties: Steak Frites, Seared Pork Tenderloin, and the Black Mussels are perfect. Comments: Generous martinis, a terrific wine list, and a “can’t miss” bar menu. Winner of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Great assortment of fine whiskeys. Andiamo 322 Garfield St. 995-9595. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Start with the Steamed Mussels or the Roasted Beet Salad. For your main, choose the delicious Chicken Marsala or the Pork Tenderloin. Comments: Great pizza. Anasazi Restaurant Inn of the Anasazi 113 Washington Ave. 988-3236 . Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner. Full bar. Valet parking. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Contemporary American. Atmosphere: A classy room. House specialties: For dinner, start with the Heirloom Beet Salad. Follow with the flavorful Achiote Grilled Atlantic Salmon. Dessert: the Chef’s Selection of Artisanal Cheeses. B ouche

451 W. Alameda Street 982-6297 Dinner Wine/Beer Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: French Bistro fare. Atmosphere: Intimate with an open kitchen. House specialties: Standouts starters are the “Les Halles” onion soup, the Charcuterie Plank, and the tender Bistro Steak in a pool of caramelized shallot sauce. Comments: Menu changes seasonally. Chef Charles Dale and staff are consummate pros. Cafe Cafe Italian Grill 500 Sandoval St. 466-1391. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: For lunch, the classic Caesar salad, the tasty specialty pizzas, or the grilled Eggplant sandwich. For dinner, the grilled Swordfish. Café Fina 624 Old Las Vegas Hiway. 466-3886. Breakfast/Lunch. Patio Cash/major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Call it contemporary comfort food. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: For breakfast, both the Huevos Motulenos and the Eldorado Omlet are winners. For lunch, we

love the One for David Fried Fish Sandwich, and the perfect Green Chile Cheeseburger. Comments: Annamaria O’Brien’s baked goods are really special. Try them. You’ll love them. Café Pasqual’s 121 Don Gaspar Ave. 983-9340. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Multi-ethnic. Atmosphere: Adorned with Mexican streamers and Indian maiden posters. House specialties: Hotcakes got a nod from Gourmet magazine. Huevos motuleños—a Yucatán breakfast—is one you’ll never forget. Chopstix 238 N. Guadalupe St.  982-4353. Lunch/Dinner. Take-out. Patio. Major credit cards. $ Atmosphere: Casual. Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. House specialties: Lemon Chicken, Korean barbequed beef, Kung Pau Chicken, and Broccoli and Beef. Comments: Friendly owners. Counter Culture 930 Baca St. 995-1105. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Patio. Cash. $$ Cuisine: All-American. Atmosphere: Informal. House specialties: Burritos Frittata, Sandwiches, Salads, and Grilled Salmon. Comments: Good selection of beers and wine. Cowgirl Hall of Fame 319 S. Guadalupe St. 982-2565. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Good old American. fare. Atmosphere: Patio shaded by big cottonwoods. Great bar. House specialties: The smoked brisket and ribs are the best. Super buffalo burgers. Comments: Huge selection of beers. Coyote Café 132 W. Water St. 983-1615. Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Southwestern with French and Asian influences. Atmosphere Bustling. House specialties: Main the grilled Maine Lobster Tails or the 24-ounce “Cowboy Cut” steak. Comments: Great bar and good wines. Doc Martin’s Restaurant 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. 575-758-2233. Lunch/Dinner/Weekend Brunch Full bar. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Regional New American. Atmosphere: Down home. House specialties: For lunch try Doc’s Chile Relleno Platter or the Northern New Mexico Lamb Chops. Dinner faves is the Pan Seared Whole Boneless Trout.

Comments: Great bar.

Salmon Tacos. Comments: Friendly.

Dr. Field Goods Kitchen 2860 Cerrillos Rd. 471-0043. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: New Mexican Fusion. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Starters: Charred Caesar Salad, Carne Adovada Egg Roll, and Fish Tostada. Mains: El Cubano Sandwich, Steak Frite, and the Pizza Margartia. Comments: Nice portions and you leave feeling good. Real good.

Il Piatto 95 W. Marcy St. 984-1091. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Bustling. House specialties: Our faves: the Arugula and Tomato Salad; the Lemon Rosemary Chicken; and the Pork Chop stuffed with mozzarella, pine nuts, and prosciutto. Comments: Farm to Table, all the way.

Downtown Subscription 376 Garcia St. 983-3085. Breakfast/Lunch No alcohol. Patio. Cash/ Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: Standard coffee-house fare. Atmosphere: A large room where you can sit, read periodicals, and schmooze.. House specialties: Espresso, cappuccino, and lattes. El Faról 808 Canyon Rd. 983-9912. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Spanish Atmosphere: Wood plank floors, thick adobe walls, and a small dance floor for cheek-to-cheek dancing. House specialties: Tapas, Tapas, Tapas. Comments: Murals by Alfred Morang. El Mesón 213 Washington Ave. 983-6756. Dinner Beer/Wine. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Spanish. Atmosphere: Spain could be just around the corner. Music nightly. House specialties: Tapas reign supreme, with classics like Manchego Cheese marinated olive oil. Geronimo 724 Canyon Rd. 982-1500. Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: French/Asian fusion. Atmosphere: Elegant and stylish. House specialties: Start with the superb foie gras. Entrées we love include the Green Miso Sea Bass served with black truffle scallions, and the classic peppery Elk tenderloin. Harry’s Roadhouse 96 Old L:as Vegas Hwy. 986-4629 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner 7 days Full bar. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: American and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Down home House specialties: For breakfast go for the Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, or the French Toast. Lunch: the All-Natural Buffalo Burger. Dinner: the Ranchero Style Hanger Steak or the Grilled

Izanami 3451Hyde Park Road. 428-6390 Lunch/Dinner Saki/Wine/Beer Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Japanese-inspired small plates. Atmosphere: A sense of quitetude. House specialties: For starters, both the Wakame and the Roasted Beet Salads are winners. We also loved the Nasu Dengaku—eggplant and miso sauce and the Butakushi—Pork Belly with a Ginger BBQ Glaze. Comments: A wonderful selection of Saki and very reasonable prices. Jambo Cafe 2010 Cerrillios Rd. 473-1269. Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: African and Caribbean inspired. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Jerk Chicken Sandwich and the Phillo, stuffed with spinach, black olives, feta cheese, and roasted red peppers, Comments: Chef Obo wins awards for his fabulous soups. Joseph’s Culinary Pub 428 Montezuma Ave. 982-1272 Dinner. Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Innovative. Atmosphere: Intimate. House specialties: Start with the Butter Lettuce Wrapped Pulled Pork Cheeks or the Scottish Fatty Salmon Sashimi. For your main, try the Lamb & Baby Yellow Curry Tagine or the Crispy Duck, Salt Cured Confit Style. Comments: Produce is procured locally. The bar menu features Polenta Fries and the New Mexican Burger. Wonderful desserts, excellent wine, beer on draft, and great service. Kohnami Restaurant 313 S. Guadalupe St. 984-2002. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine/Sake. Patio. Visa & Mastercard. $$ Cuisine: Japanese. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Miso soup; Soft Shell Crab; Dragon Roll; Chicken Katsu; noodle dishes; and Bento Box specials. Comments: The sushi is always perfect. Try the utterly delicious Ruiaku Sake

La Plancha de Eldorado 7 Caliente Road at La Tienda. 466-2060 Highway 285 / Vista Grande Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner / Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: An Authentic Salvadoran Grill. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: The Loroco Omelet, Pan-fried Plantains, and Salvadorian tamales. Comments: Sunday brunch. Lan’s Vietnamese Cuisine 2430 Cerrillos Rd. 986-1636. Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Vietnamese. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Pho Tai Hoi: vegetarian soup. Comments: Friendly waitstaff. La Plazuela on the Plaza 100 E. San Francisco St. 989-3300. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full Bar. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: New Mexican and Continental. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Start with the Tomato Salad. Entrée: Braised Lamb Shank with couscous. Comments: Beautiful courtyard for dining. L’Olivier 229 Galisteo St. 989-1919. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Southwestern with a French flair. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: The Moules Frites are the best. For dinner try the Spiced Duck Breast or the flavorful Coq au Vin. Favorite desserts are the Poached Pears with Dates and Creme Anglaise, and the Cheese Plate. Comments: Nice wine list. Menu changes every few weeks with the seasons. Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen 555 W. Cordova Rd. 983-7929. Lunch/Dinner (Thursday-Sunday) Beer/wine. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American/New Mexican. Atmosphere: Rough wooden floors and hand-carved chairs set the historical tone. House specialties: House-made Tortillas and Green Chile Stew. Comments: Perfect margaritas. Midtown Bistro 910 W. San Mateo, Suite A. 820-3121. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine/ Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American fare with a Southwestern twist. Atmosphere: Large open room with mirrors. House specialties: For lunch: the Baby Arugula Salad or the Chicken or Pork Taquitos. Entrée: Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Green Lentils, and the French Cut Pork Chop.

continued on page 33 APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 31

CLOUD CLIFF BAKERY at the SANTA FE FARMERS MARKET TUESDAY and SATURDAY

Join Us for oUr ExpandEd

WhIskey selectIon

scotland / Ireland Glenlivet 18yr. Speyside Glenmorangie, Highland Oban 14yr. Highland Macallan 12yr. Highland Red Breast 12yr. Irish Single Pot Still Edradour 10yr. Highland Johnny Walker Black, Blended, Scotland amerIcan Four Roses Yellow Label Four Roses Single Barrel Four Roses Barrel Strength High West Campfire

High West Son of Bourye High West Rendevous Rye High West American Prairie Reserve High West Double Rye Colkegan, 100% Barley Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr.

Single Oak Project Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Corner Creek Reserve Templeton Rye Hirsch Reserve Taos Lightening Basil Hayden’s Booker’s, 128.5 Proof Baker’s 7yr. Michter’s Sour Mash Michter’s Straight Rye Michter’s Bourbon Bulleit Rye $10

Sun- Thur, 5:00 - 9:00 pm u Fri - SaT, 5:00 - 9:30 pm 315 Old SanTa Fe Trail u SanTa Fe, nm u www.315SanTaFe.cOm reServaTiOnS recOmmended: (505) 986.9190

DINING GUIDE

Tecolote Café 1203 Cerrillos Rd. 988-1362. Breakfast/Lunch Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: New Mexican and American. Atmosphere: Casual ajnd Friendly. House. specialties: For brakfast, go for either the Sheepherder’s Breakfast: new potatoes with jalapeno and onion, topped with red and green chile, melted cheese, and with two eggs any style. Lunch favorites are the Carne Adovada Burrito; the Green Chile Stew; and the Frito Pie. Comments: No toast is served at Tecolote. Why? It’s a Tecolote tradition, that’s why.

RAMEN AT THE TALIN T-BAR - DUMPLINGS ON MONDAY TALIN WORLD MARKET - 505 CERRILLOS ROAD - SANTA FE Mu Du Noodles 1494 Cerrillos Rd. 983-1411. Dinner/Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Pan-Asian. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Green Thai Curry, Comments: Organic.

tuna nicoise salad with baby red potatoes. At dinner, we like the tender and flavorful twelve-ounce New York Strip steak, served with chipotle herb butter, or the Idaho Ruby Red Trout served with grilled pineapple salsa. Comments: Visit their sister restaurant at Devargas Center.

New York Deli Guadalupe & Catron St. 982-8900. Breakfast/Lunch Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: New York deli. Atmosphere: Large open space. House specialties: Soups, Salads, Bagels, Pancakes, and gourmet Burgers. Comments: Deli platters to go.

Santacafé 231 Washington Ave. 984-1788. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Southwest Contemporary. Atmosphere: Minimal, subdued, and elegant House specialties: The world-famous calamari never disappoints. Favorite entrées include the grilled Rack of Lamb and the Panseared Salmon with olive oil crushed new potatoes and creamed sorrel. Comments: Happy hour special from 4-6 pm. Half-price appetizers. “Well” cocktails only $5.

Plaza Café Southside 3466 Zafarano Dr. 424-0755. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner 7 days Full bar. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: American and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Bright and light. House specialties: For your breakfast go for the Huevos Rancheros or the Blue Corn Piñon Pancakes. Comments: Excellent Green Chile. Rio Chama Steakhouse 414 Old Santa Fe Trail. 955-0765. Brunch/Lunch/Dinner/Bar Menu. Full bar. Smoke-free dining rooms. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: All-American, all the way. Atmosphere: Easygoing. House specialities: Steaks, Prime Ribs and Burgers. Haystack fries rule Recommendations: Nice wine list. Ristra 548 Agua Fria St. 982-8608. Dinner/Bar Menu Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Southwestern with a French flair. Atmosphere: Contemporary. House specialties: Mediterranean Mussels in chipotle and mint broth is superb, as is the Ahi Tuna Tartare. Comments: Nice wine list. San Q 31 Burro Alley. 992-0304 Lunch/Dinner Sake/Wine Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Japanese Sushi and Tapas. Atmosphere: Large room with a Sushi bar. House specialties: Sushi, Vegetable Sashimi and Sushi Platters, and a variety of Japanese Tapas. Comments: Savvy sushi chef. San Francisco St. Bar & Grill

50 E. San Francisco St. 982-2044. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: As American as apple pie. Atmosphere: Casual with art on the walls. House specialties: At lunch try the San Francisco St. hamburger on a sourdough bun; the grilled salmon filet with black olive tapenade and arugula on a ciabatta roll; or the grilled yellowfin

APRIL

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Santa Fe Bar & Grill 187 Paseo de Peralta. 982-3033. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Cornmealcrusted Calamari, Rotisserie Chicken, or the Rosemary Baby Back Ribs. Comments: Easy on the wallet. Santa Fe Capitol Grill 3462 Zafarano Drive. 471-6800. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: New American fare. Atmosphere: Contemporary and hip. House specialties: Tuna Steak, the Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potates and bacon bits, the flavorful Ceviche, the New York Strip with a Mushroom-Peppercorn Sauce, and Ruby Red Trout. Desserts are on the mark. Comments: A great selection of wines from around the world. Happy hours 3 to 6 pm and after 9 pm.

Railyard District. Shake Foundation 321 Johnson St. 982-9708. Lunch/Early Dinner - 11am-6pm Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: All American. Atmosphere: Casual with outdoor table dining. House specialties: Green Chile Cheeseburger, the Classic Burger, Shoestring Fries, and Shakes made with Taos Cow ice cream. Comments: Sirloin and brisket blend for the burgers. Take-out or eat at a picnic table. Shohko Café 321 Johnson St. 982-9708. Lunch/Dinner Sake/Beer. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Authentic Japanese Cuisine. Atmosphere: Sushi bar, table dining. House specialties: Softshell Crab Tempura, Sushi, and Bento Boxes. Comments: Friendly waitstaff. Station 430 S. Guadalupe. 988-2470 Breakfast/Lunch Patio Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: Light fare and fine coffees and teas. Atmosphere: Friendly. House specialties: For your breakfast, get the Ham and Cheese Croissant. Lunch fave is the Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Tomato sandwich. Comments: Many Special espresso drinks. at E l G ancho Old Las Vegas Hwy. 988-3333. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards $$$ Cuisine: American. Atmosphere: Family restaurant House specialties: Aged steaks, lobster. Try the Pepper Steak with Dijon cream sauce. Comments: They know steak here.

S teaksmith

Saveur 204 Montezuma St. 989-4200. Breakfast/Lunch Beer/Wine. Patio. Visa/Mastercard. $$ Cuisine: French meets American. Atmosphere: Casual. Buffetstyle salad bar and soups. House specialties: Daily specials, gourmet sandwiches, wonderful soups, and an excellent salad bar. Comments: Do not pass on the Baby-Back Ribs.

Sweetwater 1512 Pacheco St. 795-7383 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner. Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Innovative natural foods. Atmosphere: Large, bright open room. House specialties: The Mediterranean Breakfast: Quinoa with Dates, Apricots, and Honey. Lunch favorite is the delicious Indonesian Vegetable Curry Comments: For your dinner, we suggest the Prix Fixe Small Plate: soup, salad, and an entrée for $19. Wines and Craft beers on tap.

Second Street Brewery 1814 Second St. 982-3030. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Simple pub grub and brewery. Atmosphere: Real casual. House specialties: Beers are outstanding, when paired with the Beer-steamed Mussels, Calamari, Burgers, or Fish and Chips. Comments: Sister restaurant in the

Talin Ramen Bar at Talin Market 505 Cerrillos Road. 780-5073. Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Japanese Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: Madeto-order Japanese-style Ramen. Choose from a variety of noodles, broth, and toppings. Comments: On Mondays, dumplings and other soups are available. You can either eat in or take-out.

Teahouse 821 Canyon Rd. 992-0972. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner 7 days Beer/Wine. Fireplace. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Farm-to-fork-to tableto mouth. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: For breakfast, get the Steamed Eggs or the Bagel and Lox. A variety of teas from around the world available, or to take home. Terra at Four Seasons Encantado 198 State Rd. 592, Tesuque. 9889955. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: American with Southwest influences. Atmosphere: Elegant House specialties: For breakfast, we love the Blue Corn Bueberry Pancakes. For dinner, we suggest the Pan-Seared Scallops with Foie Gras or the delicious Double Cut Pork Chop. Comments: Chef Andrew Cooper partners with local farmers to bring fresh ingredients to the table. Fine wine list and top-notch service. The Artesian Restaurant at Ojo Caliente Resort & Spa 50 Los Baños Drive.  505-583-2233 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Wine and Beer Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Local flavors. Atmosphere: Casual, calm, and friendly. House specialties: At lunch we love the Ojo Fish Tacos and the organic Artesian Salad. For dinner, start with the Grilled Artichoke, foillow with the Trout with a Toa sted Piñon Glaze. Comments: Nice wine bar. The Compound 653 Canyon Rd.  982-4353. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: American Contemporary. Atmosphere: 150-year-old adobe. House specialties: Jumbo Crab and Lobster Salad. The Chicken Schnitzel is always flawless. All of the desserts are sublime. Comments: Chef/owner Mark Kiffin, won the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef of the Southwest” award. The Palace Restaurant & Saloon 142 W. Palace Avenue 428-0690 Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio Major credit cards $$$ Cuisine: Modern Italian Atmosphere: Victorian style merges with the Spanish Colonial aesthetic. House Specialties: For lunch: the Prime Rib French Dip. Dinner: go for the Scottish Salmon poached in white wine, or the Steak au Poivre. The Pink Adobe 406 Old Santa Fe Trail. 983-7712. Lunch/ Dinner Full Bar Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: All American, Creole, and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Friendly and casual. House specialties: For lunch we love the Gypsy Stew or the Pink Adobe Club Sandwich. For dinner, Steak Dunigan or the SanFried Shrimp Louisianne. Comments: Cocktails and nibblles at cocktail hour in the Dragon Room is a must!

The Shed 113½ E. Palace Ave. 982-9030. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: New Mexican. Atmosphere: A local institution located just off the Plaza. House specialties: If you order the red or green chile cheese enchiladas. Comments Always busy., you willnever be disappointed. The Ranch House 2571 Cristos Road. 424-8900 Lunch/Dinner Full bar Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: BBQ and Grill. Atmosphere: Family and very kid-friendly. House specialties: Josh’s Red Chile Baby Back Ribs, Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, and New Mexican Enchilada Plates. Comments: The best BBQ ribs. Tia Sophia’s 210 W. San Francisco St. 983-9880. Breakfast/Lunch Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Traditional New Mexican. Atmosphere: Easygoing and casual. House specialties: Green Chile Stew, and the traditional Breakfast Burrito stuffed with bacon, potatoes, chile, and cheese. Lunch: choose from the daily specials. Comments: This is the real deal Tune-Up Café 1115 Hickox St. 983-7060. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: All World: American, Cuban, Salvadoran, Mexican, and, yes, New Mexican. Atmosphere: Down home. House specialties: For breakfast, order the Buttermilk Pancakes or the Tune-Up Breakfast. Comments: Easy on your wallet. Vanessie

Santa Fe

434 W. San Francisco St. 982-9966 Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: American. Atmosphere: Piano bar and oversize everything, thanks to architect Ron Robles. House specialties: New York steak and the Australian rock lobster tail. Comments: Great appetizersgenerous drinks. Vinaigrette 709 Don Cubero Alley. 820-9205. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American. Atmosphere: Light, bright and cheerful. House specialties: Organic salads. We love all the salads, especially the Nutty Pear-fessor Salad and the Chop Chop Salad. Comments: NIce seating on the patio. In Albuquerque, visit their sister restaurant at 1828 Central Ave., SW. Zacatecas 3423 Central Ave., Alb. 255-8226. Lunch/Dinner Tequila/Mezcal/Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Mexican, not New Mexican. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Try the Chicken Tinga Taco with Chicken and Chorizo or the Slow Cooked Pork Ribs. Over 65 brands of Tequila. Zia Diner 326 S. Guadalupe St. 988-7008. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: All-American diner food. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: The perfect Chile Rellenos and Eggs is our breakfast choice. At lunch, we love the Southwestern Chicken Salad and the Fish and Chips. Comments: A wonderful selection of sweets available for take-out. The bar is most defintely the place to be at cocktail hour.

THE magazine | 33

GLORIA GRAHAM April 18 - May 24, 2014 Opening Reception: Friday, April 18th 5:00 - 7:00 PM The Blue Hand, 2009, Photograph, 28 1/2” x 39” framed

MICHAEL SCOTT FOUND

April 25 - June 7, 2014 Opening Reception: Friday, April 25th 5:00 - 7:00 PM Gallery Talk and Discussion: Saturday, April 26th, 2:00 - 3:30 PM Featuring Michael Scott and Rinchen Lhamo a part of ART MATTERS | CURATED www.ArtMattersSantaFe.org 444, 2013, Transparent pigment on stainless steel, 60” x 48”

DavidrichardGALLEry.com DAVID RICHARD GALLERY

The Railyard Arts District 544 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 983-9555 | info@DavidRichardGallery.com

OPENINGS

APRIL ARTOPENINGS FRIDAY, APRIL 4

5G Gallery at the Factory on 5th Artspace, 1715 Fifth St. NW, Alb. 505-9779643. Analog: multi-media group show. 6 pmmidnight. David Richard Gallery, 544 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 983-9555. Sensation: groups show with Richard Anuszkiewicz, Leon Berkowitz, Beverly Fishman, Tom Martinelli, Matthew Penkala, Julian Stanczak, Robert Swain, Leo Valledor, and Sanford Wurmfeld. 5-7 pm. Eggman & Walrus, 130 W. Palace Ave, 2nd floor, Santa Fe. 660-0048. Wax-Ability, Pushing the Boundaries of Encaustic Art: Sherry Ikeda, Jayne Levant, Angel Wynn, Douglas Mehrern, and John Schaeffer. 5:30-9 pm.

505-848-1320. Sanctuary—A Personal Journey: photography by Patrick Nagatani, Holly Roberts, Joan Fenicle, Marie Maher, and Fernando Delgado. 6-8 pm.

site-specific installation by Jane Lackey. 6-8 pm. EXHIBIT/208, 208 Broadway SE, Alb. 505450-6884. Direct Observation: paintings by Claudia Baragiola. 5-8 pm.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11

Center for Contemporary Arts Muñoz Waxman Gallery, 1050 Old Pecos Tr., Santa Fe. 982-1338. The Armory Show: one hundred Santa Fe artists celebrate thirty-fifth anniversary of the original exhibition. 6-8 pm.

SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe. 989-1199. SITE Unseen 8: One hundred and fifty artists anonymously exhibiting three hundred identically sized works. Benefit sale for SITE. Preview: 5-6 pm. 6-7:30 pm.

Water, Sky—The Stone and Its Meaning: exhibit on the history of turquoise. FRIDAY, APRIL 18

Andrew Smith Gallery, 122 Grant Avenue, Santa Fe. Solo Show: photographs by JoelPeter Witkin. 5-7 pm. David Richard Gallery, 544 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 983-9555. Solo Show: new work by Gloria Graham. 5-7 pm.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13

Center for Contemporary Arts Spector Ripps Project Space, 1050 Old Pecos Tr., Santa Fe. 982-1338. Enveloping Space: Walk, Trace, Think:

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe. 476-1250. Turquoise,

Matthews Gallery, 669 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 992-2882. New Mexico Moderns—The Lumpkins File: prints and drawings by the late William Lumpkins. 5-7 pm.

Harwood Art Center, 1114 7th St. NW, Alb. 505-242-6367. Finding Reason: painting and mixed-media works by Shawn Turung and Maude Andrade. 6-8 pm. Institute of American Indian Arts Sculpture Gallery, 83-A Van Nu Po Rd., Santa Fe. 424-2300. Installation Exhibition: student work. 4-7 pm.

SATURDAY, APRIL 19

Gaucho Blue Fine Art, 14148 State Rd. 75, Peñasco. 575-5871076. Creation/Migration—Stories of Our Journey: mixed-media work by Harriette Tsosie, Donna Caulton, Betsie Miller-Kusz, and Belinda Edwards. Honoring Our Ancestors: work by and from the local community. 3-7 pm. Offroad Productions, 2891B Trades West Rd., Santa Fe. 670-9276. TOAST + COWBOYS: drawings by Sam McBride and Clayton Porter. 6-8 pm.

OFFCenter Community Arts, 808 Park Ave., SW, Alb. 505-2471172. Hand Made in the Shade: lampshades. 5-8 pm.

MONDAY, APRIL 21

Red Dot Gallery, 826 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 820-7338. 2014 Spring Exhibition: S.F. Community College and IAIA students, alumni, staff, and faculty. 4:30-7:30 pm.

Turner Carroll Gallery, 725 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 986-9800. Altered: group show with Rusty Scruby, Tracy Krumm, and Ann Weiner. 5-7 pm.

The Gallery ABQ, 8210 Menaul Blvd. NE, Alb. 505-292-9333. Chroma Unleashed: mixed-media work by Anita Caress, Rebecca Nolda, and P. K. Williams. 5-8 pm.

FRIDAY, APRIL 25

Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, 554 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 9898688. Heaven and Earth: Interference Paintings: works by David Simpson. 5-7 pm.

Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana Blvd. NE, Alb. 505-883-7410. Table of Contents: work by Betsy Williams. 5-8:30 pm.

David Richard Gallery, 544 S. Guadalupe St. Santa Fe. 983-9555. Found: mixed media on steel by Michael Scott. 5-7 pm. Gallery talk and discussion with Michael Scott and Rinchen Lhamo on Sat., April 26, 2-3:30 pm.

SUNDAY, APRIL 6

Museum of International Folk Art, 706 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe. 476-1200. Wooden Menagerie— Made in New Mexico: wood carvings by Felipe Archuleta, Patrocinio Barela, José Dolores López, and others. 10 am-5 pm.

Hunter Kirkland Contemporary, 200-B Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 9842111. Three Painters Paint: Peter Burega, Gregory Frank Harris, and Rick Stevens. 5-7 pm. Salon X, 226 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Unit B, Taos. 575-758-

THURSDAY, APRIL 10

South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway SE, Alb. Photographs by Joel-Peter Witkin at Andrew Smith Gallery, 122 Grant Avenue, Santa Fe. Reception: Friday, April 18 from 5 to 7 pm.

continued on page 38 APRIL

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THE magazine |35

Honey Harris in Conversation with THE magazine on Thursday, April 10 at 10:30 am 98.1 FM KBAC

THE DEAL

For artists without gallery representation in New Mexico. Full-page B&W ads for $700. Color $900. Reserve space for the May issue by Wednesday, April 16. 505-424-7641 or email: themagazinesf@gmail.com

WHO WROTE THIS?

“I will be an artist or nothing!” 1. Henry Miller 2. Eugene O’Neill 3. Philip K. Dick 4. Shel Silverstein

OUT AND ABOUT photographs by Mr. Clix Lisa Law and Jennifer Espaeranza

Jonas Povilas Skardis

Mac (and PC) Consulting 速

Training, Planning, Setup, Troubleshooting, Anything Final Cut Pro, Networks, Upgrades, & Hand Holding

phone: (505) 577-2151 email: Pov@Skardis.com Serving Northern NM since 1996

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OPENINGS

Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art, 702 ½ Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 992-0711. Spring Thaw Group Show: Jamie Hamilton, David Hoptman, Carl Moore, and Leah Siegel. Through Sat., April 26. chiaroscurosantafe.com City of Santa Fe Arts Commission Community Gallery, 201 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe. 955-6705. OPAL: installation by Nancy Judd. Through May. Art is CORE—Third Annual ArtWorks: Santa Fe Public Schools’ student exhibit. Through Wed., April 23.

1584. Ekphrasis—A Creative Collaboration Between Visual Artists and Writers: group show. 6-8:30 pm. Santa Fe Clay, 545 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe. 984-1122. ABC of Dinnerware and Summer Preview Exhibition: group shows. 5-7 pm. Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, 435 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 982-8111. Dual Realities: mixed-media work by Ian Ratwosky. 5-7 pm.

Corrales Art Studio Tour, Sixteenth Annual Tour. Sat., May 3 and Sun., May 4, 10 am-5 pm. corralesartstudiotour.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 27

New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe. 476-5200. Poetics of Light—Pinhole Photography: color and black-and-white pinhole photographs. 10 am-5 pm.

Ellsworth Gallery, 215 E. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 989-7900. Timothy Nero: Mind Gears: new paintings by Timothy Nero. Through Wed., May 14. ellsworthgallery.com

Santa Fe Botanical Garden, 715 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe. 471-9103. Origami in the Garden: outdoor sculptures by Kevin Box. 9 am-5 pm.

Experiments in Cinema, various locations in Alb. 505-916-1635. Experimental film festival. Mon., April 14 to Sun., April 20. experimentsincinema.com

SPECIAL INTEREST

Center for Contemporary Arts Muñoz Waxman Gallery, 1050 Old Pecos Tr., Santa Fe. 982-1338. The Armory Show: one hundred Santa Fe artists celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the original exhibition. Gala fundraising event on Sat., April 12, 6-8 pm. ccasantafe.org CFA Gallery, Northern New Mexico College, Española. 575-747-2295. Miraculous Pottery—An NNMC Educational Exhibit: work by Clarence Cruz. Through Sun., April 6. nnmc.edu

Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux St., Taos. 575-758-9826. Ken Price: Slow and Steady Wins the Race—Works on Paper 19622010. Charles Mattox—Poetry in Motion. Art for a Silent Planet: work by Blaustein, Elder, and Long. Through Fri., May 4. harwoodmuseum.org

Recent work—Heaven and Earth: Interference Paintings—by David Simpson is on display at Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, 554 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe. Reception: Friday, April 25 from 5 to 7 pm. Gallery talk on Saturday, April 26 at 3 pm.

Institute of American Indian Arts/ Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Pl., Santa Fe. 983-1666. Annual IAIA BFA Exhibition: student work through Sun., May 18. Family Day/Earth Day. Sat., April 12. Content and Analysis in Native Art—Moving

Sanctuary: A Personal Journey on view at the South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway SE, Albuquerque. Works by Patrick Nagatani, Holly Roberts, Joan Fenicle, and Marie Maher. Reception: Thursday, April 10, from 6 to 8 pm. Image: Fernando Delgado.

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OPENINGS

New Mexico Women’s Foundation, Forum at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, 1600 St. Michael’s Dr., Santa Fe. Sat., April 19.

Past Form and Function: panel discussion. Wed., April 23, noon-2 pm. iaia.edu/museum National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. SW, Alb. 505-766-9858. Dream Builders—A Celebration of STEM + Arts: workshops in science, technology, engineering, and math. Fri., April 11, 1-5 pm. Refreshments and recognition: 5-7 pm. nationalhispaniccenter.org

Santa Fe Opera Guild, Unitarian Universalist Church, 107 E. Barcelona St., Santa Fe. 629-1410, ext. 109. Opera Unveiled: Desirée Mays talks on 2014 Opera season. Wed., April 23, 5:30 pm. guildsofsfo.org

New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 476-5072. Focus on Photography—Beneath our Feet: photographs by Joan Myers. Grounded: minimalist landscapes. Photo Lab: instructional gallery and color processes. Through Sun., August 17. nmartmuseum.org

Santa Fe University of Art and Design/New Mexico School for the Arts/ Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe. 820-7112. Left To Our Own Devices—Staying Connected in the Digital Age: student performance. nmschoolforthearts.org

Outpost Performance Space, 210 Yale Blvd. SE, Alb. 505-268-0044. Keynote Talk for Heart of the City: Rick Lowe of Project Row Houses, Houston. Sat., April 19, 7:30 pm. outpostspace.org

St. John’s College, 1160 Camino Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe. 984-6000. From Bach to Li Yinghai: piano recital by Yi Ji. Sun., April 6, 4 pm. Chopin and Debussy: piano recital by Peter Pesic. Fri., April 18, 12:10-1:15 pm.

Placitas Artists Series, Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, Placitas. 505-867-8080. Art of Dorothy Bunny Bowen and Dennis Lee Gomez: wax resist and jewelry. Through Thurs., May 1. placitasartistsseries.org

University of New Mexico, Popejoy Hall, 203 Cornell Dr., Alb. 505-277-8010. Soweto Gospel Choir: Divine Decade Tour Celebrates Life of Nelson Mandela. Fri., April 4. popejoypresents.com

Richard Levy Gallery, 514 Central Ave. SW, Alb. 505-766-9888. Darshan: photographs by Manjari Sharma. New Works: 3-D wall sculptures by Emi Ozawa. Through Fri., April 18. Color Rhythms: Anna Bogatin, Suzanne Caporel, Jeff Kellar, and Matt Magee. Fri., April 25-Fri., May 30. levygallery.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS

SFCC Gallery, 6401 Richards Ave., Santa Fe. 428-1501. Gray Matters: exhibition of Native American arts. Through April 22. Panel discussion with artists. Thurs., April 3, 1-3 pm. sfcc.edu Silver City Museum, 312 W. Broadway, Silver City. 575-538-5921. Get Mugged Downtown: fundraiser for museum with participating restaurants. Sat., April 12. silvercitymuseum.org SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe. 989-1199. Artist Talk: Lee Mingwei. Tues., April 14, 6 pm. The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art: jazz and free beer. Fri., April 25, 5-7 pm. sitesantafe.org Snapp Price Projects Gallery @ Design Studio, 201 Third St. NW, Ste. G, Alb. 505-573-0895. Marietta Patricia Leis—Going Green: oils and mixed media. Through Thurs., May 15. mariettaleis.com Studio 17, 835 W. San Mateo, Santa Fe. 2315904. Tapestry Five: hand-woven tapestries by Pat Drozier, Letty Roller, Nancy Lane, Janice Peters, Susan Meredith, Heather GallegosRex, and LaDonna Mayer. Through Sun., April 27. tapestryfive.com Tamarind Institute, 2500 Central Ave. SE, Alb. 505-277-3901. Project and Public Talk with Monica Nador and Brazilian Favela. Thurs., April 17, 5:30 pm. tamarind.unm.edu

40 | THE magazine

Greg Moon Art, 109 Kit Carson Rd., Taos. 575-770-4463. After Dark III: show celebrating all things nocturnal. Deadline: Tues., April 15. callforentry.org

ABC of Dinnerware and Summer Preview Exhibition at Santa Fe Clay, 545 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe, Reception: Friday, April 25 from 5 to 7 pm. Image: Tip Toland.

ViVO Contemporary, 725 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 982-1320. Awakening Image: gallery artists. Through Tues., April 29. vivocontemporary.com Warehouse 21/Flying Cow Gallery, 1614 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe. Line + Dine: mixed-media installation by ninth grade students from New Mexico School for the Arts. Runs through Monday April 14. nmschoolforthearts.org

Body: monologues by Eve Ensler. nmwf.org Moving People Dance Theatre/Belisama Dance at the James A. Little Theater, 1060 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe. Louder Than Words: spring repertory concert. Fri., April 11 and Sat., April 12. belisamadance.com

Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos. 575-758-2690, ext. 4. Call for artists to submit work for the Tenth Anniversary Gala Exhibition and Auction. Deadline: Sat., April 26. taosartmuseum.org/ call-for-artists.html Wholly Rags, PO Box 1051, Ranchos de Taos. 575-751-9862. Arte de Descartes XIV: juried recycled-art show. Deadline: Mon., July 28. whollyrags.org

William R. Talbot Fine Art, 129 W. San Francisco St., 2nd floor. Santa Fe. 982-1559. Missions & Moradas—Icons of New Mexico: group show with Gustave Baumann, Morris Blackburn, Charles M. Capps, Howard Cook, William Dickerson, Gene Kloss, Bertha Landers, Barbara Latham, and Theo White. Fri., April 11-Fri., May 9. williamtalbot.com PERFORMING ARTS

Casweck Galleries, 203 W. Water St., Santa Fe. 438-6078. Rapture, Blister, Burn: performances on Fri., April 4 and Sat., April 5 at 7 pm. Kimberly Akimboith: performances on Fri., April 25 and Sat., April 26 at 7 pm. casweckgalleries.com Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe. Tues., April 22. The Good Never-before-seen prints and drawings by William Lumpkins on view at Matthews Gallery, 669 Canyon Road, Santa Fe. Reception: Friday, April 18 from 5 to 7 pm. A P R I L 2014

Mark White

Twilight Deep er

oil on panel

Mark white fine art 414 Canyon Road SAnta Fe, New Mexico 87501 505.982.2073 www.markwhitefineart.com

36” x 36”

PREVIEWS

Found: mixed-media on steel by Michael Scott April 25 to June 7. David Richard Gallery 544 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe. 983-9555 Reception: Friday, April 25, 5 to 7 pm. Michael Scott’s interest in the Holy Mother Virgin Mary began over the course of five weeks in 2013 when he was spending time in the churches of San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City. He was impressed and mystified by the powerful effects of prayer and faith, as evidenced in the attitudes of the supplicants as they engaged with images of Mary. For Scott, the Holy Mother became a vessel of beautiful, gentle, and poetic energy, and thus did Mary come to be the subject of this present body of work. This inspiration seems typical of Scott’s predilection for exploring both human frailties and large capacities in the manner of a staged, theatrical presentation. In this case, the star performer is Mary: Mary as Mother, Mary as Virgin, and Mary as Lover. Scott invites the viewer to encompass these three aspects of the feminine principle simultaneously. A main feature of this kaleidoscopic body of work owes its seductive powers to the way the stainless steel surfaces have helped luminosity to bloom forth from the images—a rippling radiance that is at once captivating, mysterious, and compelling. Scott is exploring the underpinnings of religious preoccupation in these thirteen large-scale mixed-media works and, specifically, how the feminine principle lends itself to that path of investigation. Gallery talk and discussion with Michael Scott and Rinchen Lhamo on Saturday, April 26 from 2 to 3:30 pm. Poetics of Light: Pinhole Photography April 27, 2014 to March 29, 2015 Herzstein Gallery at the New Mexico History Museum 105 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe. 476-5100 Photography has changed immensely in the last two decades with the advent of digital and cell-phone cameras. Yet we are still fascinated by the mechanism for capturing images—recording light—through the pinhole

Michael Scott, 333, transparent pigment, painting, grinding, carving, and UV varnish on steel, 68” x 48”, 2013

camera, which was invented in 1880. A close relative of the camera obscura, a pinhole camera uses a tiny hole to expose film to light and record an image, whether the camera body is an oatmeal box or the slight opening of the lips exposing film in the photographer’s mouth. The same magic that excited early photographers is found in pinhole photography, without the standard tools of lens and light meter pre-determining the results, but instead capturing images whose final characteristics are random and unknown. The work on view is drawn from the amazing assortment of cameras and images in the Pinhole Resource Collection, assembled by co-curators Eric and Nancy Renner, and donated to the New Mexico History Museum in 2012. Museum visitors will see all sorts of cameras, from historic obscuras to self-made and creative interpretations. With two hundred and twentyfive images and forty cameras, the exhibition exposes audiences to a range of work and styles, in color or black-and-white, and printed on a variety of supports. Visitors to the show are offered directions for building their own pinhole camera, to encourage the continued growth of this medium, which is alive and thriving in the digital age. Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day coincides with the opening of this exhibition, offering global practitioners a chance to share their work online. Ruth Thorne-Thomsen, Head and Plane, Chicago, Expeditions, silver gelatin print, 4 ½” x 6”, 1979

42 | THE magazine

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N AT I O N A L S P O T L I G H T

Made for Magazines Alfred Hitchcock, 1939 photograph by Peter Stackpole - © Estate of Peter Stackpole It can be said that since the birth of photography, we remember the famous through the iconic photos we saw reproduced in magazines. These images come to represent the individuals: Einstein is forever old with a wild crop of white hair and not the man in his twenties who discovered relativity. The eighty photographs in Made for Magazines will call to mind the events, the fashions, the celebrated, and the notorious that left an imprint on us, not just as memories, but as these actual images recorded the moment. Drawn entirely from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s extensive collection, the exhibition offers an opportunity to view the last century through the lens of masters APRIL

2014

such as Edward Steichen, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Gordon Parks, and Annie Leibovitz. Their work was originally published in Life, Vogue, and many other publications, alongside Pulitzer Prize photographs that were first seen in newspapers and later reproduced in magazines. This exhibition of celebrated images was curated by Anne Wilkes Tucker— the Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator of Photography at the MFA Houston for thirty-seven years. The show is on view at the Audrey Jones Beck Building, 5601 Main Street, Houston, and runs through May 4, 2014. THE magazine | 43

MONROE GALLERY of photography

Bill Eppridge: 1964

Michael Motley DIVIRGENT DESIGN FOR THE CRE ATIVE COMMUNITY IDENTIT Y | PROPAGANDA | BOOK DESIGN | WEB

The Beatles wait to disembark, Pennsylvania Station, NY Feb. 12, 1964 Mrs. Chaney and young Ben, James Chaney funeral, Meridian, Mississippi, 1964

Celebrating the publication of “The Beatles: Six Days that Changed the World” Opening Reception and Book Signing Friday, April 25 5 - 7 PM Exhibition continues through June 22 open daily 112 don gaspar santa fe nm 87501 992.0800 f: 992.0810 e: info@monroegallery.com www.monroegallery.com

505 982 0355 | MICHAELMOTLEY.COM

A N D R E W S M I T H G A L L E RY I N C .

CLASSIC AND HISTORIC, MASTERPIECES OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Pa t r i ck N a g a t a n i

O u t e r / I n n e r- C o n t e m p l a t i o n o n t h e P hy s i c a l a n d t h e S p i r i t u a l Th r o u g h A p r i l 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 a t t h e 2 0 3 W. S a n Fra n c i s c o A n n e x

Pa u l C a p o n i g r o

Jo e l - Pe t e r Wi t k i n

Old and New

L ove a n d O t h e r R e a s o n s

Th r o u g h A p r i l 1 4 , 2 0 1 4

A p r i l 1 8 - Ju n e 2 1 , 2 0 1 4 Artist Reception: April 18, 5 - 7 pm

Apple, Winthrop, MA, 1964 Yellow/13 from The Race, 2013

Presenter Of “The End Of Time Awards”, 2013

Featuring exhibitions of ANSEL ADAMS photographs from THE DAVID H. ARRINGTON COLLECTION N e x t t o t h e G e o r g i a O ’ Ke e f f e M u s e u m a t 1 2 2 G ra n t Ave . , S a n t a Fe , N M 8 7 5 0 1 5 0 5 . 9 8 4 . 1 2 3 4 • w w w. A n d r e w S m i t h G a l l e r y. c o m • H o u r s : 1 1 - 4 , M o n d ay - S a t u r d ay.

F E AT U R E

WHATISREAL?

Susan Wider

photograph:

Guy Cross

continued on page 46 APRIL

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THE magazine | 45

I first came across Patrick Nagatani’s work by accident. I was a graduate student at the University of New Mexico and their art gallery was a favorite place to take a break. One day I wandered in and saw an exhibition that I found utterly disorienting. On the walls were photographs that my eyes told me were real while my brain screamed otherwise.

Patrick Nagatani, Guanyin, light jet chromogenic print, masking tape, mixed media, archival enhancing medium, 49” x 31” x 2”, 2009

F E AT U R E

Before me were pictures of archaeological excavation sites that showed a Jaguar car being unearthed in Mexico and a Mercedes being dug out of the ground in Nepal. But of course there had been no excavations of a Renault in Antarctica or a Mercedes from the wall of the Grand Canyon, or a Model A Woody at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array on New Mexico’s Plains of San Agustin. But oh how real they felt in those photos. And this is what Patrick Nagatani does. He takes the real of his photographs and transforms them into wildly creative stories. At heart, this photographer is a fabulous storyteller and his tales are as layered with history, personal philosophy, culture, critique, and raw emotion as the manipulated excavation “photos” are with dust, debris, and contradiction. A Chicago native, Nagatani’s art training and his career have taken him all over the world to photograph, create, and philosophize. The idea for the Excavations photos resulted from his visit to Manzanar, a World War II California relocation camp for Japanese-Americans, which, coincidentally, closed the year of Nagatani’s birth. While there, he found a flattened toy metal truck in the dirt and this planted the seed for his series of automobile excavation pictures. But the series goes well beyond manipulated photos. Nagatani mixes in an archaeologist named Ryoichi—Nagatani’s middle name—whose journal entries, maps, and other artifacts and ephemera appear as part of the Excavations exhibition. We’re ready to believe that this Ryoichi expert is real as well, but of course he can’t be. And it is just this sort of reality confusion that imbues Nagatani’s work with heart, emotion, and even humor. It is hard to look at a single piece and not ask which part is an actual photo, which part is contrived, and what might be missing. In addition to the Excavations, his work has also included documenting Japanese-American relocation camps. These photos from camps in seven American states present the actual beauty of sweeping Western landscapes and yet each image includes a stark reminder of the business of the camp: the marker from a mass grave, railroad tracks, barbed wire fencing, an abandoned structure, a cement foundation, a small cemetery. In other work that explores the American nuclear legacy he has collaborated with painter Andrée Tracey and poet Joel Weishaus. In the 1980s he and Tracey created staged photographs, drenched in red, of various doomsday scenarios that portray their interpretations of atomic destruction. His work with Weishaus from the late 1980s into the early 1990s combines photographs of nuclear sites throughout continued on page 48 APRIL

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THE magazine | 47

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I relish the focus on details and to be lost in the quiet and minute parts of the whole.â&#x20AC;?

F E AT U R E

New Mexico with added props, photomontage, and color

a surface texture that pleases him and creates a veil

He is working on a photo-novel called The Race, about

washing. Each resulting image has accompanying text by

over the photo that traps, releases, or enhances the

a floatplane race from Japan to California. A long-time

Weishaus that elaborates and further disrupts the jarring

underlying image.

builder of model airplanes, Nagatani has taken his love

impressions of racism, devastation, and science gone wrong.

“The process,” writes Nagatani, “is like driving

for the artistry of these machines and blended it with

Nagatani began his Chromatherapy project in 1978

from Albuquerque to Los Angeles non-stop.

excavations—actual ones—of World War II floatplanes.

and is still adding to the series. His inspiration was a book

It’s like being in shape and running ten miles. It’s like

Then he mixes in a Japanese locale and a bit of California,

by Mary Anderson called Colour Healing: Chromotherapy

chanting. It’s like finding a zone of no thought. Time

invents a female Japanese corporate CEO, and adds

and How it Works where the author describes the use

passes and only my aching fingers and shoulders

women pilots of Irish, American Indian, and Israeli

of colored lamps in healing disease. Nagatani prefers the

indicate how long I have been continuously painting

descent, among others. Many of the pilots in this race

word chromatherapy, which indicates an art connotation

with the tape. I relish the focus on details and to

have philosophies about life, health, and society that

rather than an alternative healing interpretation. Each

be lost in the quiet and minute parts of the whole.

mirror fragments of his own, and nearly every woman’s

image is a story of its own. Some relate to literature,

Decisions are mostly made as a reaction to the

story is being written by a different author of Nagatani’s

others to film, still others to clinical trials. Each shot

materials, the image and the emotive feel.”

choosing, assuring that each pilot in the book’s race will

presents layers to dissect for further meaning as Nagatani

Nagatani spent twenty years teaching art and

have a distinct voice. His photos (produced with Randi

comments on conventional medicine, the human impact

photography in the Department of Art and Art History

Ganulin) of each plane illustrate the text. And yes, each

on the environment, the treatment of animals, and even

at the University of New Mexico. His gift as a natural

photo looks real. He’s at it again. Some “fly” through skies

our treatment of ourselves.

storyteller also makes him an inspirational teacher. One

photographed by his friend and pilot Scott Rankin. Others

And then there are the Tape-estries. Nagatani

of Nagatani’s former photography students described his

are convincingly moored in “actual” bays and harbors.

calls this “painting with masking tape.” The detail. The

teaching style as calm, helpful, and caring. (His sense of

His passion for flight—of ideas, creativity, teaching, and

time involved. Conceiving of the idea in the first place.

humor was also invoked.) Nagatani himself says it best:

human connections—transcends tape, photographs, and

All are true Nagatani. He is intrigued with the idea of

“I believe that educators are only as good as the colleagues

the written word. His next is now.

making art from a material that is inexpensive and usually

that we work with and the scholars, artists and students who

thrown away. He begins with a bottom layer that is a

enter our lives.” He teaches through his art, about perception,

Chromogenic Lightjet photograph, often collaged and

about beauty, about the sinister that often lurks in our field

manipulated in Photoshop. The subjects range from

of view. He shows us how easily we can jump to incorrect

Buddhas to landscapes to buildings. He then “paints”

conclusions or wholeheartedly embrace misguided beliefs.

over the photograph by applying the tape in various

When asked what project is next for him, he

ways—torn, bunched, rolled, flat—until he achieves

quickly converts the idea of next to a discussion of now.

This spread left to right: Patrick Nagatani, Model A Woody, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (VLA), Plains of St. Agustin, New Mexico, U.S.A., silver dye bleach print (Ilfochrome), 17¾” x 227/ 8 ”, 1997-1999 Patrick Nagatani, el nadador/nacimiento (Novellas) 28” x 36”, Chromogenic print, 1993 Patrick Nagatan From the novel “The Race” – White/6 – pilot: Leah Katzenberg, archival pigment print, 10” x 7 1/2”. Writer: Andre Ruesch, Chair of Photography at the Lesley University College of Art & Design

Articles and reviews by Susan Wider have appeared in THE magazine, Tennis View Magazine, Bird Watchers Digest, and Kiki Magazine among many others. She is currently at work on a collected biography of women ornithological illustrators and a book of nature stories for children.

APRIL

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THE magazine | 49

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CRITICAL REFLECTION

When Cool Was King

Monroe Gallery 110 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe

A smokey barroom is filled with dancing couples, but Johnny Strabler stands alone, leaned against the jukebox and tapping his fingers to the music. A laughing blond sashays past him to ask “What are you rebelling against, Johnny?” Pausing, Johnny studies the floor before responding, “Whaddya got?” —from The Wild One

I N T H E W I L D O N E , M A R LO N B R A N D O P L AY S T H E C H A I N - S M O K I N G , down-on-his-luck Johnny Strabler, who drawls his way

cigarettes, and copious amounts of sex appeal figure

suit with matching fedora. His head is cocked thoughtfully

through the movie with a nonchalance that occurs as both

prominently in this exhibition. Steve McQueen is

upward and his arms are crossed closely against his chest.

practiced and organic. Brando’s 1953 portrayal of Johnny

emblematic of mid-century cool, a status heartily

It’s a photo that flawlessly shows us what we already know:

was in many ways a wholly American testament to the era’s

bolstered by several photos on display. John Dominis’s

that for some people, cool isn’t a feeling or even a mood,

mood of glamorous unease, collectively funneled into the

1963 shot of McQueen presents him as equal parts actor

but a complete persona.

films, music, and cultural ephemera of a nation. If Johnny

and sex symbol. His right arm reaches upward into the

With the exception of a smattering of shots of Edie

Strabler is one of Brando’s most memorable characters,

sleeve of his leather bomber jacket. His hair is wet, slicked

Sedgwick and Jane Fonda, there’s a paucity of hip ladies in

he’s also one of his quintessentially coolest. Its been said that

to his forehead with sweat, and if we look closely—don’t

When Cool Was King. Nevertheless, the exhibit is a finger-

America’s most valuable cultural contribution is the concept

blush, dear reader—we can see the undone top button

snappingly swell good time. Images taken over half a century

of coolness—that intangible slick something that separates

of his dungarees.

ago look hipper than ever, proving that true glamour never

the Millhouses from the Bart Simpsons of the world. Before

It makes sense that a standout of the show, a picture

the middle of the twentieth century, teenagers weren’t

of Frank Sinatra, comes from the great photographer

thought of as tastemakers, but several factors—most

Sid Avery. One of the only color snapshots on view, it

famously, of course, the hip-swiveling music of Elvis and

depicts the most famous crooner of all time in a moment

the raw gospel funk of James Brown—changed all that, and

of meditative repose, handsomely garbed in a light gray

really goes out of style.

—Iris McLister

John Dominis, Steve McQueen After Motorcycle Race, Mojave Desert, gelatin silver print, 14” x 11”, 1963 (detail)

suddenly young people became arbiters of the trends that mattered. This represented a major separation between the hip and the square, and nobody had more influence than movie stars and musicians. Monroe Gallery’s fantastic exhibition When Cool Was King consolidates the look and feel of “cool” into a tautly grouped showcase of some of its most notable harbingers. Dean Martin, Lou Reed, and John Lennon are joined by a handful of others whose effortless style and nonchalant attitudes constituted a veritable cultural takeover, impacting tastemakers for generations to come. What makes a person hip? It certainly doesn’t hurt to look like Paul Newman, represented here in a 1956 photo taken while he was playing hard-scrabble criminal-turnedboxer Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me. A cigarette dangles haphazardly from the actor’s smirking lips, and his heavy coat’s upturned collar frames the preternaturally handsome features of his face. Strolling down a busy city street, Newman looks unfettered and indifferent: consummately carefree and hopelessly, heartbreakingly cool. In many ways, James Dean still sets the gold standard for cool. Who cares if a rebel has a cause or not when he looks that good in blue jeans and a white T-shirt? Richard Miller’s 1955 snap of the actor feels both intimate and fantastically detached. He’s leaning against a gleaming hot rod to light a cigarette, his famous hair is thick and tousled, his eyes shaded by aviator sunglasses. Dean wears a snapbuttoned cowboy shirt tucked into his jeans, and though the photo’s caption indicates that it was taken on the set of the epic nouveau-Western Giant, the viewer can easily imagine that this is James Dean being James Dean, on set or off: ethereally, effortlessly, impossibly cool. We might think of cool as shorthand for rebellion, whether conferred or assumed. Fittingly then, leather,

APRIL

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THE magazine | 51

Bring on spring.

TAOS

PHOTOGRAPH: MICHAEL DE YOUNG

Whitewater today. Poetry and modern art tomorrow. Full of unforgettable contrasts. Look + Book TAOS.ORG

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Kick up your heels, kick into high gear or just kick back. From opera and art openings to soccer and raft races, Taos offers plenty of reasons to get away for the weekend including irresistible overnight savings. See TAOS.org/spring.

APRIL 01–12 Taos Poetry Weeks, nightly readings at SOMOS, the Literary Society of Taos 01–30 Farnsworth Kachina paintings exhibit at DAFA on Kit Carson Road 02 The Guru of Chai, live theater by Indian Ink Co. at Taos Center for the Arts 04–30 Taos Moderne: Emerging View, Taos Arts Council exhibit at Town Hall

05 Río Grande del Norte National Monument first anniversary celebration at Taos Mesa Brewing 05 and 19 Fourth Annual Taos Spring Soccer Showcase at Taos Eco Park 05 and 26 Live from the Met in HD opera at Taos Center for the Arts, 11am 06 Closing day ski party at Taos Ski Valley

20 Sunrise Easter Mass at Río Grande Gorge Bridge

MAY 09–11 Taos Chamber of Commerce Arts & Crafts Fair in Kit Carson Park 10–11 KXMT Mother’s Day Music Fest in Kit Carson Park, free 11 Mother’s Day Raft Races on the Río Grande in Pilar

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Patrick Nagatani: Outer/Inner Contemplation on the Physical and the Spiritual

Andrew Smith Gallery Annex 203 West San Francisco Street, Santa Fe

“Everything to me is fiction and truth.” –Patrick Nagatani

PATRICK NAGATANI HAS SPENT HIS ENTIRE CAREER BLENDING ELEMENTS OF fact and fiction. His new exhibition at the Andrew Smith

It’s something of an abattoir, with abs to spare. Standing

in the race. Reading the bios of the pilots is like looking

Gallery Annex presents works from three different series

upright along the bottom of the shadow box are twenty-

deep inside Nagatani’s life and beliefs.

and they couldn’t be more different visually. But under the

nine miniature missiles, handmade by Nagatani. Their lower

surface of each, we still find Nagatani weaving fantasy and

halves are painted black to match the shadowbox frame and

exhibited in New Mexico before. Welcome home.

reality. The Annex is long and narrow, and the walls are

their tips are, yes, flesh-colored. All nine of the boxes are

—Susan Wider

painted in “coral clay,” a color that brings out the earthiness

flooded with layers of inner and outer, physical and spiritual

of the masking tape Nagatani “paints” with in his Tape-

meaning. In one of the additional three untitled Novellas—

estries; contrasts starkly with the dark frames of the somber

there’s quirky Nagatani-style humor in that decision alone—

Novellas series; and lends warmth to the metallic frames

the figure of a woman and her shadow

of the airplane “photography” from The Race. Nagatani

are fleeing the meat market of collaged

curated this show himself. “I have chosen work,” he says,

bodybuilder photos behind her. She is

“that hopefully establishes a dialogue between the spiritual

screaming and I have to agree with her.

and the physical.”

Then in yet another untitled Novella

There are twenty-four Buddhist Tape-estries in the

Nagatani messes with reality and paints

exhibition, framed in basswood, which echoes the color and

blood-red bras on some of the torsos,

texture of the tape. Nagatani began painting with masking

quickly turning the male into female.

tape in the early 1980s. The underlying photographic

Or not.

images are Chromogenic Lightjet prints that are collaged

On the same wall with the Novellas

and manipulated in Photoshop. Then he applies the tape,

are fifteen airplane “photographs” from

which creates a look of craquelure, with the colors from

Nagatani’s photo-novel in progress

the collage seeping through, except in the case of many of

called The Race. It is the story of

the Buddhas’ right hands, which are often not taped over.

fifteen women pilots—chosen from

Their raw photographic images reach right off the pictures.

an applicant pool of one thousand—

In the case in Guanyin (2009) it’s the blue lotus flower in the

competing in an airplane race from

center of the piece that remains untaped—or in Nagatani-

Tokyo to San Francisco. “The novel

speak, unpainted. And in Nyoirin Kannon (2008) the un-taped

addresses a lot of spiritual revelations

central focal point is a wishing jewel in a small wishing bowl.

in the pilots’ stories,” says Nagatani.

The overall impression from these large Buddhas is one of

“It is about outer and inner space…

movement emerging through a pastel veil. “I have often

being in the clouds.” Each image was

desired the overlay of sensory experience in my work,”

created using a skyscape by Nagatani’s

writes Nagatani. “These pieces require looking from afar

longtime friend Scott Rankin. (Rankin

and getting in very close; both vantage points offer differing

provided some three hundred of these

visual experience.”

for Nagatani to choose from.) A casual

In dialogue with the spiritual Buddhas, which take

viewer of the exhibition might think

up one long wall of the gallery, are twelve works from

that these are actual photos of colorful

the Novellas series on the opposite wall. Likely due to

planes in the sky when in fact the

space constraints, nine of the twelve are stacked above

photos are assembled and manipulated

one another in three rows of three. For short viewers,

to create the essence of each pilot and

like this writer, it’s a struggle to see the detail of the top

her plane. For the exhibition, these

row. And there is detail aplenty. The nine stacked Novellas

photos are framed in brushed silver, a

are wooden shadowboxes painted black, constructed by

nice contrast with the different metallic

Nagatani and his framer, and bearing names like Thrust, Air

colors of each plane. In the novel, each

to Air, and Assault. In Thrust (2003) Nagatani presents the

photo will appear at the beginning of

physical body in a manner that is at once quirky, somber,

a section and each section—written

and comical. The background is a photograph of a collage

by a different author—will describe

of muscular forms showing various body parts and muscle

a different pilot’s life, philosophy,

groups assembled from photographs of bodybuilders.

struggles, and experience participating

APRIL

2014

Much of the work in this exhibition has never been

Patrick Nagatani, Nyoirin Kannon, Light jet chromogenic print, masking tape, mixed media, archival enhancing medium, 49” x 31” x 2”, 2008

THE magazine | 53

The Great Beauty

CCA Cinematheque 2050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe

THE AWARD-WINNING ITALIAN MOVIE LA GRANDE BELLEZZA (THE GREAT BEAUTY) was written and directed by the gifted Paolo Sorrentino, who,

Sorrentino—along with his cinematographer, Luca Bigazzi,

deafening cacophony that engulfs Jep. But he manages to

though only forty-three, has a master’s grip on all the elements

and his editor, Cristiano Travaglioli—has created an

extricate himself from it: In stylized slow motion, he breaks

of filmmaking. He expertly explores the relationship of sound

exquisitely crafted masterpiece with its visual perfection,

the fourth wall of theatrical illusion, turns to address the

to image, the way that silences and pauses in the action can

psychological depths, use of music, and, surprisingly, its

camera, and gives the viewer an insight into his center

further the storyline, and he emphasizes the ravishing qualities

rich sense of humor. The viewer is carefully wrapped in

of gravity.

of light—from glaring midday sun to shadow-drenched

a cinematic embrace that is both surreal and serene as it

Who or what represents the metaphor of the great

interiors at night to dawn breaking over a Roman skyline. And

pays homage not only to Fellini but also to the city of Rome,

beauty? Is it Rome with all its historical weight? Is it the

this is light captured on film, not on a digital hard drive. Indeed,

which acts as a fabulous mirror of history and memory

mystery of humanity with its secrets, pathologies, youthful

the use of film itself, now a dying medium, is one of the great

and desire. Placed end to end, every mise-en-scène is knit

innocence, tragic consequences, intricate narratives, and

beauties of this extraordinary work.

together by virtuosic filmmaking grace, where all the angles

the eternal heartbreak of lost love? Is it the authenticity

Sorrentino’s cast of characters is like a flock of

of visual incidence are equal to their angles of metaphysical

of a selfless, almost supernatural sense of faith that we

rare birds. These individuals—with the aging writer

reflection—reflections on the nature of character, fate,

witness in the guise of the ancient nun, Suor Maria? Or

Jep Gambardella at their center—are fully realized in a

talent, and motivation, all components of the artistic process.

perhaps the great beauty is the art of filmmaking itself and

mesmerizing display of ensemble acting, and each is a

The Great Beauty begins on some ancient Roman

its ability to reinvent the world and surprise us at every turn.

necessary person in Sorrentino’s tarot deck of the mind.

battlement with the ritual firing of a cannon at noon that

What are we to make of the scene when Jep wanders into

The unfolding narrative rests on the stylish, bespoke

scares the birds. The scene quickly shifts to a group of

the courtyard of an old palazzo and comes upon a giraffe?

shoulders of Jep, played with remarkable nuance by Toni

women singing choral music on a balcony overlooking a pool

All he can do is smile and stand in awe of this astonishing

Servillo, who endows him with charisma and charm along

of aqua water, followed by a close-up of an Italian woman

sight. And at the end of the movie, right before Jep’s

with reserves of intelligence, sensitivity, and the ability

speaking Japanese to a group of tourists, one of whom

metaphysical rewiring, he is visited by a flock of migrating

to read between the lines of everyone’s social self. Our

goes off by himself to photograph a Roman cityscape in

flamingos that land on his terrace at dawn.

filmic journey revolves in part around the mystery of Jep’s

the bleached light of early summer, and promptly collapses

The film comes to a close as Jep, who has never

character and why, for forty years, Jep carved out for

to the ground. The rest of the tour group runs over and

married, journeys to the Mediterranean and revisits

himself the role of a sociable but essentially evasive flaneur,

crowds around his prone body, while the women singers

the island where he first experienced the love of his life.

unable or unwilling to confront some of the missing pieces

continue their chorale of sublime music. Is it Monteverdi?

Speaking to the camera he says, “Underneath the squalor

that might shed light on his having settled for so much less

No. Surely it must be Bach? No. The music is from a Pulitzer

and the noise—underneath the embarrassment of being

than he was capable of. Throughout the movie, references

Prize–winning score, The Little Match Girl Passion, by the

in the world—and hidden between the silence and the

are made to the much-lauded novel he wrote at the age of

contemporary American composer David Lang. This music

sentiment are the haggard, inconstant splashes of beauty…

twenty-five, and he is persistently asked why he never wrote

not only begins the movie but ends it as well.

Let this novel begin.” And so the artistic process turns like a

another book. It’s this question that threads the episodic

Sorrentino’s complex cinematic reach will continue

great beauty at the mercy of a slow-moving whirlpool in the

narrative together. The story wanders as Jep wanders—

to subvert our expectations. There is an abrupt segue

sea, buoyed by the continental drifts of comedy and tragedy,

from nightclub to glimpses of classic Roman architecture to

from the breathless enchantment of the women singers

and suffused with a heightened awareness of time—always

his swanky apartment to a stroll along the Tiber River to

to the open mouth of a woman’s hedonistic screaming

in motion, always playing tricks on us, always open to the

a pretentious bit of performance art to the meeting of an

and we are summarily plunked in the middle of a riotous

astonishments of the unexpected.

enigmatic, middle-aged stripper to the funeral of his friend’s

party on a nightclub rooftop celebrating Jep’s sixty-fifth

—Diane Armitage

psychotic son. Every scene has its own arc of meaning and

birthday. This event is a wild revelry of dirty dancing, loud

its own mood.

music, and wandering mariachis—in short, it’s an almost

The Great Beauty, 2013, 35 mm, 142 minutes, Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo).

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Segregation Series: Gordon Parks

Richard Levy Gallery 514 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque

IN DECEMBER OF 1955, ROSA PARKS REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT ON THE BUS she took home from work and was arrested. Soon

these never-before-seen snapshots of daily life

Gordon Parks was a groundbreaking photographer,

afterwards, the historic Montgomery, Alabama bus

frame an essence of history and the spectacle of

writer, composer, activist, and filmmaker whose work

boycott was organized. Reverend Martin Luther King,

racism through the malleable nature of photographic

has given us a culture of photojournalism that speaks

Jr., then a young preacher at the Dexter Avenue

meaning. Parks frames the rural South in contrasting

with such an extraordinary visual dialogue that it has the

Baptist Church in Montgomery, was asked to become

environments: intimidating, socially and politically

power to reconfigure conceptions of American history.

the president of the Montgomery Improvement

restrictive, and at the same time brilliantly colorful,

With these newly found works, the photography of Mr.

Association. King accepted, and his role in the

striking, and diligently American: friends gather

Parks continues to enlighten the public about visual

bus boycott transformed him into an iconic figure

at storefronts adorned with red and white Coca-

representations of the African-American experience.

and the best-known spokesman for equal rights.

Cola advertisements, while Sunday dresses, delicate

The Segregation Series is an impressive examination of

A little over a month after Rosa Parks’ arrest,

fabrics, and family portraits tell stories of summer

the Jim Crow South, illustrating the sweeping social and

King’s Montgomery home was bombed while he

afternoons and of daily life. On a hot day, a young

political trends that shaped racial identity. In its simplest

was speaking at a meeting that had been organized

African-American girl walks into town and stops to

consideration, it is a story of America that helps one

to support the boycott. In June of the same year, a

get a drink. Approaching a water fountain, the thirsty

understand and share the feelings of others.

federal court ruled Montgomery ’s segregated bus

girl is separated by race: it is for WHITES ONLY. In

—Marcella Ernest

system unconstitutional. Under a climate of racial

these photographs, Parks reveals the visual dimension

isolation and conditions of extreme segregation,

of the color line that W.E.B. Du Bois famously called

it was no oversight that the first African-American

“the problem of the twentieth century.”

Gordon Parks, Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama, archival pigment print, 20’ x 16”, 1956

staff photographer and writer for Life magazine, Gordon Parks, was in Alabama to chronicle the

American

south

during

what

would

soon become the rise of the civil rights era. Documenting unparalleled racial segregation, Parks’ groundbreaking photos, published in Life’s September 1956 issue, are renowned images of American history. The unpublished photographs of Parks’ work from that assignment were lost until the spring of 2012, when the Gordon Parks Foundation discovered more than seventy color transparencies wrapped in paper and masking tape at the bottom of an old storage box, simply marked Segregation Series. Parks’ rare color photography from Alabama in 1956 presents a special capsule of a time that is subtle and stirring. While showing the historical “making” of America, it also asks viewers to examine how the culture of segregation, with all its contradictions, was lived. Parks makes it possible to imagine a world of white and black—power and fear—while simultaneously capturing elegant beauty and perseverance. His vision imitates the difficult history of an imperfect American identity disfigured by race. The exhibition is comprised of twelve fullcolor archival pigment prints that encompass a time fraught with personal and political impact. The everyday lives of black Southern families under Jim Crow segregation confront glaring images of racism in a way that is both subtle and unambiguous. In intricately textured detail and with passionately mastered composition,

APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 55

Gesture Then and Now: The Legacy of Abstract Expressionism

David Richard Gallery 554 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe

THE SEEDS WERE FIRST SOWN IN ARSHILE GORKY’S GARDEN IN SOCHI. Abstract Expressionism was the hybrid fruit of Gorky’s

of David Richard Gallery’s recent group-show homage to

Remington, Ward Jackson, Louis Ribak, Lilly Fenichel,

synthetic efforts, as Irving Sandler wrote, to “fuse

the AbEx tradition is the pervasive choice by the show’s

and Bea Mandelman—reprised here by the recent mythic

Synthetic Cubist structure with Surrealist atmosphere and

painters to pursue their own course.

narratives (2013) of Eugene Newmann. Phillis Ideal’s

biomorphism.” From the lyric, dark grisaille of Gorky’s inner

Few of the dozen or so artists in Gesture Then and Now

acrylic-on-canvas Zowie (2008-13) and her black-and-

landscapes it grew to epic stature: In 1952 art critic Harold

would identify with the original AbEx aesthetic, apart from

white archival pigment prints recall Roy Lichtenstein’s

Rosenberg observed that “at a certain moment the canvas

a stylistic resemblance stressed in the show’s reference to

large-scale Big Painting series of blown-up brushstrokes,

began to appear to one American painter after another as

AbEx gesture. The “gesture” in the show’s title is shorthand

a Pop tongue-in-cheek parody of AbEx bombast. And the

an arena in which to act, rather than as a space in which to

for the term Action Painting, coined by Rosenberg to

quasi-ritual, transparent rendering of gestural abstraction

… ‘express’ an object, actual or imagined. What was to go

describe the calligraphic brushstrokes—and, by extension,

in Gerhard Richter’s neo-expressionist paintings from

on the canvas was not a picture but an event.” And as early

the existential angst—of AbEx’s embryonic phase in the

the mid 1970s resonate in the show’s later work by

as 1943 the principal tenet that was to distinguish the new

early 1940s. Action Painting was supplanted by the more

Michio Takayama (1987), Jean-Marie Haessle (2004),

abstraction from earlier, pre-war abstract art was clearly

art-historical “Abstract Expressionism,” embracing its later,

and Fenichel (2013). Perhaps the most ironic, yet

formed, as evidenced in a brief “manifesto” of the rising

color-field phase as well. Yet its characterization as gesture

poignant evocation of AbEx postwar abstraction is Yellow

movement crafted by Mark Rothko, Adolph Gottlieb, and

still captures the intensely personal and cryptic economy at

Experiment, by Louis Ribak, dating from the later 1950s.

Barnett Newman for The New York Times in response to a

the movement’s emotive core. As such, it is a helpful device

A Lithuanian Jew born in 1902, Ribak immigrated with his

negative review of the new style: “There is no such thing as

to unify the gallery’s case for the AbEx legacy.

family to New York City at age ten, at almost the same

good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is

The show’s oil-on-canvas paintings from the late

time as Mark Rothko (born 1903) arrived with his family,

crucial, and only that subject-matter is valid which is tragic

1940s and 1950s demonstrate the wide reach of the

Jews from neighboring Latvia. Louis Ribak was a Social

and timeless.”

New York School—works by Jack Jefferson, Deborah

Realist who became reconciled to the new abstraction in

Tragic and timeless. Since

the years after he left New York

its hegemony in the 1940s and

in 1944 and moved to Taos, New

1950s, Abstract Expressionism has

Mexico.

retired from the arena to the salon,

Gesture Then and Now is less

with a concomitant reduction of

about AbEx’s legacy than it is about

its monumental canvases to the

its unique place at a particular point

scale of easel painting. I doubt

in time. Much of the movement’s

that any work done since in the

formal approaches to line, form,

AbEx style has matched the Sturm

and

und Drang of its creators. Nor

repertoire of contemporary art, as

should it. A testament to AbEx’s

seen in the accomplished work in

authentic import is the organic

this group show. But if its aesthetic

structure and metamorphic power

deals with subject matter that is

of its original aesthetic. The AbEx

“tragic and timeless,” that subject

movement itself evolved from the

matter was unique to its times—

rite-of-spring tremors of Pollock’s

the holocaust, threat of nuclear

Autumn Rhythm and the epic stasis

annihilation, the subsequent search

of Rothko’s floating cubes and

for meaning. In that sense, perhaps

Newman’s mythic Vir Heroicus,

the abiding legacy of Abstract

to attain its epilogue in the purest

Expressionism is not simply how it

melancholy of Agnes Martin’s grid

looked but what Rothko, Gottlieb,

paintings.

and Newman intended it to be

color

have

entered

the

What followed the founders

from the outset: “To us art is an

would have to find its own truths.

adventure into an unknown world,

Much of what followed since their

which can be explored only by

heyday hasn’t: A tour of galleries

those willing to take the risks. This

on Canyon Road will turn up a

world of imagination is fancy-free

potpourri of paintings in the AbEx

and violently opposed to common

mode, many of them a kind of

sense.” That’s a legacy to live by.

karaoke of brushstroke bravado

—Richard Tobin

and tube-paste primaries that only mimic in their very attempt to emulate. What marks the success

Louis Ribak, Yellow Experiment, oil on canvas, 50” x 4 0”, 1950-1960

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art 1606 Paseo

SITE Santa Fe Peralta, Santa Fe

SITE SANTA FE BOASTS A SPRING “SEASON OF ART, FOOD, AND FRIENDS” with its new show, Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary

Axle’s installation comprises a whole room that

Iraqi date syrup on the plates. To further complicate the

Art, which surveys “food as art” and has prompted many

appears a little superfluous. The best part is the beaming

dining experience, the plates were gifted Wedgwood

Santa Feans to question the very definition of art. Although

light that illuminates a central pedestal showcasing this

China from the Queen of England. Rakowitz called

Feast has a few incredibly iconic works for which Santa Fe is

week’s loaf of bread—glorified upon a sumptuous red

this event Spoils and considered it an investigation into

lucky, the show is not a SITE original and is passing through

pillow. Considering that bread historically fed the poor

whether the meal was “spoiled” due to the incredibly

town from the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum.

and propelled them into the working class, Axle’s Royal

earnest choice of dinnerware. It was not a peace meal

Three works by local artists are only in Santa Fe and

Breadshow seems ironic, if not insensitive. This May, the

but rather an untimely cultural fusion of American deer

include a film series by Jason Silverman, two long wooden

collective will collaborate with local bakeries who will

and Iraqi dates (which symbolize good prospects). The

tables built by SITE’s chief preparator, David Merrill, and

bake mini porcelain sculptures into loaves of bread and

restaurant received a cease and desist letter from the Iraqi

Axle Contemporary’s installation The Royal Breadshow.

sell them at bakeries, the Farmers Market, and Axle

government, requesting back their cultural heritage—at

Meanwhile, SITE fastidiously prepares for its ambitious new

Contemporary. The community is asked to participate in

which point the plates were repatriated in a videotaped

biennial series (SITElines, opening in July), the marketing of

making the sculptures and can pick up clay at SITE. Each

exchange. The events of Spoils are documented at SITE.

which combined with the show’s foreign origin makes Feast

loaf will have “a crown with a special laudatory word

Where once painters used food as fodder for still

seem peripheral. However, Feast is the first survey of its

and writings about bread,” inspiration for which derives

lifes to invoke the certainty of decay, food is now being

kind about an undeniably reoccurring medium—food.

from traditional celebratory breads, often called king’s

publicly consumed for the sake of art but it still holds the

SPREAD, SITE’s main community outreach, is a benefit

cakes, in which the prize winner gains “certain rights and

inevitability of disappearing. Feast’s emphasis on “social

dinner that raises funds for local artists. SPREAD 4.0 (won

responsibilities.” Hierarchy is inherent in Axle’s project,

practice” can be a little uncomfortable and confusing but

by Axle Contemporary) mandated a food-related focus for

but the disconnect between making bread for the poor

the diverse works nevertheless raise questions of supply,

all proposals, the first themed SPREAD to date. A request

and making bread for a designated, though temporary

sustenance, community, hospitality, and cultural exchange.

inciting “social practice” seemed an odd choice considering

king, is offset by the group’s plan to donate sale proceeds

If eating in public prompts viewers to reconsider these

the benefit’s emphasis on soliciting local art but it very tactfully

to feed the hungry.

things, then call it brunch, call it diplomacy, or call it art.

paved the way for Feast. Using humans and their sustenance

Michael Rakowitz (a Jew of Iraqi decent) found on

as a medium does not fit into a traditional art practice but

eBay looted dinner plates once belonging to Saddam

given society’s commodity-based infrastructure, consuming

Hussein. In collaboration with Chef Kevin Lasko of Park

food seems not just ephemeral but primal.

Avenue in New York City, Rakowitz served venison with

—Hannah Hoel Julio César Morales, production still from Interrupted Passage, two channel video installation, 2008. Courtesy of the artist and Frey-Norris, San Francisco.

In the early 1970s, Bonnie Sherk highlighted her own animalism by posing mealtime as an alternative to hunting. Sherk staged a lunch at the San Francisco Zoo in a cage next to lions and tigers. The video documenting Public Lunch is at SITE, where visitors see Sherk sitting at a table, waiting to be fed. The juxtaposition of woman and lion is almost humorous as they publicly eat and lie down after their meal. Despite Sherk’s equation to an animal, she gets served—a luxury

that

signals

domestication

and

weakened animal instincts. Julio César Morales’s two-channel video installation, Interrupted Passage (2008), restages a feast in 1846 when Mexico surrendered to California. After being captured by American soldiers, the Mexican general Mariano Vallejo offered an all-day feast with his enemy rather than enter conflict. Morales’s video diptych juxtaposes footage of a sizable dead animal cooking in a pit with the refinement of an elegant dinner table, flatware, and servants. The visuals alone in Interrupted Passage reveal class disparity and a gap between survival and luxury. As relates to food, the story becomes a tale of culinary and cultural fusion.

APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 57

Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawaii Pictures

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum 217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe

T HIS EX HIB IT ION P ROV ES SO MET H I N G I ’V E LO N G SU SP EC T ED A B OU T Georgia O’Keeffe but have never had the evidence I felt I

happy to be there. One portrait, by photographer Harold

ran so deeply through French painting in the second half of

needed to proclaim from the mountaintops: O’Keeffe, an

Stein, shows her smiling and positively dewy.

the nineteenth century. When O’Keeffe discovered Dow’s

accomplished designer and colorist, was an inconsistent

On first glance, the pictures that O’Keeffe made in

teachings, her first instinct was to put away painting. She

painter at best; at times she was just plain bad. Her ability

1939 on a trip commissioned by The Hawaiian Pineapple

worked entirely in charcoal for two years, returning to paint

to conceptualize a landscape into compelling form was

Company—we know them today as Dole—don’t look

only when she felt she had learned how to design a contained,

stunning; no one could re-present the face of a flower the

terribly different than the works she had become famous

flat surface in a compelling manner. I would propose that had

way she did. However, in some cases, her painting technique

for. Abstracted flower pictures and landscapes such as

she devoted herself as completely to learning how to paint in

was downright dreadful, and this is one show where that

appear here are nothing new in O’Keeffe’s oeuvre. Perhaps

a way that served her modern vision—or even understood

regrettable issue looms large. Now, before you start typing

the Hawaii versions are a bit greener, but that’s also true

that she needed to do so—we would have an artist who

your outraged letter to the editor, allow me to elaborate on

for her Lake George works. Tangentially, I would argue that

could not be dismissed under any circumstances. For her,

what I saw.

green is not O’Keeffe’s best color. Take the waterfall series

though, paint remained a device, a tool to carry pigment into

Let’s get the basics out of the way first: The Hawaii

in Hawaii Pictures. A set of three paintings, the two waterfall

her compositions. She was not, as an artist friend said to me,

Pictures was the result of a fine collaborative effort by the

images on the viewer’s left look all too unfortunately like

interested in painting for painting’s sake.

O’Keeffe Museum with the Honolulu Museum of Art. The

heads of Romaine lettuce in saturated emerald hues.

Nowhere in this exhibition is this lack of skill as obvious

curators know their art history and have done a first-rate job

O’Keeffe learned from Arthur Wesley Dow how “to

as it is in the Black Lava Bridge, pictured here. O’Keeffe tried

of casting a new light on two artists who tend to be known

fill a space in a beautiful way.” He was, in turn, influenced

to master the movement of the ocean under the lava with

as imaginers of the mythical American Southwest. Adams

by the rich vein of Japanese compositional concepts that

amateurish, choppy brush strokes. The lava itself is barely

and O’Keeffe both were forced to

identifiable as such, its composition

see on a smaller scale, it seems,

suggesting, perhaps, an oddly black

when they were in Hawaii—

row of shark’s teeth. She captured the

which affected their art in varying

place in a photograph, and I can attest

degrees.

that there is nothing shark-like about

As a study in the works of

it. Normally, O’Keeffe could knock an

Ansel Adams, the exhibition is

abstracted landscape out of the park,

quite instructive; he had to take

but in this case, it looks as if she over-

a fresh tack away from his typical

painted and over-thought and went

photographs of rugged grandeur

back and painted some more. The

to detailed notes on the culture of

working sketch that hangs beside the

Hawaii before statehood. (Adams’

painting is much more lively, a skillfully

Hawaii photographs were made

dashed-off study. Other paintings in

on two separate commissioned

the exhibition bear witness to her

ventures in 1948 and 1957.)

failure as a painter, notably the White

Convinced that he would find

Lotus; the stamens are, frankly, ugly.

Hawaii too touristy, Adams initially

Their mishandled smudges of paint

resisted the commissions. Once

may look good reproduced as a

he got to the islands, he had to

greeting card—and most of O’Keeffe’s

adjust his modus operandi for

paintings make wonderful cards. That

their fog and haze, and the winds

they require the flatness of print to

that blew his tripod down. The

make them look good is telling.

results were rather journalistic

Georgia

O’Keeffe

was

expositions on the territory’s

consummate designer and had an

modernity, as his later patrons,

undeniable flair for color, but she

the Bishop Bank of Hawaii, would

simply was not a painter. When it

have

paintings

comes to viewing a painting by her,

O’Keeffe produced are equally

one would be well advised to step

enlightening but far less successful.

away from the canvas. Keep walking

required.

The

I think she relied on wide-open

and eventually it should look great.

space—psychological and physical

—Kathryn M Davis

space. Hawaii couldn’t give her what she needed as an artist. Which is not to say that she wasn’t

Georgia O’Keeffe, Black Lava Bridge—Hana Coast, No. 1, oil on canvas, 24” x 20”, 1939

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Heart of the City

516 Arts 516 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque

HEART OF THE CITY POSITS THE URBAN CORE AS A CENTRAL, VITAL ORGAN of the city as a whole. It takes the health and potential

(compare

highlighting

installed at 516 Arts as Flores Vecinos along with

growth and development of the city’s heart as inspiration

the slippage in identity formation that occurs at the

materials for gallery visitors to contribute to the

for creative projects to comment on, be critical of,

crossroads of cultures.

community-gathering activity.

Martínez

and

Marteenes),

and to imagine alternative realities for the downtown

Cycles of Expression, an installation of sculpture

A curious and colorful installation, Atrapado y

of Albuquerque. In the exhibition catalogue, executive

by Randall Wilson and students from the University of

Retorcido is a collaboration between Redline artist

director Suzanne Sbarge asks, “How can Downtown

New Mexico’s Advanced Sculpture class, is a series of

Amber Cobb and students of Amy Biehl High School.

revitalization bring our whole community together as

imaginative, sometimes nonsensical bicycles. The elusive

Colored latex-covered trinkets and urban detritus

active citizens interested in addressing the public good?”

functionality of these mysterious machines asks viewers

come together to create a Freudian psychiatric office

Following this line of inquiry into the city center,

to linger and analyze their viability, reflecting a concern

and seems to propose that psychoanalysis of the

516 Arts gathered a collection of professional artists and

for infrastructure, environmentally friendly modes of

downtown may probe underlying issues that create

youth apprentices to collaborate and initiate interactive

transportation, and healthy community habits.

challenges and obstacles in urban life.

creative projects. These projects materialized at 516

Several other installations shift focus from the

Taken in its entirety, Heart of the City is somewhat

Arts as a series of mini-installations, and elsewhere

physical environment to the communities that interact

overwhelming. With so many complex installations, many

in Albuquerque as murals and various ongoing public

with and within the city center. These projects shared

of which could stand on their own and be spoken about

programs throughout the length of the exhibition, which

reliance upon community participation to incite

at length, and with so many collaborating artist teams, the

closes in May. Each collaboration uses creativity to

dialogue and initiate inclusiveness to create their

exhibition is a lot to tackle in a single viewing. However,

experiment with alternatives and to pose interventions

works. ACE Barbershop owner and artist Gabriel

with so much activity, the gallery space is filled with a rich,

by applying the artists’ unique perspectives. Each group

Jaureguiberry installed a temporary barbershop at

eclectic energy and vibrancy. The exhibition asks what

of artists re-envisions urban space and asks viewers to

516 Arts, where he will be giving haircuts, mixed

impact art might have on the individual’s and community’s

contemplate how the visual forms of downtown inform

with music and art components, celebrating the local

quality of life, and the resulting installations affirm that art can

the identity of the communities inhabiting that space, and

barbershop as a venue for community interaction and

serve as a lens for discovering what can revitalize, nourish,

what elements are crucial for potential change. While it

public discourse.

and encourage collective ownership of the city’s source

is impossible to touch on each of these complex and

The Vecinos Artist Collective visited locations

nuanced installations, there are several that exemplify

throughout the city prior to the exhibition and invited

the program’s strengths.

locals to create simple paper flowers. Accessible and

Several projects deal specifically with architectural

aesthetically inviting objects, these flowers, generated

space and aesthetics. Constellations of the City is a

from visits to laundromats, parks, and offices, are

of lifeblood.

—Lauren Tresp

Zoe Patterson, Bicycle Plow, steel, bicycle parts, urethane plastic, 91” x 27” x 56”, 2013

project by the University of New Mexico International Collaborative Art Program in which the artists took of

long-exposure

L.E.D.-equipped

photographs drones

flying

through abandoned locations. The resulting images appear like painted light, suggestive of futuristic, nondestructive, and temporary graffiti. While the photographs are on view in the gallery, the locations play host to localized radio broadcasts that issue suggestions for alternate uses for the abandoned spaces. Rutas: Routing Roots is a series of works by lead artist Celia Alvarez Muñoz a

and

Working

Classroom,

collective

artists

with

commitment

serving

diverse

voices in the arts. Their installation involves

street

signs

from

the

historic, working class neighborhood Barelas, and features Spanish names alongside Anglicized mis-articulations

APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 59

The Blinding Light of History

University of New Mexico Art Museum 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

HISTORY IS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, A CONCEPT—AND CONCEPTS, WHILE useful, are cultural constructs that can be stumbling blocks to

steppes that play so large a role in the Russian imagination,

an area both forbidden and desired, where one may confront

direct perception. Because the Russian Revolution was on the

reminiscent of Dalí’s surreal spaces in which enigmas unfold.

one’s deepest fears and attain transcendent knowledge. The

right side of history, many intellectuals nurtured a lingering

He pedals toward a grey cloud mass at the top of the canvas,

Last Stop (2001) is a beautifully understated image of a tram

blind spot for Stalin’s gruesome crimes. The light of history

while to his right lie abandoned ruins.

in the distance beyond spindly winter tree silhouettes with

can indeed be blinding. The Blinding Light of History, a small

The other two artists in this show are of an earlier

the foreground dominated by a horizontal sweep of rain

but powerful selection of Russian drawings and paintings on

generation than Chef, but all three have ultimately left Russia

puddles in a grey shimmer of futility. Vassiliev’s photographic

display at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, spans

and may be seen as prodigal sons. They were trained under

realism is one of crisp details and blurred areas; whatever

the period from the1960s to as recently as two years ago.

the Soviet art system, experienced the contradictions and

is on the canvas or page (one is tempted to say screen) is

Exiting the elevator, one is confronted by an oil

dilemmas of surviving as artists in a tightly controlled cultural

exactly what he intends to show. Like Chef, though perhaps

painting of Rasputin, the self-styled healer who went from

environment, and later stepped out into a global art world

with less postmodern irony, Vassiliev juggles icons and re-

impoverished peasant to intimate of the Empress, and who,

to meet its quite different yet equally demanding conditions.

releases them into a new context. His colored-pencil-on-

along with the Tsarist regime, met his demise in 1917. The

Chef’s work as a book illustrator is reflected in a number

paper work, Kruschev’s House, is like a Soviet AdBusters

arresting image captures a roughness and intensity belonging

of small paintings on panel from the mid-1990s. In Political

juxtaposition unfolding the massive falsehoods posing as

not only to the figure of Rasputin, but also to the convulsive

Clock, Hitler and Stalin flank a clock topped by a dollar sign

representation. Kruschev strides with his hat raised jauntily;

history of Russia in the twentieth century. The work is by

and swinging a pendulum; the whole thing combines a creepy

behind him, in a bleak landscape of massive housing projects,

Genia Chef, who was born in 1954. His father, Vladimir

Marquis de Sade meets Edgar Allan Poe flavor with the

a shadowy figure hurries away.

Scheffer, was a photojournalist sent into exile in Kazakhstan by

succinctness of fine political satire. Exotic Species juxtaposes

Ilya Kabakov, born in 1933 to a Jewish Ukrainian family,

Stalin in the1930s and returned under Kruschev’s ambivalent

monstrous orchids with a Soviet officer in full dress uniform

also grew up in political exile, in Samarkhand. Perhaps it is hard

political thaw. Thus Yevgeny (Genia) was able to study in

lurking behind a boulder. The influence of Dali shows as well

for us now to grasp the utter alienation of a cultural worker

Moscow. He moved to Germany in 1985. In Chef’s large

in other fanciful ink-and-collage pieces, such as the Aquiline

being forced to move to a remote region, in an era before

oil painting, Prodigal Son, a clerk bicycles away from a female

Claw Project.

today’s transportation and telecommunications. Kabakov was

nude voluptuously posed in art-historical drapery, upwards in

Oleg Vassiliev was born in 1931 in Moscow. He left

able to attend art school in Moscow after World War II and

the vastness of … what? An empty yellow field, perhaps the

Russia in 1990, at the age of almost sixty, eventually settling to

entered the mainstream. He soon migrated toward those

work in the United States until

trying to find alternatives ways to create artwork outside of

his death last year. During the

the official system and circumvent restrictions imposed by the

’60s through the ’80s he was

Soviet Art Unions, which he nevertheless had to join in order

a leading participant in Non-

to make a living as a children’s book illustrator. A founder,

Conformist art movements,

along with Vassiliev, of the Non-Conformist movement and

developing his own style

a leader in the Moscow Conceptualist movement (which

while filtering his artistic

includes artists now well-known in the West, such as Komar

influences,

Post-

and Melamid), Kabakov left the USSR in the 1980s, when he

Impressionism and nineteenth

was in his fifties. Since then, his installations and book projects

century Realism, the Russian

are co-authored by Ilya and his wife, Emilia. As a conceptual

Avante-Garde of the early

artist, he has also created several fictitious artist personas. His

twentieth century, and 1950s

large canvas Before the Exam (2002), a blow-up of a snapshot

Russian formalism. His fine

of a group of smiling young people in sunlight, is literally de-

draftsmanship is evidenced

faced with an arbitrary large black circle and white zigzags

in his drawings, which speak

superimposed on the innocuous image. Who are these

as eloquently of hope and

hopeful youngsters? Reminiscent of Baldessari’s manipulations

utopian

Russian

of images to emphasize the ridiculous arbitrariness of our

abysmal despair, but brilliantly

representations, Kabakov’s painting alludes to the painful

privilege the individual. Many

deceptions of power: how real persons were blotted

of the drawings are portraits,

out, not through arch clowning, but by malevolent intent.

but

does

Art has been crucial in Russia’s modern life, both in the open

landscapes of abandonment

and underground, providing valuable viewpoints on a seventy-

and dread. The Zone (1992)

five year experiment in forging a new society out of one that

stuns the viewer with the

had lingered in near feudalism until the nineteenth century.

aspirations

Vassiliev

also

brutal light of surveillance.

This show gives a fine glimpse and is not to be missed.

The title is a reference to

—Marina La Palma

the gulags, but also of a film by the great Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky portraying

Genia Chef, Prodigal Son, oil on canvas, 108” x 80 ¼”, 2011

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Contemporary Masters

Zane Bennett Gallery 435 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe

AN ARTIST FRIEND RECENTLY POSTED ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE: “JUST BECAUSE you’re not famous doesn’t mean your art’s not good.” Since

Kooning and Pollock especially set the benchmark for the term

Stella’s large, collaged prints, which have a more robust

reading that I’ve been thinking about art and fame. In recent

by respectively distilling a reductive apotheosis of western

thing-ness than some of the other flatter works on paper.

years, the market has exploded to unprecedented highs. The

aesthetic painting, and breaking the wall between that tradition

There is also a series of moody interiors by James Drake,

money in play is driving demand for innovative contemporary

and pure conceptualism “wide open.” Alongside the other

and some small pieces by Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg,

work, as well as for the “blue chip” masterpieces of bygone

fine things that this next wave accomplished, their most lasting

and Robert Motherwell, which all stand out.

Modernist heroes. Both lend themselves to the same fuzzy

impact on contemporary art may have been to shift its motives

But, if you still like art that isn’t quite so caught up in

rubric of fame-based market valuation: The work itself

from quests for transcendent aesthetics or critical meaning, to

the hunger for celebrity buzz and market success—that isn’t

may or may not be good, but the scope of the reputations

the pursuit of stylistic innovations that are—let’s be brutally

embarrassed by a more soulful kind of questing—there’s a

(whether proven past ones or promising new ones) helps

honest—mainly designed to make their authors famous. In that

show across the street that merits a look. David Richard

create the perception of investment value that justifies the

sense at least, they are the founding fathers of the fashion- and

Gallery has put on a survey of some of the best of our elder

astronomical prices realized daily on the trading floors of

celebrity-obsessed market we live with today.

local masters. These are contemporaries of the luminaries at

Given the variety of artists represented in the Zane

Zane Bennett who migrated away from the urban art world

This puts artists in a tough spot. Confronted by

Bennett show, the curating feels somewhat scattershot, but

around the same time that the superstars were building

market indifference to the subtler accomplishments they

there are some strong pieces there. I was struck by Frank

their reputations in its center. The main room features

our auction houses, art fairs and galleries.

strived for through long, searching

large-scale formalist abstractions by

careers, older artists are either re-

the late Taos painter Oli Sihvonen.

tooling their styles to appear novel,

It’s surrounded by a group show

or else succumbing to a sort of

of expressive abstractionists who

existential deflation. The younger

came here from San Francisco,

ones, free of such pained internal

Chicago, New York, and elsewhere.

angst, seem comfortable with a

These include Lilly Fenichel, Eugene

blatantly

Newman, Phyllis Ideal, and Paul

calculating

careerism.

Like contestants on the reality TV

Pascarella, among many others.

show Project Runway, their creative

The David Richard exhibition

compasses are fixed on the surest

is a real painter’s show. As such, it’s

pathway to market success. This

carrying a bigger gun than the print

requires skill and wiliness, but one

work across the street. Even so,

wonders how much actual art is

we know the paintings and prints

involved. Fame and quality are not

of the Zane Bennett artists well

mutually exclusive, but neither does

enough by now that it still feels like

one follow the other as dependably

an illuminating comparison in the

as may once have been the case.

broader philosophical context of art

Two shows in Santa Fe this

versus market. The crucial difference

three-way

between the two exhibitions is

action between art, celebrity, and

that one contains minor works

the

month

highlight

this

Bennett

by major (or more successfully

Gallery’s Contemporary Masters is

commoditized) artists, while the

a smorgasbord of prints (primarily

other offers major works by artists

lithographs) by a group of mostly late

who are comparatively minor. I hope

twentieth-century

The

both the painters and proprietors

pantheon includes Robert Motherwell,

at David Richard will forgive my

Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly,

use of those qualifiers, because in

Jasper Johns, Jim Dine, Sam Francis,

this context it refers only to fame.

Frank Stella, and other notables.

For my money, theirs is a more

Despite that many of them are still

genuinely masterful kind of art than

alive, this is a generation of painters

was made by some of their most

marketplace.

Zane

superstars.

whose most iconic works were made

celebrated contemporaries.

between the 1960s and ’80s—so

—Christopher Benson

they’re not exactly contemporary. Neither are they quite so masterful as their immediate predecessors. De APRIL

2014

James Drake, Salon of Eternal Souls lithograph, 53” x 43”, 1996

THE magazine | 61

Susan Christie and Deborah Klezmer

Rio Bravo Fine Art 110 North Broadway, Truth or Consequences

THE PLAY OF LIGHT ON WATER REPRESENTS THE MEETING OF TWO INVISIBLE elemental entities. Science, time and again, uses the

If high is your style, stay perhaps at the lovely Sierra

but also between the artist and her materials, is the key.

movements of the most essential of liquids as a metaphor for

Grande Lodge and Spa (www.sierragrandelodge.com) built

Finding the space where the inks, paints, papers, words,

light, while the brilliant, elusive beauty of H2O’s transparent,

in 1929, listed on the national historic register, and fully

or whatever can do what they want while also somehow

formless reflectivity is best grasped through means of

restored in 2006. Recently purchased by Ted Turner, the

doing what you want them to do is the meditation.

illumination. Water captures and holds light (and heat) in ways

place is steeped in blissful peace and tranquility with large

Christie’s black-and-white light on water running down

that no other substance on earth does. Water is the main

indoor, outdoor, and in-room pools of sumptuous steam

rocks pieces, made through aleatoric procedures similar to

vehicle for our bodies. Fully fluid from birth to death, we

and sparkle. The staff is attentive and the architecture

those employed by Santa Fe–based artist Zachariah Rieke

deny our lack of solidity every bit as much as we pretend that

ennobles. The hotel brochure states synchronistically that

succeed. Cascade is especially brilliant at balancing abstract

we are rational rather than emotional creatures. Associated

the ancient ones of the region referred to the springs as

mark making with suggestive landscape depiction, a là

naturally with the conjoined psychic seas of creativity,

the “place of truth” long before the early fifties media stunt

Chinese ink painting traditions while producing a stunning

procreativity, sexuality, and madness, water is the birthplace

when Hot Springs reclaimed and renamed itself after the

work of contemporary art. But her most recent works on

of the goddess of love, just as our mother’s inland ocean of

game show (pre-Bob Barker) in exchange for hosting a

paper in the Pentimento series demonstrate a new freedom

embryonic fluid is for mere mortals. Water is our ontology

program broadcast. Truth is in the water.

and confidence. They harmonize elegantly with Klezmer’s

and our destiny, evolutionarily, empirically, and metaphysically.

Truth for Susan Christie is liquid, too, in a good way.

liquid-lace glass bowls. These colorful abstractions can

Who and what we are, how we live, where we come from,

Her career retrospective at the bedrock gallery of T or

also be read as bright zips of sunlight spinning atop a deep

where we’re going, how we’ll get there, and how we’ll feel,

C, Rio Bravo Fine Art (originally artist-founded by Joe

horizonless watery surface.

well over two-thirds of the answer is almost always water.

Waldrum and generously kept afloat after his death by

The morning sun flashes ten million times atop each

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, located

Eduardo Alicea who inherited and directs the gallery),

ever-so-slightly reverberating rise of clear water. Ten

between the Elephant Butte Lake recreation area and the

flows seamlessly into her recent collaborative dialogue with

million suns slip into a white-hot dance of instant, erratic

still-getting-off-the-ground

recently

glass artist Deborah Klezmer. The two artists’ works share

liquidity upon contact with the warm, transparent surface.

received a new grant from the state, is heating up as the

surprising organic qualities of color, form, reflection, and

Smoothly, swiftly enter their current. Swoop, turn, spiral,

premier gotta-get-there destination in the region, if not (yet)

construction, and their exhibition together is enlightening.

and disappear into that vast inner part of yourself. Sink

the world, for geothermal hydrotherapy. In other words, if

Christie’s artistic career involves a decades-long obsession

your soul into the liquid center of the planet and empty

maxing the relaxing of your hot springs satisfaction is the

with Asian brush painting pursued with numerous Japanese

out your head among the stars. These slippery, white-hot,

goal (tape it to your mirror) you got no excuses. Naturally

and

undulating highlights on the glass surface of the water are

Spaceport,

having

your open invitation; an invitation people have accepted

superhot, boasting an incredible range of soothing and

Chinese teachers here in the United States, and

beneficial minerals, having no vile sulphuric odor, and having

ultimately in China, too. The best work in the show comes

since humankind began to flow.

been used for ceremonial chillaxation continuously by

out of her incorporation of the knowledge of this tradition.

—Jon Carver

natives of the continent for millennia, these springs are as

All painting involves the skillful control of liquidity, though

therapeutically redemptive as a journey to the underworld

as anyone who has painted for a time knows, control is the

and back, minus the stress.

wrong word here. Collaboration not only between artists,

Deborah Klezmer, Morning Coffee by the River, glass, 15” x 3”, 2013 Susan Christie, Pentimento V, Chinese ink and gouache on Japanese paper,

CRITICAL REFLECTION

M. Oliver: The Water Drawings

Encore Gallery at the Taos Center for the Arts 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos

THERE IS A KIND OF ABSTRACTION THAT WOULD SEEM TO HAVE ALL BUT disappeared from the landscape of contemporary painting.

Giverny over and over in the last years of his life.

The lilting, lyrical, gestural approach that Arshile Gorky

All but one of Oliver’s paintings are predominantly black,

perfected to a fine pitch via Surrealism, or the more jittery

gray, and white, but within these self-imposed limitations the

variation Cy Twombly arrived at through AbEx, seems not to

artist is able to wrest a fair amount of variation. Some, like

engage younger painters much. But Marcia Oliver’s recent

Earth and Rain, incorporate collage elements (bits of magazine

show at the Taos Center for the Arts demonstrated that, in

pages and other paper, scarcely recognizable as such) that

the right hands, spontaneous abstraction in a haunting ghostly

lend the works a hint of color and sheen. The most ebullient

key could be just as up-to-the-minute as any canvas from the

of the six, Estuary, includes hot pink and orange tones, along

new kids on the Bushwick block in New York.

with sienna and brick accents. All have a sort of spontaneous,

Each of the sixty-inch-square paintings in this show were

loose-wristed feel that might remind some viewers of the

divided into a nine-square grid. Called The Water Drawings,

early works of Helen Frankenthaler, those paintings from

the six works are realized in washy colors, from ivory to

the 1950s in thinned-out oil colors that left amorphous and

palest peach to silvery tones. On top of this scaffolding, Oliver

suggestive “halos” on the canvas.

deploys her vocabulary of squiggles and indeterminate shapes

The Encore show also included a couple of drawings

that seem just on the verge of morphing into plant or animal

and eight small- and medium-sized works made from ink and

life. The works are realized in different mediums like ink,

pencil on frosted glass. Because of their modest proportions,

transparent watercolor, and iridescent water-based paints,

these were no match for the big canvases, but they did have

and though the gestures might be connected with the act of

a certain quirky charm, suggesting squirmy marine life and

mark making and drawing, these are emphatically paintings.

aquatic plants.

Some call to mind the luminous depths of, say, Monet’s Water

In just the past few years, Oliver has moved away from

Lilies series but taken to even more abstract extremes: Oliver

a vocabulary of shapes, often tightly and precisely articulated,

similarly suggests the fascination with water—its movement,

that clearly pointed to real-world equivalents (tabletops, fish,

its mysterious depths, the sparkle that can play across the

fruit, and other still life components). Her drawings have

surface—that kept Monet heading back to his ponds in

become gradually more suggestive and less literal-minded,

and these latest works are her strongest to date, both elusive and allusive. They seduce in the best possible way, by inviting instead of telling.

—Ann Landi Marcia Oliver, Estuary, mixed media on canvas, 60” x 60”, 2013

Giving Voice to Image

ViVO Contemporary 725 Canyon Road, Santa Fe

ONCE A YEAR, VIVO CONTEMPORARY FORGES COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN local artists and poets in a mixed-media

and sections.” The poet uses metaphor to

stacked pages that are folded, the piece creates

exhibition, Giving Voice to Image. In its second

create connections between the work and the

shadows that jump from the wall and form an

year, this show is an amalgamation of assemblage,

surroundings of her studio: "the sky was milky,

aesthetically mesmerizing work. Darryl Williams

painting, and collage paired with handwritten

clouds rolled up old adobes to the base of

points out the ephemeral nature of knowledge.

text and reactive performances from the poets.

mountain, infused in sky.” The narrative device

Writing about Stacked Columns, Williams writes

During the two different receptions, poets stood

of poetry ultimately brings the viewer closer to

in his poem "Old Books": “folded again and again

next to pieces by artists they were inspired by

the work, to a more intimate understanding of

until words disappear and letters turn to lacy

and read their evocative words in response to

the artist, while giving the work a sense of place.

ribbons hiding the work of poets and professors

While these pieces give deeper insight

who had filled glacier-white pages with thoughts

The poems’ contents ranged from

into the work and life of the artists, some

and ideas they hoped would last forever.”

a narrative of the process of art to literal

works inversely speak to the poets and their

This poem is a bold critique of art in general—it

translations of the visual experience into

relationship with text—the physicality of poetry

speaks to time’s influence on art, the importance

text. The former speaks more directly to the

and a fascination with the objects of prose.

of artistic humility, and represents the essential

intention of the show as an emergent dialogue

The work by Patricia Pearce is fascinating—

theme of the show—that the direct experience

between artist and poet. Examine the work of

an enlightening commentary on the enduring

of art is the means to create dialogue and

Ann Laser, an assemblage artist working in the

power of books. Miriam Sagan illustrates the

criticism. The exhibition as a whole asks us to

medium of used tea bags. Her Peaceful Portal

poet’s curiosity when confronted with a closed

acknowledge that we create and dream not for

exposes a visual narrative of time, meditation,

book: “What is in the sealed book? Pages

the future, not as a means to egotistically endure

and tranquil moments of studio time. It can

embalmed in wax: question or obsession, Taken

past our time here, but for the moment, for the

be looked at as minimal, abstract, and visually

from the vanishing lending library.” Sagan’s text

creative spark that drives and captivates, and

stunning, or as a process piece by seeing the

evokes a sense of mysterious taboo and the

finally, for the sincere direct experience of art.

nuances in the multitude of individual tea bags.

archetypal provocateur contemplating how to

—Drew Lenihan

In her poem "Steeped," Lauren Camp speaks to

unleash it.

the works.

APRIL

2014

the artist’s literary process: “Drained of spices

Joy Campbell’s Stacked Columns is one of

and leaves, they flatten to margins, dimensions

the most interesting works in the show. Made of

Joy Campbell, Stacked Columns, altered books, 20” x 10”, 2013

THE magazine | 63

F L A S H B A C K : WA LT E R C H A P P E L L , 1 9 9 3

APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 65

ANNUAL GUIDE for

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–Marie Wilkinson

APRIL

2014

THE magazine | 67

Split Second in the Real World 100 New Works on Paper by John Andolsek

April 25 - May 9

Opening reception: Friday April 25, from 5 to 8pm

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Early Spring photograph by APRIL

2014

Guy Cross THE magazine | 69

WRITINGS

L I S T E N I N G by

Timothy P. McLaughlin

I’m not entirely sure what occurs during the deepest sleeps but, upon waking, there’s often a hunger humming and a child running and a fervent beating, like fly wings, within my breast. And beneath all that buzz and bustle wanting to leap forth, there’s a stillness so complete that I actually do not move at all. Like soaking once more in the womb waters, my body desires only to listen and so to know what might truly be speaking behind the usual voices. In that pure listening, the few stark words can finally catch flame in my heart and wind up through my throat like a honey rising to warm the tongue. In those depths, even the unruly flies do not dare stir— everything stands at attention— ready for me to turn this swinging breath into sound, to burn the dead air with a song— nectar streaming and seeding the spaces gone dry. Timothy P. McLaughlin received a Writing Residency Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation in 2011. His writing has appeared in numerous publications including The Declaration, Radical Grace, The Santa Fe New Mexican, and The Malpais Review. He founded the Spoken Word Program at the Santa Fe Indian School. He and his students received numerous awards and were featured in many media publications and programs, among them The New York Times and the PBS News Hour.

70 | THE magazine

APRIL

2014

Spring Thaw Group Show

Jamie Hamilton David Hoptman

Carl Moore

Leah Siegel

March 28 - April 26

c h i a r o s c u r o 702 1/2

708 CANYON RD

GYPSY ALLEY, SANTA FE, NM

www.chiaroscurosantafe.com

505-992-0711