Archive for the ‘Local Events’ Category



This Week on Santa Fe’s Creative Scene, October 1, 2010

Posted Friday October 1 2010 by in Art, Local Events
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The aspens are changing, the days’ temps swinging in wide arcs from cool to hot.  And the light, the fabulous Santa Fe light, is in its soft, pellucid glory. I love Fall.  It may be the twilight of the year’s cycle, but it feels like a Spring of possibilities.

Is it my perennial optimism or is there a new vigor on the emerging/indie arts scene? Answer the question by checking out some of the offerings around town this weekend.

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Tonight, Friday October 1st, between 6-8 PM, head over to Backroad Pizza South for Mark Frossard‘s “casual, unofficial pizza party [art] opening.” Have a little pizza and beer with the easy-going, yet sharply attuned artist who shares his insightful observations of human nature in brightly colored southwestern tableau. Backroad Pizza South is located on Highway 14, just past Santa Fe Brewing Co. on Bisbee Court.

Also on Friday, from 5-7:30 at At MOV-IN Gallery on the campus of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD), see the video/sound installation Jacqui Kuraj – “IN THE YEAR OF BLAME” – THE BODY AS SACRIFICIAL LANDSCAPE. Read an interview with Kuraj on the End of Being website

Classical/Spanish musician Mike Tait Tafoya writes, “my good friend Tommy Vigil is having an art show tonight at Counter Culture (on Baca St.) from 6-9pm. Acrylic Paintings and photos Dia de los Muertos style! If you like skulls and stuff like that, you’ll really dig his art!”

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On Saturday, October 2, Axle Contemporary will park its Van Gallery at Española’s 9th Annual Spañapalooza, a concert and skating competition held in Valdez Park.

Saturday night, let a lineup of musical masters stretch your auditory dimensions at the Second Installment in the Fall Series at High Mayhem Emerging Arts Studio

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On Sunday, October 3rd, at 8 PM,  head downtown to Corazon, 401 S. Guadalupe St, and shake the kinks out of your week to the tunes of Ty Segall and Ghost Circles, presented by The Process. Spin Magazine says, “Warped sonics do nothing to diminish the impact of his vigorously nostalgic riff and stomp. Segall thunders along with the timeless, impudently rowdy energy of a cement basement dance-off.”

The Care & Feeding of Santa Fe’s Creative Class

the Reciprocal Value of Supporting the Local Alt/Indie Creative Scene
Posted Friday September 24 2010 by in Art, Art Galleries, Local Events
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Places that succeed in attracting and retaining creative class people prosper; those that fail don’t. –Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class

A thriving music and nightlife scene is critical to attracting and retaining the young, brilliant, awesome people that Santa Fe needs. –After Hours Alliance

Musical Expression, Josh Gallegos

Last Wednesday, Joshua and I sat in on a meeting of the After Hours Alliance (AHA), a volunteer consortium of local music and art promoters dedicated to supporting and sustaining a vibrant, dimensional night scene for the younger set in Santa Fe. Even if you’re neither young, nor interested in the city’s nightlife, here are a few things you should know about the group. AHA supports all-ages access to night time events.  It is dedicated to promoting responsible alcohol consumption at the events it sponsors and has concrete ideas as to how to make this happen (read more on this topic at Activate or Deteriorate).

Its backbone support players are hardworking, resourceful actioneers: people like Shannon Murphy, Dan Werwath, and the folks behind High Mayhem, Meow Wolf, Little Wing, Team Everything and The Process, among others.  All are people who consistently make art and music events happen with or without time, money or a dedicated home.

This weekend, help make Santa Fe a friendly incubator of creative young talent by going where you’ve never gone before: get off the Canyon Road/Santa Fe Plaza art circuit and check out a new venue.  See the list below for alt/indie art and music options worth investigating. Good for you; good for them; good for the city.

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This Friday evening, from 4-7 PM, head over to the Railyard Arts District for a double axle delight from Axle Contemporary. If you haven’t seen this marvelously creative mobile gallery, make the detour. Axle Contemporary (the shiny, tricked-out van) will showcase ongoing exhibit, Transmissions.  Axle Annex will be featuring  Sun, Flower, Seed a vehicular installation by Matthew Chase-Daniel.  Transmissions will continue to roll its way around Santa Fe through October 14th, but you have just three days to see Sun, Flower Seed.

Axle Art's Gallery on Wheels

Also on Friday the 24th, from 6-9 PM, for ONE night only, view Conglomerate Perception, at popup gallery, Symphonic Soul, located at 1012 Marquez Place, Unit #108B in Santa Fe (next to Valdez Glass.)  Show features the work of emerging and independent artists Josh Gallegos, Cotton Miller, Mike Rohner, David Hyams, Anne Kelly, Carolyn Wright and Michael Webb. Swing by for food, music and a chance to meet and mingle with artists.

Wish Santa Fe had a better music scene? Then show your support for still young performance and educational space, Little Wing, with a weekend lineup that spans a variety of tastes.

Tomorrow night, check out THE NEXT REVOLUTION Hip Hop Art/Music show presented by TNR Crew with Casuno, DJ Meshak, Galley Cat, DJ Shakedown, Perish and more TBA :::6:30-9pm :::cost TBA

And on Sunday the 26th, don’t miss Pillars & Tongues, Aaron Martin, Secret Spells presented by Red Cell’s, The Process :::8pm $5

Little Wing is located next to the CandyMan, at 851 St. Michael’s Drive. 505.983.5906.

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If your musical taste runs avant garde, don’t miss Saturday’s full banquet concert at High Mayhem, 2811 Siler Lane, 505.501.3333  Get an advance-rundown on the show at The Santa Fe Reporter

** Congratulations to Axle Contemporary for today’s write up in the culture section of the New York Times.  “We’re blending the high and the low, the exclusive and the democratic, and taking those boundaries and crossing them,” says Axle’s co-founder Matthew Chase-Daniel of the old Hostess delivery truck — refashioned with track lighting, plastered walls and skylights — that serves as his gallery. Read the full article at Let It Roll: Santa Fe’s Art A Go-Go

I loved hearing the NYT refer to Santa Fe’s art scene as “robust,” referencing last year’s piece, The Art of Being Santa Fe.  There are certainly many working to make the Santa Fe art world ever more broad and vigorous.

This Week on Santa Fe’s Creative Scene, August 20th

Posted Thursday August 19 2010 by in Art, Local Events
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“I make things to find out what the ideas in my head look like in the physical world.” –David McPherson

Friday and Saturday night, from 5-9 PM, stop by 1800 Hopewell Street, at the corner of Hopewell and 2nd, to lay your eyes on the AV installation event Reflection Contraption: the brainchild of Meow Wolf member, David McPherson. If you don’t know the unique and scrappy genius of the Meow Wolf Creative Collective, you’re missing some of the freshest, most playful art in action.  Poke around their Facebook page and website for a foretaste of the group’s inventive imagination.

“It’s kind of a vintage garage sale where a bomb went off.” (from the Bobby Levin video documentary on Geodecadent)

Bobby Levin (Bobby XI) documents the elements and ideas of last year’s installation, Geodecadent, in a video worth viewing, but it’s a bit like seeing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in still photos with voiceover.  Nothing can do justice to the experience of visiting a Meow Wolf piece itself.

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RSVP for the David Solomon’s Works on Paper Show, or just show up on Friday, from 5-8 PM, at the Jay Etkin Gallery, located in the Artyard behind Warehouse 21: 703 Camino de la Familia, #3103. The installation featured on his Facebook page had nice rhythm. Get a feel for David’s style on his website.

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Sam Haozous will be displaying his photographic work at the Open House Meet & Greet at Standing Buffalo Indian Art Gallery & Gifts on 1422 Second Street. Sam’s a down-to-earth genial guy from a renowned art family. We liked his work at the “Generations” exhibition held downtown at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center back in January of 2009 and look forward to seeing more.

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From 7-8 PM on Friday, head over to Little Wing at the Candyman Strings and Things, 851 St. Michael’s, for Invitational Exhibition Opening to see the work of some of Santa Fe’s finest emerging artists as selected by the SITE Santa Fe Young Curators. Artists include Jesse Salazar, Megan Toon, Kassie Marshall, Olivia Bonfiglio and Spencer Byrne-Seres.

Activate or Deteriorate: Avoiding ‘Spectrum Syndrome’ in Santa Fe

Posted Tuesday August 17 2010 by in Cultural & Community Events, Local Events, Santa Fe Downtown
1 comment

Activationism Indoors is practiced at the New Central Nightclub in Provincetown, 1948

About six weeks ago, I found myself in a time trough between appointments, looking for shade and coffee in a part of town not known for its cafes. I stumbled upon Spectrum which won me over with its excellent coffee and commitment to community.  While doing a final fact check last week prior to giving them a plug in my blog, I called their number. Disconnected. Like some crazed EMT-wannabe doing CPR on a cold corpse, I redialed four times. Finally, I called neighboring Pizzeria Espiritu and learned from the friendly voice on the line that, in fact, the cafe had closed the day before.

I shouldn’t have been shocked.  When we spoke to Shalene Dailey, who co-owned Spectrum with her husband Nathan, we detected the ozone of exhaustion, centered on the challenge of finding professionally-minded staff.  But what heartened me was to hear Shalene frame this challenge as a big picture service to community.  She wanted her employees to learn life skills they could later apply to their own passions and to model the same for her own kids. She wanted the cafe to serve as a locus of community.

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Last week, at the urging of Red Cell, we met with Dan Werwath and Shannon Murphy who were collecting info for the next MIX Santa Fe from locals-in-the-know about Santa Fe nightlife. I’m hardly one to tap on that subject, but Changing Gallery–our endeavor to support emerging and independent artists–has made occasional contributions to the downtown night scene. So we talked about common ambitions and perennial problems. If you haven’t heard, MIX Santa Fe “is a public/private collaboration that [uses] creative micro-stimulus initiatives, job resources and regular networking to [attract] new ideas, business growth and energy to Santa Fe.” That’s the short version. Visit the Mix website for the full bio on this local effort to make Santa Fe a better, more economically-friendly home for the city’s young professionals. MIX even caught the camera-eye of CNN.

Every month, MIX poses a question with a prize for the winner. May’s “Mix Pays Revenge of a Question” was, “What, besides money, do you need to launch an entrepreneurial idea or business?”  The responses pointed up both the sandpits and fairways of launching new venture, including a rant about how the city is controlled by a small cabal of status quo players with longstanding ties (here termed a “gerontocracy.”) Positive suggestions included assembling a group of taste makers to vet and bless new ventures, and providing a gathering place for entrepreneurial folk to share ideas.

Member of an old Boston Family... expresses Activationist Joy

Whatever it doesn’t have, Santa Fe has no lack of talent.  The challenge is how to interlock that talent to make it go further.  I was going to propose that the wished for groups of tastemakers and entrepreneurs make Spectrum their meeting place, and that Spectrum tap the pool of young professionals for ideas and action to create a full scale entrepreneurial “factory,” but Spectrum didn’t make it.

So what HAVE we got? Changing Gallery uses on-market real estate to showcase the work of emerging and independent artists.  Sure, I’d love a large warehouse with walls into which Jennifer Joseph could hammer her gorgeous installations, where a day cafe could make way for a nighttime performance space for indie musicians.  But what I have are listings and artwork–both of which need to be seen in order to be sold. Through intersecting needs, everyone wins.

Last month’s Mix Pays winner was Rob DeWalt, who suggested “extending the Santa Fe Trails bus service to 3 a.m. on limited routes on the weekends for a 3-month trial period…. “In order for it to work, though, people will have to put their money where their mouth is and actually use this new public transportation option during the trial period.” (italics mine) “We’d like to try to put Rob’s idea in motion but we need your feedback…,” said Mix. “What would it take to get you and your friends to ride it? What routes would be most important? Leave it in the comments or show up at the next MIX event (every third Thursday) to tell us in person.”

As of this writing, there wasn’t a comment in the box.  This is what I’m calling “The Spectrum Syndrome”: the passive belief that somebody will give feedback; somebody will set up the program; that if it’s a good idea, it’ll happen. I know I’m guilty of this; Spectrum’s my witness. Are you?  Here’s hoping that those whom the talented creatives behind Mix are seeking to serve will offer what they can easily spare–opinions and support for a good idea–lest the fine potential that is Santa Fe Mix become just another case of Spectrum Syndrome.

**Answer August’s $200 MixPays Survey on the issue of public transportation in Santa Fe and earn a ticket toward a free drink and a chance to win $200 if your answer smokes the competition.

Party on the Plaza: Southwest Roots Music at the Santa Fe Bandstand

Posted Sunday August 1 2010 by in Cultural & Community Events
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Here’s something I love about my business.

In the course of checking out a house for a client, our paths intersected with Mike Koster, a Director of Southwest Roots Music (SWRM) and the founder and sustaining force behind the Thirsty Ear Festival. Most of us know them as the folks who’ve brought New Mexico the likes of Dr. John, Bo Diddley, Taj Mahal, The Wailers, and Odetta. But Southwest Roots Music is more than just a concert promoter. It’s a nonprofit 501c3 organization “dedicated to increasing awareness of New Mexico as a center for music, to promoting traditional music through educational programs and live performances by local and internationally renowned artists, and to helping strengthen New Mexico’s arts economy.” Click the links to read more on these worthy folks who add dimension to our musical scene.

Tomorrow night, August 3rd, I’m heading downtown for Southwest Roots Music night, featuring Boris and The Saltlicks followed by Po’ Girl.  Mike thought I might like Po’ Girl since I am a fan of Canadian Folk Duo The Be Good Tanyas. We’ll grab a loaf of Clafouti bread, some cheese and salad and make it an evening picnic.

Two years ago, I viewed the Santa Fe Bandstand as a hokey reminder that Santa Fe is, indeed, a small town.  But the city responded to complaints about quality and upped the caliber of featured acts. Right about then was the first year Southwest Roots Music got involved, along with the admirable not-for-profit Outside In Productions (Take a moment; click the link, and READ about their powerful mission.) The changes were so successful, 2010 readers of the Santa Fe Reporter awarded the Plaza Best Outdoor Public Space and the Bandstand concerts Best Community Event or Festival. No polls are perfect, but  Best of Santa Fe 2010 offers a pretty good insight into the tastes of Santa Fe denizens. Scan the calendar for upcoming events and take advantage of just one more offering that makes the City Different a remarkable place to call home.

As for Southwest Roots Music, they’re taking a couple of months off–for the first time in eleven years, but count on Mike to be back in the saddle by winter, bringing us fresh encounters with traditional music.

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For honest, fly-on-the-wall insight on the Santa Fe Art Scene, read Patricia Sauthoff’s piece, Seen in Santa Fe’s Scene: A Critical Look posted on the End of Being’s website.

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Mike Rohner wrote in to let us know he’d have a booth (#121) at the Girls Inc. Arts and Crafts Show on the plaza this weekend with new work.  Mike will be sharing space “with the talented brothers Gino and Viento Natchez” whose work can be seen at Four Winds Gallery. Swing by and support independent and emerging talents.

This week on Santa Fe’s Creative Scene

Posted Friday July 30 2010 by in Art, Local Events
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On some nights, creative options spew like a leaking dike in Santa Fe.  However determined, I can’t catch them all.  Friday, July 30th is such a night.  One friend has an art opening  Another is playing music.  Meow Wolf is having a dance party. And then there’s the SushiNMTweetup.

Start your evening at Victoria Price Art & Design, 1512 Pacheco Street.  The Opening Reception for Alexandra EldridgeInvite for We Are Here So Lightly‘s Multi-media exhibition “We are Here So Lightly” kicks off at 5 PM. Come see how salvaged Chinese scrolls transform in the hands of this seasoned talent whose work is a record of layered journeys, both internal and worldly.

Emerging photographer, Carlo Armedariz, will be showing work at Femininity Art Show at Au Boudoir, 1005 St. Francis Drive, #115 from 6-8 PM.

Next, head over to Little Wing, the new performance space at the Candyman, for Electric Miles 2: Yesternow, starting at 8 PM. Musician, teacher and multifarious talent, Peter Breslin, passed over a few rain soaked miles to pull this one together. Bound to be excellent.

Cap your evening at the VFW where the creative forces behind Meow Wolf are hosting Super-Powered Dance Destroyer: the “best dance party in town.”  Starts at 9 PM.

Me? I’ll be in Albuquerque, braiding threads of connection into human bridges between two of the State’s leading creative centers. Or just eating sushi, and hoping I plugged the right hole in the dike.

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Real estate agents Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes, AKA Changing Gallery, use their listings, where appropriate, to showcase the art, photography, sculpture and other creations of emerging and independent talents.

Santa Fe International Folk Market

Posted Thursday July 22 2010 by in Art, Cultural & Community Events, Local Events
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Despite my passion for travel, curiosity about world cultures and love of art, I had never managed to make it to the world-renowned Santa Fe International Folk Market.  I’d always been working.  This year, I hit the ground running as a volunteer. Joshua Maes and I spent a few hours working the cashier’s station.  It was a high speed intro to market attendees and a fun opportunity to raise money for the Artists Travel Fund, which subsidizes travel expenses for first time artists.  Volunteering enabled us to get in free and even more, to be a part of the Great Dance.  I highly recommend the experience.

Check out the Market’s Facebook fan page to get a feel for the enthusiasm that fuels the event.   Read the Market Wrap Up, which reports on this year’s financial successes and encouraging firsts. “The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market is 501(c)3 organization that provides opportunities for folk artists to succeed in the global marketplace and can make a substantive difference in the life of a participating artist.”

Santa Fe Artist’s Boot Camp + Art Scene Updates

Posted Wednesday May 5 2010 by in Art, Cultural & Community Events, Local Events
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Emerging and independent artists have a low cost opportunity to step up their game with the Artist’s Boot Camp series starting Thursday, May 6th at Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort and Spa.   Sponsored by the Santa Fe Small Business Development Center and Creative Santa Fe, the weekly workshops focus on issues central to successful sales.  The courses run from 8:15 to noon.  The $25 fee covers tuition and a continental breakfast, courtesy of the City of Santa Fe and Bishop’s Lodge. Register online, or call: 505. 428.1343

This week on the Emerging and Independent Art Scene….

Friday, May 7th is the LAST night to catch Brittany Linkenheimer’s installation, Class, at the MOV-iN Gallery, 1600 Saint Michael’s Drive
on the College of Santa Fe campus. Class, an interactive installation, “provides the viewer with an experience that goes beyond the visual realm to include tactile and auditory components…a world of uncertainty and attempted self-reassurance [where] the only comfort comes in the form of consistency and repetition.” Produced by Andrew Dawson. Call: 505.982.0389 for more info.

On May 8th, from 7:00-9:00 PM, The College of Santa Fe Art Department presents “¡OINK!” a collaborative event featuring the sculpture, performance art, light installation, video art, sound sculpture and site-specific installation art of 16 CSF students including the man we fan, Red Cell.  Look for  “installations/objects [that] can be probed by the public as well as performances both staged and interactive.” ¡OINK! takes place at the Thaw Art Building on the CSF campus, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive. Call 505.471.2554 for more info.

On Sunday, May 9th, head to The Screen to see Late Bloomer, Go Shibata’s award-winning cult horror hit. Late Bloomer, is the first film in The Asia Now Film Series, presented by The Process and Tidepoint Pictures. The series runs the Second Sunday of Each Month at The Screen, 1600 St. Michael’s Dr. Film begins at 8:00 PM.  Call 505.473.6494 for details. A short Q & A session follows the film.

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Last Saturday, we found ourselves shivering in the blustery winds blowing around the St. Francis Cathedral-Basilica near the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe.  May 1st was World Labyrinth Day . We were there to support independent musician, Michael Tait Tafoya, who froze his digits supplying the sonorous soundtrack for the labyrinth meditative walk. Read more about last weekend’s observation in the Santa Fe New Mexican piece Taos Celebrates World Labyrinth Day May 1 And check out Mike’s new, independently produced album, Beyond the Horizon, a multi-layered, all instrumental guitar album.  Mike’s both a terrific talent and a fine guy whose smile and pacific spirit run soul deep.

For a tangential, but very cool blogbit on Labyrinths in architecture, read this picture-rich post,  The Switching Labyrinth.

Earth Day in Santa Fe

Posted Friday April 23 2010 by in Cultural & Community Events, Local Events
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Salvia, garden of Allison Rani Moore

For a sustainability-minded community like Santa Fe, Earth Day is more a power surge of ongoing efforts than a shallow and short-lived kumbaya with Mother Nature.  Santa Fe is a recognized leader in sustainability initiatives, an early adopter of  the 2030 Challenge by architect Ed Mazria. Check out the city’s Residential Green Building Code and the Sustainable Santa Fe Plan at the city’s website.

For fun and community profit, take part in one of the many of the Earth Day events happening throughout the weekend. Start off at Warehouse 21 from 7-10 PM tonight where Earth Care’s Youth Allies present an Art and Social Change Show.  On Saturday, head over to the Community Farm at San Isidro Crossing for two major events:  The Earth Day Celebration and Day of Service kicks off at 10 am with service projects followed by a community picnic, demonstrations, a seed giveaway from Seeds of Change, live music and more. Then, from 1-3 PM, Sustainable Santa Fe will be honoring local heros of sustainability and best practices at its annual awards ceremony.  Details at the Earth Care International website.

Also happening this weekend, from 10-4, Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25, in downtown Santa Fe at the Hilton near the Plaza, a free Sustainability E

Chokecherry in garden of Allison Rani Moore

xpo with Free Sustainability Workshops and presentations by local businesses and not-for-profits. Topics include:

* Drip Irrigation
* Composting
* Solar Ovens
* Tree Planting
* Solar PV Systems
* What’s in Your Water and How to Remove Contaminants
* Using Grey Water to Make Your Garden Grow

Find more information at the Facebook Fan Page for Sustainable Santa Fe hosted by Taylor Selby Selby himself will be at the Positive Energy Booth at the Expo on Sunday.

Gardeners shouldn’t miss the 6th Annual Garden Fair this Saturday, 10-4 at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds, as mentioned in my previous post, Controlling Chaos. Savor Allison Moore’s luscious landscape designs at her website Spirit of the Garden.  Read up on Xeriscape Council of New Mexico and other local landcrafters and learn how lush and beautiful a low water landscape can be.

Finally, for a more expanded look at Santa Fe’s environmental scene, read Earth Day A-Z by Laura Paskus at the Santa Fe Reporter.

From the Ashes of Santa Fe’s Café Phénix…

Posted Friday March 26 2010 by in Art, Local Events
2 comments

Six Months in Santa Fe: Art by Ryan Helean

Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. –Ovid

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled over an exchange on Facebook that dug into my mind like a splinter and stewed there, coalescing ideas until it pushed itself back to the surface.

“Thank You again, Santa Fe, for proving to be the hypocritical liittle provincial backwater that you are. Another great business may leave this town, a business that is trying to support “community” and you turn its nose at it because it won’t play into your pathetic alcoholic addictions and pretentious ideas about what a restaurant “should” be. Its becoming more and more clear that I need to get out of here.”

The venue in question was Café Phénix; the author of the post, Steve Brisk, a musician who’d been playing at the Cafe on Thursdays and was preparing for a big show on the 25th of this month. Sample Steve’s work as AudioBuddha at Soundcloud.

Café Phénix was a mighty little downtown dining spot that was muscling its way up to become an institution. More than just a restaurant, it was a community light.  It hit all the right notes: family owned and operated; an economic and social grounding to Santa Fe’s eclectic triangle district; a community space for local musicians, artists and even filmmakers to show their work.  Where possible, it used fresh, organic and local ingredients. And the food and coffee were good. The NY Times, the Albuquerque Journal, Pasatiempo and NM Gastronome blessed it with positive reviews.  Yet it closed in six months, dashing spirits and dreams.

Why it happened, I don’t know.  The backstory is someone else’s to tell.  What hooked me was that bitter eulogy which held perennial frustrations about being an artist, musician or entrepreneur in Santa Fe to the light.

Mike Tait Tafoya, a fellow musician and friend weighed in:

“Steve you should let go of what your preconcieved notions of what you think Santa Fe should be or how businesses should be supported by others.All you can do is help support it yourself and do what you can. I think you would be hard pressed to find a town this size that is so diverse culturally,politically,spiritualy etc. Bithching to Santa Feans on Fb, not gonna help anything!

Mike continues: “…I don’t argue the fact that people don’t always follow through here, trust me I know. But as artists,musicians or small business owners you have to take into account the risk and ease of your dream not being fulfilled.There are so many musicians,artists, cafes etc. in Santa Fe that it’s extremely hard to capture your audience or patrons.The ratio to these compared to the population here has got to be out of whack for sure. I’ll also say it’s rarely the “good” places or people that survive Santa Fe.”

So, is it the artist or entrepreneur’s responsibility to rise from the ashes of his or her own failed bids for recognition and self renew, or the community’s responsibility to nurture its creatives? I touched indirectly on this topic in an earlier post, Thriving Arts = Thriving Cities

My past two years promoting independent and emerging artists through Changing Gallery have given me a bit of empathy and insight into the struggle of independents to find adequate acknowledgment and support. One reason is the “out-of-whack” ratio of producers to consumers.  In the late 80′s, the Harper’s Index put the chances of a Santa Fe resident being a “healer” of some kind at 1 in 52. Today, I’d put the chance of a Santa Fe resident being an active or aspiring creative at about 1 in 10. There are a whole lot of people vying for each other’s money and attention.

It’s sad when a good venue goes down or a creative contributor leaves town.  Especially in music.  We need more good music. But I don’t buy that “If Fanta Se can’t grow and evolve, it will die!” in the words of one voice. That “out-of-whack” ratio also means there are a lot of sympathetic souls, a lot of locals who value creative endeavor.

Rants and losses can drain our life force or pique us to action. Here’s hoping that the death of Cafe Phenix will incite us to remember that while artists, musicians and visionary entrepreneurs must do all they can to self-sustain, some simply cannot survive without external breath. If you’ve been thinking about checking out a new artist, musical gig, or event, do it.  You never know whether the coin of your attention may make the difference between someone giving up or giving it one more try.

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Tonight, Friday March 26th, Mark Frossard is unveiling a mural at Studio Nia, 851 West San Mateo  Opening reception for Mark and four other artists, 5-7 PM.

Also opening tonight at the Jay Etkin Gallery, Camino della Familia, #3103, behind Warehouse 21, is a solo show of new oil-on-aluminum paintings by  David Solomon, the force behind BANG! Gallery.

And at the Santa Fe Complex : The Art and Science of Systems Biology a two-day event that “celebrates the grand tradition of the visualization of research—powerful statements made not through words, but through visuals such as DaVinci’s diagrams or Rosalind Franklin’s x-rays.” Event begins Friday at 4:30 with a reception and  public lecture, for which registration is FREE but required.  Continues Saturday with workshops for kids and an exhibition of pieces that won the NSF-sponsored 2009 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge, closing with a second lecture on Saturday night.

Catch Ryan Helean’s exhibition of vibrant oil and acrylic paintings, still up at Java Joe’s on Rodeo Road through April 8th.

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