Archive for the ‘Local Events’ Category



Contemporary. Spontaneous. Real. (with apologies to Dan Milnor)

Posted Friday February 13 2009 by in Art, Art Galleries, Local Events
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Soul of Photography

Soul of Photography

About a month ago, while grappling for ideas for the next show, I called upon an acquaintance with a PhD in Art History for wise words on the nature of art or artists.  Although she supplied me with grave quotes from some of art’s historical heavy hitters, the smartest words were hers: “the quality of art lies somehow in the conviction of its producer. The audience has to believe that they aren’t being fooled with, even if the work looks inept or is disturbing at first encounter. The object has to reward our taking it seriously.”

I call that a pretty-dang-good cut-to-the-chase assessment.  Thank-you, Margo Hobbs Thompson, Assistant Professor of Art History, Muhlenberg College.

Every now and then, my biz partner will ask me whether a particular piece is “art.”  This is a loaded question, stemming from an indiscreet observation on my part about some paintings we saw at an open house-work (featured in one of the world’s most prestigious museums, mind you) that I claimed was “not really art, but more like decoration.”

I may never live this down.

Just as I love a range and variety of people, I also love a range and variety of art.  And, just as I do not warm to all people, I am not keen on every piece of art that crosses my path. But what I need in order to call something “art” is a sense of that conviction.

On the 15th of March, at 7 PM, we’ll be hosting a Lecture and Exhibition at our listings at 111 East Santa Fe Ave.  The speaker, Dan Milnor, is a photographer who’s made a name for himself shooting weddings and kids, although he’d rather you didn’t know that.  Especially the wedding part.  Why? Because people get certain notions about wedding photography, and by extension, wedding photographers, and those notions incline them not to take such work, or its author, seriously.

Go to Dan’s website http://www.milnorpictures.com. Well, you won’t see any weddings, but you will see kids and you will see Dan’s documentary style, and his tagline: Contemporary. Spontaneous. Real. The pics will convince you.  Conviction.

Dan’s lecture will kickstart our next exhibition featuring the photography of a range of earnest talents, held once again at the Belladonna: Seven Condos and Townhomes on East Santa Fe Ave. Come by and support the good work of great creative lights.

We use the vehicle of our real estate listings to showcase the work of emerging and independent artists.  Artists receive 100% of the proceeds of all sales. For full access to the Santa Fe MLS, visit our website at: http://santafedowntownrealestate.com

“Generations”–New Exhibit at SF Community Convention Center

Posted Sunday January 11 2009 by in Art, Art Galleries, Local Events
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Once, as I purchased a writing book by a fellow named Peter Elbow, the literary savant at the till told me that such a name showed the author hailed from a family of writers (elbow?)  Names have, at times, pointed to the family profession: thus, Coopers were barrel makers; Schiavo, slaves. In the show, Generations, which opened this past Friday at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, names are no indication of professional aptitude or family affiliation, but the theory that creative talent is an abiding and binding family tradition is at the exhibit’s heart.

Participants ranged from well-known (the late Alan Houser) to the emerging, and worked in a vast variety of media, including photography, sculpture, jewelry, oil, straw applique, and more.  Opening the field to such variety gave the show dimension and provided for interesting juxtapositions. Standouts included a contemporary, mixed media piece by Seth Anderson (Lines 08-201), an edgy urban photograph by Sam Haozous (Industrial Landscape, #3); an oil by Hal West with the patina and feel of a 17th Century Dutch Landscape Painting, unique, modern jewelry by David Gaussoin, and an award-winning Trastero by Spanish Market artist Victor Archuleta.

The show runs from January 9th through March 6th.  Check it out.

Santa Fe Downtown Digs and Doings

Posted Thursday December 11 2008 by in Art, Art Galleries, Local Events, Santa Fe Downtown, Santa Fe Restaurant Reviews
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My first encounter with Santa Fe was in the Spring of 1980, when I flew out to visit a friend. On the shuttle from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, I couldn’t take my eyes off the vast, color-saturated sky and the roughly textured land, an interplay of greens and browns. Back then, there was hardly a car on the road between the airport and the Capitol City. I could as much as set my cruise-control, crawl into the back seat for a nap, and wake up an hour later, safely at my destination.

Santa Fe has changed over the past 28 years, but the land is still vast and magnificent and the city still charming in physical appearance and breadth of cultural offerings. For the third year in a row, the readers of American Style voted Santa Fe the #1 arts destination in the top 25 small cities and towns category. In 2007, Sperling’s Best Places and Business Week awarded Santa Fe second place in The Top 10 places for artists.

Yet the factors that make Santa Fe attractive to artists–a diverse and fairly youthful population, the number and variety of museums, the amount of dance, theater, film, symphony, chamber and choral music, the quality of photographic and Fine Arts education, and other cultural offerings–make it a terrific place for all of us.

Three weeks ago, SantaFe.com held its first Economic Forum whose purpose was, in the words of moderator, Michael French, to examine and address “…how all this turmoil will specifically affect our economy, and what we can do together to survive and even prosper.” Each member of the Panel was chosen to offer a different take on the proverbial elephant. Though hardly definitive, there was a good effort to provide balance and an opening dialogue.

If I see a silver bullet solution to the question of what we can do to survive and prosper in these economically crazy times, it is this: to see, celebrate and support the tremendous creative resources we have in our little town. As someone who grew up immersed in the arts of two, culturally rich Midwestern cities, Minneapolis and Chicago, I believe in power of the creative sector to give a community dignity, cohesion, vitality and internal wealth.

Santa Fe isn’t perfect. Like any place-or any person-there are things to love and things that frustrate. But what impresses me so deeply, what has brought me back time and again and caused me to adopt this place as my hometown, is its spirit: creative, hungry, at times conflictual, but richly resourceful.

So that’s what this blog is going to be about: things, people, places and events that give Santa Fe its special character. We’ll also talk about real estate because that’s our bread and butter and something we know a lot about. Check out our website at: santaferealestatedowntown.com. Thanks for reading.

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