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.
~*~*~
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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