“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)
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.
The Mayor’s Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth was held last Friday morning at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, in downtown Santa Fe. The forum, moderated by Santa Fe Reporter columnist Zane Fischer, began with a panel of local economic players followed by community input. The choice of Fischer, an independent voice from an alternative weekly rag, provided an interesting counterpoint to the more establishment face of the panel. As moderator, Fischer did a commendable job containing the public’s nervous, angry and diffuse energy into two minute bitstreams, gently “tasering” those who exceeded their time with humor or a touch of tough love.
Jon Hendry, business agent at IATSE local 480, the local union branch of employees in the film and television, caught our attention with compelling numbers and stories of immediate employment opportunities through the film and TV industry. “These are jobs for our young people,” Hendry said, and pitched the urgent need for a studio in the Santa Fe environs. Michael Halsey and Santa Fe Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem, Rebecca Warzburger, both cited the need for affordable housing. For highlights from these and other panel members (Marie Longserre, Fidel Gutierrez–Randy Grissom was present, but not filmed due to a technical glitch) check out Joshua Maes’ video below.
Suggestions from the citizenry ranged widely in their usefulness, clarity and relevance. Some sought to create a greater whole by interlinking several sectors of the community. Others had a more narrow agenda. And then there were the odd, out there and occasional “dangit, it’s my moment to rant” folks. Indeed the need to vent made me think that perhaps a Truth and Reconciliation Commission style opportunity might be in order as a way to clear the way for dialogue and cooperation.
Many people are frustrated and rightly so. But as Fischer noted at the outset, what was most needed and most likely to be effective were ideas “that inform policy.” As it was, good points and suggestions landed like multiple balls on a playing field–usable, but unclear which one to kick towards the goal.
Mayor Coss’ Vision of Santa Fe’s future economy, projected on a screen at the start of the forum, defined an ideal Santa Fe with the following terms: creative center; high wage jobs; strong middle class; vibrant youth culture; leadership in sustainability; innovation center for environmental and other technology, art, cultural and science capital. Happily, many of these aspirations already apply, although they cry to be expanded.
“Business, banking, and our not-for-profits can very likely make something magic happen here in Santa Fe. We’ve seen it before; we know we can do it again,” said Coss in his opening statement. We, too, believe in Santa Fe’s magic it and look forward to more. Meantime, we’ll do our parts to swell Santa Fe stockings through our support of local artists, musicians, business owners and other creative and entrepreneurial lights who work to make the City Different such a great place to call home. We hope you’ll do the same.
~*~*~ This week in Santa Fe’s alt/indie/emerging cultural scene….
A couple of weeks ago, we attended the REAL closing night of MeowWolf’s GEODEcedant exhibition (extended run) at which we met Benjie who gave us a guided tour of the exhibit. Benjie’s a hurdy gurdy of creative intelligence churning out brilliance, curiosity and buoyant good nature. This coming Saturday, from 5-9 and again Sunday, from 2-7, the boys at Meow Wolf will be spinning another experiential wonder with the opening of OmegaMart. “…bringing quality affordable art product to the citizens of Santa Fe just in time for the 2009 holiday shopping season…” If GEODEcedant is any indication, you will grin like a kid at OmegaMart. Meow Wolf is raw, catch-it-while-it’s-local-and-affordable talent.
Just discovered Fraction Magazine, “an online venture promoting and exploring emerging photographic artists” conceived in an Albuquerque coffee shop by Joshua Spees and David Bram and sustained by Bram and Melanie McWhorter. Bram’s blog offers thoughtful words and pics from a photographer, dad and reflective human. Check out Fraction’s recent post on the future of photography books and the Fraction Magazine Holiday Print Sale.
Friday, December 18th, is the last night to catch the musical wave at Annapurna Restaurant on Alameda. Hear Monsoon 6, featuring Dave Decibel, from 6-9 tonight. Steve Brisk writes, “Hopefully a new venue will be found soon. Lets end this series with a bang!”
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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. Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale. Currently displaying work by Mark Frossard, Laird Hovland, Jonathan Tercero at 133 Sombrio in Casa Solana, downtown Santa Fe. To schedule an appointment, call: 231.7598. For up-to-date market info and full access to the MLS, visit: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.
As Nature digs into her annual cycle of reduction, reuse and recycling, Santa Fe is celebrating its own happy mash of Green and artistic sensibilities through several shows that reanimate the material dead. October 30th marked Meow Wolf‘s opening for GEODEcedant, a massive, riveting installation of found objects hung in a delicate midair dance, as if the 20th century had done Spring cleaning and gleefully hurled its contents out the window into a passing tornado. On Halloween, Erika Wanenmacher opened her Ditch Witch store featuring, among other delights, amulets and talisman’s cobbled together of acequia discards (“These things tell stories; I just round ‘em up.”).
In THE magazine’s November issue, Diane Armitage suggested that Meow Wolf could be viewed as Wanenmacher’s progeny. “Their savvy, sassy, and socially conscious messages spin off nicely from Wanemacher’s decades-long meditations about a society that wastes itself, not to mention the natural world.” It’s a friendly thought: Erika’s hip, perspicacious, generous and kindly spirit born again through brilliant, healthy kids who give momma a warm kiss on the cheek before toddling off to fresh imaginative generations.
Capping the week is the Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. The popular “Trash Fashion and Costume Contest” starts at 7PM, Friday. The art market and exhibition run through Sunday at 5 PM. If you’ve never seen this conversion of waste to wonder, lay down your money ($5 general admission plus another $5 for the show) and prepare to be delighted. Meantime, check out local talent Recycle Runway‘s range of trash couture.
Stretching the recycling concept to cover other current events in the art world on the theory that “any creator owes a debt to past creation” (thank you, Lukas Foss), the following current creative efforts are noted:
The Process presents, NO BALANCE: a 5th Deathiversary Tribute to Coil’s Jhonn Balance. November 13th, 7-10 at the Santa Fe Complex.
Michael Tait Tafoya plays original music at Vino del Corazon at the corner of Alameda and Don Gaspar
Noteworthy in the Duke City: Albuquerque Contemporary Art Center [AC]2 is wrapping up “Entanglement”, an exhibition of recycled art by J.Zona that had a mid-October debut. Zona reworks discarded wool “to expand and render more fluid the boundaries of what is still generally classified as women’s work.”
Photography by Bert Norgorden will be on display at Horny Toad Gallery, Sunday, November 15th, 2-7 PM, 2820 Broadbent, NE. Call: 505.345.9132 for details.
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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. Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale. Currently displaying work by Carlo Armendariz and Mark Frossard at the Bella Donna, 111 East Santa Fe Ave. in downtown Santa Fe. To schedule an appointment, call: 231.7598. For up-to-date market info and full access to the MLS, visit: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.
Sure, Santa Fe was crowned a UNESCO Creative City in 2005 (for folk art and design) and has apparent squatter’s right in the Small Cities category of American Style’s annual poll on the top 25 arts destinations. We’re known for the Canyon Road art galleries, the opera, Indian Market, Spanish Market and most recently, the International Folk Art Market. We’ve got SOFA, SITE Santa Fe, The Santa Fe Film Festival, The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, not to mention the smorgasbord of dance, music, performance and film laid out at The Lensic. Photographers flock here for the light, the galleries and the excellent workshops. “In no other state of this union is the trend of life so clearly shaped by art as in New Mexico.” Edgar Lee Hewett, first director of the Museum of New Mexico, said this 100 years ago, and it may still be true. But to my mind, the real measure of our civic creativity lies not in our institutions, but in our individual creative drive, the ingenuity and I’m-an-artist-if-I-say-so moxie of the denizens of the City Different.
You’ll find plenty to do just by checking out the Santa Fe Arts and Culture Calendar, the website for the Santa Fe Gallery Association, the Pasatiempo calendar , or the SFR Picks page in the Arts and Culture section of the Santa Fe Reporter. But to tap the depths of Santa Fe’s creative soul, take a chance on something new. There’s a goldsteam of cultural riches that ride under the radar of many visitors and residents.
Tonight, October 30th, from 5-9 PM, Meow Wolf, a collective of multimedia artists who pool their talents to create dynamic, “must see”, installation events, has an opening for “GEODEcedant” at their home on Second Street. Also on Second Street, from 6-9 PM, is the opening for “Inner Demons” at Ahalenia Studios. On Saturday night, starting at 5 PM, Baca Street Studios is having a Halloween Party, featuring the music of Sean Helean, the grand opening of Erika Wanenmacher‘s Ditch Witch Store, “fire dancers, and other spectacular wonders.”
"Chicano on Alto St"-Carlo Armendariz
People sometimes lament Santa Fe’s limits. The music scene has seen its ebbs and swells and more than one fine musical venue has washed out on a mysterious tide. But while one kid complains of a lack of toys, another kid builds castles in the sand. Like Meow Wolf, local alt curator Red Cell, is working “to bring audience and artists together in a unique way” through his non-profit group, The Process, which pulls together a distinct mix of music, art, film, spoken word and performance art.
I’ll close with a shameless plug for a few of our favorite indie and up-and-coming arts: Mark Frossard (artist and blogger) showing in downtown Santa Fe at 111 East Santa Fe Ave., sculptor Laird Hovland, photographer and musician Carlo Armendariz, photographer Jonathan Tercero, whose work currently hangs at Java Joe’s DeVargas location, and Michael Tait Tafoya (playing tonight, and most Fridays, at Vino del Corazon at the corner of Alameda and Don Gaspar). This weekend, step out of the mainstream and treat yourself to something different in the City Different.
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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. Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale. For up-to-date market info and full access to the MLS, visit: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.
“I make things to find out what the ideas in my head look like in the physical world.” –David McPherson
