Best Place to Experience Art as a Positive Social Lubricant:
Santa Fe is currently losing its middle class of art openings-you're either in for a hoity-toity affair where you're unlikely to have an exchange beyond real estate tips and political rumors, or else you're chugging beers next to homeless dudes while trying to keep the artwork from falling off the walls as they're rocked by the bumpin' bass. Managing to keep a bearing on both artwork and easy interaction is the laid-back, but focused, Phil Space. The combination of live music, autonomy of presentation given to the artist and spaces arranged alternately for viewing and discussing, creates the optimum experience. The next chance to find out for yourself?
The Golden Egg
, book launch and show; 5-8 pm Friday, July 28; through August 10.
Best Evolution in Santa Fe's Art Scene:
It's only suckers that can't make up their minds, but I can't make up my mind. There's the recent explosion of youthful energy exemplified by AD Collective and Unit D. And then there's also the increased connection with Albuquerque and Taos art communities that's been spearheaded by groups like ABQ's Donkey Gallery and Santa Fe's Salon Mar Graff. For a taste of the excellent exhibitions and resulting visual and conceptual dialogue created by not being city-centric, check out
A Darkened Line
at the College of Santa Fe's fine arts gallery. CSF gallery Curator David Leigh is an original Donkey boy.
Biggest Difference Made by Money:
In the last couple years I'd have to give a celebratory toe tickle to the McCune Foundation for all of its work investigating Santa Fe's creative economy, but this year the Lannan Foundation is back on top. Even though Patrick "P-Daddy" Lannan made it clear he's not interested in public man-necking as a reward for increased support of CCA when my previous offer to tongue kiss him in an alley ruffled his sock garters, Lannan makes Santa Fe a better place, hands down. I leave every event in the Readings & Conversation series in an near-apoplectic fit of pithy intellectual rage, but I'm ever so grateful for the opportunity to do so. Maybe we'll eventually even get a substantial portion of that audience to be under 50. But don't get the idea that Lannan's work in Santa Fe is just about money-it's about love. So long as it's platonic.
Most Important Emerging Movement
Cover the children's eyes, we've got ourselves a three-way. Here are three dynamic, unfolding factors that are going to end up making history, if only, well, art history. Santa Fe's High Mayhem Festival and full-time recording, always-on, sonic scene; The Land Arts of the American West program emanating from UNM, as recently featured in the CCA exhibition
Landminds
; the all-possibilities-wide-open exploration currently offered up by
Relations: Indigenous Dialogue
at the IAIA Museum; all are bound to continue to evolve for quite some time.
Best Art Cause to Get Charitable About:
Warehouse 21, people. No one wants to explain again how important this youth arts program is or how vital its music scene is to folks of all ages. The new Ed Mazria-designed building on the Railyard still needs more buckies to get built. Step up to the plate.
Best Potential Non-Art Use of an Art Building:
The Trust for Public Land, the City of Santa Fe and WivCo need to put their heads together about using the rooftops of SITE Santa Fe and the new artist live/work studios on the Railyard to broadcast Wi-Fi into the upcoming Railyard park. Of course, if last week's Business Capital District Design Review Committee meeting is anything to go by, objects on the roof of the live/work units are a contentious issue.
Most Generous Use of an Arts Facility:
It started to benefit New York artists displaced by 9.11, but Santa Fe Art Institute's Emergency Relief Residency program is now ongoing. Most recently packed with artists whose homes and studios were destroyed by last year's hurricane season, the program gives artists a way to keep working-and that work often takes the form of thoughtful investigation into the natural, social and political ramifications of the very events that have displaced them. A very cool program indeed.
Biggest Aesthetic Issue Facing the Whole City:
How to juggle an evolving identity, a sense of the future and issues of preservation that have been key to keeping Santa Fe's charm. Following last week's column on issues surrounding the Historic Design Review board shooting down a Trey Jordan Designs project, H-board member Jane Farrar called my editor to say that the news media was "causing chaos in the community." But when an H-board issue gets attention in one week from three local papers and the New York Times, maybe the community needs to take another look at it. Chaos can be unnerving, but in this situation it basically means communication. Eventually it will sift down to what the city's real priorities are now, which may be different than they were in 1957 when the Historic Styles were legislated.
My Personal Best Recommendation to the City for Maximizing the Railyard's Use:
Take one of the 10 as-of-yet unleased lots on the Baca portion of the Railyard and create three- and four-story stacks of 20- and 40-foot ISO cargo containers-the kind that trains, ships and trucks haul cargo in-and add some windows and basic insulation and electricity. Wrap the stacks around a central courtyard/sculpture garden and some simple central facilities like restrooms and utility sinks. Then hand out slots in each cargo container to qualifying (read: poor, young, adverse situations, etc) artists to use as studios. Keep it free and do it by lottery for one year at a time. Let the facility host the weekly Artist's Market. Instant dynamic injection into the "creative economy" for cheap.
Phil Space:
1410 Second St., 983-7945
AD Collective:
4844 La Junta del Alamo, 699-9320
Unit D:
2889 Trades West Road, 424-1307
Salon Mar Graff:
For event info, call 955-0471.
Donkey Gallery:
1415 Fourth St. SW, Albuquerque, 505-242-7504
College of Santa Fe Fine Arts Gallery:
1600 St. Michael's Drive, 473-6508
Lannan Foundation:
986-8160
CCA:
1050 Old Pecos Trail, 982-1338
High Mayhem Festival:
Oct. 6-8, 501-3333
Land Arts of the American West:
277-2111
IAIA:
109 Cathedral Place, 983-1777
Warehouse 21:
1614 Paseo de Peralta, 989-4423
Santa Fe Art Institute:
1600 St. Michael's Drive, 424-5050
