Santa Fe’s Monthly
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of and for the Arts • Dec./Jan. 2011/2012
k e r i atau m b i re b e c c a b e g ay H e id i b ig knif e fritz casuse J a r e d c H av e z r ic H a r d c H av e z cippy cr az y Horse Wa d d i e c r a z y H o r s e J e n n i f e r c u rt i s t H o m a s c u rt i s te ri gre e ve s s He l d o n H a rv e y m a ry ir e n e Harri son Jim e rnie l is t er p Hil l or e t to r ay l o vat o v irg il o rt i z n at a s H a p e s H l a k a i n o r b e rt p e s Hl ak a i c ody s ande r son s o n Wa i c H e ry l y e s t e Wa
53 Old Santa Fe Trail
Upstairs on the Plaza
Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.982.8478
shiprocksantafe.com
5
Letters
14
Universe of artist Suzan Hamilton-Todd
18
Art Forum: Elizabeth Munro
21
Studio Visits: Joel Hobbe and CJ Wells
23
Food for Thought: The CBTL Kaldi
25
One Bottle: The 1999 Piper-Heidsiesck Champagne “Cuvée Rare,” by Joshua Baer
27
Dining Guide: The Supper Club and Station
31
Art Openings
32
Out & About
36
Previews: Group Show at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts; Harold Joe Waldrum at Zaplin Lampert Gallery; and Season’s Greetings at Scheinbaum & Russek
39
National Spotlight: Warhol: Headlines at the National Gallery
of Art, Washington, D.C. 41
Feature: Best Books of 2011
49
Critical Reflections: Agitated Histories at SITE Santa Fe; Anne Staveley at Gerald Peters Gallery; Barry Brukoff at LewAllen at the Railyard; Bay Area Abstraction 1945-1965 at David Richard Contemporary; James Drake at the New Mexico Museum of Art; Harmony Hammond at Dwight Hackett projects; Judy Pfaff at Bellas Artes; Photographic Truths & Other Illusions at Santa Fe Community College; and Sinners & Saints and An Inquisitive Eye at the University of New Mexico Art Museum (Alb.)
59
Green Planet: Khalid Shakur: member of the media team Occupy Oakland, photograph by Jennifer Esperanza
61
architectural Details: Dry Winter, photograph by Guy Cross
62
WritinGs: “Memories Are Made of This,” by Ted Berrigan
James Brown once said, “Guts will get you further than know-how.” Riva Yares has plenty of both, and in her case one leads to the other. After fifty years in the USA, she is telling her tale in Sleeping With Dogs (Next Turn Productions, $39.95)—her vivid memoir of art, love, motherhood, and, yes, dogs. It begins in Palestine, where Yares was a Tel Aviv poster child, and covers her years as a teenage Zionist during the founding of Israel, which she fled at age twenty-five for Scottsdale, Arizona—the desert that allowed her to flower. Yares is an American original, and she made herself up, like so many other blazing eccentrics who headed west in the sixties. It’s hard to imagine her as a naive single mother teaching Hebrew in Phoenix, but even then, she was no babe in the woods—though based on the photos in this book, she was certainly a babe. Yares blows up the congregation by sleeping with the Rabbi, and then she’s off and running, and never looks back. Her travels take her up and down the food chain in the art world. There are various and sundry lovers (and dogs), a car chase in the Israeli desert, and a parade of A-list artists whom she charms into showing their work, all while creating a contemporary art gallery in Arizona. Some of this you may already know, some you might not want to know, but it’s all here, and Yares pulls no punches; she includes all the glorious and gory details. In the end, it’s all about the art. If you love art, you owe Riva Yares a dozen red roses in gratitude for her sheer tenacity. It’s a long way from Tel Aviv to Santa Fe, and Yares remains unapologetically, and inevitably, herself. It wasn’t easy, but it sounds as if she enjoyed every minute. Even the bad ones. —MM
FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES
2012 EVENTS
Wednesday 18 January
John Sayles with Francisco Goldman 7:00 pm Lensic T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY DECEMBER 3
Tuesday 24 January Readings & Conversations brings to Santa Fe a wide range of writers from the literary world of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to read from and discuss their work. In Pursuit of Cultural Freedom features social justice activists, journalists, writers, scholars and philosophers discussing political, economic, environmental and human rights issues not normally covered by the mainstream media.
David Shirk with Peter H. Smith 6:30 pm James A. Little T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY DECEMBE R 3
Wednesday 15 February
Michael Ondaatje with Carolyn Forché 7:00 pm Lensic T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY JANUARY 7
Wednesday 22 February For author biographies and photographs visit our website: www.lannan.org
Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W. San Francisco St, Santa Fe, N M 87501. Events begin at 7:00 pm. James A. Little Theater 1060 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Events begin at 6:30 pm.
Brian Jones in Howard Zinn’s play, Marx in Soho 7:00 pm Lensic T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY JANUARY 7
Tuesday 20 March
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Wednesday 28 March
Ann Beattie with Michael Silverblatt TICKET IN F ORM ATION All tickets for all events are sold at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased in person, by telephone, or online at: Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St, Santa Fe, N M Tel. 505.988.1234. www.lensic.com Box Office hours: Monday – Friday 10am – 4 pm; Saturday – Sunday; Noon to show time Tickets are sold separately for each event and go on sale the first Saturday of the month prior to the event. General Admission $7 and Senior / Student with ID $4.
7:00 pm Lensic T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4
Tuesday 10 April
Phyllis Bennis with David Barsamian 6:30 pm James A. Little T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY MARCH 3
Wednesday 18 April
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Wednesday 16 May
Lydia Davis with Ben Marcus www.lannan.org
7:00 pm Lensic T ICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY APRIL 7
LETTERS
magazine
VOLUME XVIII, NUMBER XIII WINNER 1994 Best Consumer Tabloid SELECTED 1997 Top-5 Best Consumer Tabloids SELECTED 2005 & 2006 Top-5 Best Consumer Tabloids P U B L i S h e R / C R e AT i V e D i R e C T O R Guy Cross PUBLiSheR / FOOD eDiTOR Judith Cross ART DiReCTOR Chris Myers COPy eDiTOR edGar sCully PROOFReADeRS JaMes rodewald KenJi Barrett S TA F F P h O T O G R A P h e R S dana waldon anne staveley lydia Gonzales PReView / CALeNDAR eDiTOR elizaBeth harBall weBMeiSTeR
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If you are heading to Miami in December to attend Art Basel Miami, you will want to visit the Vernissage des Femmes Artistes at the Armory Art Center—1700 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach. Painting: Andrea Broyles. TO THE EDITOR: I felt famous for a month. People I know, and people I didn’t know, came up to me and spoke to me about the “Universe of” article in the October issue of THE. Friends have asked me to photograph them for my Queer Photo Project. Thank you. —JaC a queline (Jax) Manhoff, santa fe, via eMail TO THE EDITOR: I have been an avid reader and fan of THE magazine for the past fifteen years. I applaud your informative interview in the November issue with SITE director Irene Hofmann—she is smart and articulate. I am also impressed by the amount of coverage your magazine has given to local artists and galleries over the years, as well as to the various art institutions throughout New Mexico. THE magazine makes sense. —r ronald Bevan, via eMail
ADVeRTiSiNG SALeS the MaGazine: 505-424-7641 edie dillMan: 505-577-4207 yvonne Montoya: 505-310-2200 vinCe foster: 505-690-1010 DiSTRiBUTiON
JiMMyy Montoya: 470-0258 (MoBile) THE magazine is published 10x a year by THE magazine Inc., 320 Aztec St., Santa Fe, NM 87501. Corporate address: 44 Bishop Lamy Road, Lamy, NM 87540. Phone: (505) 424-7641. Fax: (505) 424-7642, E-mail: themagazineSF@gmail.com. Website: www.TheMagazineOnLine.com. All materials are copyright 2010 by THE magazine. All rights are reserved by THE magazine. Reproduction of contents is prohibited without written permismagazine. sion from THE magazine. magazine. All submissions must be accompanied by a SASE envelope. THE magazine is not responsible for the loss of any unsolicited materials. As well, THE magazine is not responsible or liable for any misspellings, incorrect dates, or inc rect information in its captions, calendar, or other listings. The opinions expressed within the fair confines of THE magazine do not necessarily represent the views or policies of THE magazine, magazine, its owners, or any of its, employees, members, interns, volunteers, agents, or distribution venues. Bylined articles and editorials represent the views of their authors. Letters to the editor are welcome. Letters may be edited for style and libel, and are subject to condensation. THE magazine accepts advertisements from advertisers believed to be of good reputation, but cannot guarantee the authenticity or quality of objects and/or services advertised. As well, THE magazine is not responsible for any claims made by its advertisers; for copyright infringement by its advertisers .and is not responsible or liable for errors in any advertisement.
TO THE EDITOR: Please extend the University of New Mexico Art Museum’s gratitude to Susan Wider for her well-written review of Richard Deacon Dead Leg and Re-Imagining American Identities in the November issue. Ms. Wider communicated with our staff regularly with specific questions about the exhibitions, and seamlessly wove the answers into her text. Bravo—well done! — sara otto-diniz, alBuquerque, via eMail TO THE EDITOR: Your “Art Forum” page has been and is quite wonderful. I love reading the four interpretations of one image. In fact, when an issue comes out, my partner and I immediately open to the “Art Forum” page. Then we cover up the written responses to the image, and then, looking only at the imag we write down our thoughts about the image. Then we read the other responses out loud to each other—this is quite enjoyable—and compare our thoughts about the image to the other responses. We got a big kick from Anthony
Lemongello’s last line response in the November issue to the image of a housewife: “Perhaps she is simply wondering where she misplaced her bottle of valium.” This was absolutely hysterical. Thanks for the laugh. —saMantha antha Collier, via eMail TO THE EDITOR: Thanks for the wonderful story in your November issue about Lydia Gonzales—THE magazine’s fourteen-year old photographer. I was impressed with how coherent and focused she is about the direction that her life is taking. Having and supporting young artists makes me know that THE is doing the right thing (a miracle of sorts in these trying and crazy times). —harvey Brito, via eMail TO THE EDITOR: Our economy is crumbling—trying to get a job in America in the last three years is a bad joke. All of our so-called leaders are in bed with the banks, the insurance companies, the lobbyists, and the pharmaceutical companies. And we, the 99%, we are at the bottom of the barrel. Let’s face it—the system is rigged against all of us. The fix is in. And we (yes, that means you and me) are fools for allowing this to happen. We love America and want this broken government fixed. The biggest obstacles to building a powerful movement are not the police or capital, it’s our own cynicism, despair, and, sadly, our apathy. “Occupy Wall Street,” “Occupy Santa Fe,” “Occupy Whatever”—all good, but I say, stir the pot even more, confront the powers that be and let’s take them down. Oh yes, and let’s make art, not war. Check out the artists, writers, and photographers at www.streetartutopia.com who are involved. —louis duiC, new yorK City, via eMail tHe
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Dead Leg (detail ), 2007, oak and steel, 28 x 9 x 8 feet, courtesy L.A. Louver, Venice, CA
riChArd deACoN
IN assOcIaTION WITH MaTTHEW PERRY
deAd LeG
Re-Imagining American Identities Joseph Mougel Blanc 016, 2006, Archival pigment print Gift of the artist, 2008.1.5.1, UNM Art Museum, Courtesy of the artist
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LYNN BOGGESS LANDSCAPES
22 March 2011 | oil on canvas, 46 x 40
02 December 5 – 7 pm | opening reception friday evening through December 31 2011
EvokeContemporary.com
85% of all horse riders are women.
Most get hooked on horses when they are very young. There are many reasons why women love horses so much. First and foremost is that horses allow women to express themselves physically,
emotionally, and spiritually. The mix of the physical power and grace of the horse is eclipsed by something much deeper—the fact that horses seem to have an intuitive understanding that makes women love them. Women don’t want to dominate and subdue a horse; instead, when talking about a horse, they use words such as oneness, honesty, kindness, trust, and mutual respect. What a relationship with a horse teaches is the value of patience and freedom, and this is the place where power lies—not in physical strength but in empathy and sensitivity. THE magazine met with painter and muralist Suzan Hamilton-Todd—who has created more than five hundred paint-on-ink equine works during the past five years—to discuss her work and her relationship with horses.
UNIvERSE OF
The hORSe AS MUSe
PROCeSS
I continue to be inspired by the equine spirit, power, and beauty on a daily
Meeting the horse, then photographing and sketching small studies that
basis, not only in my art, but also in my daily life. I am continuously working
become life-size on anything from canvas to wooden doors to a herd of
on moving freely forward with quiet grace and thoughtful deeds, and I
eight horses running across the side of a ten-stall metal barn.
believe if I can just touch a small part of the “spirit” of the horse I can live
The hORSe AND The hAwk hA
a peaceful and empowering life.
The horse has always been the force behind my life journey. The power
why i LOV O e hORSeS OV
given to me by such a magnificent creature helps me to have compassion,
The strength of the horse saved my life through my battle with breast
caring, and to share my talents and gifts. The horse brought me from
cancer in 1999. My husband would bring me to the barn, and just by my
Brooklyn, New York to the central coast of California, and finally to
touching the horse and breathing in the spirit of the horse, and then riding
Tesuque.The hawk came to me later in my life. With no warning, in 2006,
the horse for a short time, I created a love for the horse that is beyond
my husband passed away suddenly. I felt he was taken by a raptor—plucked
words. Simply put: the horse saved my life.
from the earth without a sound. When he left this life, the hawk was everpresent during my dark and grieving period—always circling our ranch—
FiRST DRAwi RA NGS RAwi
protecting. I see a hawk and I know I am being looked upon from above.
My first drawing of horses happened when I was a kid growing up in
I have now begun to study the hawk through drawings and photographs.
Brooklyn, New York. Many people ask me, “Where did you see horses in Brooklyn?” “The mounted police in the streets,” I always reply. The
OTheR wOMeN ARTiSTS whO PA P iNT hORSeS
image of a horse moving through a crowd was engraved in my head. Such
From young girls who sit in their bedrooms and draw and color pink ponies
beauty and such power—all without making a sound—will stay with me
to the talents of such women as the late New Mexico artist Susan Hertel,
forever. I drew horses constantly, and when I had the opportunity to apply
whose work continues to inspire me… may we all stop for a moment and
to the School of Art and Design in New York City, my portfolio consisted
remember to celebrate through our art the love and gracefulness of the
of nothing but drawings of horses. I was accepted.
majestic horse. D
photoGraph By B
| DeCeMBeR
/ jANUARy
2011/2012
dana waldon
the magazine | 15
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ART FORUM
THE magazine asked three New Mexico artists and a clinical psychologist to share with our readers their take on this 1977 untitled etching by Scottish artist Elizabeth Munro. They were shown only the image.They were not told the title, the medium, or the name of the artist. This erotically charged image is richly symbolic and is bursting with energy. Psychologists often associate fire with sexuality and connect pyromania to sexual aggression.
Elizabeth Munro, Untitled, silkscreen of Rapidograph drawing, 1977
Here, a woman spits a uterus-shaped fireball, which gives birth to a winged, angelic, haloed, pubescent girl. The image
pull of our egos. Most of our sweet souls dwell in
archetypes. Despite millennia of our covetous subjugation
recalls Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. One also wonders
the various shades of gray that lie between a radiant
of this goddess and all that she represents of living urgent
whether the “Fire Breather” is the winged girl’s mother.
white clear conscience and the tar-black conscience
things, we men know in our hearts that the shoe has always
Another possible interpretation is that the angel is being
of compounded sins, but, according to the phoenix,
been on the other foot; we cannot own her, but she will
burned at the stake, like a witch. In this scenario, one
redemption can be found in the ashes of hell itself
own us, then fly.
wonders if the angel’s sexuality sparked her punishment.
if that’s where you happen to be. Indeed, our
—Christopher Benson, artist, Santa Fe
A moon hangs over the celestial scene as another symbol
redemption is best unearthed where we hurt most.
of feminine sexuality. Given the angel’s pubescent body, and
Only we can say what we will allow the mark of our
This etching, done in a circular format, echoes Minoan
the lunar connection with menstruation, it is possible that
suffering to be—and some will grow wings!
art, whose images were enclosed in a similar fashion.
this scene represents a coming-of-age. Wolves represent
—Laura Shields, photographer, Santa Fe
This is where the similarity and meaning of the imagery ends. In Minoan art, the goddess and/or life cycle is
the wilderness and a journey into the unknown. The two beasts, however, show opposing feelings. One howls—
Here we are confronted by an illustration for a narrative
depicted without the menacing and looming symbols
perhaps calling fellow wolves and a potential mate—while
whose themes are unknown, but familiar. Above all, this
of death and destruction. However, in this etching the
the other poses in a menacing, defensive stance. The howler
is a picture of a naked and beautiful young woman—a
meaning of the imagery is quite different. The imagery
says, “Come to me,” and the other says, “Stay away.” Could
profoundly freighted topic in art if ever there was one.
is set up in pairs of opposites centered on creating life
these animals represent the “Fire Breather’s” conflict over
Being a man, any response I might have to this subject is
and destroying life—the moon dies and is reborn. This
her sexuality? An old woman is seated next to a top-hat-
necessarily suspect. Even so, the contents of this Pandora’s
symbol is used in many ancient and modern cultures,
wearing male skeleton. It looks like he died before he could
box demand unpacking. So… she emerges, winged, in
and represents the transformation of life, death, birth,
get to the party—a life unfulfilled. Perhaps she fears the
the breath emanating from another woman’s mouth.
re-birth, and the continuity of life. The woman in the
end of her life while she literally touches Death. Maybe she
She is a story being told. An old woman, a male skeleton,
center is standing in flames—a symbol for transformation
is weaving a foreboding tale about the angel? Overall, this
a possible coiled serpent, and a pair of coyotes or wolves
of energy from the physical to the ethereal. The woman
image is an internal wilderness, filled with sexuality, coming-
(are they a mated pair or two of a gendered kind?) surround
in the bottom left seems to be knitting the world into
of-age, spirituality, fears, lack of fulfillment, and life and
her in a pantheon of symbolic figures, all crowned by a
existence, while behind her a skeleton looms, waiting
death.
moon that may be either waxing or waning. The whole
his turn to undo her work, while the wolf is unaware
—Davis K. Brimberg, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, Santa Fe
tableau evokes the essential forces of birth, life, hunger,
of being watched by the predatory beast just behind
desire, decline, and death, over which the young woman
him. The woman knitting and the wolf howling are both
Humanity lives a reality in constant flux, so the phoenix
and her surrogate, the moon, preside as both goddess
unaware of the life-threatening danger that lurks over
mythology has helped to calm our collective psyche.
and sacrifice—the pagan analog to the passion of her male
them. A metaphor, perhaps, for the way we live our
The woman in this image is an everlasting reminder for
usurper, Christ. To me she is primarily beautiful—an iconic
own lives, preferring not to acknowledge the impending
us to let go, forgive (others, but especially ourselves),
beauty that stands out, especially against the background
transformation that awaits us all.
and an eternal invitation to transcend the gravitational
of mundane realities embedded in her attendant chorus of
—Judith Vejvoda, photographer and teacher, Dixon, NM
18| THE magazine
| d e c e mb e r
/ j anuar y
2011/2012
Harold Joe Waldrum (1934-2003)
COLOR, FORM AND SHADOW PAINTINGS
PRINTS
1980 - 2003 Opening Friday, December 2, 2011 from 5 to 7 p.m. LEFT: “Atras de la Iglesia de Abeytas” Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
651 Canyon Road, Santa Fe 505.982.6100
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The Andrew Smith Gallery, INC.
M a s t e r p i e c e s
o f
P h o t o g r a p h y
Beauty and Death in the Antarctic Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Robert Falcon Scott’s successful and doomed expedition to the South Pole Photographs by Herbert Ponting and Joan Myers November 25, 2011 - January 31, 2012
Herbert Ponting, The Castle Berg, Scott’s Last Expedition, 1911 Ca.
122 Grant Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501 Next to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Andrew Smith Gallery celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole with photographs of Antarctica by Herbert George Ponting (1870-1935) who was with Scott on his doomed Terra Nova expedition, and by the distinguished Santa Fe photographer Joan Myers who spent four months based at McMurdo Station as part of the National Science Foundation’s 2002-2003 Antarctic Artists and Writers Program.
• 505.984.1234 • www.AndrewSmithGallery.com
danielquatphotography
MONROE GALLERY of photography
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Wishing you Joyous Holidays and All The Best in 2012 "All of us live in history, whether we are aware of it or not, and die in drama. The sense of history and of
portraits
Megan Reisel, RMT © 2011 Daniel Quat
drama comes to a man not because of who he is or
505-982-7474
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(n.) A person who acts for another with total trust, good faith, and honesty.
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Registered Investment Adviser
505.984.2563 2227 Calle Cacique Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 New clients by referral only.
what he does, but flickeringly, as he is caught up in events, as his personality reacts, as he sees for a moment his place in the great flowing river of time and humanity.
I cannot tell you where our history is leading us, or through what suffering, or into what era of war or peace. But wherever it is, I know men of good heart will be passing there." – Carl Mydans
112 DON GASPAR SANTA FE NM 87501 992.0800 F: 992.0810 e: info@monroegallery.com www.monroegallery.com
STUDIO vISITS
FRANCiS BACON SAiD ThAT “The jOB OF The ARTiST iS ALwAyS TO DeePeN The MySTeRy.” TwO SANTA Fe ARTiSTS COMMeNT ON hiS STATeMeNT. Mystery in art is essential and should exist naturally. Balance, as a whole, should also exist. If the job of the artist is to “always” deepen the mystery, every artist, in turn, would eventually have to produce overly mysterious, useless slag. Forcing artwork to be deeply mysterious is pretentious, and is a disservice to everyone. Truth, in art, will always involve mystery.
—Joel hoBBe In 2011, Hobbe’s work has been shown at Aqua 11 in Miami and at the NMA Centennial Project Space in Santa Fe. In September 2012, Hobbe will be showing his work at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.
Francis Bacon was himself an iconic mystery. Artists do not isolate themselves from the mundane. Instead, they take it to greater heights, and somehow they mysteriously manifest beauty into music, sculpture, painting, and architecture.
—CJ wells Wells’ work can be viewed at GF Contemporary’s Small Works Group Shows—707 Canyon Road, Santa Fe. Reception: Friday, December 9, from 3 to 6 pm.
photoGraphs By
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anne staveley
the magazine | 21
Taste the New Southwest Chef Charles Dale’s modern rustic cuisine introduces a Contemporary American fare that is regionally inspired by Northern New Mexico and infused with local and organically sourced ingredients.
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tHe cBtl Kaldi The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf—a California-based chain founded in 1963—consistently receives rave reviews from coffee and tea blogs. Designers at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently partnered with the Italian company Caffitaly to create the single beverage system—dubbed “The CBTL Kaldi,” which with its stylish appearance and user-friendly controls makes high quality single servings of espresso, coffee, and tea. Eldergadget.com gives the CBTL Kaldi nine stars in its “cool factor” ranking, and praises its “simple operation.” This is a company that cares about the world we live in—they have backed charitable campaigns for American troops overseas, as well as contributing to The Help Group, which serves special-needs youth. D
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the magazine | 23
“...known for its creative, contemporary southwestern cuisine.” –Bon Appétit
making spirits bright Book Your Holiday Par ty at The Compound Restaurant
lunch – monday thru saturday sunday brunch dinner nightly
Special Holiday Menus for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve Gift Certificates Available
231 washington avenue - reservations 505 984 1788
gift certificates, menus & special events online www.santacafé.com
Mark Kiffin, James Beard Award, Best Chef of the Southwest Reservations 982.4353
653 Canyon Road
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TAOS LIGHTNING WHISKEY • HACIENDA GIN • VODKA VIRACOCHA • CONQUISTADOR ORANGE LIQUEUR • BRIMSTONE ABSINTHE
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315 R E S TAU R A N T & W I N E B A R C OY OT E C A F É EL CAMINO CANTINA E L M E S O N R E S TAU R A N T G E RO N I M O I N N AT L O R E T TO K AU N E S N E I G H B O R H O O D M A R K E T K E L LY L I QU O R B A R N KO KO M A N L I QU I D C O M PA N Y S A N TA C A F E SUSAN’S FINE WINE & SPIRITS TA O S I N N T E S U QU E V I L L A G E M A R K E T T H E G O RG E T I N S TA R S A L O O N
Ra n
Available at Select Purveyors in Santa Fe and Taos:
one bottle
One Bottle:
The 1999 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne “Cuvée Rare”
by Joshua Baer
In the days and weeks leading up to the collapse, we told each other that
Wally’s Wines in Los Angeles had a bottle of the 1999. I remember liking
the only way to survive was to prepare for the unexpected. Survival was
the fact that the 1999 was not only a pre-9/11 Champagne but also a relic of the
an art, not a science. There were no guarantees. The collapse would
twentieth century. The 1999 Cuvée Rare was expensive—$178, plus shipping—but
begin with a moment, and when that moment came, it would come
what was money? I paid for the bottle with PayPal, turned off the computer, and
out of left field. No matter how much cornmeal and distilled water you
went to bed. With any luck, Wally’s would ship the next day and the bottle would
had stashed in your basement, the scale of the collapse would terrify
arrive before the end of civilization. And if it didn’t? Then at least I would have the
you. Civilization had been around for a long time. We were all addicted.
satisfaction of knowing that I had spent a few of my last dollars on Champagne.
The collapse would not be a fair fight. It would ignore your strengths and
What I miss about those threshold evenings are the theories. We used to
exploit your weaknesses. By the time you knew what to expect, it would
sit around the dinner table and speculate about when and where and how the
be too late.
fuse would be lit, and who would light it. Would it be the jihadis? The Chinese?
One night, after dinner—and this must have been a couple of weeks
Or one of the Christian tycoons who had already converted their portfolios
before the moment arrived, because the phones and the Web were still
into ranches stocked with more distilled water, cornmeal, ammunition, and
working—a friend of mine, an older man with owlish eyebrows, took me
morphine than anyone could consume in a lifetime? Who had the most to gain
aside and gave me some advice. “You’ll make it,” he said. “I won’t, but you will. The thing is, after you survive, you’ll feel guilty. You’ll ask yourself why you made it and I didn’t.”
from anarchy? Who was planning to come out on top? We knew we were being silly. We knew the collapse would take no prisoners. If you survived, it would be by accident, with maybe a dash of
“You’ll survive,” I said.
intuition and no small amount of luck folded into the accidental mix. And
“No, I won’t,” he said. “And you can stop pretending that you think I will, because we both know I won’t. But that’s not the point.” “What’s the point?”
if you didn’t make it, well then, whose fault was that? If some evangelical whale looked into the future, saw the dark side of history staring back at him, and prepared for the worst, did that make him your enemy?
“The point is, when the time comes, and you’re sitting there, asking yourself why you survived and I didn’t? Don’t do it. Don’t be tempted. Because the moment you ask yourself that question, some vigilante is going to jump out from behind a bush and
If you were honest with yourself—or even if you weren’t—you had to admit that blame was an exercise in futility. If and when the collapse came to pass, what difference would it make whose fault it was? It was that unfocused apprehension, that loss of certainty, that
slit your throat, just for practice. Just because he managed to
made those last days so sublime. If you believed in God, and you
sneak up on you and catch you in the act of feeling guilty. And
sat across the table from an atheist, you knew that in the space
then we’ll both be dead. So don’t do it. Promise me you
of ten minutes you could convert to atheism and the atheist
won’t indulge in any of that survivor syndrome nonsense.
could hear God’s voice, telling him to get up from the table, go
You made it. I didn’t. The end.” “Okay,” I said. “I promise.” “Thank you,” he said. “Now I can die happy.” He put on his coat and went home.
out to his car, drive to Sam’s Club, buy six months’ worth of cornmeal and distilled water, and head for the hills. Which brings us to the 1999 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne “Cuvée Rare.”
After he left, I did the dishes. Remember doing the
The bottle arrived in the nick of time. In the glass, the
dishes? Remember how good it felt to have unlimited
color of the 1999 Cuvée Rare was a cross between silver
quantities of hot water flowing over your hands?
and gold. The bead was so fine it made you wonder if you
After I did the dishes, I turned on the computer.
were hallucinating. On the palate, the 1999 Cuvée Rare was
Bloomberg had a story about the morphine shortages
sheer joy. It was a fearless, reckless Champagne. The finish
in England and the ammunition shortages in the
was bizarre and long and uninterrupted, like the first days of
United States. At the end of the story, the writer said:
a doomed love affair. You knew it couldn’t last but you
“That’s the difference between England and America.
didn’t care. And then there was the bottle, with the
They hoard comfort. We hoard ways to kill each other.”
red choker at its neck and its bodice of bling. Like the
After I read the story, I went to Wine-Searcher
Champagne inside, the bottle was an echo, a souvenir from
and looked up the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne “Cuvée
an era when our greatest luxuries were the things we took
Rare” in all vintages. My hands were trembling but
for granted. D
I figured, Hey, it’s now or never. I had tasted the Cuvée Rare twice. On both occasions, time had stopped. It was my favorite Champagne. If I wanted to taste it again, this was my last chance.
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One Bottle is dedicated to the appreciation of good wines and good times, one bottle at a time. The name “One Bottle” and the contents of this column are ©2011 by onebottle.com. For back issues, go to onebottle.com. You can write to Joshua Baer at jb@onebottle.com
THE magazine | 25
DINING GUIDE
Roasted Organic Beet Salad with Arugula, Tallegio, and Balsamic vinegar at
The Supper Club Dinner: Wednesday to Saturday 628 Old Las v vegas egas Highway Reservations 466-2440 $ key
iNeXPeNSiVe
$
up to $14
MODeRATe
$$
$15—$23
eXPeNSiVe
$$$
$24—$33
Prices are for one dinner entrée. If a restaurant serves only lunch, then a lunch entrée price is reflected. Alcoholic beverages, appetizers, and desserts are not included in these price keys. Call restaurants for hours.
VeRy eXPeNSiVe
$$$$
$34 plus
eAT OUT OFTeN
Photos: Guy Cross
...a guide to the very best restaurants in santa fe and surrounding areas... 315 restaurant & Wine Bar 315 Old Santa Fe Trail. 986-9190. Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free inside. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: French. Atmosphere: Reminds one of an inn in the French counyside. house specialties: Steak Frites, seared Pork Tenderloin, and the Black Mussels are all winners. Comments: A beautiful new bar with generous martinis, a teriffic wine list and a “can’t miss” bar menu. Winner of Wine Specator’s Award of Excellence. amavi restaurant 221 Shelby St. 988-2355. Lunch/ Dinner/Sunday Brunch Full bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Mediterranean. Atmosphere: Elegant. house specialties: The tapas appetizer thrills and the pollo al mattone, marinated for two days and served with pancetta, capers, and house preserved lemon, may be the best chicken dish you’ve ever had. Also try the tiger shrimp. Comments: Farm to table. Chef Megan Tucker is doing it right. anDiamO! 322 Garfield St. 995-9595. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Casual house specialties: Start with the Steamed Mussels or the Roasted Beet Salad. For your main, choose the delicious Chicken Marsala or the Pork Tenderloin. Comments: Good wines, great pizzas, and a sharp waitstaff. anasazi restaurant Inn of the Anasazi 113 Washington Ave. 988-3236. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Smoke-free. v valet parking. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Contemporary American cuisine. Atmosphere: A casual, yet elegant room evoking the feeling of an Anasazi cliff dwelling. house specialties: We suggest blue corn crusted salmon with citrus jalapeno sauce, and the nine spice beef tenderloin. Comments: Attentive service. aztec cafe & restaurant 317 Aztec St. 820-0025. Lunch/Sunday Brunch/Dinner: Friday/Saturday Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Organic comfort food. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. house specialties: For our breakfast, we love the Smothered v vegetarian Breakfast Burrito and the Organic Egg Sandwich. Lunch favorites include the “real deal” Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich and the super-fresh Garden Salad. Comments: Don’t miss trying one of the delicious Fresh Fruit Smoothies. azur meDiterranean BistrO & Wine Bar 428 Agua Fria St. 992-2897 Dinner Wine/Beer Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Mediterranean. Atmosphere:
Intimate restaurant housed in a small adobe building. house ouse specialties: We enjoyed the Butternut Squash with Crimini Mushrooms, Shallots, Shaved Parmesan, and Brown Sage Butter and the Grilled Angus Ribeye. Comments: A variety of small plates are also offered. BOBcat Bite restaurant Old Las v vegas egas Hwy Hwy.. 983-5319. Lunch/Dinner No alcohol. Smoking. Cash. $$ Cuisine: American. Atmosphere: This is the real deal—a neon bobcat sign sits above a small, low-slung building. Inside are five tables and nine seats at a counter made out of real logs. house specialties: The enormous inch-and-a-half thick green chile cheeseburger is sensational. The 13-ounce rib-eye steak is juicy and flavorful. BODy café 333 Cordova Rd. 986-0362. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Organic. Atmosphere: Casual. house specialties: In the morning, try the breakfast smoothie or the Green Chile Burrito. We love the Asian Curry for lunch or the Avocado and Cheese Wrap. Comments: Soups and salads are marvelous, as is the Carrot Juice Alchemy. cafe cafe italian Grill 500 Sandoval St. 466-1391. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Casual. house specialties: For lunch, the classic Caesar salad; the tasty specialty pizzas or the grilled eggplant sandwich. For dinner, we loved the perfectly grilled swordfish salmorglio and the herb-breaded veal cutlet. Comments: v very friendly waitstaff. café Pasqual’s 121 Don Gaspar Ave. 983-9340. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Multi-ethnic. Atmosphere: The café is adorned with lots of Mexican streamers, Indian maiden posters, and rustic wooden furniture. house specialties: Hotcakes get a nod from Gourmet magazine. Huevos motuleños, a Yucatán breakfast, is one you’ll never forget. For lunch, try the grilled chicken breast sandwich with Manchego cheese. the cOmPOunD 653 Canyon Rd. 982-4353. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Contemporary American. Atmosphere: 150-year-old adobe with pale, polished plaster walls and white linens on the tables. house specialties: Jumbo crab and lobster salad. The chicken schnitzel is flawless. Desserts are perfect. Comments: Chef/owner Mark Kiffin didn’t win the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef of the Southwest” award for goofing off in the kitchen.
cOunter culture 930 Baca St. 995-1105. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Patio. Cash. $$ Cuisine: All-American. Atmosphere: Informal. house specialties: Breakfast: burritos and frittata. Lunch: sandwiches and salads. Dinner: flash-fried calamari; grilled salmon with leek and Pernod cream sauce, and a delicious hanger steak. Comments: Boutique wine list. cOWGirl hall Of fame 319 S. Guadalupe St. 982-2565. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoking/non-smoking. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: All-American. Atmosphere: Popular patio shaded by big cottonwoods. Great bar. house specialties: The smoked brisket and ribs are fantastic. Super buffalo burgers. Comments: Lots of beers. cOy OyO yOte café 132 W. Water St. 983-1615. Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Southwestern with French and Asian influences. Atmosphere Bustling. house specialties: For your main course, go for the grilled Maine lobster tails or the Southwestern Rotisserie, or the grilled 24-ounce “Cowboy Cut” steak. Comments: Good wine list. DOWntOWn suBscriPtiOn 376 Garcia St. 983-3085. Breakfast/Lunch No alcohol. Smoke-free. Patio. Cash/ Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: Standard coffee-house fare. Atmosphere: A large room with small tables inside and a nice patio outside where you can sit, read periodicals, and schmooze. Over 1,600 magazine titles to peruse. house specialties: Espresso, cappuccino, and lattes. el faról 808 Canyon Rd. 983-9912. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoking. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Spanish. Atmosphere: Wood plank floors, thick adobe walls, and a postage-stamp-size dance floor for cheekto-cheek dancing. House specialties: Tapas. Comments: Murals by Alfred Morang. el mesón 213 Washington Ave. 983-6756. Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Spanish. Atmosphere: Spain could be just around the corner. Music nightly. house specialties: Tapas reign supreme, with classics like Manchego cheese marinated in extra virgin olive oil; sautéed spinach with garlic and golden raisins. Go. GerOnimO 724 Canyon Rd. 982-1500. Dinner
Full bar. Smoke-free dining room. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: French–Asian fusion fare. Atmosphere: Kiva fireplaces, a portal, and a lovely garden room. house specialties: Start with the superb foie gras. Entrées we love include the green miso sea bass, served with black truffle scallions; and the classic peppery Elk tenderloin. Comments: Tasting menus are available. il PiattO 95 W. Marcy St. 984-1091. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Italian. Atmosphere: Bustling. house specialties: Our faves: the arugula and tomato salad, the grilled hanger steak, the lemon rosemary chicken, and the pork chop stuffed with mozzarella, pine nuts, and prosciutto. Comments: Try the Enoteca Menu, available from 2-5 on weekdays. JamBO cafe 2010 Cerrillios Rd. 473-1269. Lunch/Dinner Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: African and Caribbean inspired. Atmosphere: Basic cafe-style. house specialties: We love the tasty Jerk chicken sandwich. Try the curried chicken salad wrap; or the marvelous phillo stuffed with spinach, black olives, feta cheese, roasted red peppers and chickpeas served over organic greens. Comments: Obo was the executive chef at the Zia Diner. JOsh’s BarBecue 3486 Zafarano Dr., Suite A. 474-6466. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Barbecue. Atmosphere: Casual, house specialties: Delicious woodsmoked meats. Recommendations: We love the tender red-chile, honeyglazed ribs, the tender brisket, the barbecue chicken wings, the smoked chicken tacquitos, and the spicy queso. Comments: Josh’s was written up recently in America’s Best BBQs. KOhnami restaurant 313 S. Guadalupe St. 984-2002. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine/Sake. Smoke-free. Patio. visa & Mastercard. $$ Cuisine: Japanese. Atmosphere: Casual. house specialties: Miso soup; soft shell crab; dragon roll; chicken katsu; noodle dishes; and Bento box specials. Comments: The sushi is always perfect. Try the Ruiaku Sake. It is clear, smooth, and very dry. Comments: We love the new noodle menu. A friendly and efficent wait-stff is a plus. la Plancha De elDOraDO 7 Caliente Road at La Tienda. 466-2060 Hiway 285 / vista Grande Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine. Smoke-free Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Salvadorian Grill. Atmosphere: a casual open space. house specialties:
Loroco omelet and anything with the pan-fried plantains. Try the Salvadorian tamales and the poblano del dia. Everything is fresh. Recommendations: The Sunday brunch terrific. Comments: Chef Juan Carols and family works hard to please. lan’s vietnamese cuisine 2430 Cerrillos Rd. 986-1636. Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: vietnamese. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. house specialties: Start with the Pho Tai Hoi, a vegetarian soup loaded with veggies, fresh herbs, and spices. For your entree, we suggest the Noung—it will rock your taste buds. Comments: Generous portions. la Plazuela On the Plaza 100 E. San Francisco St. 989-3300. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full Bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: New Mexican and Continental. Atmosphere: A gorgeous enclosed courtyard with skylights and hand-painted windows. house specialties: Start with the Classic Tortilla Soup or the Heirloom Tomato Salad with baked New Mexico goat cheese. For your entrée try the Braised Lamb Shank, served with a spring gremolata, roasted piñon couscous, and fresh vegetables. Comments: Seasonal menus m aria ’ s n eW m exican K itchen 555 W. Cordova Rd. 983-7929. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoking/non-smoking. Patio. Major credit cards. $$
Cuisine: New Mexican. Atmosphere: Rough wooden floors and hand-carved chairs set the historical tone. house specialties: Freshly made tortillas, green chile stew, and pork spareribs. Comments: Perfect margaritas. max’s
401½ Guadalupe St. 984-9104. Dinner Beer/Wine. Non-smoking. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Contemporary. Atmosphere: Intimate and caring. house specialties: Specializing in “sous vide,” a method that maintains the integrity of the ingredients. Start with the Baby Beet Salad. For your main, try the Pan Seared Day Boat Scallop or the Sous vide Chilean Sea Bass. Dessert: the Dark Chocolate Globe. Comments: Chef Mark Connell is right on the mark—making big-time magic in the kitchen. mu Du nOODles 1494 Cerrillos Rd. 983-1411. Dinner/Sunday Brunch Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Pan-Asian. Atmosphere: Casual. house specialties: vietnamese Spring Rolls, Green Thai Curry, and the Singapore: Comments: Mu Du is committed to organic products whenever possible. Mu rules.
continued on page 29
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photos: Jennifer Esperanza ©
Join the celebration New Year’s Eve!
DINING GUIDE
Station
Breakfast, lunch, and a variety of wonderful coffee drinks, organic teas, and smoothies. 530 South Guadalupe Street • 988-2470 Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Noodle house. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Salmon dumplings with oyster sauce, and Malaysian Laksa. Museum Hill Cafe Museum Hill, off Camino Lejo. 984-8900. Lunch: Tuesday - Sunday Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American/Contemporary New Mexican. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: We love the Asian Shrimp Tacos, they’re are right on the mark. Try the Smoked Duck Flautas— they won’t disappoint. Comments: Menu changes seasonally. Nostrani Ristorante 304 Johnson St. 983-3800. Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free/Fragrance-free Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Regional dishes from Northern Italy. Atmosphere: A renovated adobe with a great bar. House specialties: Fall menu includes Grilled Baby leeks with goat cheese and tomato vinagrette and Marinated Trout served with cumcumber and radish. Nostrani is rated by Frommers as one of the “Top 500 Restaurants in the World.” Comments: Fragrancefree. Plaza Café Southside 3466 Zafarano Dr. 424-0755. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner 7 days Full bar. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: American and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Bright and light, colorful, and friendly. House specialties: For your breakfast go for the Huevos Rancheros or the Blue Corn Piñon Pancakes. Try the green chile stew. Rasa Juice Bar/Ayurveda 815 Early St. 989-1288 Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Organic juice bar. Atmosphere: Calm. House specialties: Smoothies, juices, teas, chai, cocoa, coffee, and espresso, all made with organic ingredients. Juice: our favorite is the Shringara (love and passion), made with beet, apple, pear and ginger. Comments: Add to this mix vintage
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clothing, handmade jewelry, and Ayurvedic herbs. Rasa is an expansion of Spandarama Yoga Studio. Real Food Nation Old Las Vegas Hwy/Hwy 285. 466-3886. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Farm to table with an on-site organic garden. Atmosphere: Cheery, light. House specialties: Grilled veggie burgers and organic, grass-fed beef burgers stand out. Great french fries. Comments: Kid-friendly. Rio Chama Steakhouse 414 Old Santa Fe Trail. 955-0765. Sunday Brunch/Lunch/Dinner/Bar Menu. Full bar. Smoke-free dining rooms. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: All-American classic steakhouse. Atmosphere: Gorgeous Pueblo-style adobe with vigas and plank floors. House specialities: USDA prime steaks and prime rib. Haystack fries and cornbread with honey butter. Recommendations: For dessert, we day, choose the chocolate pot Ristra 548 Agua Fria St. 982-8608. Dinner/Bar Menu Full bar. Smoke-free. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Southwestern with a French flair. Atmosphere: Elegant bar comfortable dining rooms. House specialties: Mediterranean mussels in chipotle and mint broth is superb, as is the ahi tuna tartare. Comments: Nice wine list San Q 31 Burro Alley. 992-0304 Lunch/Dinner Sake/Wine Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Japanese Sushi and Tapas. Atmosphere: Large open room with a Sushi bar and table dining. House specialties: Sushi, Vegetable Gyoza (dumplings), Softshell Crab, Yaki Noodles, Sashimi and Sushi Platters, and a selection of Japanese Tapas (Izakaya). Comments: A selection of boutique sake and a savvy sushi chef make Son Q a top choice for those who love Japanese food. We highly reccommend this restaurant.
2011/2012
San Francisco Street Bar & Grill 50 E. San Francisco St. 982-2044. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: As American as apple pie. Atmosphere: Casual with art on the walls. House specialties: At lunch, go for the San Francisco Street hamburger on a sourdough bun or the grilled yellowfin tuna nicoise salad with baby red potatoes. At dinner, choose the flavorful twelve-ounce New York Strip, or the Idaho Ruby Red Trout. Comments: Try their sister restaurant located in the DeVargas Center.
Station 430 S. Guadalupe. 988-2470 Breakfast/Lunch Patio Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: Light fare and fine cofffee and teas. Atmosphere:: Friendly and casual. House specialties: For your breakfast you cannot go wrong with the Ham and Cheese Croissant or any of the Fresh Fruit Cups. Lunch favorite is the Prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato sandwich, served with a basil pesto on a Cibatta roll. Comments: Special espresso drinks and magnificent smoothies.
Santacafé 231 Washington Ave. 984-1788. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoking/non-smoking. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Contemporary Southwestern. Atmosphere: Minimal, subdued, and elegant. House specialties: The world famous calamari never disappoints. Favorite entrées include the perfectly cooked grilled rack of lamb and the pan-seared salmon with olive oil crushed new potatoes and creamed sorrel. Comments: Appetizers during cocktail hour rule.
Steaksmith
Santa Fe Bar & Grill 187 Paseo de Peralta. 982.3033. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Start with the cornmeal-crusted calamari. For your main, try the Santa Fe Rotisserie chicken, the Rosemary Baby Back Ribs, or the Prawns à la Puebla. Comments: Carlos Rivas is doing a yeoman’s job in the kitchen. Saveur 204 Montezuma St. 989-4200. Breakfast/Lunch Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Patio. Visa/Mastercard. $$ Cuisine: French meets American. Atmosphere: Casual. Buffet-style service for salad bar and soups. House specialties: Daily chef specials, gourmet and buildyour-own sandwiches, wonderful soups, and an excellent salad bar). Comments: Breakfasts, organic coffees, and super desserts. Family-run. Second Street Brewery 1814 Second St. 982-3030. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free inside. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Simple pub grub and brewery. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: The beers are outstanding when paired with beer-steamed mussels, calamari, burgers, and fish and chips, Second Street Brewery at the Railyard 1607 Paseo de Peralta. 989-3278. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free inside. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Simple pub grub and brewery. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: The beers are outstanding, especially when paired with beer-steamed mussels or the beerbattered calamari, burgers, fish and chips, or the truly great grilled bratwurst. Comments: Fun bar, kid friendly. Shibumi 26 Chapelle St. 428-0077. Lunch/Dinner Smoke-free/Fragrance-free Cash only. $$. Parking available Beer/wine/sake Cuisine: Japanese noodle house. Atmosphere: Tranquil and elegant. Table and counter service. House specialties: Start with the Gyoza—a spicy pork pot sticker or the Otsumami Zensai (small plates of delicious chilled appetizers), or select from four hearty soups. Shibumi offers sake by the glass or bottle, beer, and champagne. Comments: Zen-like setting. Shohko Café 321 Johnson St. 982-9708. Lunch/Dinner Sake/Beer. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Authentic Japanese Cuisine. Atmosphere: Sushi bar, table dining. House specialties: Softshell crab tempura; sushi, and bento boxes.
at El Gancho Old Las Vegas Hwy. 988-3333. Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoke-free dining room. Major credit cards $$$ Cuisine: American. Atmosphere: Family restaurant with full bar and lounge. House specialties: Aged steaks; lobster. Try the pepper steak with Dijon cream sauce. Comments: They know steak here.
Tabla de Los Santos 210 Don Gaspar at the Hotel St. Francis
992-5863
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Sunday Brunch
Smoke-free. Patio Full Bar. Reservations suggested Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: New Mexican–inspired fare. Atmosphere: Archways leading to a patio for al fresco dining. House specialties: The organic Chicken Paillard with chile caribe is grilled and served with fresh market potatoes and vegetables. Recommendations: If the calamari with butter-garlic sauce is available, get it! For dessert, the organic goat milk flan is the best. Comments: Chef Estevan Garcia has created a wonderful menu. Teahouse
821 Canyon Rd. 992-0972. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner 7 days Beer/Wine. Fireplace. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: Farm-to-fork. Atmosphere: Casual. House specialties: We love the Salmon Benedict with poached eggs, the quiche, the gourmet cheese sandwich, and the Teahouse Mix salad. Terra at Encantado 198 State Rd. 592, Tesuque. 988-9955. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$$ Cuisine: Contemporary. Atmosphere: Elegant, with great views from the dining room and the bar. House specialties: Enjoy cocktails with appetizers in the cozy ambience of the bar. For dinner, start with the Risotto with Shaved Truffles. For your main, order the Harris Ranch Beef Tenderloin served with foie gras butter, or the Fish of the Day. Comments: Excellent ervice. Chef Charles Dale certainly knows what “attention to detail” means. The Pink Adobe 406 Old Santa Fe Trail. 983-7712. Lunch/ Dinner Full Bar Major credit cards. $$$ Full Bar Cuisine: All American, Creole, and New Mexican. Atmosphere: Friendly and casual.House specialties: For lunch we love the Gypsy Stew with cornbread and the Pink Adobe Club. For dinner, try the Steak Dunigan, with green chile and sauteed mushrooms or the Fried Shrimp Louisianne. Comments: Great pour at the bar. The Shed 113½ E. Palace Ave. 982-9030. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Patio. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: New Mexican. Atmosphere: A local institution just off the Plaza. House specialties: You can’t go wrong ordering the stacked red or green chile cheese enchiladas. Comments: Try their sister restaurant, La Choza. The Supper Club 628 Old Las Vegas Hwy. 466-2440 Dinner: Wednesday–Saturday Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Fine dining. Atmosphere:
Comfortable and intimate. House specialties: Organic salads and soups, sustainably-raised meat, poultry, and seafood. Recommendations: Shrimp and Grits with Spanish Chorizo, Tagliatelle with Oyster Mushrooms, and the perfect Berkshire Pork Chop. Comments: Fine wines and attentive service. Menu changes depending on what is fresh from their garden. The Supper Club is located just seven miles from the Plaza—it is well worth the short drive to experience chef Kim Muller’s elegant touch in the kitchen. Tia Sophia’s 210 W. San Francisco St. 983-9880. Breakfast/Lunch No alcohol. Smoking/non-smoking. Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: New Mexican. Atmosphere: This restaurant is absolutely a Santa Fe tradition. House specialties: Green chile stew and the huge breakfast burrito stuffed with bacon, potatoes, chile, and cheese. Comments: The real deal. tomme
229 Galisteo St. 820-2253 Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Contemporary. Atmosphere: Casual and friendly. House specialties: Start with the Smoked Sturgeon Salad or the Slow Braised Short Rib Gougeres. For your entrée, try the vegetatian Coq au Vin Pot Pie or the Fried Chicken Cobb Salad. Comments: Traditional and sous vide cooking from Chef Mark Connell—a wizard in the kitchen. Visit tomme’s sister restaurant, Max‘s at 401½ Guadalupe Street. Tree House Pastry Shop and Cafe 1600 Lena St. 474-5543. Breakfast/Lunch Tuesday-Sunday Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: Only organic ingredients used. Atmosphere: Light, bright, and cozy. House specialties: You cannot go wrong ordering the fresh Farmer’s Market salad, the soup and sandwich, or the quiche. Tune-Up Café 1115 Hickox St.. 983-7060. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: American, Cuban, Salvadorean, Mexican, and, yes, New Mexican. Atmosphere: Down home, baby. House specialties: Breakfast faves are the scrumptious Buttermilk Pancakes and the Tune-Up Breakfast. Comments: The El Salvadoran Pupusas are excellant. Vinaigrette 709 Don Cubero Alley. 820-9205. Lunch/Dinner Beer/Wine. Smoke-free. Major credit cards. $$ Cuisine: We call the food here: farmto-table-to-fork. Atmosphere: Light, bright and cheerful. House specialties: All of the salads are knockouts— fresh as can be. We love the Nutty Pear-fessor salad—it rocks! Comments: fresh, fresh, fresh. Whoo’s Donuts 851 Cerrillos Rd. 629-1678 6 am to 4 pm. Major credit cards. $ Cuisine: Donuts, donuts and, yes, even more knockout donuts. Atmosphere: Very, very casual. House specialties: This bakery has every yummy flavor you can think of and more. Organic ingredients. Gourmet dark chocolate from Whoo’s next door neighbor— the ChocolateSmith. Comments: Our fave donut is the maple bar, with or without the bacon. Organic coffee is a big plus. Zia Diner 326 S. Guadalupe St. 988-7008. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Full bar. Smoking/non-smoking. Patio. Major credit cards. $$$ Cuisine: All-American. Atmosphere: Down home. House specialties: Huevos Rancheros or the Chile Rellenos and eggs are breafast choices. We love the Southwestern Chicken Salad, the Meat Loaf, all the Burgers, and the Fish and Chips (maybe the best in Santa Fe). Comments: Hot fudge sundaes are absolutely perfect.
THE magazine | 29
BAY AREA ABSTRACTION: 1945 - 1965 JACK JEFFERSON | FRANK LOBDELL | CHARLES STRONG NOVEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 31, 2011
Deborah Remington, Warego, 1951, Oil on canvas, 47 1/2” x 69”
Also featuring: EDWARD DUGMORE | LYNN FAUS | LILLY FENICHEL | JAMES KELLY | MICHAEL KENNEDY | ROBERT MCCHESNEY | DEBORAH REMINGTON | HASSEL SMITH
DavidrichardContemporary.com 130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite D, Santa Fe, NM 87501 | p (505) 983-9555 | f (505) 983-1284 info@DavidRichardContemporary.com
ART OPENINGS
DECEMBER 2011 & JANUARY 2012
ART OPENINGS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27
mariPOsa sa Gallery, 3500 Central Ave. SE, Alb. 505-268-6828. Jewelry by Jill Erickson; ceramics by Suzanne Kane. 5-10 pm.
charlO harlOtte Otte JacKs K On fine art, 554 S. Guadalupe St., Ks Santa Fe. 989-8688. Gold Variations and Interference Paintings: works by David Simpson. 5-7 pm. Paintings
shiPrO r cK santa fe, 53 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa rO Fe. 982-8478. Holiday Gallery Opening. 5-7 pm.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2
Ph hOtO-eye
Gallery, 376-A Garcia St., Santa Fe. 988-5159. Continuum: photographs by Michael Levin. 5-7 pm.
calDera era Gallery, 926 Baca St., Suite 6, Santa Fe. 926-1242. Hide and Seek: citywide art treasure hunt. 5-9 pm.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23
eGGman anD Walrus art emPOrium, 130 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 660-0048. Heavy Cover: works by Joshua Neel. 5:30-9 pm.
canyO any n rOaD cOntemPOrary art, 403 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. If Past Is Prologue: group show. 5-7 pm.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 6 in nPOst artsPace P Pace at the OutPOst st PerfOrmance sPace P , 210 Yale Blvd. SE, Alb. 505-268-0044. Daily Burdens: paintings by Stacy Hawkinson. 5-8 pm. Burdens
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 museum Of cOntemPOrary native arts, 108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe. 983-8900.
Under the Influence—Iroquois Artists at the IAIA 1962-2012. Prophecy: works by Peter B. Jones. Shake, Rattle and Roll: works by Richard Glazer-Danay. Rez Car: works by Wendy Red Star. 5-7 pm.
SPECIAL INTEREST 11th annual cOntemPOrary hisPanic P Panic Winter marKet at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 200 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe. 424-6996. Painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewelry, and more. Fri. Dec. 9, 1-8 pm; Sat., Dec. 10, 9 am-5 pm. contemporaryhispanicmarket.com
evOKe cOntemPOrary, 130 Lincoln Ave., Ste F. ev Santa Fe. 995-9902. Landscapes: new paintings by Lynn Boggess. 5-8 pm. leGenDs santa fe, 125 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe. 983-5689. Castles and the Sky: photographs by Ray Belcher. 5-7 pm. manitOu Galleries, 123 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 986-0440. Holiday Small Works Show: featuring Tom Perkinson. 5-7:30 pm. Gallery, 651 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 982-6100. Color, Form and Shadow Shadow: paintings and prints by Harold Joe Waldrum. 5-7 pm.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 a WanDer er Out yOnDer er Gallery, 2842 State Hwy. 14, Suite B, Madrid. 424-0814. This Mad and Beautiful Game Game: paintings by Shelly Johnson and Lori Swartz. Flygirl Ironworks: metalwork sculptures by Christin Boyd. 5 pm. mesa PuBlic liBrary, 2400 Central Ave., Los Alamos. 662-8247. Connections: works by Sally Condon and Elaine Roy. 2-4:30 pm.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4 las Placitas PresByterian B Byterian church, 6 mi. E. of NM 165, Exit 242, Placitas. 867-8080. Placitas Artists Series Series: group show. 2-5:30 pm.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 aarOn Payne fine art, 213 E. Marcy St., Santa Fe. 995-9779. Inaugural Marcy Street Art Walk: benefit for the Santa Fe Youth Shelter. 4:308 pm. GiaccOBe fritz fine art, 702 Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 986-1156. Small Works Group Show. 3-6 pm. heiDi lOeWen POrcelain Gallery, 315 Johnson St., Santa Fe. 988-2225. The Art of the Apprentice: porcelain by Heidi Loewen and Sara Kathryn. 5-7:30 pm. neW mexicO arts centennial PrOJect sPace P , 54 1/2 E. San Francisco St., Suite 2, Santa Fe. 699-4914. Runaways: installation by Susanna Carlisle and Bruce Hamilton. 5-7 pm.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 Destiny allisOn fine art at La Tienda in Eldorado, 7 Caliente Rd., Suite A-1, Santa Fe. 4280024. Jewelry Trunk Show: jewelry by Cynthia Jones. 5-7 pm.
Daily Burdens, works by Stacy Hawkinson reflecting the discipline of the laboratory and the freedom of experimentation. At Inpost Artspace at the Outpost Performance Space, 210 Yale SE, Alb. Opens Friday, Dec. 2. Reception: Friday, January 6, 5 to 8 pm.
continued on page 34
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the magazine | 31
HERE’S THE DEAL for artists without gallery representation in New Mexico. Full-page b&w ads for $600, color $900. Reserve your space for the February/March issue. by Tuesday, February 14.
Jonas Povilas Skardis
Mac (and PC) Consulting ÂŽ
Training, Planning, Setup, Troubleshooting, Anything Final Cut Pro, Networks, Upgrades, & Hand Holding
phone: (505) 577-2151 email: Pov@Skardis.com Serving Northern NM since 1996
OUT AND ABOUT photographs by Mr. Clix Lisa Law Dana Waldon Lydia Gonzales and Jennifer Esperanza
WHO SAID THIS?
WHO SAID THIS?
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
1. Lillian Helman 2. Elmore Leonard 3. Ray Bradbury 4. Bernard Malamud
ART OPENINGS
516 arts, 516 Central Ave. SW, Alb. 505242-1445. Superheroes—Icons of Good, Evil and Everything in Between: Between group show. Through Sat., Jan. 7. 516arts.org
harWOOD ar museum, 238 Ledoux St., Taos. 575758-9826. Oli Sihvonen—The Final Years: Black Mountain College and New Mexico Mexico. Through Feb. 5. harwoodmuseum.org
axle cOntemPOrary, various locations in Santa Fe. 670-7612. Ye Olde Axle Holiday Shoppe: holiday art sale. Through Sun., Dec. 11. axleart.com
hiltOn santa fe GOlf resOrt anD sPa P at BuffalO uffal thunDer, 20 Buffalo Thunder Trail, Santa Fe. 819-2015. Community Holiday Party: benefit for Fine Arts for Children and Teens. Sat., Dec. 17, 6 pm to 12 am. buffalothunder.com
chiarO hiar scurO scur , 702½ Canyon Rd., Santa Fe. 9920711. November Feature: abstract paintings by Mike Stack and Tim Jag. Through Sat., Dec. 3. 3 Bread and Circus: paintings by Michele Mikesell. Through Circus Tues., Jan. 10. ChiaroscuroSantaFe.com cOllecteD WOrKs K BOOKst Ks OOK Ore, 202 Galisteo St., Santa Fe. 982-9187. In the Center of the Field: book signing by Cynthia West. Mon., Dec. 12, 6 pm. sunstonepress.com Destiny allisOn fine art at La Tienda in Eldorado, 7 Caliente Rd., Suite A-1, Santa Fe. 428-0024. Creative Economy for Artists: talk by photographer Eric Swanson. Thurs., Dec. 1, 5:30 pm. destinyallisonfineart.com
James Kelly cOntemPOrary, 550 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 989-1601. The Thick of It: sculptures by Arlene Shechet. Though Sat., Feb. 4. jameskelly. com lannan fOunDati D On at the James A. Little Theater, Dati 1060 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe. 988-1234. Norman Finkelstein with Chris Hedges. Tues., Dec. 6, 6:30 pm. David Shirk with Peter Smith. Tues., Jan. 24, 6:30 pm. lannan.org lannan fOunDati D On at the Lensic, 211 W. San Dati Francisco St., Santa Fe. 988-1234. John Sayles with Francisco Goldman. Wed., Jan. 18, 7 pm. lannan. org
eGGman anD D Walrus art emPOrium, 130 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 660-0048. Holiday Free for All: featuring ARTcade + ARTpong and music by NO Man Sober. Fri., Dec. 16, 6-11 pm. eggmanwalrus.com
leGenDs santa fe, 125 lincOln ave., santa fe. 983-5689. Holiday Small Works Show. Through Fri., Dec. 23. legendssantafe.com
GeOrG r ia O’Keeffe museum, 217 Johnson St., rG Santa Fe. 946-1000. From New York to Corrymore: Robert Henri and Ireland. Ireland Through Sun., Jan. 15. okeeffemuseum.org
maDriD merchant’s assOciatiOn, various locations in Madrid. 474-0344. 29th Annual Madrid Christmas Open House House: through December. visitmadridnm.com
meOW OW WOlf at the NMSU Art Gallery, D.W. Williams Hall, University A Ave., Las Cruces. 575-646-5423. Glitteropolis!: immersive art experience. Through Sat., Feb. 18. meowwolf. com muñOz Waxman Gallery at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe. 982-1338. Munson Hunt Exhibition: sculptures by Munson Hunt. Through Sun., Jan. 8. ccasantafe.org museum Of inDian arts anD culture, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe. 476-1269. Woven Identities: basketry art from the museum’s Identities collection. Through 2014. indianartsandculture. org museum Of neW mexicO, 107 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 476-5072. Past, Present, Future—Three New Mexico Photographers Photographers: works by Michael Berman, David Taylor, and Connie Samaras. Through April. nmartmuseum.org natiOnal hisPanic P Panic cultural center, 1701 4th St. SW, Alb. 505-246-2261. ¡Fabuloso!—Figures in Clay from the Van Deren and Joan Coke Collection Collection. Through Summer 2012. nhccnm.org
WinDsOrr Betts art BrOKeraG era e hOuse, 143 eraG Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe. 820-1221. Retrospective R of work by Native American Artists of the 1960s from IAIA. Through January. windsorbetts.com zane Bennett cOntemPOrary art, 435 S. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe. 982-8111. Affordable Art Group Show Show. Through Fri., Jan. 20. zanebennettgallery.com
PERFORMING ARTS alBuquerque theatre GuilD, P.O. Box 26395, Alb. Performances throughout December. and January. Info: abqtheatre.org elDOraDO chilDren’s theatre anD teen Players at the James A. Little Theater, 1060 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe. 466-4656. Cinderella: musical theatre performances. Fri., Dec. 2, 7:30 pm; Sat., Dec. 3, 2 pm and 7:30 pm; Sun., Dec. 4, 2 pm. eldoradochildrenstheatre.org el museO cultural theater, 555 Camino de la Familia Santa Fe. 992-0591. The Joe West and Santa Fe Revue Christmas Spectacular Spectacular! Fri., Dec. 16, 8 pm; Sat. Dec. 17, 3 pm and 8 pm. ticketssantafe.org
Palette cOntemPOrary art anD craft, 7400 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Alb. 505-855-7777. Live Glass Blowing Marble Demonstration Demonstration: with glass artist Greg Hoglin. Fri., Dec. 2, 5-8 pm; Sat., Dec. 3, 1-4 pm. palettecontemporary.com
neW mexicO histOry museum, 105 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 476-5100. Sacred choral music by Schola Cantorum of Santa Fe and the monks of Christ in the Desert Monastery. Sun., Dec. 4, 2 pm. nmhistorymuseum.org
Patina Gallery, 131 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 986-3432. Splendiferous: jewelry by Barbara Heinrich. Fri., Dec. 23 through Sun., Jan. 1. patina-gallery.com
santa fe cOmmunity cOlleGe, 6401 Richards Ave., Santa Fe. 428-1000. Winter Choral Concert of Seasonal Music 2011 2011: SFCC’s School of Arts and Design Chorus and Chamber Singers. Fri., Dec. 2, 5 pm; Sat., Dec. 3, 2 pm. sfcc.edu
santa fe clay, 545 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe. 984-1122. 2012 Summer Workshop: registration in December. santafeclay.com santa fe cOnventiOn center, 200 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe. 424-6996. 11th Annual Contemporary Hispanic Winter Market Market. Fri., Dec. 9, 1-8 pm; Sat., Dec. 10, 9 am-5 pm. contemporaryhispanicmarket.com scheinBaum anD russeK, 369 Montezuma Ave., Suite 345, Santa Fe. 988-5116. Season’s Greetings: holiday cards from the collection of Greetings Beaumont and Nancy Newhall. Through Mon., Jan. 2. photographydealers.com taO aOs art museum at fechin hOuse, 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos. 575-758-2690. Women Painters of Northern New Mexico Mexico: works from the museum’s collection. Through December. taosartmuseum.org
34 | the magazine
William r. talBOt fine art, 129 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe. 982-1559. Sacred Mountain—Modernist Portraits of Taos Mountain, 1920-1970: group show. Through Sat., Jan. 14. 1920-1970 williamtalbot.com
neW mexicO histOry museum, 105 W. Palace Ave., Santa Fe. 476-5100. Illuminating the Word—The Saint John’s Bible: contemporary handwritten and illuminated Bible. Through Sat., Apr. 7. Contemplative Landscape: photography group show. Through Sat., Dec. 31. “On the Weight of Words”: lecture by artists Barry Moser and John Benson. Sun., Jan. 22, 2 pm. museumofnewmexico.org
richarD levy Gallery, 514 Central Ave. SW, Alb. 505-766-9888 505-766-9888. Skirts: photography by Sabine Dehnel and Heidi Lender. Fri., Jan. 13 through Fri., Feb. 24. levygallery.com
Doll: An Intimate Figure, an exhibition curated by Rose B.Simpson of works by twenty-five contemporary artists. At the Tower Gallery—78 Cities of Gold Road, Pojoaque. Artists include: Nora Naranjo-Morse, Cannupa HanskaLuger, Tony Abeyta, and Fonda Yoshimoto. Through January 2012.
Francisco St., #10, Santa Fe. 231-1035. Up From Down Under Under: photographs by Ward Russell. Through Fri., Dec. 30. wardrussellphoto.com
university Of neW mexicO art museum, 1 University of New Mexico, Alb. 505-277-4001. Re-imagining American Identities Identities: photography. Dead Leg Leg: sculpture by Richard Deacon. Through Sun., Dec. 18. unm.edu/~artmuse WarD russell PhOtOGraPhy, 102 W. San
santa fe cOncert assOciatiOn at the Lensic, 211 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe. 984-8759. New Year’s Eve Concert Concert: Santa Fe Concert Association Orchestra. Sat., Dec. 31, 5 pm. santafeconcerts.org santa fe cOncert assOciatiOn at the Saint Francis Cathedral, 131 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe. 984-8759. Anonymous 4: a cappella quartet. Mon., Dec. 5, 7:30 pm. santafeconcerts.org st. JOhn’s cOlleGe, 1160 Camino Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe. 984-6000. The Bald Soprano: theatre performance. Sat., Dec. 10, 8 pm; Sun., Dec.11, 3 pm. sjcsf.edu
CALL FOR ARTISTS Bullseye Glass cOmPany P Pany , 3722 SE 21 Ave., Portland, OR. 503-227-2797. Emerge 2012: 7th international kiln-glass exhibition for emerging artists. Deadline: Wed., Dec. 7. bullseyeglass. com/emerge DOña ana arts cOuncil, P.O. Box 1721, Las Cruces. 575-526-9674. Las Cruces Arts Fair F 2012: seeking arts and crafts artists for juried 2012 event. las-cruces-arts.org masterWOrKs Of neW mexicO, P.O. Box 3055, Alb. 505-260-9977. MasterWorks of New Mexico 2012—14th Annual Spring Art Show. Info and deadlines: masterworksnm.ort
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Lynne Pomeranz “rite of Passage” archival Pigment Print 32” x 40” framed
www.bealsandabbate.com
www.LynnePomeranz.com
This Artist’s page sponsored by Santa Fe Capital Management, LLC A Fee Only Financial Planning & Investment Advisory Practice (Investments $500,000 and up) Sam DeLuca, CFP • 3600 Rodeo Lane, Santa Fe, nM 87507 • Phone 505-820-1177 • Fax 505-216-5242 sam@sfcapmgt.com • www.santafecapitalmanagement.com
PREvIEWS
Harold Joe Waldrum: Color, Form and Shadow Through December 31 Zaplin Lampert Gallery, 651 Canyon Road, Santa Fe. 982-6100. Reception: Friday, December 2, 5 to 7 pm. After an artist dies, their habits and quirks are eventually forgotten; instead, their being is preserved in their work. For now, people like to remark that Harold Joe Waldrum, who died in 2003, preferred to paint in the nude. He also taught public school marching bands, raised mules, authored an unpublished novel, and founded the Rio Bravo Art Gallery. He is remembered in his obituary as having been an honest man despite having “a tough exterior, bordering on curmudgeonly.” However, none of these anecdotes capture Waldrum’s striking vision of northern New Mexico—only his paintings can preserve this most remarkable aspect of his life. When Waldrum looked at an adobe church, he saw something that others didn’t. He saw swaths of chromatic beauty within their simple, solid geometries. He saw the halo where the light met the shadows. Waldrum will likely be remembered for his church series, though he took hundreds of Polaroid photographs to record the angles and light values that he represented in his works, images which became artworks in themselves. “The things that
Harold Joe Waldrum, La Campana Arriba de la Morada de los Cuartos de Abiquiu, acrylic on canvas, 27¼” x 27¼”, nd.
do not fit are the most interesting,” he once said. “We must always look for the new rules.” Color, Form and Shadow is a retrospective of Waldrum’s work from the 1980s until shortly before his death, including his paintings, prints, and Polaroids.
Season’s Greetings: Holiday Cards from the Collection of Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Through January 2, 2012 Scheinbaum & Russek, 369 Montezuma Avenue, Suite 345, Santa Fe. 988-5116. Before holiday greeting cards became yet another burden on the holiday to-do list, before they came in fifty-packs of identical clipart images and clichéd messages, and before they were unenthusiastically signed by the hundreds and addressed to second-cousins, college roommates, and irksome coworkers, they were an expression of care and creativity. Photographers have not forgotten this, and when Christmas nears they send each other original prints. Season’s Greetings offers a look at some of this tradition’s greatest treasures. The images displayed in this exhibition are from the collection of photography curator Beaumont Newhall and his wife, photography critic Nancy Wynne. Newhall is best known for compiling and authoring A History of Photography, one of the first catalogues to recognize photography’s technical and artistic merits. During the Christmas season, the Newhalls received images from many notable photographers, including Ansel Adams, Brassaï, Eliot Porter, and John Szarkowski. Sometimes
Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, Christmas Card, vintage gelatin silver print, 3¼” x 4¼”, c. 1939
artful, sometimes whimsical, such “season’s greetings” won’t be found on the Hallmark rack.
Under The Influence: Iroquois Artists at IAIA (1962-2012) January 21 through July 31 Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe. 983-1666. Reception: Friday, January 20, 5 to 7 pm. The Iroquois confederacy, or the League of Six Nations, includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora nations. When the first European settlers arrived in America, the Iroquois lived in what is now New York State, and were known for having a sophisticated and effective government in which a women’s council played a key role. Today, many of the Iroquois people still live in New York, though there are also communities in Canada and Oklahoma. Since 1962, more than one hundred fifty artists of Iroquois descent have attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, coming to terms with their past and present through their art, as well as experimenting with new ideas they encountered while living in the Southwest. Under the Influence: Iroquois Artists at IAIA is a diverse exhibition including works of many different mediums—pottery, stone sculpture, photography, jewelry, painting, printmaking, installation, mixed and multi-media works—by many different artists. Pottery Belly by Natasha Smoke Santiago is included in the exhibition, an earthy sculpture of a pregnant woman’s midsection, near-bursting with the potentiality of life. This work, like the many others on display, speaks of the rich artistic dialogue between cultures and traditions that occurs at the IAIA.
36 | the magazine
Brenda Hill, Tears for Odu’hiyo, 2011
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MILL FINE ART
Eggman & Walrus pREsENTs ThE
holiday smallWorks Group show
John Barker: Everything Must Go Extended through December 17th John Barker / “Y-Connection Man” / acrylic on canvas
Also:
December 2nd: Opening Reception: Josh Neel “Heavy Cover” 5:30-9:00.
small, but strong! small works, gift sized and priced, all signed original painting and sculpture from twenty-five of the region’s finest artists.
December 16th: Holiday Free for All Featuring: A R Tc a d e and A R Tp o n g ! 6:00 – 11:00 pm.
Running through New Years
“E&W is Santa Fe’s vanguard gallery for leading edge contemporary artwork.” —Artslant
MILL FINE ART 530 CANYoN RoAd • sANTA FE 505.982.9212 W W W. M I L L F I N E A R T.Co M
131 W. San Francisco 1st fl. + 1 3 0 W. Palace 2nd fl. Tel: 505 660 0048 www.eggmanwalrus.com
Red Dot Gallery
The La Tienda Exhibit Space Presents
Opening Reception Saturday, December 10 from 5 to 7 pm www.TheExhibitSpace.com 7 Caliente Road Santa Fe, NM 87508 505.428.0024
national spotlight
Madonna Ashamed from
Warhol Headlines
Andy Warhol—everybody’s favorite white-haired cult figure—had a long and complicated affair with popular culture, participating in it as both subject and critic. A collection of over eighty of Warhol’s works—Warhol: Headlines—examines the mass media’s garish portrayal of sensation and tragedy. Disturbed by a 1962 New York Mirror headline, Warhol created 129 Die in Jet as a commentary on how the media and its consumers transform the gruesome into an everyday commodity. The artist was equally empathetic toward the famous; the exhibition features many works exploring the media’s dramatic treatment of celebrity. Source materials are shown alongside several pieces, bringing the artist’s commentary on sensationalistic journalism into sharp relief. Films from throughout Warhol’s career will also be shown, including Screen Tests, and outtakes from Andy Warhol’s TV. Curator Molly Donovan said, “I’ve come to realize that we’re just beginning to understand this prolific artist’s work. I’ll never be able to glance casually at the tabloids in a grocery store again.” The exhibition is on view through January 2, 2012 at the National Gallery of Art—401 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC. A catalogue—Andy Warhol: Headlines (Prestel, $60)—accompanies the exhibition. D
| d e c e mb e r
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THE magazine | 39
R
W W W. B U R N I N G B O O K S . O R G
PRESS ADMITS TO PUBLISHING
radius Books
Book StoRE!
BURNING BOOKS! AN ARTIST-RUN, WEIRDNESS-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE PRODUCTION AND PUBLICATION OF LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND ART SINCE 1979 19
Monday, dec. 12 through Friday, dec. ec. 16
10 am to 5 pm everyday For one week just before the holidays, we are turning our space into a bookstore! Come by for amazing art books at a discount (the only time the whole year that we discount our titles). Visit our web site for announcements, details, directions, and more.
The Quadrants Series
ARE THERE STILL BOOKS? Debut Novels by Seasoned Writers SANTA FE—The publishing world is rife with debut novels, and as an author it never hurts to have youth on your side. But Santa Fe indie publisher Burning Books decided to stare age in the face with a new twist
on the debut: First novels from “seasoned” writers. The Burning Books Quadrants Series is a boxed-set of pocketsized first novels by four writers over 50 —Robert Ashley, Sumner Carnahan, Thomas Frick, and
QUICKSAND Robert Ashley
ONLY A MESSENGER Sumner Carnahan
THE IRON BOYS Thomas Frick
IF NOTHING CHANGES L. K. Larsen
Q+1: SHORT WORKS Ashley / Carnahan / Frick / Larsen
radius Books 227 East Palace, Suite W Santa Fe, NM 505.983.4068
L. K. Larsen. All four novelists are longtime writers and performers in a variety of genres. In addition to one novel, each author also contributes to the fifth book in the set, an anthology called Q+1, which includes micro fictions, tall tales, absurdist prose, and classic “short stories.” As Mr. Red Cell says, “An unmuzzled approach to the publication and dissemination of literature, music, and art gives Burning Books the integrity needed to secure a position in the lineage of subversive presses. Burning Books has teeth and it knows when to bite.”
THE NOVELS Q U I C K S A N D As smooth a read as a James Bond martini. — TERRI HANLON
ONLY A MESSENGER Economical, cinematic, sensibly erudite, romantically slant, and true. — THOMAS ASHCRAFT
THE IRON BOYS It’s a song, this book, a song Van Morrison ought to sing. — AMY FRIEDMAN
IF NOTHING CHANGES Lush, layered, revealing the potent alchemy of life, time, and landscape.
www.radiusbooks.org FOUR NOVELS AND A BONUS BOOK OF SHORT WORKS
— CARMELLA PADILLA
Ti me Flie s
WILL BE 20 YEARS OLD ON JULY 1, 2012 THE has published 2,400 art reviews Over 200 Universe of articles Over 110 One Bottle columns Over 200 Writing pages Over 400 Studio Visits Over 70 Interviews Over 800 Previews and much more Since 1992, THE magazine has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the art community in New Mexico To request a 2012 media kit themagazinesf@gmail.com Visit us: themagazineonline.com
F E AT U R E
BEST
BOOKS
Of
2011
Each year THE magazine receives books from publishers for review consideration. What follows are our writers’ choices for the best books of 2011. Reviews by Diane Armitage, Louise Adamson, Kathryn M Davis, Elizabeth Harball, Iris McLister, Michael Motley, Alex Ross, and Marina La Palma. Japan is a country of contrasts— all-night karaoke parlors and hushed Zen gardens, discreet geishas
and
the
exhibitionist
harajuku girls, complex social formalities
and
even
more
complex gang subcultures. Japan has a vast pornography market, which exists slightly below the radar of a dignified society focused on
appearances
and
pride.
During the Edo period, which began in 1603, Ukiyo-e prints were massively popular with the masses. These prints depicted the pastimes of the lower classes, Altered Landscape: Photographs
likely have no impact on the future
of a Changing Environment (Skira
of our world. Made by more
Rizzoli, $65) was co-published
than one hundred contemporary
by the Nevada Museum of Art
photographers,
and serves as the catalogue for
represent an encyclopedic range
an exhibition at the museum
of
that continues through January 8,
and are enhanced with essays by
2012. The significance of a book
prominent writers. As someone
like Altered Landscape is obvious
in this breathtaking book states,
and profound, and it makes us
“Human beings now have a larger
landscape
the
images
interpretations,
wonder: can anything save us
impact on the landscape than the
from ourselves? If art alone could
rain.” Unless of course you’re
do it, then we might look at a
referring to the acid variety.
work by Edward Burtynsky, such
—DA
as Nickel Tailings #36, Sudbury, Ontario, and instead of gagging at
as well as meisho-e: pictures of famous places; gi-ga: caricatures; yokai-ga: pictures of mythical monsters; and shunga paintings and prints of all manner of sexual acts. Ukiyo-e shunga are known for being simultaneously comical, brash, and artistically exquisite. Not
surprisingly,
these
vivid
images attracted the attention of Pablo Picasso in the 1890s, during the height of Europe’s infatuation with all things Japanese. Secret Images: Picasso and the Japanese Erotic Print (Thames and Hudson, $50)
reveals
the
undeniable
connections between Picasso’s
and as masterfully edited and
art and Japanese shunga. Here,
translated by Lee Ambrozy in Ai
Picasso’s work is juxtaposed with
Weiwei’s Blog: Writings, Interviews,
the Japanese prints they echo.
and Digital Rants, 2006-2009 (The
This stunning book chronicles an
MIT Press, $24.95), the artist’s
important chapter in the history
posts queried the state of artistic
of explicit art.
and
—EH
behind
political the
representation
Great
Firewall—
inviting increased global scrutiny
the evidence of extreme toxicity
“If the police are assaulted, this
of Chinese governmental action
in a stream, we could instead see
event is not called assault––it’s
as well as reciprocal observation
this work as a ravishing blend
called suicide,” blogged Ai Weiwei
from the Chinese government
of brilliant colors in a sinuous
on July 15, 2006. Beginning that
itself, leading to the author’s
lay of the land. And perhaps, by
year, one of China’s most visible
eventual and not unforeseen
magical thinking alone, we could
contemporary artists, architects,
detention. In terms of illuminating
transform our sins of omission
activists, and social critics began
the
and commission into artful works
posting trenchant sociocultural
the digital age, and augmenting
of art that could never hurt a living
commentary although he could
our understanding of one of
thing. What we have, though, in
barely type. Fewer than three
global culture’s most percipient
this brilliant collection of work, is
years later, the Chinese Ministry
commentators, this text is highly
the confluence of a strange beauty
of Public Safety dismantled the
recommended.
and a lethal irony that will most
commentaries. In the interim,
—AR
dynamics
of
protest
in
continued on page 42
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the magazine | 41
If you’ve ever sat around a
lipped, expressionless faces. This
spider—and The Destruction of
campfire and told ghost stories,
poignant glimpse into the creative
the Father—a mixed-media work
chances are you’re uncomfortably
mind of an anonymous mental-
that Bourgeois herself described
familiar with the insane-asylum
hospital patient is as mysterious
as “murderous.” In the 1960s,
when she was a child. Bourgeois’
had skin like porcelain, and tiny
escapee. You know the one, the
and spooky as any ghost story.
she began to incorporate fabric
knowledge of tapestries and their
feet (for nearly a thousand years
straight-jacketed loony scritch-
—IM
into her work, a medium with
creation is highly apparent in her
Chinese sexual perception has
scratching at the window? The
series of intimate fabric works,
been determined by the jinlian—
Drawings of the Electric Pencil
which incorporate pieces of her
the female foot bound up to be as
by Lyle Rexer (Electric Pencil
own clothing and the clothing of
small as possible, with the pointed
Press, $59.95. Distributed by
those she was close to. Louise
shape of an unopened lotus
D.A.P.) should pique the macabre
Bourgeois:
Works
flower. Many of the works of art
fascination we have with mental
(Skira Rizzoli, $90) is a powerful
about concubines and courtesans
institutions and their inhabitants.
collection of the artist’s textile
stress harmony, softness, and
It’s a story straight out of a Nancy
creations. The book includes an
graceful pleasure. Among the
Drew mystery; forty years ago
essay by contemporary art scholar
many topics in Concubines and
a boy was poking around an
Germano Clement, who writes:
Courtesans: Women in Chinese
old insane asylum marked for
“The identity discerned in the
demolition when he noticed a
Fabric Works will be an additional
peculiar stack of papers by a
measure of the communicative
dumpster, which turned out to
and linguistic power of the artist,
be a large collection of colored
who has woven, over time, a web
pencil-and-ink
made
rich in memories and stories that
by a psychiatric patient from
is guaranteed to shine brightly
Missouri’s State Lunatic Asylum
in the history of modern and
No. 3 in the early 1900s. These
contemporary art.”
delicate drawings of animals,
—EH
people,
and
drawings
buildings
The
Fabric
were
composed with an untrained but
Historically,
meticulous eye and hand-sewn
considered making love a sacred
into a rawhide album. Drawn on
duty of every man and woman,
sheets of State Hospital ledger
Louise Bourgeois’
paper, most of the portraits depict
sexually
the
Chinese
fierce and
which she had a deep connection
with particular import attached
sculptures
as her roots lay in Aubusson,
to sexual fulfillment. Prostitution
rigid, sharp-suited gentlemen and
allowed her to confront her
France, a town founded by
was part of the social makeup,
lace-collared
childhood
fears.
tapestry-makers in the 1700s.
which led to a tradition of erotic
bunches of flowers. Their blank
Bourgeois is best known for
Her grandmother was a tapestry-
art. The ideal woman in Chinese
eyes
her
including
maker, and her parents began
erotic art existed only to satisfy
steel
a tapestry restoration business
the desires of her lovers; she
are
ladies
clutching
disproportionately
large, and stare out from tight-
aggressive
larger
Maman—a
dramas
and
works, massive
F E AT U R E
Erotic Art (Prestel, $60) are: The
photographic co-op boasts a library
Rizzoli, $85) the photographer
History of Prostitution; Eroticism
of over one million documentary
has juxtaposed many of his finest
in Literature; Ivory Carvings;
images from the 1930s to the
photographs
Concealed Erotica; and Erotica
present day. To open A Year in
Getty, the White House, and the
During the Chinese Republic.
Photography:
Bellagio Hotel—with his other
Writer and collector Ferry M.
(Prestel, $34.95) is to encounter
work,
Bertholet’s
illustrated
extraordinary events captured by
Hillary Clinton and Agnes Martin.
book of exquisite and intimate
Magnum photographers. From
Sometimes humorous, sometimes
art defines the role of women in
Inge Morath’s 1956 picture of
reverent, each pairing tells a story.
Chinese erotic art from the end
women dancing in the Iraqi desert
Critic and essayist Dave Hickey
of the Ming Dynasty, in 1600, to
to a boxing match shot in 1997
writes, “There is always a heartless
decadent times in Shanghai during
by Eli Reed, this robust book
little sting in Eberle’s images, a
the 1920s.
is a stunning journey through
frisson of worldly dissonance, like
—LA
photography.
Degas in a newspaper. This sting
—EH
derives, I think, from the fact that
lavishly
Magnum
Archive
of
buildings—the
including
portraits
of
A tattooed man lies sleeping in
Eberle is making photographs
a grassy field. Three old women
and not taking pictures of things.”
tell secrets on a park bench.
Empire of Space is a comprehensive
Autumn
and
collection of Eberle’s finest work,
silent on the surface of a pond.
and a singular commentary on the
While many wouldn’t give these
modern world.
moments a second glance, a
—EH
leaves
lie
still
great photographer recognizes their importance. Henri Cartier-
Upon first consideration, we
Pasfield’s pictures of one hundred
portraits of individuals who could
Bresson, renowned photographer
might
forty gay men in all fifty states.
easily be your neighbor, your
“a
brother, your teacher, your co-
guess
that
a
coffee-
and founder of Magnum Photos,
In an interview with GQ’s Glenn
table book with the title Gay in
The
believed
“…photography
O’Brien, Todd Eberle confesses
America (Welcome Books, $45)
profound collection of ordinary,
worker, and your friend. From the
is the simultaneous recognition,
that his childhood dream was to
would offer a Diane Arbus–like
proud, out gay men who defy
cover image of soldier Dan Choi,
in a fraction of a second, of
become an architect. However,
expression
and
clichés and stereotypes.” Pasfield
the anti-“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” activist, to the elderly threesome from
that
of
otherness
photographer
offers
the significance of an event.”
when he saw pictures of Frank
difference. Nothing could be
scores perfect marks in achieving
Magnum Photos, an international
Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, he
further from the truth of Scott
his mission by presenting color
Savannah,
Georgia,
no
was “profoundly intimidated” and
one could look more normal—
decided to pursue other paths.
whatever that means today—than
Instead of studying architecture,
the men in these pages. As Choi
Eberle became a photographer,
puts it, “Love. That’s what it means
but
fascination
to be gay in America.” Sounds
with architectural forms. After
awfully like a pronouncement by
a serendipitous meeting with
someone who professes concern
Donald Judd in 1990, he was
with “family values,” that sacred
asked to photograph the artist’s
cow of the religious right—many
work in Marfa, Texas. Eberle
of whom would have us “pray
learned that he had an instinctual
the gay away.” Activist Choi,
knack for framing and composing
columnist Dan Savage, and actor
Judd’s geometric works. These
Neal Patrick Harris: Gay men are
photographs were later published
coming out every day, revealing
in Vanity Fair, and Eberle became
themselves
known as one of America’s
heroes.
finest
—KMD
retained
art
his
and
architectural
as
contemporary
photographers. His images are artworks in themselves—each a
Artists’
Handmade
Houses
commentary on space, context,
(Abrams, $60)—with succinct text
and form. In Empire of Space (Skira
and anecdotal material by Michael continued on page 44
| d e c e mb e r
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2011/2012
THE magazine | 43
built by artists—homes that
Charles Jencks is a landscape
express each artist’s aesthetic.
artist, but he could just as easily be
Many of the homes in the book
called a scientist and a philosopher.
have been awarded National
His
Historic Landmark status. Artists’
archeology, string theory, national
homes include those of George
identity,
Nakashima, Sam Maloof, Frederic
is expressed in the dynamic
Church, Russel Wright, and Raoul
living landscapes he has installed
Hague. Freeman photographs
worldwide. Using nature as his
all the important details, as well
medium, Jencks’s creations draw
as the actual structure of the
connections between aspects of
homes. Some photographs show
the natural world. For instance,
how the artists left the spaces
the image Cells of Life is a graceful
when they died or moved away.
interweaving of ponds, paths, and
Kudos abound: “This gorgeous
ideology and
encompasses evolution—and
ridges designed to express the life
of war, and explanatory diagrams
to colonization figures in these
and Beauty: Art of the American
collection of houses handcrafted
cycle of a cell. Jencks sees the cell
on the life cycle of the cell. A
photographs of seemingly random
Twenties (Skira Rizzoli $60) does
by some of America’s finest
as “a city of sublime coordination”
liberal education may be required
fields and trees. Corn doesn’t
justice to the complexity, conflict,
artists is not only a must-read
and a metaphor for life as a whole.
to wholly comprehend Jencks’s
grow in neat rows; it thrives like
and accomplishment of the arts
but a must-examine-closely.” The
Another project, entitled The
artistic vision, but the beauty of
a weed among the creeping vines.
in the United States during the
Wall Street Journal. “Freeman’s
Curse of Agamemnon, is Jencks’s
his final creations is evident to all.
The section of the book titled
remarkable
ability to capture details . . .
meditation on the chaos of war.
—EH
“Donde andaba” (where I walked)
the aftermath of the Great War
coupled with a good eye for scale,
In it, he incorporates waterwheels
utilizes the trope of new greenery
and the beginning of the Great
gives the reader a true sense of
is
not
an
antiseptic
decade
that
saw
and cisterns that twist and pivot to
Death
growing between the cracks of old
Depression. Taking into account
place; Gotkin’s insightful text
simulate the sound of a machine
afterthought in Mexico like it is
walls with a poignant formality.
but
is an added delight, deepening
gun. The Universe in the Landscape:
here in the United States, a fact
—KMD
about the art of that period, essays
the readers’ appreciation of the
Landforms (Frances Lincoln Ltd.,
that is all too apparent in our over-
design that makes each home so
also
questioning
theories
by Teresa A. Carbone, Bonnie
$65) is a comprehensive survey of
commercialization of the Day of
With over two hundred well-
Costello, Randall R. Griffey, and
unique.” Publishers Weekly. And
Jencks’s recent work. The book
the Dead. We have our calaveras
chosen
sculpture,
Sarah M. Lowe present original
from ARTnews, “There’s ample
is as eclectic and extensive as the
and Coronas with marigolds and
painting, and photography, Youth
insights into how the arts both
opportunity for both looking and
artist’s mind, and includes concept
mariachi bands, and somehow
learning with Artists’ Handmade
sketches, notes on the challenges
manage to shove La Muerte
Houses.”
of creating a sustainable public
well back behind the scenes. In
—LA
space, musings on the immorality
Mexico, however, as in most semitropical Third World countries, death
remains
matter-of-factly
ever present. In her book of photographs los jardines de méxico (Radius Books, $50), Janelle Lynch says that she “had a physical desire to get as close to death as possible without dying.” She does so by making pictures that show life, in all its verdant insistence, alongside the scars of death: graffitied parks are green, empty, and creepily overgrown. Lynch’s photographs insist upon the importance of place; the absence of inhabitants lends them an effective eeriness. So much green suggests what might be buried under the flora: bodies, civilizations, ghostly memories of the past. Certainly, a resistance
images
of
F E AT U R E
$65) is a superb collection of his unique photography, and includes many images taken in New Mexico. —EH David Lynch does not like mere prettiness. Instead, he declares, “I like mistakes and accidents, which is why I like things like cuts and bruises, they’re like little flowers. I’ve always said that if you have a name for something, like ‘cut’ or ‘bruise,’ people will automatically be disturbed by it. But when you see the same thing in nature, and you don’t know what it is, it can be very reflected and took part in the rapid
required for the shot. Then, in
beautiful.” This conception of
technical and social changes of the
a process that sometimes takes
beauty is natural coming from
book to the Lynch retrospective
Berthe Morisot once remarked,
era. Focusing on the body and the
up to three months, he slowly
the director of eerie, disjointed
at the Max Ernst Museum in
”I do not think any man would
idea of beauty, this three-hundred
accustoms
the
films such as Mulholland Drive,
Brühl,
by
treat a woman as his equal, and
-and-four-page volume discusses
birds, to his presence. When he
Eraserhead, and Inland Empire.
aficionados Werner Spies and
it is all I ask because I know my
aspects of 1920s society that have
takes the final shot, the subject
Throughout Lynch’s career as a
Stefanie Diekmann illuminate the
worth.” At least until recently,
been less examined in artistic
is completely at ease with the
filmmaker, he has continued to
brilliance lurking behind Lynch’s
Morisot was correct regarding
contexts: utopianism, eugenics,
situation, barely flinching when
produce visual art that echoes
disquieting images. Thomas W.
both her worth and how, due
regionalism, progressive politics,
the
the uneasy tone of his movies.
Gaehtgens’ essay confronts the
to her gender, the world was
and race. The color reproductions
believes that “it is necessary to
His
series
issue of beauty in Lynch’s work.
ignorant of it. For almost a century,
are stunning, and the index and
go very softly in order to make
is
and
He observes, “The uncanny, the
rather than being recognized for
bibliography are thorough.
these images. It is not only
grotesque, and his mixed-media
ominous, the shuddering are also
her own work, this remarkable
—MLP
about capturing the likeness of
works tweak the subconscious
part of the experience that not
Impressionist painter was better
a bird; it’s about understanding
in a manner that is difficult to
only can be regarded as beautiful,
known as the subject of several
Jean-Luc Mylayne has devoted
ourselves, about how we fit
place. David Lynch: Dark Splendor
but also as strikingly, compellingly,
Manet paintings. Even when critics
thirty years to photographing
into the life of birds.” Jean-Luc
(Hatje Cantz, $85; distributed
and frighteningly beautiful.”
praised Morisot’s work, they
avian scenes. In each of his
Mylayne (Twin Palms Publishers,
by D.A.P.) is the companion
—EH
rarely saw beyond the fact that
shutter
his
“actors,”
closes.
Mylayne
Distorted
Nudes
simultaneously
erotic
Germany.
Essays
images a small songbird can be
the artist behind the paintbrush
found—in the foreground, or
was a woman. “It is a woman’s
hidden in the topmost corner,
work,” wrote Camille Mauclair,
or fading into the tree where
”but it has a strength, a freedom
it is perched. His techniques
of touch, and an originality
are
which one would hardly have
nontraditional:
Mylayne
uses a large format, eight-by-
suspected.”
ten-inch film camera, and has
the
designed many of the lenses.
Morisot was considered an equal.
This
equipment
Impressionists
among
themselves
him
One day in 1868, while admiring
to thoughtfully manipulate his
a Rubens painting at the Louvre,
points of focus—each landscape
Morisot met Édouard Manet. The
is
composed,
two formed a lifelong friendship,
alternating between hazy and
and each became a great influence
crystal clear. Mylayne first scouts
on the other’s work. Along with
a location with his wife, Mylène.
Manet, Cézanne, Monet, Sisley,
After discovering an appropriate
and Pissarro, Morisot was deeply
“set,” he sets up the equipment
involved with the Impressionists’
meticulously
allows
However,
continued on page 46
| d e c e mb e r
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2011/2012
THE magazine | 45
rebellion against the stubbornly
The aptly named photographer
unprogressive Paris Salon. Berthe
Michael Light has made a paean
Morisot (Flammarion, $50) is an
to his complicated relationship
elegant presentation of Morisot’s
with the City of Angels in
finest work, replete with sketches,
Michael Light: LA Day/LA Night
personal correspondence, and an
(Radius Books, $42). A closer
illustrated biography and time
look at this elegantly designed
line. The book confirms Morisot’s
double book, with Day on one
inclusion in the ranks of the great
side and Night on the other,
masters of Impressionism.
reveals it to be what the artist
—EH
calls a “guilty poem.” Light reveals the constructed metro
The late Fritz Scholder was
region that is Los Angeles,
one-quarter Luiseño—a Native
with its ubiquitous freeways,
American tribe in California. He
buildings, hazy skies, and the
was also one-quarter French,
unexpected pleasures of its low
one-quarter German, and one-
mountains and constellations of
quarter English. Scholder was
light. L.A. by Day doesn’t fare
not raised in the Native American
too well: In his aerial shots,
tradition, and growing up he was
Light chooses to focus upon the
more focused on his art than
ugliness of the nation’s post-war
his bloodline. His work never
urban reality as exemplified so
resembled
Native
stridently in Los Angeles. L.A.
arts, nor did it refer to his Luiseño
is the dream conflated with
heritage; rather, Scholder saw
the nightmare; Light states that
traditional
himself as a post-modern artist. He discouraged his students
resisted this title, his work
provoked, and forever changed
outside of the big top, and
at the Institute of American
reflected an acute awareness of
Indian arts. His 1969 painting
plants them in rural farmland
Indian Arts in Santa Fe from
the tensions and issues faced by
Indian with Beer Can shattered
or
producing works that suggested
the modern Native American.
romantic ideals and sparked a
The majority of the acrobats
their Native heritage. When he
Disgusted by “tourist-pleasing
fierce controversy that continues
are scantily clad or fully nude,
achieved success as a painter of
paintings” that “looked more like
to this day. Fritz Scholder: indian
but these portraits are done
Native Americans, he repeatedly
Italians dressed up in feathers,”
NOT INDIAN (Prestel, $49.95) is
with such a reverential eye that
denied that he was an “Indian
Scholder presented an image of
an examination of an artist who
there’s no danger of making
artist.” However much Scholder
the modern Indian that shocked,
forced the art world to face the
Barnum or Bailey blush. In
identity crisis present today in
fact, by stripping away flashy
Indian arts—“What is Indian art?”
costumes and monkeys in red
and “Who is an Indian artist?”
hats, we have room to focus on
—EH
the truly extraordinary physical
atop
steely
skyscrapers.
prowess of these athletes. The In [private acts] The Acrobat
performers are without their
Sublime (Skira Rizzoli, $45),
conventional high wires and
writer Harriet Heyman and
trapezes, instead hooking their
photographer
Harper
legs over fences or jumping
forge a gorgeous moving circus,
mid-air through empty subway
where mountains, lakes, and
cars.
the occasional tractor stand in
beautifully in conveying the rare
for the striped tent. The strange
athleticism of its practitioners,
and somewhat archaic sport of
making for a dazzling collection
acrobatics is the subject of this
of photographs and maybe even
quietly sensual book of black-
inspiring you to run away and
and-white photographs. Harper
join the circus.
captures these daring athletes
—IM
Acey
Private
Acts
succeeds
F E AT U R E
the place “functions for him as
—was just another unknown
a kind of holy template.” Los
New York City artist. In 1968,
Angeles is depicted in black-
she became friends with Judy
and-white as host to millions of
Lin, a budding photographer.
parasitic denizens, its original
Lin remembers, “Patti and
wild
I
beauty
suppressed
by
were
friends
the
way
a massive populace and its
children are friends.” They
overwhelming needs. Like an
liked the same clothes, the
aging Hollywood actress, the
same
city looks better at night, and
coffee,
Light handles it gently, even
the two began to make art
respectfully, making allowances
together.
for its former glory and its
Smith was posing before Lin’s
famous history. As Los Angeles
camera.
is constantly re-inventing itself,
Smith putting on eyeliner,
these static photographs divulge
cradling a cat, kissing her
a moment in a narrative. They
boyfriend on the sidewalk,
do so with an enduring grace.
smoking, and simply goofing
—KMD
around. Smith describes the
movies, and,
the
unsurprisingly,
Soon Lin
same
enough,
photographs
photographs as “tender and A
forceful
riposte
the
gritty.” Patti Smith 1969-1976
dystopian realities of the First
(Abrams, $24.95) is poignant
World War, the visual culture of
and lovely in its simplicity.
the Weimar Republic (1919-33)
The images are of Patti Smith
pitched
—but they are also of the
Modernism’s
to
utopian
hope, beauty, and brazenness and
revolutionary
strivings
continue to resonate with us
Almost
backdrop
today, this is surely among the
“Because
resentments.
year’s finest examples of incisive
released,
Edited by John Willett, The
pictorial history.
seventies rock and roll icon,
has ever been young.
Weimar Years: A Culture Cut Short
—AR
author, songwriter, and activist
—EH
against of
a
political
conservative
ten
years
the
before
Night”
Patti
of youth. It is a book for
was
Patti Smith fans, but it is
Smith—
also a book for anyone who
(Thames & Hudson, $19.95) provides a lush photomontage of
the
period’s
developments,
cultural
its
format
echoing Weimar artists’ embrace and liberal recombination of such
then-nascent
photojournalism, cinema, sound
media
broadcasting, recording.
as
documentary In
and tracing
the development of German Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, and De Stijl, Willett’s succinct text compels us to remember the pioneering actions of an uncompromising
avant-garde
first goaded and later destroyed by the same reactionary cultural values that would give rise to Nazism. Featuring works by Dix, Grosz, Brecht, Heartfield, and others whose creative talents
| d e c e mb e r
/ j anuar y
2011/2012
THE magazine | 47
Dunham Aurelius is profoundly influenced artistically by New Mexico’s diverse cultures, history and landscape. Aurelius’ work focuses on abstracted human and totemic forms that are inspired by desert rituals and vocabulary. The sculptures are composed of a variety of materials inclusive of clays, waxes, wood, steel, bone and found objects. Untitled, 2011. Bronze, 40½ x 12 x 12 inches
435 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505 982-8111 zanebennettgallery.com Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, or by appointment RAILYARD ARTS DISTRICT WALK LAST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
W
CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
agitated Histories
dE
SITE SanTa T FE Ta PEralTa T , S anTa Ta T FE Ta
whO wAS FAe RiChARDS? hAViNG “DieD” iN 1966,
Some of the other projects in this group show are Lenny
into an earsplitting chaos. This is an appealing work to sit through
her story could so easily have slid into a chasm of oblivion formed
Bruce’s obscenity trial as revisioned by Eric Garduño and Matthew
multiple times, even though there is nothing self-explanatory about
by racism on one side and sexual preference on the other. Yet,
Rana; a documentary on the use of Native American iconography
it. Without the accompanying text in the brochure, Oppenheimer’s
transgressivity proved to be an ironic saving grace for Richards—
as material for mascots that focuses on the well-known Santa
aesthetic choices take precedence over the actual intended
beautiful cipher, talented actress, and an African-American lesbian
Fe activist Charlene Teters; the exploitation of undocumented
content. There are, of course, nationalistic overtones but also some
far ahead of her times—because she worked in the 1920s, ‘30s,
workers from South America in the video by Yoshua Okón;
rather inscrutable visual symbols thrown in for good measure: an
and ‘40s when blackness in the entertainment world was a
the resonance of past political speeches re-enacted against the
upright blank canvas, two plywood staircases, and a box formed
flickering, indeterminate force that either slipped under the radar
backdrop of the 1970s Military Industrial Complex by Mark Tribe.
by the two staircases sandwiched together. I know these things
or emerged haltingly, always yoked to the chariot of prejudice. This
There is also the odd resonance of strange historical pairings—
have meaning within the context of the militaristic figures and their
quasi movie starlet, lover of women, avatar of black beauty was,
such as Michael Jackson with Charles Baudelaire in Lorraine
music, but they are liminal objects, floating signifiers that come to
in fact, no one. Because she never existed. She is a total fiction, an
O’Grady’s work The First and Last of the Modernists (Charles
life deep within our cerebral cortex, if at all.
extended-format creation that includes Richards’ friends, lovers,
and Michael); or the conceptual joining of the painter Francis
Mark Tribe’s The Dystopia Files didn’t need the luxury of a
and family as conceived by artists Zoe Leonard and Cheryl Dunye
Bacon with the comedienne Jackie “Moms” Mabley in a painting
fancy install or even a great deal of space. On a relatively small
and documented in photographs that simulate old images from
by Deborah Grant called Suicide Notes to the Self Self. These are all
monitor, a seemingly endless stream of confrontational scenes
the twenties onward as well as color photos from the fifties and
works that inflect the political subtexts in Agitated Histories with a
unfolded between groups of protestors in this or that city and
sixties that could have been done with a Kodak Instamatic camera
subtlety of thinking that opens doors without necessarily drawing
the various police forces attempting to keep order in the streets.
and probably were.
dogmatic conclusions. Even if there is a bit of a stretch required
Watching this video—which feels like it’s being streamed live against
Every image in this piece is a pose-within-a-pose—a fictional
in conflating Michael Jackson’s essentially early-nineteenth-
the backdrop of the current Occupy Wall Street phenomena—is
mise-en-scène used to interrogate racial discrimination, gender
century romanticism with Baudelaire’s less dramatic intellectual
a completely hypnotic experience. But I don’t think these urban
bias, and sexual inclination. But stating the themes of Leonard and
deconstructions, there is no denying the oddness of O’Grady’s
confrontations can be simplistically reduced to a bad-guys-against-
Dunye’s project in this cut-and-dried fashion comes off as a paper-
four diptychs, which function as prickly outer shells containing
good-guys scenario. The nature of this information makes you ask,
thin interpretation of this brilliant, multi-layered fabrication of an
kernels, if not of truth exactly, then at least an interesting thought
what are the complicated problems revealed in The Dystopia Files?
archive that never was. The faux documentation we’re confronted
experiment.
What are some solutions to these violent cycles of discontent?
with might as well be real because the politics of the underlying
The video Anthems by Geof Oppenheimer presents a
Or do these documentations emphasize mainly youthful rebels
issues are still vibrant in our world. The Fae Richards Photo Archive
performance by an ROTC drum and bugle corps from Chicago,
without a real cause? Agitated Histories is, on a purely visual basis,
quietly grabs space in your mind and settles there like a field of
and the work is a seductive visual layering of marching bodies with
a stimulating unified field lined with depth charges, and individual
flowering thistles and burrs. But Agitated Histories is an exhibition,
a soundtrack that comprises the national anthems of the United
pieces push beyond their polemical limits into the unintended
after all, that attempts to explode the accepted reality of various
States, Belgium, Mexico, and North Korea, all played at the same
consequences of individual, speculative thinking.
moments in America’s social, political, and economic narratives.
time and resulting in a snappy cacophony that doesn’t quite devolve
—Diane armitaG rmita e
/ jANUARy
2011/2012
the magazine | 49
Zoe Leonard and Cheryl Dunye, The Fae Richards Photo Archive, 78 BW and color photographs, from 33/ 8 ” x 33/ 8 ” to 137 / 8 ” x 97 / 8 ”, 1993-1996
| DeCeMBeR
1609 PaSEo
I
annE STav T ElEy : W haT ’ S l EFT B EhInd i’M SiTTiNG ACROSS FROM photographer Anne Staveley
GErald PETErS GallEry 1011 PaSEo dE PEralTa T , S anTa Ta T FE Ta
In this exhibition, whimsy and sobriety come in equal measure.
necessarily represents something of a departure, and we miss out on Staveley’s fantastic ability to convey the quirky smiles and
as she eats a breakfast burrito smothered in melted cheese and
Though she was raised in New Mexico, Staveley was
green chile. Between bites, she smiles and says, “I eat fast.”
born in New Hampshire and visits often. Clearly the hush of
This directness is characteristic of an artist for whom honesty
the thick forest and the drowsiness of the green river stir up
This body of work is steeped in femininity, with Staveley
and openness is an unapologetic requirement of the creative
something poetic and deeply inspiring for her. In explaining this
managing to forge a narrative that emphasizes both the dulcet
process. With Staveley, what you see is what you get. Candid
ultra-feminine series, Staveley tells me about her trip to a friend’s
and resilient aspects of the gender. The underwater scenes are
iinn speech and gesture, she laughs easily and carries herself with
recently purchased home in the rural New Hampshire woods
ethereal and strange, but in their non-confrontational, quiet
zero pretense; she spent most of breakfast with her leg tucked
last summer. Here, old houses are sometimes sold complete
homage to the female form they are decidedly more in the vein
underneath her like a girl, absent-mindedly twirling strands of
with closets of clothing or boxes of knick-knacks left behind.
of John Williams Waterhouse than Diane Arbus. Staveley seemed
her long blond hair.
expressive eyebrows of her subjects.
Her friend’s house contained dozens of big black trash bags with
puzzled by the reaction of viewers who said of her subjects,
Situated in a little room just inside the Gerald Peters Gallery
old books and clothes and shoes—stuff destined for the dump.
“They look dead!” Staveley stresses the presence of activity
is Staveley’s most recent exhibition, What’s Left Behind. The
Intent on somehow using these neglected garments, Staveley got
and dynamism inherent in images like The Dance, in which an
small group of photographs—only seven in total—seems to float
a dozen of her girlfriends together for a photo shoot in the forest.
elegant female torso twists underwater, with strands of pearls
in the space rather than fill it, and as a body of work it is tightly
Sounds like fun, right? In fact, as she talks about the
draped about her long pale neck. Though her face is obscured,
rendered and strikingly coherent. The images depict women
experience of sifting through old coats and dresses with a
the figure’s mouth is open, and her palms stretch outwards.
wandering through dense forests or submerged in water, their
gaggle of friends, Staveley’s eyes are twinkling. Her penchant
Perhaps the post-mortem comparisons come from the very
faces largely hidden from view, and their bodies conveying
for mischief is palpable, and her keen sense of humor and sharp
physicality of the models, whose faces are out of focus or out
energy that is at once composed and emphatic. In Endings and
curiosity is something of a calling card for this hyper-observant
of the frame. Staveley is not forthcoming with information about
Beginnings, a barefoot blonde in a long, flowered dress makes her
artist. She is perhaps best known for her frank, black-and-white
who the subjects of these strange photographs are. For her, it’s
way down the median of a road, strolling somewhat ominously
portraits of people. For Staveley, the intimacy she achieves with
less about a specific identity and more about a general mood and
along the double yellow median. Positioned with her back to the
her singularly poignant brand of portrait photography is critical.
atmosphere. Staveley is careful to say that the work in What’s
camera, her lithe form walks down a section of pavement that
“People have asked me if I’ll photograph their artwork,” Staveley
Left Behind is fine art, not documentary or portrait, photography.
is bordered on either side by dense woods. The black top hat
recalls, “and I say, ‘If you’re standing in front of it I will.’” The
—iris mclister
she wears somewhat goofily offsets the strangely somber scene.
exhibition’s strong emphasis on the form rather than on the face
Anne Staveley, The Dance, Light Jet print mounted on aluminum, 24” x 32”
H
JamES drakE: Salon
CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
oF a
ThouSand SoulS
nEW mExIco muSEum oF arT 107 WEST PalacE avEnuE, SanTa T FE Ta
hOw TO ADDReSS GReATNeSS? I find it surprisingly
bodies and minds. We slip past our own peripheral vision like
the coal-driven engine on the floor directs the viewer back
difficult to write about an exhibition by an artist whom I
dust motes in sunlight, gone in a sparkle of radiance. Under
to one of the artist’s most enduring pieces, Juarez/El Paso
greatly admire—James Drake, in this case, and his show
the red mirror, on the right, stretches a nude young woman,
(Boxcar), from 1987-88. Drake has lived in the U.S. and
of works from the 1980s through the present. Salon of a
her back arched and her neck long and supple, a vision of
Mexico, and spent plenty of years on the border; he was
Thousand Souls was so intelligently presented by curator
sweetly pliant beauty. The left corner features figures of
inspired to make this drawing after seventeen Mexican
of contemporary art Laura Addison (with the artist’s
more mature men and a woman in a Michelangelesque
nationals suffocated to death in the boxcar their coyote
input) that I fear anything I might add would appear as the
arrangement that is less idealized than it is archetypal of
had imprisoned them in. For some reason, the would-be
slobbering gibber of a sycophant. I am reduced, therefore,
the wisdom that years bring to the soul, expressed through
border crossers were given a crowbar, and the sole survivor
to description, with the endorsement that you go see the
Drake’s hand with tenderness and compassion. Functioning
used it to make a hole in the boxcar that provided him with
exhibition, stat.
far beyond its implied theme of vanitas, The Red Mirror is
barely enough oxygen to stay alive. Drake’s impeccable
a visual soliloquy on the human form—and the examined
charcoal drawing of the boxcar, from the newspaper image,
life—in all its magnificence and frailty.
haunts the gallery. Below the drawing, coal, railroad spikes
Key to Drake’s success is the notion of tension. His content is universal and specific; his mediums fractured yet rigorous from years of practice; his effect one of the
That Drake knows his art history is evident not only in
and a crowbar crowd the gap between two and three
temporal and the timeless—that is, the agony and joy of
his direct references to Francisco de Goya’s The Third of May,
dimensions—between art and life, as Rauschenberg would
being human. To look at his large-scaled works is to weep
1808, and José Clemente Orozco’s mural Catharsis, but in
have it.
with the shock of prescience, recognition, and dawning
the Baroque grandeur of the exhibition as a theatrical whole.
Each of Drake’s works holds its own locus of epiphany,
memory. The masterwork of the exhibition is The Red
From machine-gun benches to locomotives to the Heart of
a place that, once found, arcs between the viewer and
Mirror, a twenty-one-foot-wide drawing in brilliant red
Gold (Dressing Table) piece, Drake uses metals including
an ecstasy similar to that of Bernini’s Saint Teresa of Avila
pastel on torn paper that has been applied to a canvas
steel, bronze, and gold leaf to create a dimensionality to his
(1515-1582). Teresa wrote about the sensation of divine
backing. Central to the piece, compositionally, is a rococo-
exhibition that could be precious were it offered less artfully.
union, “The pain was so great that it made me moan; and
style mirror whose crimson interior cannot reflect anything
In Drake’s capable hands, the wall pieces meld perfectly
yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain
but its own hue. Otherwise, it is opaque, devoid of meaning.
with their sculptural components; charcoal is such a physical
that I could not wish to be rid of it.” There’s no getting
This enforced absence allows us to consider that seeing
medium that it seems natural to include other elements that
around it: Drake’s work is as searingly sexy as Bernini’s, and
ourselves as we really are is outside the mirror’s scope.
reference the power of fire as both life force and destroyer.
as contemporary as computer porn.
Short of divine revelation, we are blindly bound in these
Under Cinco de Mayo (Drake’s version of The Third of May May),
—Kathryn m Davis
James Drake, The Red Mirror, red pastel on paper, 136” x 256”, 2011
| DeCeMBeR
/ jANUARy
2011/2012
the magazine | 51
Barry BrukoFF: TEmPlES
I
oF
ETErnal mEmorIES
lEWallEn GallErIES aT ThE raIlyard 1613 PaSEo dE PEralTa T , S anTa Ta T FE Ta
“It’s memories that I’m stealing, but you’re innocent
In my dream, we narrrowed the terms to places of
ability to transport the viewer through space and time to the
when you dream.”
worship and then fell to wrangling over the question raised
sanctified sites he’s visited, making his a mystic photography
by Artemis, What about my tmeple in Epheus?” In 500 B.C.
by a documentary metaphysician.
—Tom Waits, Innocent When You Dream
it was thrice the size of the Parthenon."
Suryavarman II took a long draw on his cigar and
Though hardly a trace remains. However, nearby, the
held the smoke in his mouth for what seemed like a short
I was sitting in my underwear playing poker with
great library of Celsus, an Ancient Roman potentate, has
eternity as he stared at my now bare foot. Finally he
Suryavarman II and the ancient Greek Moon goddess,
been partially reconstructed at Ephesus, and Burkoff’s image,
exhaled, cocked his head back, breathed in through his flat
Artemis. The twelfth-century Khmer Emperor kept
shot from within the framework of a darkened Roman arch
nose, and replied with a sharp, “ No!”
babbling on about how his City Temple in Cambodia was
shows the façade of the library lit by a warm, raking light at
Among the finest images Burkoff presents is his
the largest religious structure in the world, and Artemis
a near distance that makes it both accessible and elusive. In
ultrachrome-ink-on-rag-paper picture of the central plaza
and I kept taunting him with other options, like the Hagia
this lovely picture, the edifice is present in its traces today,
of Machu Picchu, the Incan Emperor’s fifteenth-century
Sophia or the Taj Mahal, even though we knew he was
yet forever slipping backwards, disappearing like a stone
estate, set before what appears to be a watercolor wash of
probably right. He discounted the great pyramids at Giza
dropping forever in the waters of time.
mountains sacred to the Incas. The quality of the black-and-
iT wAS wAS A weiRD DReAM.
saying, “Tombs, not temples, and besides, my Angkor Wat
“I fold,” I said to my two mythological poker pals, and
white print gives it the feeling of an old master drawing by
began taking off my next-to-last sock. “And what about the
someone like Canaletto or Piranesi, while elegantly imbuing it
Barry Brukoff has captured that weight in the outstanding
three of us right now, sitting atop the pyramid at Chichen
with the atmosphere of a dream. Once again Burkoff makes
photographs on display at LewAllen Contemporary. His
Itza (literally, the mouth of the well of Itzae) playing strip
palpable the profound experience of the living presence of
compositional eye for the stunning musicality of light and
poker on the eve of the Winter Solstice 2012, awaiting the
the silent stones. His clear reverence for the sites he’s chosen
weather on the architecture of sacred space is the core to
end and beginning of the Mayan long count, and the return
for this exhibition is almost unbearably contagious. It is hard
the success of this exhibition and the many photographic
of Quetzalcoatl. Does this count as worship?”
to look at these beautiful images and not feel wonder for
is built of stone equal in weight.”
what humanity has wrought and hope that, in one form or
projects he has undertaken. To view Burkoff’s images of the
Burkoff’s image of the early Mayan monument is as
Cambodian City Temple is to be transported to that place
obdurate as the pyramid itself, holding its secrets in its
were the Banyan roots are slowly squeezing the stone to dust
shadows as even the trees here bow in wonder. The book
“Three Queens,” said the ancient Greek Moon
even as worship continues within, a place where inspired
accompanying this exhibition recently made The New York
goddess, Artemis, fanning her cards on the floor of the
architecture and the jungle have become one. In Burkoff’s
Times best-seller list of must-have sumptuous coffee-table
Mayan Temple as the sun began to rise. “Four Fives,” said
images, Angkor Wat exudes a sense of organic quietude and
books. The variety of photographic techniques, the wide
the Emperor from Cambodia, and he laughed as Artemis set
beauty that is delicate and divine, yet as massively strong as
range of the artist’s travels, the eye for minute detail, light, and
her helmet aside. “We’ll get you yet!” he fairly screamed. It
the stones from which it is built.
color, and the sense of profound awe for his subject matter,
was the very first item of clothing she’d removed.
all serve to warrant this distinction. Burkoff’s genius is his
Barry Brukoff, Angkor Ta Reach 152 /15 , ultrachrome inks on archival rag paper, 17” x 22”, nd.
another, despite our current turmoil, we shall endure.
—JOn carver
A
SInnErS & SaInTS
CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
and
an InquISITIvE EyE y : S EEInG I nTo P rInTS
unIvErSITy oF nEW mExIco arT muSEum unm cEnTEr For ThE arTS, alBuquErquE
ASSeMBLeD eNTiReLy Ly FROM the University of New Mexico
canvas. Most striking here are the eyes of the figures, all looking
Cookie Cutter (1969), alongside Joseph Beuys’ ink-and-rubber-
Art Museum’s permanent collection, Sinners & Saints offers
up to the heavens in white-eyed fear. Lipparini, a known activist,
stamp Score (1971) and Richard Prince’s T-shirt screenprint Oedipus
seventeen religious paintings from the fifteenth to the nineteenth
may well be using Cain’s plight to express his own political leanings.
Schmedipus (1994). As we move along the walls going from Braque
centuries, representing artists from Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico,
Now we’re solidly in the sinner camp.
to Warhol to Daumier to Kentridge, it’s hard not to ask, “Who’s
the Netherlands, and Spain. Curator Robert Ware has selected
Politics, history, aesthetics, and social commentary all meet
coming next?” with healthy anticipation. Not only are we awash
works that portray both good and evil, sometimes in conflict with
in An Inquisitive Eye: Seeing Into Prints, an exhibition of more than
in a who’s who of etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, engravings,
one another.
seventy-five works on paper and printed books from the Museum’s
screenprints, and more, but we are also privileged to experience
Ware uses the entire Raymond Jonson Gallery on the
permanent collection. Curator Michele M. Penhall had over ten
Penhall’s inspired and creative installation. In the case of our own
museum’s lower level for this exhibition, allowing plenty of wall
thousand works to choose from in preparing this show, which
Gustave Baumann, we are treated not only to his Cottonwood
space for these historic works. Descending the staircase, the visitor
traces the history of printmaking from 1493 to the present. Her
Tassels woodcut (c.1943) but also to a progressive proof and a
gradually enters a world of turquoise and gold. All of the gallery’s
aim is to demonstrate how subject and technique share equal
woodblock of Cottonwood Tassels. Tying the exhibition together is
walls have been painted in bold, rich, Crashing Waves turquoise
roles in printmaking. She uses the Clinton Adams Gallery’s outer
the beautiful framing work of museum assistant Tim House. The
and most of the paintings are framed in gold. The combination is
walls fully, and continues the exhibition around both sides of a
clean, simple wooden frames support the works without getting
stunning, a bit like being inside one of the paintings.
central U-shaped structure angled into the middle of the Gallery.
in the way. Penhall and her staff have showcased the University’s
This creates distinct spaces to group the prints, and aids visitor flow.
collection beautifully, and have shown us why this collection is such
supplement the University’s art history courses. And there’s a lot
One particularly striking grouping, on its own wall, pairs
an important resource for educators and scholars, and a joyful
to learn. Ware has selected paintings that represent a variety of
an untitled Agnes Martin print from the portfolio On A Clear Day
discovery for the rest of us.
styles, subjects, and countries. Some of the works are painted in
(1972-1973) with Frederick Hammersley’s computer-generated
—susan WiDer
These works have been acquired over the years to
oil on canvas, but we can also see oil on linen mounted on board, oil on wood panel, and even oil on copper. A popular technique of the seventeenth century, painting on metal actually dates back to fifteenth century metal smiths who used oil pigment on tin foil to imitate gold. The superb effect of this technique made it popular with painters. To represent this style, Ware has chosen Luigi Garzi’s St. Toribio of Lima Anointing an Indian Boy (1656-1679). Saint Toribio was bishop of Peru for twenty-five years and is said to have performed a million baptisms during that period. Saint, definitely. Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (c.1500), attributed to Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen, is not only an example of oil on wood panel, it also turns out that the panel and frame were carved from a single piece of wood and constitute one complete piece. Cornelisz was also a cabinetmaker and a woodblock printer and Anne is the patron saint of the woodworking professions. Sainthood and sin collide a bit in the subject of this painting. Lodovico Lipparini’s Cain and His Family Fleeing God’s Wrath (1837) is an example of oil on
| DeCeMBeR / jANUARy Man Ray, Blue Hand, etching, ca. 1972. Purchased with funds from the Friends of Art.
Lodovico Lipparini, Cain and His Family Fleeing God’s Wrath, oil on canvas,1837. Gifted to UNM Art Museum by Andrew Ciechanowiecki.
2011/2012
the magazine | 53
Harmony Hammond: Against Seamlessness
I
Dwight Hackett projects 2879 All Trades Road, Santa Fe
Hammond’s painted surfaces are fields, to be sure, but they
In some cases, as in the work Little Buff, there were faint seepages
past as old tropes are buried, cannibalized, or morphed into new
are fields consisting of ruptures. Here they are watery; here
of a thinly applied, rusty-colored pigment staining the surfaces
configurations and extended meanings; the excavation of old
they clot; here they are stippled; here they are glossy. The
like poignant reminders that all who live and think and feel
forms yields symbolic death and transformation, if nothing else.
Monochromes evoke landscapes but also skins.
engage in a metaphoric bloodletting of some sort—one’s own
Old trains of thought go through a new birth canal and are reborn
vital juices, or someone else’s, are sacrificed in the process of
into a world of greater depth, more nuance, a more complex field
artistic transubstantiation. For the artist, this cannot be otherwise,
of intentions—with any luck at all. In Hammond’s new paintings,
It was the first thing I thought of when I saw
but I don’t mean to insinuate that the process is necessarily a
with their bound surfaces, there are references to older work for
Harmony Hammond’s new series of paintings—that each one
pathological one—it’s simply part of an artist’s urgent need to
which the artist is well known—her sculptures, for example, with
hinted at a bodily presence and the skin that covers it. Not
wrestle with the facts and then give birth to thunder.
their allusions to the body, their use of textiles, and their textures
—Julia Bryan-Wilson, from Against Seamlessness
that you could see the skin itself, wrapped as it was with the
What I’m getting at, in an elliptical fashion, is that for an
achieved by wrapping and braiding. In this new series, Hammond
suggestion of bandages or restraints—strips of material applied
artist who keeps evolving out of older work, there is a kind of
has looked for ways to intertwine her passion for making with her
to the canvas that hid the wounds and eroded layers below.
death or necessary wounding of what has been created in the
desire to celebrate the dialectical materialism that lies within these intensely worked, but not overworked, paintings. Hammond’s Monochromes are as satisfying as any work she has ever done, including her Farm Ghost paintings from the early 1990s—a series that was my favorite until now. There is a rugged open-endedness to these current paintings-as-doorways, and they feel like a summation that builds on intentions partly concerned with furthering the traditions of painting itself. And with every new extension of painting’s possibility, the work of other artists is inevitably brought into question. For example, looking at Hammond’s Red Bed, the viewer is reminded of Robert Rauschenberg’s mixed-media painting Bed, from 1955, a work redolent of an intense bravado and painterly excess. Hammond’s Red Bed is also a marvel of textures, but they are at the service of compression—of doing more with less—of the power of the dreaming mind that revels in judicious limits and a succinct visual poetry. Hammond says what she has to say using a single pigment and her implied metaphors of a restrained passion that will always be bound up in an uneasy truce with the act of interpretation. In giving birth to new paintings, an artist does indeed cannibalize what has come before. The individual devours some of the pathways of painting’s long history and comes to the point where abstraction and representation veer in and out of each other’s reach. It’s a game full of irresolution and endless rhetoric. Hammond’s paintings are what they seem to be—monochromatic works gilded with evocative textures, but they are also objects of veneration—relics of painting’s history and memory and desire. The paintings desire to be themselves—examples of pigment applied to a surface—and they desire something else: to become doorways to, or mirrors of, consciousness. Each painting, then, is an example of a mind conscious of itself and the decisions it makes to further some end. With Hammond’s new work, there is this added weight of a world of meaning beyond aesthetic appearances, and it makes you stop and listen as if for the voices of ghosts. There is a passage from the epic poem The Nature of Things by Lucretius that reinforces this sense of apprehending a dialogue emanating from within Hammond’s work: Therefore, even places screened back from our view abound / With voices, and everywhere is seething and aswirl with sound. The paintings in Against Seamlessness are not so much images as sites of negotiation resonant with dialogical echoes suggesting that every body of work that an artist creates is one more prologue in the evolution of genres and the complex reinvention of tropes and formal devices, always infused with passion no matter how guarded, no matter how artfully wrapped with secret longings and personal shifts of vision.
—Diane Armitage Harmony Hammond, Red Bed, oil and mixed media on canvas, 80½” x 50½”, 2011
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CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
PhoToGraPhIc TruThS & oThEr IlluSIonS
SanTa T F E c ommunITy c ollEGE ‘ S v ISual a rTS G allEry Ta 6401 rIchardS avEnuE, SanTa T FE Ta
CRiTiCS OF PhOTOGRAPhy, from their beginnings in
That this question is being entertained at all is a surprise,
of his mother in Camera Lucida in which he concludes
the nineteenth century to the present, have engaged in every
given that, since the advent of digital photography, debates
that there is a subjective emotive reality (in his personal
manner of theoretical protocol to protect spectators from
concerning the photograph’s highly problematic relationship
relationship) described in the image of his mother. More
the mechanical image’s diabolically persuasive power—all to
to evidentiary truths are now largely beside the point. The
important than the question of authenticity is the striking
no avail. In the photograph, time itself seems to have been
testimonial capacities of the camera have been overtaken by
parallel between those moments arrested mechanically
carved up and ferried, unscathed, into the viewer’s present,
more complex considerations of ideology, instrumentality,
by photography and those arrested experientially by
and no conceptual or explanatory frames can allay this
reception, and means of production. The sad “truth” is that
the traumatized psyche—moments that bypass normal
uncanny impression. Photographs continue to arrest the gaze
we live in a country that is unaware that eighty percent of the
cognition and memory. This often overlooked connection
and captivate the imagination because they guarantee no way
“honey” it consumes is not honey at all but a combination
was embraced instinctively by many of the presenters at
out of the photographed instant. So much so, in fact, as was
of “mystery sweeteners” illegally imported from China.
theTruth & Other Illusions conference, notably by Joel-Peter
recently reported in the The New York Times, that more and
Or that the majority of the “steaks” it consumes are in fact
Witkin, whose truncated torsos and spectral tableaux
more American males are trading actual sex with their partners
restructured stew meat held together by pseudo-edible
properly identify the ghostly afterlife embedded in every
for three minutes of furious masturbation to pornographic
adhesives called transglutaminase. Or that a majority of our
photographic image.
images at the computer (often in front of the family pet!)
friendly neighbors believe that billions of humans are not
To the many photographers and presenters on hand at
In an attempt to preserve a sense of sanity in a world
favored by God, and will therefore be killed by a swarm of
Photographic Truths and Other Illusions, the notional naïveté
gone mad, the latest attempt to separate fact from fiction
terrifying demons who come from hell and have human faces.
inherent in the premise of the event seemed obvious. Even
in the photographic image is taking place at the Society for
This might very possibly suggest that we are already some
so, it was a good way to get amateurs and professionals
Photographic Education’s Southwest Regional Conference,
distance from wanting to know the difference between the
together for an interesting weekend that was chock full of
at Santa Fe Community. The organizers of the exhibition,
truth and illusion.
expertise, humor, and marketing advice. Little was said
Photographic Truths & Other Illusions, attempt to examine “the
No less important is the fact that every claim
concerning photography’s seemingly endless pursuit of novel
lack of objective truth in photography, which appears to remain
advanced by photography has proven to be dubious,
ways to advance surveillance, control, and repression. This
as uncontested as the intent to somehow provide it. Often, this
possibly because photographs are not actually factographic
remoteness from the real effect of photographic images, their
is deliberately achieved through declared subjectivity in partially
after all. A good example of this delusion that “a picture is
ideological instrumentality—beyond the wildest nightmares
or totally constructed, manipulated or otherwise staged works.
worth a thousand words” can be found in contrasting the
of any other artistic genre—might work as a far better
Paradoxically, this dynamic occurs spontaneously by pointing
contradictions between Barthes’s “Death of the Author,
parable of the way we fail to connect what we see with what
the lens in a particular direction, sometimes at great risk to the
where he concludes that there cannot be an ultimate
we know.
photographer, to convey what has occurred.”
reading of an authors work, with his analysis of the photo
— nthOny hassett —a
Clare Benson, The Shepherd, 3, inkjet print, nd
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J
Judy Pfaff
Bellas Artes 653 Canyon Road, Santa Fe
Judy Pfaff has been making large-scale installations since the
pieces come, perhaps surprisingly, into a coherent artistic
other twisted, highly tweaked objects brought unexpectedly
1970s. I recall seeing her work for the first time in the 1980s—a
resolution. Benjamin Genocchio noted in the The New York
together and incorporated in these dance-like assemblages are
piece that intruded into the gallery space with a glommy mass of
Times that, “Although these works look random ... [Pfaff] seems
delicate, but also assertive, Audrey Hepburn–like in the graceful
cheap plastic objects. It was a powerful imposition of form, as if
somehow to get order and disorder working for her at the same
and elegant way they occupy space and reanimate it. As Malin
materiality had just come bursting in from a state of non-being
time.” In the back room of Bellas Artes is one of the pieces from
Wilson-Powell put it in the Albuquerque Journal, “...it should be a
behind the walls. Pfaff has shown at Bellas Artes in Santa Fe for
the July show, the large mixed-media wall construction Give the
mess. But it all works.” Also included was the 1992 Jingdehzen—
over twenty years. This past July, an exhibition of large and mostly
Duck a Bit of Bread. On one wall of this room [,] three horizontal
made of coils of wire, a glass blob, huge rusted springs, tin cans,
new works was shown along with some other pieces. A selection
collages (about thirteen by forty inches each) push toward
an antenna, and tangles of twisted metal—which sustains an airy
of these and other pieces is still on view and worth a visit.
prettiness a bit too far for my taste—using artificial flowers and
charm and lightness.
Many of Pfaff’s works are untitled, including an exquisite collage made exclusively of slashed white paper that from a
birds as imagery. However, the use of burned paper as an element helps to counteract this tendency.
Pfaff’s works radiate an infectious exuberance, often hovering among being sculptures, wall reliefs, assemblages,
distance resembles shredder detritus and up close becomes a
The rigor of Pfaff’s compositions—which in space are
collages, and mobiles. Metal, wood, paper, sticks, bamboo,
complex fractal landscape. My favorite piece on exhibit is a 2009
kinetically exhilarating—becomes a more mental pleasure on
artificial flowers, napkins, and office supplies—all seem to have
collage, also untitled, mounted in the middle hallway room. Two
the flatter pieces. Her end results are compositionally exquisite
entered willingly into the carnivalesque spirit. Pfaff says she sells
standard nine-and-a-half-by-twelve-inch file folders—one white
from any distance, by which I mean your eyes are taken on an
few of these recent large works to individuals (she does sell prints,
and one the usual manila color—lie open side by side. The left
unpredictable, flowing journey.
graphics, and smaller relief works) because the collector would
(white) one has been incised, slashed, scraped, had numerous tiny
On the back wall are three large, horizontal, framed
need an enormous space to house it and perhaps museum guards
holes punched into it, and generally gives the sense of recession,
collages. Here, things—artificial foliage, shellacked file folders,
to keep it intact. Pfaff is interested in process, and making these
concavity, subtraction. The beige folder is layered and raised with
and spray-painted stencil shapes—are bent, pierced, mistreated,
works is clearly Fun with a capital F. She is also known to be a
items such as burnt or gessoed parchment and frosted tracing
overlapped, repurposed. A used coffee filter peeks out from
workaholic, putting in extreme hours and wearing out younger
paper imprinted with delicate organic tendrils. The buckling,
behind something else; a small paper boat sails on a paper sea. This
assistants with her stamina. She talks in an interview about the
peeled back, opened-up , generally perturbed surface of this
festival of hints suggests a complex topography of the imagination
thrill of acquiring new methodologies in response to the materials
right panel of the diptych tends lightly toward the viewer with an
In July [,] the front gallery was occupied by several very
being used, of becoming, at least temporarily, a mechanic,
additive quality of supplementation and plenitude. The control
large mixed-media wall constructions. I was enchanted at being
weaver, engraver, potter, and so on. Pfaff’s methods are fearless,
and equilibrium this piece achieves by juxtaposing all this spikiness
inside a room with indeterminate dimensions, where the pieces
uninhibited, and open-ended. Stuff is webbed, woven, poked,
and uneven surfaces with such subtle, well-balanced contrasts
seemed to be spiraling up, jutting out or down, swirling around,
sliced, twisted, messed around with. It looks like someone has
produce an almost meditative feeling.
filling space or revealing its emptiness, inducing an experiential
been playing. But the end result has a self-assured presence that
The multiple stimuli, fast cutting, juxtaposed patterns,
sense of these movements and states. In short, doing what any
rewards the viewer with a fully realized, highly original statement.
whimsical adjacencies, and sheer exuberance in each of Pfaff’s
great sculpture does. Paper lanterns, parasols, origami, and
—Marina La Palma
Judy Pfaff. Give the Duck a Bit of Bread, bamboo, hosho and other found paper, lanterns, parasols, artificial flowers, ink, wax, shellac, 89” x 113” x 6”, 2011
T
CRITICAL REFLECTIONS
Bay arEa aBSTracTIon 1945-1965
davId rIchard conTEmPorary 130 lIncoln avEnuE, SuITE d, SanTa T FE Ta
The BeAReR OF iTS PASSiON. Locus L is Latin for “place”—
York School, Still’s influence was felt firsthand through his
an Alexandrian cast in the West. The explicitly urban and local
“where it’s happening,” in English—as in: “By the early 1950s,
teaching at the former California School of Fine Arts (now SFAI)
references of Bay Area abstraction centered at CSFA—Jefferson’s
New York had emerged as the locus of Postwar abstraction.”
which followed his first solo exhibition in the winter of 1946
paintings titled with street names, Lobdell’s agrarian aerial views,
In his introduction to 50 West Coast Artists, published three
at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of this Century Gallery. The list
Strong’s topographies of Bolinas Peninsula, Wharf Road, and
decades later (1981) by the San Francisco Museum of Modern
of artists in Bay Area Abstraction reads like a biblical genealogy
Harrison Street—have the feel of Theocritan idylls in some inverse
Art, its director framed “the question of local designation” as an
traceable to SFAI and Still’s tenure there in the late 1940s. Along
metonymy evoking the great plains, high desert, and mountain
abiding problem for art history as well as for artists and the art
with Edward Dugmore, Jack Jefferson, and Frank Lobdell were
ranges of the vanishing West. Notwithstanding Still’s ambivalence
world: “It seems to emerge from the unspoken and challenged
Still’s students, with whom, in turn, Charles Strong would study.
about any linkage of his imagery to the Dakota plains of his early
tendency on the part of New York writers to assume that artists
While at CSFA Strong was influenced also by Hassel Smith,
youth, it is perhaps no anomaly for Bay Area abstraction that Still’s
living and working within a hundred-mile radius of New York
who is represented in Bay Area Abstraction by his own work
impact at CSFA in the late 1940s coincided with Ansel Adams’
City represent the mainstream of American art and therefore
and that of several of his former students: Madeleine Dimond,
tenure as the founder of the school’s department of photography.
don’t require a ‘New York’ designation. Such a title as American
Lilly Fenichel, James Kelly, and Deborah Remington. Robert
That said, Abstract Expressionism is sui generis. For all the
Painting for the 80s, a recent exhibition selected by Barbara
McChesney was also on the CSFA faculty during this formative
allusive quality of Charles Strong’s Wharf Road, its large scale, bold
Rose almost exclusively from artists working in New York, is
period (1945-50) for West Coast abstraction.
outlines, and swirling shapes belie a rich chromatic composition
not only misleading but harmful.” It’s ironic that SFMOMA’s
The paintings in Bay Area Abstraction share in the signature
that—together with his Wharf Road: Marin Verde—evokes the
50 West Coast Artists did not include even one of the artists
formal traits of the New York School’s Action Painting: large-
decorative harmony of an arabesque by Matisse. Yet while the
on view in the current Bay Area Abstraction 1945-1965 at
scale formats of bold, primordial shapes or pictographic figures
authenticity of the paintings in Bay Area Abstraction is a testament
David Richard Contemporary, featuring artists who shared in
rendered with scabrous gestural brushstrokes merging figure
to their achievement, in their own ways they confirm what Irving
common their creative genesis at the San Francisco Art Institute
and ground into holistic compositions—variously expansive,
Sandler identified as “a feeling of America in Still’s painting,”
(then the California School of Fine Arts). And two days before
allusive, monumental, and sublime. Absent the Postwar malaise,
with his abstractions “replacing the American West as the open
the opening last month of Bay Area Abstraction, The New York
Existentialist angst, and Surrealist bent that shaped the cultural
frontier.” Sandler rightly traces this conception of a “mythic
Times article on that day’s Sotheby auction (“Fortune Smiles on
context of Action Painting for the New York School, the uniquely
terrain” to one locus, surely—Still’s own writings about the new
Abstract Art,” Nov. 9, 2011) reported that abstractionism was
American reference of landscape in Abstract Expressionism is
abstraction (1959): “It was a journey that one must make, walking
“propelled to a new level” with the evening’s blockbuster sales
perhaps more visible on the West Coast, especially in the work
straight and alone. … Until one had crossed the darkened and
of abstract art, led by two paintings by Clyfford Still totaling $93
of Jack Jefferson, Frank Lobdell, and Charles Strong, the artists
wasted valleys and come at last into clear air and could stand
million. Still’s 1949-A-No. 1 alone sold for almost $62 million.
most heavily represented in the show.
on a high and limitless plain. Imagination … became as one with
What goes around…
The mythic American landscape—long held to subtend
vision. And the Act, intrinsic and absolute, was its meaning, and
Clyfford Still (1904-1980) is the genius loci of Bay Area
the movement’s biomorphic shapes and totemic figures floating
the bearer of its passion.”
Abstraction. A major figure in the first generation of the New
or swirling in dense tonalities of iconic color fields—assumed
—richarD tOBin
Charles Strong, Wharf Road, oil on canvas, 91a¼” x 132½”, 1966
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GREEN PLANET
Kh alid Sh aku r • M e m b e r of t h e M ed i a Te a m “Oc c u py Oa k l a n d” As one people, we acknowledge the reality that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights—and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors— that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations—which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality—run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known. — oCCupy wall street General asseMBly They have taken our homes through illegal foreclosure processes, despite not having the original mortgage.
They determine economic policy despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them. They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization. They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices. They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit. They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit. They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media. They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
To the People of the World:
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance. They have sold our privacy as a commodity. They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face; and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal. Join us and make your voices heard! occupyoakland.org occupyeverythng.org facebook.com/occupysantafea adbuster.org/campaigns/occupywallstreet
CA o: ot Ph 1.
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An Exclusive Interview with JOEL-PETER WITKIN in THE magazine’s February/March issue
Ad reservations & calendar listings due by Monday, January 16. Edie Dillman: 505.577.4207 • THE magazine: 505.424.7641
MARK Z. MIGDALSKI, D.D.S. GENERAL AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY I was Andy Warhol’s muse. Now I live in Santa Fe with a very famous artist, who takes me to the groomer every month. I am his muse now. You gotta admit—I am one lucky dog! MAKE YOUR APPT NOW 466-6708
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WRITINGS
Memories Are Made of This By
t ed B erriGan
Mistress isn’t used much in poetr y these days. Comrade isn’t used much in poetr y these days. Moxie isn’t used much in poetr y these days. The Spring Monsoons isn’t used much in poetr y these days, which is a shame. Doubloons isn’t used much in poetr y these days. I’m not blue, I’m just feeling a little bit lonesome for some love again, isn’t used much in poetr y these days. O Ghost Who walks, Boom-lay, Boom-lay, Boomly, Boom! isn’t used much in poetr y these days. &, I will gather stars, out of the blue, for you, isn’t used much in poetr y these days. Now, “I’ve got a guy” isn’t used much in poetr y these days And, “Tweet-tweet!” isn’t used much in poetr y these days, at least not at all in its code meaning, which was, “Eat my Birdie!” Me & Brother Bill Went Hunting isn’t used much in poetr y these days, & Uijongbu sure isn’t used much in poetr y these days (sigh!) Oh well, Mar y McGinnis isn’t used much in poetr y these days, just like, & I have to say it, “Brigadoon” isn’t used much in poetr y these days.
Ted Berrigan (1934-1983) considered himself a “late Beat” poet, writing in the tradition of Allen Ginsberg, Gertrude Stein, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His biography on the Poetry Foundation website states, “Berrigan returned the diploma for his master’s degree... with a note saying that he was ‘the master of no art’; he would tell friends that he was a poet because he wrote poetry, not because he had mastered poetics. To say that one could ‘master’ an art was to imply that it was a matter of learning lessons and following rules.” The Selected Poems of Ted Berrigan (University of California Press, $60) is a chronological anthology of Berrigan’s finest work, and is edited by Alice Notley, Anselm Berrigan, and Edmund Berrigan.
62| the magazine
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