Santa Fean Magazine - April/May 2010

April/May 2010 santafean.com

VA LERIE VAL ERIE PL AME WILSON W IL SON FIN ND D S P EACE IN T TH HE E CITY DI D I FFERENT

Meet 20 Other Creative, Fascinating, and Surprising Santa Feans

PLUS :

Interview with philosopher Daniel Dennett The Santa Fe Institute—what goes on behind those big walls

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april / may 2010

features 22 agent for change Valerie Plame Wilson, the onetime CIA operative, talks about her new life here in Santa Fe

28 Santa Fe characters It takes an eclectic village to make this city different—an ethnobotanist, roller derby queens, philanthropists, plastic surgeons, writers, and more

NORAH LEVINE

departments 22

8 Publisher’s Note Valerie Plame Wilson, soon to be played

by Naomi Watts in a major motion picture, takes on Santa Fe.

14 City Different New books from Outside editor Alex Heard and SFI cofounder George Cowan, 400th-related goodies, and that new turquoise license plate

17 Q+A

53 Home Guest columnist—interior designer Barbara Templeman on living inside out + furniture maker Scott Ernst

63 Dining La Stazione, Restaurant Martín, and local microbreweries

SFI guest scholar and avuncular philosopher Daniel Dennett

69 Hot Tickets

20 Day in the Life

Classical Gas Museum + Embudo

72 Day Trip

Philip Vander Wolk—real estate agent to the stars

39 Art Native Treasures, landscape painter Jamie Kirkland, and reviews

JULIEN MCROBERTS

cover Valerie Plame Wilson photographed by Norah Levine at Santa Fe’s Inn of the Five Graces (fivegraces.com)

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A few good women: Las Muñecas Muertas, Santa Fe’s women’s roller derby team—just some of the many people who give Santa Fe its unique character.

Santa Fean (ISSN 1094-1487) is published bimonthly by Bella Media, LLC, 215 W San Francisco, Ste. 202A, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Periodicals postage paid at Santa Fe, NM, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Santa Fean, P.O. Box 469089, Escondido, CA 92046-9710.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

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common threads WHAT DO A ROLLER DERBY PLAYER, philanthropist, former CIA agent, fi lm producer, fashion designer, ethnobotanist, Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, author, and you all have in common? While many things, Santa Fe will never be famous for being a mainstream community. If we are representative of anything comparable to other communities, it would be our edgy, different, artistic, and creative side. Even PTA and City Council meetings here can be colorfully entertaining. We appreciate and often celebrate these eclectic qualities, even when they’re not so pretty.

In these pages you will read about some fascinating people who, each in their own way, are pursuing or fostering creativity and a “different” path in their lives. They chose Santa Fe, like many of us have, because this town encourages diversity. What may be perceived as eccentric in other communities is embraced in Santa Fe. It’s all part of the magic that draws and holds us here.

We purposely did not include many artists in this feature in order to highlight the innovative spirit at play in professions that have nothing to do with art. (After all, artists aren’t the only creative people around.) Santa Fe Institute, as you will read, has some of the world’s most brilliant minds fi nding answers to questions that the rest of us would never have thought to ask. Similarly, and not far away, Native American potters are using ancient techniques to create innovative pots that we could never have imagined.

The common thread is that all of us have come to this place to perform our random and wonderful acts of creativity and innovation. Why here? I think it’s because we feel safer to fail here than in other, less accepting communities. I hope, as you read others’ stories, you will see how your dreams, aspirations, and creative pursuits can be realized and know that failure, should it befall you, will not be

BRUCE ADAMS Publisher

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C O N T R I B U TO R S

MISSY WOLF

harshly criticized.

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Q: Who are the one or two most interesting characters you know here in Santa Fe? My father-in-law Jerry is one of the most entertaining and interesting characters I know,” says Norah Levine, who shot Valerie Plame Wilson (p. 22) for this issue, as well as Q+A subject Daniel Dennett (p. 17) and some of the city’s Characters (p. 28). “He has had five mitral valve replacements in his heart and was in critical care twice through the process. Jerry recently turned 80 and has more energy and a better attitude than I do most days. He exercises his mind and body daily and never goes without his oatmeal and raisins. On his 80th birthday, he sported a T-shirt imprinted with an ‘80’ on the front and on the back it read, ‘I can’t believe I’m still here!’”

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“My aunt,” says Marin Sardy, who wrote about furniture artist Scott Ernst (p. 55) for this issue.

“Beverley Crane, a sometime art teacher who has brought out the creativity of probably hundreds of elementary-school-aged Santa Fe kids over nearly two decades—in all its colorful, paint-splattered, papier-mâché-shaped, sequin-accented glory (which also more or less describes the inside of her South Capitol home).” Sardy, former editor of Santa Fean, freelances for publications such as ARTnews, Mothering, and Rangefinder, and wrote the primary essay in photographer Craig Varjabedian’s book, Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby.

“By far the most interesting and fun person I know in Santa Fe,” says photographer Julien McRoberts, “is Ana Pacheco. Ana was the writer and publisher for La Herencia for many years and she is literally a living history book on the state of New Mexico.

You can’t walk five feet down the street with her without running into someone she knows—and she’ll know their entire family history, too. In addition to being a wonderful person, she throws some of the best parties in Santa Fe and makes a mean green chile!” For this issue, McRoberts photographed some of the city’s Characters (p. 28), as well as the picture for the Day Trip (p. 72).

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Toland Sand May 21 - June 14, 2010

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GALLERY

the buzz around town COURTESY UNM PRESS

nuancing history

B O O K S GEORGE COWAN recently turned 90. And in addition to the laundry list of accomplishments throughout his life—member of the Manhattan Project, nuclear chemist and physicist at Los Alamos National Labs, founder of Los Alamos National Bank, treasurer of the group that created the Santa Fe Opera, cofounder and first president of the Santa Fe Institute—he just wrote his memoirs, Manhattan Project to the Santa Fe Institute (UNM Press, $28). Oh, and just so you don’t think he’s been slouching since his retirement from LANL, for the past 20 years he’s been studying psychology and neuroscience. Citing Proust in his memoir, which is arranged in anecdotal nuggets (no chapter exceeds seven pages), and convinced that scientists and their contributions remain invaluable (and safer than the actions of most others in society), Cowan, for the most part, dishes no dirt and keeps himself and his opinions very much on the down-low. Too bad. It’s hard to think of another scientist who’s been at so many momentous events in scientific and social history—especially here in New Mexico. Which is why sentences like the following stand out—and almost beg for a collection of memoiristic essays, at the least: “Morality may be necessary in the long run but, in the past, stability has often been achieved for substantial periods without it.”

More, George, more!—DJ

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GRAYSON SCHAFFER

curious george

BOOKS IN ALEX HEARD’S SOBER, methodical, compelling new book, The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South, the 52-year-old editorial director of Santa Fe’s Outside magazine and author of 1999’s Apocalypse Pretty Soon turns his unbiased gaze upon a 1945 incident in which McGee, a black man in Jackson, Mississippi, was convicted and later executed for sexually assaulting a white woman.

Although it’s an all-too-common tale of racial injustice, two things really piqued Heard: One, the key role communists played in McGee’s case (particularly, the involvement of the communist Civil Rights Congress, headed by a black man, no less), and two, the level of national and international protest and sympathy in favor of McGee, who became a cause célèbre. “I had no idea that the communists were such a prime motivating force in society back then,” says Heard, a Jackson native who first learned of McGee’s case from one of his journalism professors at Vanderbilt University. “So it’s sort of a secret history. And a real Cold War thing.”

On the other hand, he adds, “It’s also a To Kill a Mockingbird kind of saga, but what really happened is so much more nuanced.”

More nuanced and intriguing than what’s found in history books (most of which make almost no mention of the CRC) or media coverage. Most accounts of the case, for example, focus on social activist Bella Abzug’s involvement in McGee’s trials, though she only attended one, while almost completely ignoring the two local white lawyers who represented McGee at his second trial—maybe because they weren’t as noble or idealistic as Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch.

And, at a recent meeting of historians, one paper presented it as a slam dunk that McGee was innocent. While Heard makes clear that nothing in the case was—forgive the pun—black and white, he eschewed soapboxing as much as possible. “I tried to avoid any cause,” he says, “and not make up the readers’ minds for them.”

In writing Eyes, Heard spent several years interviewing family members from both McGee’s and the plaintiff ’s side, pored through CRC documents in Washington, D.C., and drew inspiration from Dan T. Carter’s 1968 book, Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (about the famous 1930s case in which eight young black men were sentenced to death). “Anytime you research something on your own, you fi nd all this information that’s left out,” he says. “That’s the fun. The truth is so much more interesting than the boiled-down version.” As is Heard’s book.—Devon Jackson

blue plate special SCENE Lately we’ve been noticing a little more color on the streets around town. It’s the newly introduced New Mexico Centennial license plate, featuring the state flag’s Zia symbol and a vibrant turquoise background. Brighter and, with its retro look, hipper than the familiar yellow plates brought out in 1980, the Centennial version is now a no-extra-cost option for anyone purchasing plates at the New Mexico MVD. It will, state officials confirm, replace the state’s optional “hot-air balloon plate,” which, in our admittedly biased opinion, has been bringing down the visual appeal of back-ends since 1999.—DD

inspiration x 400 S F 4 0 0 t h Inspired by Santa Fe’s 400th anniversary year, local artists and musicians are creating pieces that honor the city’s one-of-a-kind heritage.

Jeweler Jennifer Jesse Smith’s sterling silver commemorative pendant ($350, jenniferjessesmith.com) was inspired by the Cross of St. James de Santiago that tops the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral downtown. “This piece reminds us of the beginnings of colonial Santa Fe, as well as our tradition of great silversmithing and our spiritual foundation, which encompasses many peoples and cultures,” says Smith, who grew up here and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Local guitarist AnnaMaria Cardinalli—an 18th-generation Santa Fean—has released Legado y Leyenda (Legacy and Legend), a CD collection of haunting classical, flamenco, and folkloric guitar selections that reflect Santa Fe’s rich musical heritage (musicamundialproductions. com). Currently in Washington, D.C., finishing up some consulting work (and previously in Iraq, working for the FBI, and in Afghanistan, where she was embedded as a social scientist with U.S. Marines in the Helmand province), Cardinalli will soon return to Santa Fe and then tour. “Santa Fe is a truly rare place in the world—a place whose history of cultural assimilation has created a modern environment of acceptance and tolerance that is to be celebrated and emulated,” says Cardinalli. “Santa Fe demonstrates what is possible.”—DD

COURTESY PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS

park with a past HISTORY Although the name is not yet final, Santa Fe’s Power Plant Park is set to open this spring, preserving a pretty piece of land and an important bit of local history. The fouracre plot, at the corner of Canyon and Upper Canyon Roads, will incorporate the old Santa Fe Hydroelectric Plant, which provided power for the city from 1895 until the 1940s and played a key role in Santa Fe’s move from an acequia system to a public water system. The building sat abandoned for more than 50 years, overgrown with weeds and with a collapsing roof, until the Canyon Neighborhood Association convinced the city to restore it to its original turn-of-the-century condition.

According to local architect Victor Johnson, who was hired for the project, the remodeling of the Victorian-style structure, originally brick with a pitched roof, should be finished by April.

Later, exhibits that interpret the plant’s historic civic role will be added. “That little building really changed everything in Santa Fe,” says Johnson. “There’s a story to be told.”—DD april/may

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| Q+A |

daniel dennett t he philos ophical rabble rou se r re cha rg e s his mind at SFI i nte r vi e w by De von Jack son

Renowned philosopher Daniel Dennett, a staunch Darwinian evolutionist whose lifelong interests focus on free will, consciousness, and basically how the mind works, and who has often spoken out on behalf of atheists and secularism, is the Santa Fe Institute’s most recent Miller Scholar (SFI’s most prestigious visiting position). Here through the summer, Dennett, the 68-year-old professor at Tufts University and author of Consciousness Explained and Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, among many other books and papers, took time out from his collaborative projects, reading(s), and cogitations to talk about humor, religion, atheist clergymen, and his love for Christmas hymns.

How do you like Santa Fe and the Institute so far?

This is my third or fourth visit here, but this will be the longest. My wife wanted to spend a few months in the Southwest, and it’s a very good atmosphere here at SFI. There’s a rather narrow band that’s both rigorous and openminded and SFI hits that band well.

What have you been working on?

Several collaborations: a paper on free will; a book on humor, tentatively titled Inside Jokes: Why and How Laughing Matters; and a book on atheist clergymen.

JULIEN MCROBERTS

Why humor?

Although every theory’s right about something but no theory is right about everything, we have a unified theory of humor that puts it into a new computational model. We look at what’s funny and why, how humor travels.

The book uses brain evolution and cognitive models.

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And will everyone get it? Will there be examples of what’s funny and what’s not?

Some humor’s universal and some’s hermetically sealed. Our theory is that any string of words or gestures in the right setup is funny. But humor’s not very portable. What is: short, narrative jokes, of which we have about 200—over half of which we analyze. Jokes from George Carlin, Steven Wright, Steve Martin, early P.G. Wodehouse. Comedians have been prospecting our brains for several thousand years and feeding our brains these cognitive drugs. They’ve learned how to turn people on.

My horizons expand a lot here. There’s very little garbage time—time chopped into bits too small to use. Here, you get to have as big a block of hours as you need. I’m also having a very good time talking with the other people here— physicists, biochemists, economists. A straight diet of philosophy is not for me.

And it’s sort of not the real world here. It’s a time and place to focus furiously on one issue and then look over and say, That’s an interesting book. I find myself waking up at 6 in the morning and thinking, and it’s wonderful. My head is just teeming.

MATT RIDLEY

Why are places like SFI so essential?

Daniel Dennett sailing up the Beagle Channel, at the extreme tip of South America, site of Charles Darwin’s naturalist voyage.

life mopping up. Thankfully, there’s some tag-team wrestling going on now.

With other atheists coming out, you mean—like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.

Right. But religion is so adept at ducking behind trees and coming out the other side.

There’s a lot of strategic backpedaling.

How atheistic are you then?

So have you scaled back on your advocacy of atheism?

Well, I’ve still got my fireman’s hat on, just in case. But it was high time the stultifying reticence of atheism is over. There were so many more interesting things, but during the Bush years, the religious right became dangerous. So my position, it was not a labor of love but a labor of duty. And more people gained confidence and hope from finding public atheists. Besides, there are more of us than Mormons and Jews. It’s time for politicians to start listening to us.

But aren’t atheists by trait loners and not joiners?

There are two kinds. One kind—95 percent—for them atheism’s not a big part of their lives. It’s not a religion. They just walk away from it. For others—it’s a mission. They proselytize; it’s important there should be such people. I was one of the first category. And I could spend the rest of my 18

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I’m a moderate. I don’t think we should abolish religion. But it needs to morph. I get fed up with the systematic hypocrisy and honoring irrationality. As far as I know, there’s no religion that doesn’t harbor deep wells of irrationality. I’m all for the music and the passion—but without the lies.

So it’s more a beef with belief—against rationality and reason.

Don’t kid yourself, we’re all dictated by emotions. Even mathematicians at their most lucidly, brilliantly rational are still dependent on emotions. But it’s reason and evidence that’ll settle the matter.

And what’s the difference between science and religion? Or scientists and religionists?

Scientists don’t wallow in the mystery.

They don’t protect it. The question to ask is: What if I’m wrong? Every now and then religionists accuse me of arrogance and

demand humility and modesty. But do they ever ask themselves, What if I’m wrong?

They think it’s wrong even to ask. And anyone who feels guilty of doubting their faith is a little feebled as a reasoner.

Is that what led to the book on atheist clergymen?

These men were so lonely. It was such a relief for them to have someone to talk to.

And they’re sure they’re not alone. But they have no way of knowing. They went into the ministry with pure hearts and the best of intentions, but they got trapped in a situation where they know it really isn’t true.

The very training they get is often one that is very troubling to them.

Have you been doing much outside of your work at the Institute?

My wife and I have been to Shidoni, to Museum Hill, to the Indian Museum, which is simply outstanding. Madrid’s an interesting Sunday morning jaunt.

And despite your stance on religion, you and your wife love Christmas hymns.

We love Christmas music. For about 30 years we’ve sung the real stuff. The neat, 100 percent religious stuff. We have a collection of Christmas hymns, we sing at Christmas concerts. It’s incredibly gorgeous music. It’s great.

CE L E BR AT I NG TEN YEARS

ART SANTA FE .2010 J U LY

15 -18,

2010

ART SANTA FE 2010 / A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L A R T FA I R THE SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER W W W. A R T S A N T A F E . C O M

/ TEL 505.988.8883

| day in the life |

selling the night sky when t he clie nt ’s pe t do g is ca nis minor

by Rob e r t Maye r • photos by Norah Le vi ne

IN HIS 17 YEARS as a real estate buyer’s agent here, Philip Vander Wolk has shown approximately 4,250 homes. Of those showings, he estimates, about 850 have led to sales. So the odds are heavily against his closing a deal today with Nancy and Kent Fuka, a couple from Austin he is about to drive around the area this sunny Saturday morning.

As the couple climbs into Vander Wolk’s car, beside the offices of Santa Fe Properties, two facts are complicating the likelihood of a sale today. The Fukas (pronounced Fewka) visited Flagstaff a month ago, and liked it—and plan to check out Oregon as well, before buying.

“Our kids are out of college,” Nancy says as the agent drives toward Sunlit Hills. “We’re trying to decide what to do with the rest of our lives, and where to do it.”

There’s also an unusual complication.

Unlike some middle-aged couples, they are not looking for a fourth bedroom, or a guesthouse, or a swimming pool, or a corral for horses. They don’t own horses. The most important requisite for any home they buy is that the sky above it be dark. Very dark.

At least at night.

Kent Fuka, who makes his money in computers, is an amateur astronomer. A serious one. So serious that he does not recall if he owns seven telescopes or only six. But even if he owned a hundred, ambient glare from streetlights, businesses, or nearby homes would make them useless as he scans the night sky for new stars, planets, meteors.

Beside his new home, wherever it will be, he wants space to build an observatory, about the size of a one-car garage, in which to do his stargazing, unobstructed by trees or hills, or earthly wattage.

Vander Wolk, who is friendly, personable, and outgoing but low-key, turns off Old Las Vegas Highway into Sunlit Hills, about nine miles from the lights of downtown Santa Fe, and pulls up beside a home for sale. The Fukas are looking to buy in the $500,000 range. This home is listed for $489,000.

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Philip Vander Wolk—like many good real estate agents—holds the key to his clients’ futures.

The party is greeted at the door by Neil Lyon, an associate broker at Sotheby’s, who is representing the seller.

Should a deal be made, he and Vander Wolk would split the customary 6 percent commission. The Fukas chose Vander Wolk to represent them because of his long-standing specialty as a buyer’s agent, which they read about from Austin on the internet.

As they move through the tastefully furnished, multilevel house, inspecting every room, they ask questions, get immediate answers (1,884 square feet, built in 1990, 7.3 acres). “This looks like it has possibilities,” Nancy says. But the big question remains—where to put the observatory.

Out back, down a dirt slope that feels about 45 degrees, is a large meadow, free of trees. Nancy skitters easily down the slope. Kent, who has something of a belly on him, demurs. “I do not want to spend the rest of the day in the emergency room,” he says. Vander Wolk obligingly fi nds an adjacent dirt road and drives him down to the meadow. Kent walks to the middle, looks about in every direction, stares up at the clear blue sky. This open space would do nicely.

Nancy is fully supportive of her

husband ’s stargazing. She does not view Canis Minor, “the Little Dog”— Kent’s favorite constellation—as undue competition. She has her own interest: quilting.

Next on Vander Wolk’s agenda is a two-bedroom hillside home in Canada de Los Alamos (2,260 square feet, built two years ago, one heavily wooded acre).

It’s listed at $549,000—more than the first home—because it is much newer, and has a unique interior designed by the owner. One negative: from the patio they can hear rushing traffic noise from I-25.

The home is surrounded by tall pines and old piñons. An observatory could be mounted on the roof, the owner suggests.

“This is nicer than the first one,” Kent says. “It feels warmer. It would be great for entertaining.” But he’s not sure the roof would physically support his stargazing needs.

As they drive toward Glorieta to view another possibility, Vander Wolk’s cell phone rings. He answers it as he drives.

“Yes? . . . Yes. You’re kidding . . . Today?

This morning? Well, thanks for telling me.”

He hangs up. “That was the agent for the fourth house I was going to show you. It has been taken off the market,”

he says, incredulous. “Today!

Homes go off the market all the time. But not the day you’re going to show it.”

The seller’s agent had given no explanation. The home had been on the market for 177 days.

There’s one more home on the schedule, in Glorieta.

Vander Wolk’s car slowly climbs a narrow, curving dirt road, lined on one side with trees and shrubbery, which twists precariously along the edge of a cliff. Nancy’s eyes reflect the terror of trying to maneuver this steep road on snow or ice. Vander Wolk, never one to pressure a client, concedes as he drives, “You wouldn’t want to drink too many margaritas up here.”

This house (2,100 square feet, built in 1983, 2.5 hilly acres) is available for $495,000. Rolled-up carpets indicate a recent flood in the basement. The Fukas are not impressed. “It would be a nice vacation home,” Nancy says. “But that’s not what we’re looking for.”

With the final showing canceled, Vander Wolk circles to the R idges, a development across from Eldorado.

The Fukas like it. He suggests they come out here and drive around on their own—at night. They think that’s a great idea.

As they part company back at Santa Fe Properties, the house-hunters tell Vander Wolk that, thanks to him, Santa Fe has jumped to the top of their list. He is very pleased. But he knows that Oregon still lies ahead for them, that Flagstaff stretches behind, that no decision will be made anytime soon.

Still, among what he estimates as between 1,000 and 1,300 real estate agents in Santa Fe, he may have more patience than most. In his non-working life, Vander Wolk serves proudly as New Mexico governor of Red Sox Nation. That’s baseball’s Boston Red Sox, who went from 1919 to 2003 without winning a World Series—a drought of 85 years. april/may

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AGENT FOR CHANGE VALERIE PLAME WILSON AND LIFE AFTER LANGLEY

BY DIANNA DELLING YOU CAN’T HELP but think about it when you first meet Valerie Plame Wilson.

This warm, funny woman—who looks more like a very pretty soccer mom than an international person of mystery—was a spy?

You keep wondering about it as she leads you briskly down the halls of the Santa Fe Institute, where she works part-time as the director of community relations. You start rationalizing as she takes you into the kitchen for some coffee. If she actually looked like a spy, she wouldn’t have been a very good one, would she? By the time you sit down to chat about how much she loves Santa Fe and all the new projects she’s involved in, you decide maybe you should give it up. Sure, she completed some impressively hardcore paramilitary training. But she really is a soccer mom now (granted, one who hangs out with people like Sean Penn and Bill Gates). And what’s a spy supposed to look like, anyway? Wilson will address that before your meeting is over.

Valerie moved to Santa Fe in 2007 with her husband, retired ambassador Joseph Wilson, and the couple’s now ten-year-old twins. The plan: to recreate their lives. “If none of this had happened, we’d probably be overseas right now, and I’d be doing my covert job,” she says, nibbling on a late-morning snack of cashews and M&M’s. “But that wasn’t in the cards.”

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a covert CIA operative in a nationally syndicated newspaper column. It put the Wilsons, along with the Bush administration, at the center of one of the biggest political controversies in recent history, and it forced Valerie to resign from her CIA position in December 2006.

“Joe and I had been through so much in Washington,” Wilson says. “We looked at each other one day and said, Why are we still here? We started seriously considering where to relocate, and Santa Fe was always high on the list.”

Valerie had visited the city several times over the years, when her CIA work brought her out to Los Alamos.

“I love that even in the winter we have gorgeous blue skies and lots of sunshine,” she says. “After the many humid summers on the East Coast, I love the dryness. And there aren’t many towns of 75,000 people in America that even come close to having the level of art, culture, history, and intellectual heft that we have here.”

She hasn’t found anonymity—“It’s disconcerting to be in the produce section at Albertsons and have someone come up to you and say, ‘Are you Valerie Plame?’” she says—but she was seeking a new life, not an invisible one.

Her kids attend a local public school; her husband, as director at a company that brings electric power

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PHOTO BY MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES

Wilson talking about her memoir, Fair Game, during her 2007 book tour.

to conflict-ridden regions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, travels quite a bit.; and Wilson’s days roll out at their typical high speed. Only now, when she’s not shuttling her children to sports practice or taking them skiing at the basin, she’s here at the Institute or juggling other high-profile projects that build on her past.

In this new life, she says, “I can use my public profile to promote things I care about.”

FINDING HER NICHE at SFI has been an important part of Wilson’s transition to life outside Langley. She officially joined the staff in March 2009, but initially discovered SFI when she and her husband attended a holiday open house there the previous year. “We walked out of the presentation, and I said two things to Joe,” she recalls. “One, I wish we were smarter. And two, it’s the first time since I left my job at the CIA, working on counterproliferation issues, that I’ve felt even the slightest twinge of ‘That’s really interesting!’”

Like novelist Cormac McCarthy, who agreed to a rare public appearance on Oprah two years ago so he could talk about his involvement with SFI, Wilson is using her celebrity status to draw attention to the sprawling compound on Hyde Park Road. “The almost universal reaction I have from friends and associates is, ‘Oh, you’re working at the Institute! That’s wonderful! . . . So what do they do?’ And that tells me that there is an opportunity to do a better job of explaining what they do, why it matters, and why people should care.”

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director is “translating” complicated theoretical research into language laypeople can relate to. It’s similar to what she did in her CIA job, when she had to debrief her operational colleagues about what was happening at Los Alamos National Labs. “There’s a little bit of that here as well,” says Wilson.

“Without in any way dumbing down the science, you have to be able to explain what these amazing brainiacs are working on in ways people can understand, that feels less intimidating.”

In 2009, she helped develop Voyages of Discovery: Darwin and Mendelssohn, a collaboration between Institute scientists and the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra that played to a packed house at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. True to the SFI spirit, the event explored the similarities between creative geniuses from two very different genres, science and music.

It also provided a not-necessarily-scientific audience—music lovers, for example—with a peek at what the Institute is about.. To raise awareness of SFI among political types, Wilson is planning a dinner in Washington, D.C., later this year.

“I really do believe that the work they are doing at the Santa Fe Institute will save the world,” she says. “They are asking the big questions—of poverty, of climate change, of cancer . . . I will be delighted if I can help bring this to the attention of my community.”

THERE’S ANOTHER ISSUE WILSON is putting her name and energy behind these days, one with an even more direct connection to her foreign-affairs background: nuclear disarmament. At the time of her resignation, she was work-

working in the counterproliferation division of the CIA’s directorate of operations.

“When I worked at the CIA, I believed that the nexus of terrorism and nuclear technology was our most dangerous [threat],” she says. “Well, I have come to believe that the only way you can prevent a [nuclear] accident from happening is to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world to zero.”

It’s not an easy goal, she acknowledges. “But it’s worthwhile,” she says. “And certainly here in Santa Fe, a stone’s throw away from Los Alamos, it will strike a chord.”

Wilson is a narrator and commentator in Countdown to Zero, a no-nukes documentary film from producer Lawrence Bender (An Inconvenient Truth) that makes the growing threat of nuclear annihilation all too real. It premiered at Sundance (she was there), it may show at Cannes (in which case she’ll be there), and will hit U.S. theaters later this year.

Wilson spoke about the film and her support of nuclear disar-

sure the Wilsons were happy with the script. The consummate method actor, he spent 48 hours with the family a year ago, studying Joe Wilson so he could get everything right— down to copying Wilson’s gestures and wearing his scent (which, for the record, is Christian Dior’s Eau Savage).

Valerie Plame Wilson met with Naomi Watts before the movie was filmed too. “She is an excellent actor,” Wilson says, adding that she believes Watts’s ability to project both strength and vulnerability will help her portray a female CIA operative in a realistic light.

“I have a pet peeve about how the general media tends to portray CIA operations officers—‘agents,’ as they always call them, which is the wrong terminology,” says Wilson. “They always portray their physicality, their sexuality, their way with a weapon, as being very important. But there is all this training that’s involved in becoming an operations officer. Your brain—your smarts—is your most potent weapon of all.”

mament at the invitation-only TED conference in February.

“It’s a project that has nothing to do with partisan politics and everything to do with a really critical issue that, frankly, has not been in vogue,” she says. “But it’s been 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell, and as a community of nations, we’ve done practically nothing to reduce our nuclear stockpile. . . .

Countdown to Zero is not a feel-good film, but it’s a wake-up call about something I feel passionate about.”

On an only somewhat lighter note, Fair Game, the feature film from director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) about the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson, will also premiere this year, with Naomi Watts starring as Valerie and Sean Penn as Joe. The Wilsons were consultants on the project, which is based on Valerie’s 2007 memoir of the same name. “Hollywood tells a story like no other medium can,” she says. The film’s takeaway? “That it’s important to hold your government in account for their actions. It also shows the importance of speaking truth to power—and the consequences of doing so.”

Penn, she says, agreed to star in the film only after making

NORAH LEVINE

“I really do believe that the work they are doing at the Santa Fe Institute will save the world. They are asking the big questions—of poverty, of climate change, of cancer . . . I will be delighted if I can help bring this to the attention of my community.”

She intends to set the record straight in the spy thriller she is writing in collaboration with successful Santa Fe– based author Sarah Lovett. The book, now in the proposal stage and tentatively titled Blowback, will be about a smart female CIA operations officer “who is not a cartoon character.” As Wilson wrote in a January 2010 article for the Web site The Daily Beast, “I believe that there is a clear link between how female CIA officers are portrayed in the media and the continuing, if diminishing, discrimination against women in the agency itself.”

While working undercover surely had its fantastic moments, Wilson describes life in the spotlight—even the slightly dimmer spotlight that makes its way to Santa Fe—as “surreal.” Yet she seems to have found a balance. “Living with small children helps you keep your priorities straight.”

And though she isn’t sure what the future will hold, she’s happily settled into New Mexico for the time being. “I have lived many, many places in the world, and I have never felt as at home as I do in Santa Fe,” she says. “And that’s the truth.” april/may

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IDEAS, INC. MUCH TO THE AMUSEMENT of Santa Fe Institute president Jeremy Sabloff, an online journalist recently described SFI as “the think tank where author Cormac McCarthy works, while nearby scientists think about the sustainability of time travel and other awesome stuff.”

“We should put that on a T-shirt,” Sabloff says, laughing. Those shirts would sit, presumably, in the small showcase of SFI paraphernalia for sale in the Institute’s lobby, which already includes decorative license plates that read COMPLEX and bobble-headed Murray Gell-Mann dolls. These Ph.D.s have a wry sense of humor.

The truth is, it’s tough to describe what goes on at SFI, and while “the sustainability of time travel” is a stretch, “awesome stuff ” isn’t a bad place to start. Some of the brightest minds in science have worked at the Institute since it was founded, in 1984, by Los Alamos National Laboratories chemist George Cowan, Nobel Prize–winning physicist Gell-Mann, and 22 of their equally brainy colleagues. And with a constantly changing faculty comprised of experts from around the world, SFI’s list of past and current projects is incredibly diverse.

Designed as an independent, interdisciplinary research institution where scientists can explore topics of their own choosing, SFI throws scientists (and sometimes non-scientists) together, encouraging them to collaborate. It’s a free-f lowing environment where big thinkers with backgrounds in anything from physics to psychology will, it’s hoped, find new ways of seeing and doing.

“Our major area is theory,” says Sabloff, a Harvard-trained archaeologist who took over the SFI helm in September. “Business people may ask, What’s the deliverable? The deliverables here are ideas. Some, but not all, of what we do is relevant to policy.”

SFI projects revolve around “complex systems”: collections of individual entities—people or insects or cells or subatomic particles—that organize themselves into groups and then, as a collective unit, begin to behave in new ways that scientists can study. While some researchers might examine the behavior of individual ants, for example, at SFI they’d take a complex-systems approach and look at how the colony behaves as a whole.

“We’re taking nonlinear thinking from the field of physics,” Sabloff says, “and applying it to other areas of science, including the social sciences, to see if we can fi nd patterns.”

In the field of “econo-physics,” for example, in which SFI is considered a leader, equations commonly used by physicists are applied to economics, letting researchers see that even some seemingly random stock market behaviors can be predicted. Other SFI projects have led to innovative cancer-fighting drug cocktails, better

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So what do they do at the Santa Fe Institute?

Top: The entrance to SFI’s 33-acre campus on Hyde Park Road. Below: Researchers write on the windows at SFI, where collaboration is key and the quest, in the words of cofounder George Cowan, is to find “common ground between the relatively simple world of natural science and the daily, messy world of human affairs.”

methods for tracking the global migration of viruses, and insights into topics such as urban planning and global warming.

The best way to get a feel for what happens at SFI may be to check it out for yourself. The Institute offers free 15-minute tours to anyone who calls in advance for an appointment. The public is also invited to attend free Wednesday-night community lectures, held at the James A. Little Theater, in which SFI researchers speak on topics like “The Future of Terrorism” (June 16) and “Mind Bugs: The Science of Ordinary Bias” (July 14).—DD For more information on SFI and its events, visit santafe.edu.

Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair July 8-11, 2010 Santa Fe Convention Center

John Tinker, represented by Linda Durham Contemporary Art

Opening Night Wednesday, July 7 Special Member Preview for Museum of New Mexico Foundation

P L A N T O AT T E N D

Historic Bond/Contemporary Spirit: Collecting New Southwest Native Pottery Seminar and visits to internationally recognized sites and private collections July 6-8, 2010, Santa Fe, NM Information & registration www.sofaexpo.com/spirit

Become a fan

SANTA FE

CHARACTERS THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS CITY DIFFERENT As real and clear and down-to-earth as Santa Fe and its people can be, it also has a certain je ne sais quoi quality to it. In fact, that’s probably its biggest appeal and why it attracts the cast of characters it does—from roller derby queens and plastic surgeons to ethnobotanists and acupuncturist jiu-jitsu competitors.

It also allows people to explore and enhance parts of themselves they may not have the time or opportunity to go into elsewhere. As film producer Anthony Mark says, “It has given me room and a perspective to develop some of the parts of myself that I’m most proud of. I’m able to live some of those best parts of me here: friend, dad, husband. Some of that comes from just growing up, but a certain amount also comes from this town, that is diverse, tolerant, easygoing, but still very, very engaged.” Or, as conductor Joseph Illick puts it: “Santa Fe is unique in that people here are willing to try out creative things.” Herein are some of those creative people.

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SANTA FE’S ROLLER DERBY QUEENS They practice here but roll all over: Due to a dearth of available facilities, the Muñecas “bout” down at the Albuquerque Convention Center from May through August, and are members of Albuquerque’s Duke City Derby flat-track league, which sports the country’s 16th-best women’s roller derby squad. Rollerball or Whip It? “It has the reputation of being short skirts, fingernail polish, and lots of makeup,” says Angela “Killer Queen” Reece, 37, who moved to Santa Fe from Florida 11 years ago and works as a party planner for Walter Burke Catering. “But there’s no fighting, no hooking, no tripping.” So, Whip It? “It’s a very physical sport for women in a team setting,” stresses Reece, a high school cheerleader who started derbying in 2006. “It’s a full-contact sport. But it’s the most fun I’ve had exercising in my life.” Derby it yourself: The Muñecas travel to bouts all around the country and handle everything themselves: recruiting, coaching, and fundraising. “And if somebody’s interested in playing,” says Juli “Savage Scout” Curtis, 33, an Albany, New York, transplant and elementary school teacher, “we’ll teach them how to skate and play.” GoGo Grrrls: Women of all ages, backgrounds, and body types flock to the flat track, as do their fans, who continue to grow as the sport does. “We’re channeling our aggression really well,” says Curtis. “It’s girls kicking ass.”

Adds Reece: “It’s female-empowering.”—Devon Jackson

JULIEN MCROBERTS

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PAUL & SYDNEY DAVIS

Combined age: Below 100. Provenance: Andrew—Manhattan; Sydney—West Texas. SF connection: Sydney’s parents eloped and married here, and she’d visit as a kid; Andrew, now president of Davis Selected Advisers, came out to work with his father and brother.

First impression: “The idea was to leave Wall Street, get some credibility (because I looked so young for my age), and go back to New York,” says Andrew. “But I fell for this place hard the minute I got here.” Met: On a blind date at La Traviata restaurant (now closed). “She walked in and that was a pretty good day for me.” Past lives: Andrew—Paine Webber; Sydney worked in finance in Washington D.C. before moving here in 1993 to become a jeweler, first at Lewallen, then on her own with Wild Angels. Extracurriculars: Both scuba dive, Andrew’s an avid cyclist. Causes: They’ve given extensively to the Lensic (pictured here), the Farmers Market, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girls Inc., the Wildflower Center, and Oceana. “We love supporting educational opportunities—and places like the Lensic are so key to this town,” says Sydney. Adds Andrew, “Our days are pretty filled—between work and boards and nonprofits and the volunteer world and our two kids.” But: “Everything’s just about right, right now. We’re in a sweet spot.”—DJ

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DOUGLAS MERRIAM

MCS OF PHILANTHROPY

FROM THE OUTSIDE IN Age: 44. Profession: Plastic surgeon.

Demeanor: Quiet, introspective. Status: Married, one son. Background: Attended five Ivy League institutions, served in U.S. Air Force, studied under Dr. Mehmet Oz, moved to Santa Fe from New York in 2005.

(Why? He’d been at Kirtland AFB; his wife attended UNM.) Practice: Feng shui’d offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Gigs: Radio show on KTRC 1260 AM (Saturdays, 12:30 PM), blogs, working on series of webisodes. Clientele: Sees about 2,000 patients annually: 25 percent male; 30 percent from out of state (he foresees Santa Fe as a medical-tourism destination). Bread and butter: Facelifts, breast augmentations, tummy tucks. Causes: Does pro bono work for the Breast Reconstruction Fund and Vanity for Charity; gives to the Española Animal Shelter, the Museum Foundation, and the Chamber Music Festival.

“About 10 percent of what I make goes to charity. Our philosophy is to give back as much as we can.” What sets him apart from the plastic pack: His integrative medical team, which offers before-andafter acupuncture, reflexology, psychotherapy, and other holistic services. “It’s my Whole Being Plan, because different people need different things. People get better results. And any type of surgery can benefi t from this.” The reward: “When I see the happiness in my patients’ faces and hear how their lives have improved—I want people to feel as good about themselves on the inside as they look outside.”—DJ

JULIEN MCROBERTS

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Having a conversation with Ginger Dunnill, a.k.a. DJ Miss Ginger, is like watching a performance by a one-woman band. There’s so much happening, you don’t know where to focus—but what’s more impressive is that it actually sounds good. While chatting at the kitchen table in her Westside home, Dunnill, 29, launches into a dizzying list of “current projects” in the first few minutes: a theatrical production by local arts collective Meow Wolf, for which she and boyfriend Cannupa Hanska Luger made a Chinese dragon out of recycled burlap; a song the couple co-wrote as alt-hip-hop duo Glad As Knives; and her new puppy, Bandit, who keeps chewing on my boot. Dunnill is also a rapper, singer, event organizer, set designer, and all-around community builder, a combination that’s made her an anchor for a loose affiliation of locals who share her creative sensibilities. But she’s best known around town for her turns at the turntables as a funk/hiphop/ electro DJ, packing venues like Corazón and Backroad Pizza.

Growing up in both Hawaii and Santa Fe, she was wildly creative but struggled with issues about her roots and a general sense of dislocation. Even now, she admits, “I don’t identify with anything completely.” But she no longer sees that as a negative. “There’s no time for separation. I’m a DJ! That’s how I feel about life— you mix it together, like records.”—Marin Sardy

JULIEN MCROBERTS

DJ MISS GINGER

SNAP! GINGER

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Age: 45. Raised: On an Alberta, Canada cattle ranch.

Profession: Acupuncturist and natural-healing practitioner.

Former profession: Boxer. Current sport of choice: Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Since taking it up eight years ago: Lobe, who trains at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy Santa Fe, has taken home at least nine gold medals at various skill levels in national and international competitions. Current goal: To compete as a black belt at the 2010 Panamerican Jiu-Jitsu Championships, April 8–11. Why jiu-jitsu: It’s a gentlemen’s sport—a type of grappling that requires using one’s mind and body in a fully integrated, strategic way. “It’s like playing a chess match with your body.” E is for ego: A childhood nickname, Lobe went Mavrick to further emphasize his individuality.

Although still doing it his way, as he has matured, so has he succeeded in “moving some of that ego out.” Good for work, good for sport: His 13 years of manipulating joints and treating musculoskeletal injuries has given him a leg up on how to take down his opponents. Even better: Lobe’s daily meditation practice enables him to channel his energy—toward daunting goals, toward staying centered and relaxed. All keys to victory on the mat. “If you get angry, or try to become violent, that’s when you get caught.”—MS

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DOUGLAS MERRIAM

MINDFUL MAVERICK

AND STARRING ANTHONY MARK AS HIMSELF

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DOUGLAS MERRIAM

Films he’s produced: The Hurt Locker, Georgia O’Keeffe, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, The Fisher King. His creative motto: Good stories well told. Previous lives: actor, disc jockey, photojournalist. Santa Fe before: “All I knew about Santa Fe before coming here,” admits the 57-year-old born-and-raised New Yorker, “was that it was the title of that old Randolph Scott Western.” Santa Fe after: When a fellow producer gave Mark the keys to his Upper Canyon Road home 25 years ago, Mark came, Mark skied, Mark relocated. Why not L.A.? “I ended up really settling here a few years ago because I didn’t want my daughter to grow up in Los Angeles. And I’ve watched her blossom here.” No regrets: “It may be that there’ve been certain opportunities that I’ve had to forego, but I know what I do is a consuming business. Your life is broader than simply your career. Your experience of your time here is more than simply what you do for a living. Whether you love it or not.” Santa Fe—get it? “I’ve always thought of Santa Fe as the kind of place where you get the joke or you don’t. If you get it, I don’t need to explain it to you. If you don’t, I can’t explain it to you.” Canine connection: Mark and his ex-wife, Jill Felice, founded Assistance Dogs of the West. “It’s the great counterbalance to what I do, and it’s one of the few experiences in my life that is 100 percent good.” Location, location, location: “O’Keeffe was a big deal for me, a huge deal. It’s completely about my relationship with Santa Fe. And if I could produce movies here all the time, I’d be happy as a clam.”—DJ

Occupation: Ethnobotanist. Age: 50s. Affiliation: Diné. Birthplace: Washington, D.C. Irony of that: In Diné culture, a person’s birth material is commonly buried in or near her birthplace—for her eventual return. When the National Museum of the American Indian hired House to oversee its landscape design, House’s mother told her, “So, you’re finally working on your house.” Raised in: Oak Springs, Arizona. Current home: A 10-acre farm near Alcalde. Training: Biology major at University of Utah. “But when I do Western work, I incorporate indigenous aspects into it. I look into the natural world for knowledge.” Which parts? “I usually go to the land as a way of introducing myself to the people. [People meaning plants, animals, the sky—in addition to the five-fingered types.] I’m having a dialogue with this ecosystem. We need to know that animals think and communicate the same as Navajo and Russians do. Or: “I go to nature as advisers—like ants and how they build and distribute seeds.” Sees herself: “Like a bird. One that goes from Alaska to the tip of South America and knows all that territory.” The importance of indigenous cultures’ roles in saving plants, animals— the planet: “When you lose species you’re losing the stories and the songs—which is where I look to—because that’s where the knowledge is embedded. And indigenous people have knowledge and solutions we can incorporate into the climate change issues, into many, many things.”—DJ

MATT DUNN

DONNA HOUSE

Elizabeth Taylor, Heather Locklear, and Princess Caroline have all bought her pieces, as have Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, and Lee Greenwood. Ariane Guerlain owns about 70 pairs of her beaded jeans, and Lynn Wyatt once phoned to tell her about Elton John’s birthday party—to which she’d worn one of her coveted matador jackets.

The woman they all flock to—and flock they do, a good number of them flying in on their private jets for personal fittings and touch-ups—is Barbara Grimes, the ageless clothing designer who runs her Gossamer Wings fashion line out of her home just off West Alameda. “Embroidery style is what we’re known for,” says Grimes, who’s also known for her humility, her attention to detail (she and her staff of half a dozen women bead and lace everything in Grimes’s home/studio), her ever-present 35-year-old parrot (Gossamer), her trunk shows (in Aspen, Dallas, Monte Carlo, Gstaad), her superfine leather skins (all from Italy and Spain and made of deer, calf, and antelope), and her generosity (she keeps an open door for her devoted clients and an open checkbook for animals and animal charities).

A child rodeo star (she performed trick riding and roping) and former model (on Universal’s Frontier Circus TV show), Grimes was born and grew up in California, but moved to Santa Fe in 1995. Both she and her clothes exude a unique cosmopolitan grace and gracefulness. “It’s young stuff, it makes people look and feel young,” she says. “It’s not serious clothing, even though it’s artwork.”

Plus, she adds, “It goes anywhere in the world. It’s international. It’s not just Santa Fe.”—DJ

COURTESY GOSSAMER WINGS

BARBARA GRIMES

“I believe that when the history of this century is written, this will be one of the books that is among the ten most read,” says Alexander J. Shaia. It’s a pretty bold statement—all the more so because Shaia, 58, wrote the book in question. The Hidden Power of the Gospels: Four Questions, Four Paths, One Journey (HarperOne, $25) presents a theory Shaia first came up with nine years ago, while on a retreat at Ghost Ranch. The “epiphany,” as he calls it, was that the Gospels should be read as four “spiritual practices,” each designed to guide us through specific, recurring periods in our lives. In effect, it’s a new way of interpreting the Gospels, and he believes it will resonate with Christians and non-Christians alike.

A devout Catholic with degrees in cultural anthropology and cultural psychology, Shaia moved to Santa Fe from San Fancisco in 2001; soon after coming, he opened the Blue Door Retreat, with a goal of helping guests find spiritual and psychological renewal. Now he’s embarking on a six-month international tour to promote his book, his ideas, and his website, Quadratos.com. “What I’m calling it is the first paradigm shift [in Christianity] since Martin Luther,” he says. “But it really doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what people do with it.”—DD Who: Lance Hool, 61, his son, Jason, 35 (both pictured here), and Conrad, 62.

Broke ground on: Santa Fe Studios, this March, just south of Santa Fe. They hope to be making their first film there by Thanksgiving. Why now: In 2005, it became clear to Lance, who filmed The Tracker here 21 years ago, what was missing. “There were no crews from here. Everything had to be imported from outside the state. Santa Fe turned out to be the best spot for a studio to grow that infrastructure.” Besides: Many people in the film business would rather live and work here. Three of those many: Lance, his brother, producer Conrad, and Jason, who’d been recreating an 11th-century Etruscan village in Tuscany when his dad proposed the idea of working on Santa Fe Studios (and moving here). Why Santa Fe: Its light, its physical beauty, its diversity of locations so close to Santa Fe Studios. Plus: “It’s a very cool place to live,” says Lance. How cool? Jason met Mikhail Gorbachev at the Lensic. “Where else would I have been able to meet someone like him?” Setting down roots: The Studios has also partnered with the Santa Fe Community College and the Institute of American Indian Arts. “This is a longterm commitment,” says Jason. “We’re planting the seeds for tomorrow.” Their vision: By the end of Phase II, “we hope,” says Lance, “to be filming a movie in the Studios that’s made by a crew entirely from here.”—DJ

THE HOOLS

LINDA HOOL

EZRA HUBBARD

ALEXANDER SHAIA

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Known for: His biting, trenchant, funny, respectful, wonderfully rendered Homer Simpson Chia heads, Chongo Brothers pots, and other ceramic works that often blend classic Greek styles with Mimbres and Anasazi techniques.

Considers himself: “A chronologist of the absurd of human nature.” Born and raised in Berkeley, California: But came to New Mexico as a 14-year-old in 1974, moved in with an uncle at Cochiti, then later attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, where he stumbled into his first pottery class—with Otellie Loloma. Click: “When I met Loloma, it was like I had a spiritual awakening. Loloma saw it too. That was one of the more meaningful relationships in my life.” He used to make coyotes—really: But while working toward his M.F.A. at UCLA, he came across a story on the Hero Twins in a book on Mimbres pottery. “It occurred to me that I could take my illustrative and pottery backgrounds and take the narrative of postcolonialism and the American Indian and aboriginal and put that on a pot. So I made a bowl that had the Hero Twins on it with an AK-47. The program director told me, ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head.’” The expectations: “I’m fortunate to get to be a political artist. But I’m expected to do something with some social commentary almost every time out. And the more scathing the social commentary the better.” Sometimes however: “I wonder what it’d be like not to have to worry about it having that zipbing-bang to it.” Nevertheless: “It’s where I bat from and I’m grateful for that.”—DJ

TOBA TUCKER

DIEGO ROMERO

Where you’ll find him: At the Santa Fe Concert Association. Since 2008 he has served as SFCA’s artistic and executive director and conducted the SFCA Orchestra. Where you’ll also find him: In front of the piano (he performs for audiences and composes); in Fort Worth, Texas, conducting the Fort Worth Opera, where he’s the music director and principal conductor; at home with his wife, soprano Virginia Browning, and 13-year-old son, Eric. Passions: Well, music. But he’s particularly devoted to working on programs that bring music into schools. “In Europe, classical music is part of everyday education; it’s like math or science. If kids hear music, kids will love music. If they’re not exposed to it, that lobe remains dormant.” His musical roots: “I grew up in San Francisco, and we didn’t have a piano, but our neighbor did. I started composing on it at age five.” On Santa Fe: “It’s a wonderful place where I can talk to people about my creative passions, and that’s inspiring.” Words he lives by: “Music is not a luxury. We need it in our lives.” Overarching goal: “What can I do so that 25 years from now the arts are more accessible to everybody?”—DD

COURTESY SFCA

JOSEPH ILLICK

WILSON SCANLAN

NANCY SCANLAN

Not so cynosure: A self-described hermit who founded Verve Gallery of Photography in 2002, Wilson Scanlan, 34, admits he’d much rather let other people—his wife, Jenna, or his father and business partner, John—do the talking. “I’m much better behind the scenes,” he says, sheepishly looking around his Verve office, “in my little cubby back here.” LEEDing the way: In 2004, he and Jenna decided to replace their asbestos-filled home with one that meets international green-building standards—and qualifies for LEED certification. Not only did Scanlan develop considerable expertise about the practices and regulations involved, he also helped train local builders about little-known technologies. And he built a website (leednm.org), where he posted details and tracked construction progress. Form v. function: The Scanlans’ home, for which LEED Gold certification is pending, is much more than an exercise in technical prowess or catalyzing change. It’s also an architectural delight. Scanlan considers it “a piece of art” and the perfect space in which to display his enviable personal photography collection. Daddy time: As public a project as his home has been, the engaging but self-effacing Austin native is looking forward to spending more time in his home and less time talking it up. “My next project,” he says modestly, “is just hanging out with my new baby and my kids.”—MS

Hampton Sides, author of the bestselling Ghost Soldiers (2001) and Blood and Thunder (2006), has called Santa Fe home since 1994.

But he looked to his birthplace—Memphis, Tennessee— for his latest historical narrative, which hits stores in late April. Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King Jr. and the International Hunt for his Assassin (Doubleday, $29) follows two incredibly complex men—one courageous and dedicated, the other confused and pathologically cunning—in the months leading up to their tragic 1968 encounter, when James Earl Ray murdered King outside the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis.

Sides then puts you there: Earl’s 65-day run into Canada and across the Atlantic coast, with FBI agents only steps behind, feels palpably current. Like his earlier books, this one is filled with so much detail, dialogue, and colorful scene-setting that it reads like a novel. But every bit of it is factual, based on documents Sides pored over during two years of research in five countries. “It’s not a book about conspiracy theories,” the 47-year-old writer explains at Tart’s Treats, the coffee shop on Guadalupe that serves as his second office. “I was surprised at how overwhelming the evidence was,” he adds. “I have no doubt that Ray did it, essentially alone.” In the book, he adds, “I try to show you that he’s guilty, not tell you.”—DD 36

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2010

GARY OAKLEY

HAMPTON SIDES

NATIVE MODERN OPENING 1

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P R E C I OU S M E TA L

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APRIL 2, 2010

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6PM

FRITZ CASUSE PAT PRUITT MICHAEL ROANHORSE CODY SANDERSON ROBIN WAYNEE

OPENING 2 AGAINST THE GRAIN MAY 7, 2010

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M I X E D M E DI A

6PM

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LEGENDS SANTA FE W H E R E N AT I V E A RT S M E E T T H E W O R L D 143 LINCOLN AVENUE

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO 87501

505 983 5639

LEGENDSSANTAFE.COM

( SWAIA

505 983 5220

SWAIA.ORG )

art

openings | events | reviews | people

Nothing disturbs quite like the banal—especially when tweaked only so gently, as in the surreal (but not), creepy (but not), weird, funny, mythological, fairy tale-ish tableaux dreamed up by Australian photographer Polixeni Papapetrou. She’s only one of the many award-winning art photographers whose work will be on view at Skotia Gallery’s 1st Annual Photography Invitational, May 7–June 4, reception May 7 5:50–7:30 PM (150 W Marcy, 505-820-7787, skotiagallery.com). The show features 23 handpicked artists from six continents, and there’s hardly a perspective among them that’s not worth contemplating—or storing in your subconscious for later ruminations.—Devon Jackson Polixeni Papapetrou, The Loners, pigment ink print, edition of 8, 41 x 41"

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PREVIEWS

Sandy Voss, Springtime Happy Rug, Pendleton wool-blanket selvage, 56 x 28"

Sandy Voss: New Hand-Woven Rugs Marigold Arts, 424 Canyon 505-982-4142 marigoldarts.com Through April 28 Looking like an ingenious fusion of the “paintings” of tapestry artists Rebecca Bluestone and Ramona Sakiestewa and the renderings of tightly stacked newspapers of China-born painter Xiaoze Xie, Voss’s rag-rug creations—made of vintage neck ties, high-end loomfactory castoffs, and other fabrics and textiles—have the textural depth of the former two and the visual and colorative density and variety of the latter. Impressive, evocative, and rich.—DJ

Rita Bard, Hunt, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 14"

Barbara Meikle: New Work Pippin Meikle Fine Art, 236 Delgado 505-992-0040, pippinmeiklefineart.com May 28–June 18, reception May 28, 5–8 PM Meikle has given her latest show the drab title New Work, but something like Risk vs. Reward might more aptly sum up her creative endeavors. In this new show of about 15 paintings, Meikle’s subject matter, which ranges from horses and burros to sky-heavy landscapes and even some floral still-life pieces, is primarily a substrate for the ultra-bright hues of her far-reaching colorist explorations. She takes risks, and as a result, some pieces come off as lopsided exercises in going to extremes. But the best pieces mediate show-stopping reds and pinks with subdued pastels or moody drips—imbuing the work with some reflective stillness amid riotous color. To better understand her “no restraints” approach, stop by between 11 AM and 4 PM on May 29 and 30 and watch her at work creating three new pieces.—MS

Georgia O’Keeffe, Series I–No. 3, oil on board, 20 x 16"

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Barbara Meikle, Desert Sons, oil on canvas, 48 x 48"

Spring Group Show featuring Jerry Jordan Manitou Galleries, 123 W Palace 505-986-0440, manitougalleries.com April 2–16, reception 5–7:30 PM If you think Jordan’s contemporary paintings look eerily similar to early–20th-century pieces by renowned regional artists like Ernest Blumenschein and Victor Higgins—whose art was instrumental in spreading the imagery of the Southwest to the world—it’s because they do. Jordan, whose oil paintings take center stage in this show of works by all of Manitou’s artists, unselfconsiously mimics the look and feel of century-old masterpieces by members of the Taos Society of Artists. Evoking their light-infused Modernist vision through the use of a similar color palette and brushwork, Jerry Jordan, Time of Refreshing, oil on canvas, 30 x 36" Jordan focuses on iconic subject matter (Pueblo Indians walking among the area’s forested mountains). Although his best pieces avoid anachronistic imagery, all succeed in honestly capturing the peace and charm of the Taos landscape.—MS

Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, 217 Johnson 505-946-1000, okeeffemuseum.org May 28–Sep 12 Contemporary critics tend to sneer at her more popular, representational work. But when this exhibit of more than 100 abstractions opened at New York’s Whitney Museum last spring, reviewers had to concede that O’Keeffe was an incredibly groundbreaking painter in her day. The oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal drawings, and sculptures featured here, created throughout her career, show a lesser-known side of the modernist New Mexico painter that deserves to be celebrated.—DD 40

Rita Bard: War Paintings BOX Gallery, 1611 Paseo de Peralta 505-989-4897, boxgallerysf.com April 2–May 1, reception April 2, 5–7 PM In her first solo gallery show in Santa Fe, Bard takes aim at the contradictions of war with imagery reproduced straight from archival WWII photographs of German citizenry. Using colors befitting the Elysian Fields and incompatibly dynamic brushstrokes, she likewise pairs her faceless figures (avatars of the identity-erasing machinations of modern politics) with red words detailing the places in and dates on which those individuals faced destruction. Together, the elements of these acrylic-on-canvas pieces—which, like perspectives, range from minute (4 x 4") to meta (60 x 60")—subtly subvert our American tendency to conflate “German” with “Nazi,” and examine the embattled relationship between documented history and collective memory. “I let the time be in between,” says Bard. “So you can digest it, emotionally but not in fervor.”—Marin Sardy

2010

art

PREVIEWS

Phil Binaco, Munson Hunt, Richard Serra LAUNCHPROJECTS, 355 E Palace, launchprojects.com May 20–June 6, call for reception: 505-670-9857

While Serra’s reputation (as a minimalist steel-sculpture provocateur) precedes him, and Binaco delights as a wax-andresin fiend whose fascination with surfaces, shadows, and light makes him a sort of palimpsest nut, Hunt, who lives here in Santa Fe, delights and bewilders with her freestanding wooden wedges. Fashioned from a previous piece, which she’d turned into an obelisk (one that came from a 34"-diameter pine log), these wedges signal a new direction for Hunt. “I’m known for rounded forms and this is a more geometric study,” says the sculptor, who sanded the wedges, put a black stain on them, and coated them with black clay paint—to bring out their surfaces. “But I’m still dealing with the relationship between object and viewer, or in this case, objects and viewer.” As responsive as they are foreboding.—DJ

Munson Hunt, Untitled (Wedges), pine, various dimensions, 77 x 23 x 7"

Group Still-Life Peterson-Cody Gallery 130 W Palace, 505-820-0010 petersoncodygallery.com Apr 2–30, reception Apr 2, 5–7 PM This is the kind of group show where there is no weak link: Every artist here excels at still life, and, even better, distinctively. While the works and styles of Gordan Inyard, Scott Paulk, and Robert C. Jackson appear similar—each is witty, textural, colorful, and with a whiff of nostalgia hanging over them—they remain unique in tone and ambition. Equally different if somewhat alike are Sherry Loehr and Jane Jones—both of whom seem to share a reverence for the Old Masters, but whose lighting and tonality offer up entirely contrapuntal notes. In all, a show as fun as it is elegant.—DJ Scott Paulk, Dog & Pony, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36"

Susan Davidoff: Desert Suite Zane Bennett Contemporary Art 435 S Guadalupe, 505-982-8111 zanebennettcontemporary.com Apr 16–May 8, reception Apr 16, 5–7 PM For most of her artistic career, Davidoff, who lives and works in El Paso, Texas, has been scouring and being inspired by the flora, fauna, and terrain of the Southwest. Somehow reminiscent of the graphic-arts works of German art weirdo Joseph Beuys, only more grounded, of the ground, and aesthetically far more interesting and pleasing—but, like Susan Davidoff, Desert Suite–Starlight, monoprint, 35 x 39" Beuys, earthy—Davidoff here combines her predilection for nature walks and the collecting of found materials (earth, mica, cochineal) with her interest in the Chinese concept of Li: organic pattern. Ostensibly her way of examining human perceptions and preconceptions of nature, these monoprints read more like astral-projection images of chaos in order—and vice-versa.—DJ

Ann Hosfeld, Canale I, oil on canvas, 44 x 38"

Tribute to Santa Fe’s 400th Year New Concept Gallery, 610 Canyon 505-795-7570, newconceptgallery.com May 14–June 13, reception May 14, 5–7 PM As is appropriate in a region where time is as cyclical as it is linear, and where history interweaves disparate perspectives, this show honoring Santa Fe’s four-century legacy doesn’t limit itself to one approach to representing the city.

Whether through Roger Arvid Anderson’s rock cairn–esque bronze sculptures, Ann Hosfeld’s oils of adobe architectural details, or area landscapes by two photographers and two plein-air painters, the show evokes a city rich in both tradition and artistry.—MS

Joshua Tobey, Loveland, 5 x 8 x 5" and Tillamook, bronze, 7 x 7 x 7"

The 7th Annual Gallery 822 Group Show Gallery 822, 822 Canyon 505-989-1700, gallery822.com May 7–ongoing, reception May 7, 5–8 PM Spring’s abundance of new life makes it an ideal setting for the shower of previously unseen work on display for Gallery 822’s anniversary show. The showcase includes new pieces by all gallery artists, from a bronze by popular wildlife sculptor Joshua Tobey to distinctive Pop-meets-post-Impressionist landscapes by his sister, Jami Tobey to Santa Fe Visitors Guide cover artist Nori McConnaughhay—plus newly represented Brent Lawrence’s stainless-steel wall hangings.—DJ april/may

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PREVIEWS

Steve Bogdanoff: The Art of Fresco The William and Joseph Gallery, 727 Canyon 505-982-9404, thewilliamandjosephgallery.com April 1–30, reception April 2, 5–7 PM Bogdanoff’s painted frescoes—especially those featuring blue or green monkeys dancing on backgrounds of earth-toned geometric shapes—look almost African. But the artist, who is based in New Orleans, actually draws inspireation from the ancient Greek civilizations—particularly the Minoan culture, circa 1500 BC . After working mostly with oils on canvas, Bogdanoff’s fascination with ancient art led him to begin painting on plaster about 20 years ago. His expressionist monkeys, like his masklike human faces and flying fish, are based on images and ideas from archaeological findings in the Greek Isles and convey mystery, energy, and movement. Mixing the very old techniques and subject matter with his modern sensibilities, Bogdanoff creates unusual, one-of-a-kind art that stands out for its originality.— DD

Holly Goldstein, The Double Rose Necklace, flame-worked borosilicate (Pyrex glass), 1"

Holly Goldstein: Flowers, Flowers, Flowers Ima Glass Studio, 926 Baca, #6 505-466-2711, May 7–June 11, reception May 7, 5–8:30 PM When Goldstein’s flame-worked Pyrex art glass bursts into bloom, that adds up to a profusion of richly colored, flower-shaped ornaments, pendants, and “glass-scapes”— mixed-media wall sculptures in which delicate glass forms mingle with found feathers and branches in vintage frames. But don’t expect to find strictly sanitized sensibilities at this show: Next to the O’Keeffe-inspired glass cattle skulls and flowers, look for the piece (no less lovely) with shark’s teeth wired to rusty mesh.—MS

Steve Bogdanoff, Green Monkeys #4, fresco, 48 x 24"

Various Artists: An Exhibition with Jane Martin, Jennifer Schlesinger, and Kamil Vojnar Verve Gallery of Photography, 219 E Marcy 505-982-5009, vervegalleryofphotography.com May 14–July 3, reception May 14, 5–7 PM Verve’s early summer show groups three artists whose photographs focus, softly and gauzily, on women interacting with nature (with shades of André Kertész and Sally Mann hovering behind them all). Martin’s pieces are actually video stills (she’s a former cinematographer) that capture what she calls “the moment between moments.” Martin stops the action of life for a fraction of a second as female nudes dance through misty, mystical Kamil Vojnar, Acrobat Version #2, mixed media on paper, 22 x 17" settings near her home in East Hampton, New York. More static but also mysterious and cinematic are Santa Fe resident Schlesinger’s posed images: one faceless woman sits in a boat on what looks to be a sea of high-desert scrub; another, in a Victorian-looking dress with white gloves and pearls, stands tall beneath a parasol. Rounding out this thought-provoking exhibit are mixed-media, vintage-looking pieces by Vojnar. The Provence-based artist digitally layers images to create works that come from places between earth and sky that we may not “fully understand, but without which the world would be a much grayer place.” —DD

Deb Kaylor, Corner Florist, oil on linen, 24 x 30"

Deb Kaylor: Places to Go; People to See Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, 702 Canyon 505-986-1156, giacobbefritz.com May 7–May 21, reception May 7, 5–7 PM With muted colors and forgiving lines, Kaylor’s atmospheric oils depict contemporary life in Europe as if seen through a soft-focus lens.

The Denver-based artist has said she tries to “convey the enjoyment and appreciation of life,” and she succeeds; scenes of café minglers and shop-lined streets will have you trolling the Web for bargain tickets to France and Italy.—DD 42

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Matthew Cornell, Genesis II, oil on canvas, 64 x 72"

2010

Matthew Cornell: Origin + Destination Evoke Contemporary, 130 Lincoln, Suite F 505-995-9902, evokecontemporary.com May 7–28, reception May 7, 5–8 PM Devoid of any human or any signs of human life, Cornell’s gargantuan hyperrealist representations of water and weather elicit an uncanny combination of reverence and terror. Terror at the intimidating enormity and scale of the canvasses and the absence of a human presence; reverence in response to the meticulousness of Cornell’s labors, the detail, the obvious dedicatory patience involved in capturing the most infinitesimal bit of light sparking off the most infinitesimal section of a cresting wave. Lately grander in vision and bigger sizewise, “Some pieces,” explains Cornell, “have been meditative or somber landscapes in great detail, while others have been violent storms of near abstraction.” Extremes, but extremes that achieve harmony and a sort of Biblical grandeur.—DJ

art

PROFILE

serenity now J a m ie K ir k la n d’s me dit at iv e landscape s inspire calm

Shortly before receiving her BFA in painting from the University of Utah in 2004, Jamie Kirkland returned to Crestone, Colorado, for a month.

Snowed in, with no phone or TV, she was having no success wtih her still lifes; her only company was her cat and, occasionally, one of her professors, who urged her to paint “longer, deeper.” Finally, after buying two 24 x 36" canvasses (longer, deeper), Kirkland went off the artistic grid.

“That was my first experience of painting intuitively instead of observationally,” she recalls in her art studio at The Lofts, just off Cerrillos Road. “That was not the type of work I was doing at school, but it was what I was meant to do—abstract landscapes. I just didn’t have the structure for it till then.”

No structure, maybe, but she definitely had a full life. Kirkland was born in Louisiana, grew up in Alabama, and modeled in New York, where she also waited tables and occasionally took art classes at the Art Students League and the Parsons School of Design. After moving to Pensacola, Florida in 1979, she opened her own French restaurant, married, and opened a bookstore-cum-community center (similar to The Ark).

Kirkland moved to Crestone in 1979, after getting divorced, and was drawn to the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. “We had breakfast with the monks, where you were supposed to eat in silence,” she says. “It was the first time I felt like I could breathe. It felt so expansive and so different from the South.”

And more inspiring. Kirkland started taking art classes again, which led her back to school in Salt Lake City and, eventually, back to Crestone for that fateful month of painting. “After those two paintings, it felt like it was a deeper part of me coming out,” says Kirkland, an admirer of J.M.W. Turner, James Whistler, and George Inness. “I’m getting to watch something unfold in front of my very eyes. That’s more than me or my conscious mind can conjure up. It’s why anybody creates: to have that energy move through you.”

Soon Kirkland signed with Park City’s Phoenix Gallery, and with Karla Winterowd, of Santa Fe’s Winterowd Fine Art. “Sometimes, you have these people who come into your life and it’s a crossroads and you don’t even know what an important crossroads it is,” marvels Kirkland. Of Winterowd, she says, “She’s the kind of dealer Monet and Renoir had. She’s interested in my work and in me as a person.”

Kirkland moved here in 2006 and now lives in Arroyo Hondo. “Santa Fe is the best art community in the world,” she says. “And I get to see this huge expanse of sky every morning.”

Sky and ground are vital to Kirkland, as is horizon. “If it’s got sky and ground, the rest is limitless,” she says. “I’m uncomfortable if there’s no horizon—it’s got to have one.

The line grounds me. It gives me a sort of fantasy to go to in my imagination.”

An imagination, however, based on reality. Using photographs as reference, she practically massages her oils into her canvasses, applying layer after layer. It’s an accumulation, a struggle (not that it shows), and her paintings are not finished until there’s a sense of harmony in them. “After a certain number of layers—usually four or five—something starts to happen, an otherworldly thing starts to show up.”

“My paintings are meditative; I paint from an experience of quiet,” says Kirkland. She steps back from one of her new paintings, a sky with two ethereal clouds. “I love to hear people say, It’s a very quiet painting,” she says. “People like that feeling of calm and tranquility. I try to impart that feeling more than anything.”—Devon Jackson Jamie Kirkland: Enchanted April, Apr 9–22, reception Apr 9, 5–7 PM, Winterowd Fine Art, 701 Canyon, 505-992-8878, fineartsantafe.com

COURTESY WINTEROWD FINE ART

By Devon Jackson

Top: Jamie Kirkland in her studio; above: Enchanted April, oil on canvas, 40 x 40"—the wonderfully imaginative pink-leafed trees show Kirkland’s current foray into a lighter palette.

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EVENT

indigenous benefits N a tive Tre asure s st ays small but st rong

ALL IMAGES COURTESY NATIVE TREASURES

By Devon Jackson

Clockwise from top: ledger painting by Terrance Guardipee; sterling silver and amethyst earrings

by Fritz Casuse; micaceous pots by Lonnie Vigil; sterling silver and turquoise pendant by Mark Stevens

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WHEN YOU’RE YOUNGER AND SMALLER and still fi nding your place in the world, position is key. Take the Native Treasures: Indian Arts Festival, for instance. Weighing in at about one-sixth the size of Indian Market—Native Treasures brings in close to 200 artists from almost 50 tribes and pueblos around the country—the show, now in its fi fth year, is invitation-only, so it’s a bit more selective, and more manageable. As for its timing, due to scheduling confl icts, it will be taking place not at its usual spot of Memorial Day weekend but on the weekend prior to Memorial Day—May 22–23 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

Founded in 2005 by Ardith Eichner and Karen Freeman, along with the Rainmakers—a fundraising group from the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, which receives part of the proceeds from the festival—Native Treasures’ organizers chose this time of year because it’s right in between Indian Market (in mid-August) and Phoenix’s Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market (in early March).

Which appeals to the artists. “It’s a major show in the spring,” says Chippewa-Seneca jeweler and sculptor Stephen Wall. “Having the Native Treasures show here in Santa Fe creates the basis for a yearround American Indian art-show market, rather than just August and November, for the SWAIA shows.” (SWAIA being the Southwestern Association for Indian Art, the sponsor of Indian Market and November’s Winter Showcase.) “At this time in the year,” adds Wall, “it’s good to reinforce the presence of American Indian art and its importance to the Santa Fe and New Mexico economies.”

Created as a fundraiser for MIAC and another opportunity for Native artists to get out there and sell, Native Treasures now provides, as Eichner points out, “the majority of exhibit and education funding for MIAC and it’s really the only show that benefits a museum.” Over the last five years, the festival has raised over $250,000 for the museum’s exhibits, and artists have taken in almost $2 million in incremental sales.

To keep the mix of artists fresh, nearly one-third of them will be fi rst-time participants this year. Another new element of this year’s event will be the Emerging /Student Artist section, in which the organizers collaborated with the Institue of American Indian Arts and the Poeh Center to identify 15-20 students of artistic promise at their respective schools, all of whom will be showing their work.

“Artists like the timing of the show, they like giving back to the Museum, they like the smaller, higher-quality environment where they can talk to collectors and feel like they are surrounded by other artists who are doing the same quality of work that they’re doing,” says Eichner, an ardent collector herself who has never gone home empty-handed. And in addition to all that, the artists are entitled to free chair massages all weekend long. Ahhh, youth.

Native Treasures: Indian Arts Festival, May 22–23, Santa Fe Community Convention Center, nativetreasuressantafe.org

R u t h Va l e R i o

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EVENTS CALENDAR

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Summer Reflections, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches

GREENBERG FiNe aRt

FEATURING THE FINEST IN REPRESENTATIONAL ART 2 0 5 C A N Y O N R O A D , S A N TA F E , N M 8 7 5 0 1 PHONE 505.955.1500 • EMAIL info@greenbergfineart.com

w w w. g r e e n b e r g f i n e a r t . c o m

“Messages and Miracles” - Oil on Belgian Linen - 60” X 96”

Margarete Bagshaw

201 Galisteo St., Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 - 505-988-2024 - www.goldendawngallery.com *Golden Dawn Gallery is the Exclusive Representative of the Estates of Helen Hardin and Pablita Velarde

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SPECIAL ADVERTSING SECTION

Frank Howell Gallery Jammey Huggins, Bearer of Gifts, limited-edition bronze

Brad Smith Gallery Brad Smith, artist and gallery owner, has some of his newest work on display at his gallery on Canyon Road. This is the first of his magic garden series. Please stop by to see more and meet the artist.

Located on the northeast corner of the plaza, the Frank Howell Gallery has operated for over 20 years, showcasing world-renowned artists, including Frank Howell, Bill Worrell, Ray Tracey,and Oreland Joe. We are always interested in purchasing Frank Howell originals.

103 Washington, 505-984-1074, frankhowellgallery.com

the gallery

505-983-1133, info@bradsmithgallery.com bradsmithgallery.com

ART SHOWCASE

Eldorado Studio Tour Jakki Kouffman, Blooming Cactus, Lake Beyond, acrylic on canvas

The 2010 Eldorado Studio Tour features 118 artists in studios May 15–16 from 10–5. Visit the Preview Gallery to view featured work from each artist. Pick up a brochure and map to studios.

Eldorado at Santa Fe Preview Gallery at El Dorado Community School, 12 Avenida Torreon, 505-4663256, eldoradoarts.org

Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Joan Bohn, one-person show, opens Friday, April 30, 5–7 Talk by the Artist, Saturday, May 1, 2–4 pm

pm

You are invited to both the opening of Joan Bohn’s one-person exhibition at Hunter Kirkland Contemporary, Friday, April 30, 7–5 pm and her Talk by the Artist, Saturday, May 1, 2–4 pm. For this show, Bohn abstractly references the landscape and pathways of the life cycle within the manylayered and textured surfaces of her panels. Never fad-oriented, these new paintings present a distinctive sense of place and a sense of history.

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SPECIAL ADVERTSING SECTION

NEW CONCEPT GALLERY Ann Hosfeld, Organic Light, acrylic, 35 x 50" Opening April 16, 5–7 pm

Tropical Images, by Ann Hosfeld, is a colorful exhibit of tropical plants from Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Abstracted forms, interwoven shapes of leaves, and vivid sunshine on foliage against a backdrop of ocean and sky make this a vibrant exhibition celebrating Spring.

610 Canyon, 505-795-7570, newconceptgallery.com

Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian From May 16, 2010, through April 17, 2011, the Wheelwright Museum presents Nizhoni Shima’: Master Weavers of the Toadlena/Two Grey Hills Region. This exhibition features iconic textiles dating from 1910 to the present. Included are masterworks by Daisy Taugelchee, Bessie Manygoats, and Clara Sherman. Open Monday–Saturday 10–5, Sunday 1–5. Free admission. Donations encouraged.

704 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-982-4636, wheelwright.org

Marigold Arts Designer Rugs by Sandy Voss 424 Canyon Road, 505-982-4142 marigoldarts.com

Wyeth Hurd Gallery Peter de La Fuente, Horns A’Plenty, egg tempera, 15 x 33"

N.C. Wyeth’s great-grandson, Peter de La Fuente, established the Wyeth Hurd Gallery in Santa Fe 25 years ago. The gallery exclusively represents all painting members of the Wyeth Hurd family, through four generations. Peter is the only family member to continue the tradition of egg tempera, which was pioneered in this country by his grandfather, Peter Hurd, in the 1920s.

206 E Palace, 505-989-8380, toll free 888-989-8380, wyethhurd.com april/may

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SPECIAL ADVERTSING SECTION

The Peterson-Cody Gallery, LLC Sherry Loehr, Twisted, acrylic, 24 x 30"

Still-life artists celebrate everyday inanimate objects, transforming flowers, paper, cartons, dishes, and other objects and challenging us to see beauty in the mundane.

The featured artists in the Group Still-Life exhibit include Robert C. Jackson, Jane Jones, Gordon Inyard, Sherry Loehr, Jim McVicker, and Scott Paulk. The PetersonCody Gallery specializes in the finest contemporary representational art.

130 W Palace, 505-820-0010, petersoncodygallery.com

The William & Joseph Gallery The Art of Fresco Recaptured April 1–30. Opening reception April 2

American artist Steve Bogdanoff is a master in replicating the fresco form.

Originally influenced by ancient Greek art, Steve’s career has flourished over the past 19 years, earning him international recognition in his field.

727 Canyon, thewilliamandjosephgallery.com

0

35th Annual Benefit Auction August 19–20, 2010

Help support New Mexico’s oldest, independent, nonprofit museum. Make a donation of contemporary or historic Native American art, such as jewelry, pottery, textiles, baskets, and folk art.

All contributions are fully tax deductable. For additional information, please contact Lea Armstrong at 505.982.

4636, ext. 103 or at asstdir@wheelwright.org.

Navajo weaver and jeweler Morris Muskett at last year’s benefit auction. Photo by Chet White.

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Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian 704 Camino Lejo. Museum Hill. Santa Fe, NM 87505 505.982.4636 www.wheelwright.org

2010 Featured Artist Lonnie Vigil

Santa Fe - Los Angeles

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enchanted treasures SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Amy Conway Studio

Artist and poet Amy Conway translates images from her paintings into exquisite pieces of jewelry. Multilayered sterling silver and semi-precious stones grace crosses, pendants, earrings, rings, bracelets, and belt buckles. Amy’s soulful poetry engraved on each piece adds a unique detail.

Sterling silver, turquoise, and topaz, 3 x 5" Amy Conway Studio, 1012 Marquez, 307A 505-992-1041, amyconway.com

KatieO Jewelry This beautiful one-of-a-kind necklace from the KatieO Jewelry Carved Stone Collection features: hand-carved jade dragon pendant, Chinese turquoise, antique silver beads (with turquoise inlay from Afghanistan), smoky quartz beads, and sterling silver toggle clasp KatieO Jewelry, 954-638-9118 katieojewelry.com

Packard’s on the Plaza Sassy and sophisticated stones, beads, pearls, and gems in every color of the spectrum. Drape, string, coil, or snake on one of Pam Springall’s necklaces in your favorite hue to wear to lunch or to the opera, only from Packard’s on the Plaza. Graduated green turquoise rondelles with handmade sterling clasp Packard’s on the Plaza, 61 Old Santa Fe Trail 800-648-7358 or 505-983-9241

Boots & Boogie

Elemental color in beautiful spring hues and graceful, graphic lines. Each bracelet, buckle, and ring is a unique and vibrant work of art. Find your zen in Roger Wilbur’s fine channel inlay jewelry at Packard’s on the Plaza. Nevada green and pixie turquoise channel inlay sterling silver

Santa Fe’s premier gallery of fine, handcrafted boots. Elegant while still being comfortable. Owner Roy Flynn will personally and expertly size you in the finest and most beautiful hand-tooled boots available. Whether the black kangaroo, soft-and-supple leather bottom with hand-tooled upper-classic Tyler Beard design, shown here, or any of the hundreds of other designs available, Boots and Boogie outfits you with style.

Packard’s on the Plaza 61 Old Santa Fe Trail 800-648-7358 or 505-983-9241

Boots and Boogie, 227 Don Gaspar, #5, 505-983-0777 santafebootsandboogie.com

Packard’s on the Plaza

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Laurie Allegre tti P hotography

always the perfect blend interior design • kitchen & bath design • lighting design • furniture design Samuel Design Group LLC 703 Camino de la Familia Loft 3101 Railyard District Santa Fe, NM 505.820.0239 • www.samueldesigngroup.com

architecture | design | people

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LLOYD NEAL BROWN

Bring the outside—and outside colors—in. That was the mission of interior designer Edy Keeler, of CoreValue Inc., for this not-yet-sold spec house in the Tessera subdivision (built by Hurlocker Homes and drawn up by architect Robert Zachry). “In the county,” explains Keeler, where there are fewer rules and regulations, “the whole thing is, you can build whatever you want. You’re not bound by stylistic slavery.” Keeler, then, took her cues—and hues—from the immediate outdoor environment, and incorporated what she saw. She started by looking at the natural palette, which is not brown at all but colorful, took that to renderer Lloyd Neal Brown, kept things minimal, and balanced the vividness of the outdoor world with softer neutrals inside. “The whole thing is about looking outward,” says Keeler. “It’s melting the boundary between indoor and outdoor.”—Devon Jackson

COLUMN

fresh-air living how to cre at e t he pe rf e ct out door room

THE BUZZ ON THE NATIONAL design scene is about taking your inside lifestyle outside—that is, creating outside spaces that function just like interior rooms do. What better place to create these spaces than New Mexico: the climate is temperate, the sun shines about 325 days a year, rainfall and aggravation from the bug world are minimal, and there are breathtaking mountain and sunset views are all around us.

A home’s outdoor space need no longer be a concrete slab with a collection of mismatched folding chairs and a stand-alone grill.

Thanks to the recent introduction of visually interesting and weather-resistant furnishings, it can be a place of true beauty and solitude.

The boundaries of an outdoor room can be defi ned in a variety of ways—through furniture arrangements, for example, or with low walls made of brick, stone, or stucco. Plants can both add defi nition and introduce mystery, motion, and softness. Pergolas, portals, and ramadas provide shelter from wind, rain, and sun while adding structural interest.

Creating a seamless physical and visual flow between indoor and outdoor rooms will unify the spaces and appear to expand your living space. Consider using the same flooring material as well as the same or complementary colors and furnishing styles in both rooms.

Replacing standard wooden doors and windows with glass or French doors also connects the two spaces.

Here are some other important things to consider when planning a space for indoor/outdoor living: Exterior lighting. Warm, welcoming lighting can help define the boundaries of an outdoor space. My favorite outdoor light source, the hurricane lamp, produces a gentle, flattering glow for dining and entertaining. The glass protects the candle flame from wind and magnifies illumination. Strings of small white “holiday” lights, used at any time of the year, can be beautiful too; when strung in the tree canopy, they create magical ambient illumination. And solar-generated light fi xtures also look lovely when placed in flower beds, under trees, and along winding garden footpaths.

Water features. The sound of water creates a mesmerizing backdrop for entertaining and relaxing, and decorative water fountains come in many forms and sizes (from 12-inch stone spheres to 12foot-wide water walls). Recirculating fountains are the water-wise choice and can be freestanding, wall-mounted, or designed to look like a stream or pond that blends into the landscape.

Fire features. Whether built into a wall or freestanding, fi re features add physical and emotional warmth to any outdoor environment. Stone Forest, a design company based in Santa Fe, has some lovely new products, including a large granite bowl with a gas fi re insert that is simple to turn on and off.

Furniture. Since it will be used for relaxation and entertaining, choose outdoor furniture that is welcoming and comfortable. You’ll be amazed at the range of attractive, weather-resistant fabrics and 54

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DAVID SUTHERLAND COLLECTION

By Barbara Templeman

This French reproduction Louis Soleil armchair, with its rich lime-green outdoor fabric (made of teak, to withstand the elements), comes from the David Sutherland Collection.

designs now available, from 17th-century French reproduction furniture to ultra-contemporary powder-coated metal creations.

Cooking areas. Nothing is more pleasant than dining under the stars—and experiencing the sights and smells of outdoor cooking— on a beautiful New Mexico evening. You’ll need to consider things like wind and rain when deciding where to place outdoor cooking equipment, but your “kitchen” can be as simple as a top-quality freestanding grill or as complex as a grouping of gas burners, a refrigerator, a sink, and storage cabinets, all connected by work surfaces made of materials that can withstand inclement weather.

The key to creating a harmonious and balanced exterior living environment is to develop a plan before construction and enlist qualified professionals in the planning process. The experts’ knowledge of the myriad products available, with their ability to pull everything together in a cohesive manner, will contribute immeasurably to the project’s success. When done right, an aesthetically pleasing outdoor environment that engages our senses can magnify our connection with nature and enhance our quality of life.

Licensed interior designer Barbara Templeman, ASID, co-owns insideOUT with Cheryl Alters Jamison.

PROFILE

jazz hands S c o tt Er n s t C us tom W o odworks bucks conve nt ion wit h improvisat i o n IN HIS BARN-LIKE Glorieta studio, past the goats and pickup truck in his driveway, fine-furniture maker Scott Ernst works amid a dusty assortment of power saws, drafting tools, planks, and works in progress. Unpretentious and low key, Ernst has a back-to-basics air about him, but a few minutes of conversation reveals a nuanced mind with a lot more to reveal—and the same is true about the custom pieces he builds. “I don’t know that I really have a style,” he says, showing how the legs on a softly sculpted chair catch the light differently when you turn it, “but my work always seems to look like my work.”

Furniture designers these days tend to follow one of two paths, either putting out factory-produced collections or creating dramatic, often bizarre art pieces.

Neither of these approaches, however, has ever really worked for Ernst, who instead carved out a third track through a decades-long process of trial, error, and self-exploration. To his own appreciation for subtle curves and preference for distinct lumber (like curly maple or quarter-sawn sycamore, which he leaves unstained), Ernst adds his love of problem solving and a secret ingredient. The key, he says, is the client—and the fresh perspective each brings, which he taps into with a sort of call-and-response, working toward designs that infuse the client’s preferences with his own aesthetic and expertise. “It’s like playing jazz,” he says.

“The piano player throws out something; the saxophone answers. If it was just me in my shop, then I’d get in a rut.”

This flexibility may be in no small part related to his lack of formal schooling in furniture design. Ernst started out designing brick patios—he built his first at age 14—and after graduating from Rutgers with a degree in landscape architecture, he spent the next 15 years creating walkways and verandas based in the same nature-based simplicity that now informs his furniture. That education, he says, “taught me how to draft, how to draw, how to present to clients, and how to deal with space and form and time and—you know, design.” It also helped him develop the wherewithal to produce top-notch work at reasonable prices.

The one thing he didn’t learn, however, was a prejudice about what furniture should or should not look like. When he took up woodworking, Ernst saw it as a challenge to apply those skills to a more demanding material. “Music, landscape architecture, furniture—whatever,” he says of the shift. “It has this same thing.

It’s design.”

With these ideas as a foundation, Ernst’s fluid aesthetic evolved between two poles in an arc that curved as subtly as the legs of his latest art deco–influenced desk. On one end, he’s taken inspiration from innovators like 20th-century master Sam Maloof. On the other: a former co-worker at a woodshop where he worked when he first moved to Santa Fe, in 1991. That artist, Ernst says, who “didn’t believe there had been a decent chair designed since Chippendale,” taught him traditional joinery techniques that he still relies on.

It wasn’t until 1995 that all the elements seemed to coalesce, when Ernst received his first furniture commission from a friend. After some discussion of what her dining table would look like, he recalls, “She said, ‘You know what? Just design me something nice.’” Ernst agreed, but what came out was more than just “nice.”

Somewhere in the process, he realized, “I was designing a table that, to me, felt like a portrait of her.” Fifteen years later, he not only expects, but actively cultivates, the unexpected. “The client will say one word maybe, about what they want their piece to feel like, and boom—I see a form. It’s like alchemy.”

TOP: BEN TREMPER; BOTTOM: FRED KNIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

By Marin Sardy

Top: Ernst’s kitchen island is made from big leaf maple burl, rusted steel, and acrylic; above: Ernst fashioned this make-up table from French walnut, with aspen inlays in the drawers—and he praised the project’s interior designer, Susan Trowbridge, for knowing “when to let the experts come up with a proposal and then steer it from there.”

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Photo: Clay Ellis

R E S I D E N T I A L A N D C O M M E R C I A L I N T E R I O R S AND IN OUR SHOWROOM ANTIQUES • FURNITURE • ACCESSORIES TEL 505 984-8544 1 5 0 S O U T H S T. F R A N C I S D R I V E , S A N T A F E , N M 8 7 5 0 1 W W W. W G D I N T E R I O R S . C O M

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LAURA PHILLIPS DESIGN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER MALIBU ● SEDONA ● SANTA FE

lauraphillipsdesign.com 505.989.9564

ASAD 2010-503 Santa Fean Apr-May:5.187x4.75

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Many people know us for our incredible antique furnishings or Italian leather sofas and chairs. Others seek our unique lamps and accessories.

Some appreciate the largest selection of Votivo products in New Mexico and exquisite gift items. What will you find?

Selection.

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Antique Furniture, Art and Accessories

asian adobe

1 block west of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum 310 Johnson Street Santa Fe 505-992-6846 Monday - Saturday 10 am to 5 pm www.asianadobe.com

PA B LO P I C AS SO, UNTITLED / photo: Audia

PRIVATE PREVIEW FIRST FOCUS APRIL 29 For Tickets: mcachicago.org/firstfocus

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T H E I N V I TAT I O N A L E X H I B I T I O N O F E M E R G I N G A R T

While visiting The Mart, also enjoy The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair™

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Introducing the newest innovative designs from Santa Fe artist Gloria Sawin.

Get more of the city you love. dining • art • culture history • lifestyle

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CHirS CorriE

Campanas Style Even here in Santa Fe, with all it has to offer—a temperate climate, sunshine almost every day of the year, mountains and rivers, views all around, and almost unparalleled sunsets—it’s hard to imagine a more peaceful, open, expansive, activity-filled, relaxing, rewarding, and luxurious setting than Las Campanas.

Home to more than a dozen distinctive neighborhoods—from the established floor plans available at The Club Casitas, The Pueblos, or The Park Estates at Las Campanas to open plats upon which 60

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homeowners can and have designed their dream houses from the ground up—this 4,700 acre community in the northern slope of the City Different offers two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, a first-class equestrian center, a luxurious spa and tennis center, and an inviting hacienda clubhouse.

Some of Santa Fe’s best and most innovative builders have done some of their best and most strikingly original work in Campanas, CONTINUED ON P. 62

SANTA FE’S MARKET LEADER

4 Camino Villenos

LAS CAMPANAS SHOWCASE This elegant, Western-style, custom Roger Hunter home offers breathtaking 360º views of the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Boasting impeccable construction and exquisite finishes, this home instills your own private enclave. #902989 $2,800,000

Chris Webster 505.780.9500

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35 CALLE VENTOSO WEST

Incredible 1.81 acre compound with stunning Sangre de Cristo views.

This spacious 5,000+/square foot home and guest casita showcase an outstanding example of Southwestern Contemporary-style architecture and execution. #905057 $1,995,000 MarionSkubi.com

Marion Skubi 505.660.8722 & Johnnie Gillespie 505.690.1909

Custom 3,566 sq ft adobe home, sited on two view acres representing the essence of Santa Fe. Vigas, lentils, coved and wood ceilings and extensive portales. Gourmet kitchen, three bedroom suites, office and heated three-car garage. #201000417 $1,450,000

9 Goldpoppy

This beautiful 3,623 sq ft home is an impeccable example of traditional Santa Fe style at its finest.

Perfectly sited on 2.1 acres. Big Sangre de Cristo views, generous living spaces, state-of-theart gourmet kitchen and top-of-the-line finishes. #905170 $1,425,000 MarionSkubi.com

Lucie Lawson 505.670.4789 & Liz Sheffield 505.660.4299

Marion Skubi 505.660.8722 & Johnnie Gillespie 505.690.1909

2 Campo Montoso

16 Clematis

Authentic 2,838 sq ft log cabin and guest house on 1.05 acres. Created by renowned architect Pedro Marquez. This home echoes the heritage of the Old West.

Fashioned from hand-hewn logs with a pitched roof and spacious portales. Jemez and Sangre de Cristos views.

MLS# 805651 $1,258,000 MarionSkubi.com

Marion Skubi 505.660.8722 & Johnnie Gillespie 505.690.1909

231 Washington Avenue Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 505.988.8088

Incredible Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home with dramatic mountain views on 1.53 acres! This 3,080 sq ft home is immaculate, sophisticated yet comfortable, and priced to compete in any market. #902060 $898,000 MarionSkubi.com

Marion Skubi 505.660.8722 & Johnnie Gillespie 505.690.1909

Search for the unique santafesir.com

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CHIRS CORRIe

where the architectural styles range from Spanish Pueblo, Territorial, and ranch to log cabin and New Mexico pitched roof—each, though, designed and constructed with the utmost care and attention to detail and craftsmanship. In addition to the almost sculptural and artistic qualities of these adobe homes are the stunning and inspiring views of the surrounding Sangre de Cristos and Jemez mountain ranges.

Serene and private, Las Campanas also revels in its sense of community. Its residents—golfers and artists, collectors and horse lovers, active retirees and families— gather at the Clubhouse pool on summer afternoons, come together for golfing and horseback riding, and participate in the many civic and community activities in and around Santa Fe. Las Campanas offers a life as spectacular and unique as its surroundings.

7 Grillo Loco Zoe Greenberg

17C Tecolote Circle Stephanie Yoder 505-412-9911

505-412-9923 zgreenberg@sfprops.com

Craig Huitfeldt

Laurie Farber-Condon

505-660-1108 Santa Fe Realty Partners 417 E Palace 505-982-6207 sfrp.com

505-412-9912 lfarber@santafeproperties.com Santa Fe Properties 505-982-4466 1000 Paseo de Peralta, lascampanasexperts.com

This superbly built house and guest house is situated on one of the most dramatic homesites in Las Campanas. Overlooking the lake between the Sunrise and Sunset golf courses, it takes in breathtaking, unobstructed views of the surrounding mountain ranges. $1,495,000

Incomparable New Southwest Contemporary! Spectacular home with phenomenal taste, style, and views. An open floorplan segues seamlessly to the outdoors for effortless living and entertaining. Dramatic architectural details and designer finishes.

3 br, 4 ba, 4250 sq. ft., 3–car garage, 1.65 acres. MLS #904433 $1,995,000

2 Windridge Circle Marc Nussbaumer 505-310-0253 nussbaumer@sfrp.com

On a private 2.5 acre lot, this energy efficient 4,864 sq. ft. adobe + Rastra house embodies the perfect balance of sophistication and grace. The former owner of Southwest Spanish Craftsmen had this house built to showcase the many fine hand-crafted details in the company’s 80-year oeuvre. #906505 $1,850,000 62

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77 Calle Ventoso West Zoe Greenberg 505-412-9923 zgreenberg@sfprops.com

Laurie Farber-Condon 505-412-9912 lfarber@santafeproperties.com Santa Fe Properties 505-982-4466 1000 Paseo de Peralta, lascampanasexperts.com

Award winning new custom home! Best Floor Plan, Master Suite and Kitchen in the 2009 Parade of Homes. Magnificent east and west views and the ultimate in indoor/outdoor lifestyle are captured in this elegant home. 3 br , 5 ba , 5250 sq. ft., 3–car garage, 2.61 acres. MLS #201000196 $2,395,000

Depot Delicioso Something exciting and luscious pulled into the Santa Fe rail station late this winter and parked its culinary concept on the former site of the Railyard Restaurant & Saloon. La Stazione, Santa Fe’s hottest new Italian ristorante, is the brainchild of restaurateur Louis Moskow (315 and the Railyard) who, with creative bravado, has breathed new life into a very old cuisine. The combo of always-al dente homemade pastas, a killer Bolognese, an in-house charcuterie, Tuscanstyle grilled meats and fish, amazing prices, and a sexy bar scene (one that allows diners to partake of or ignore the buzzy ambience) sets it apart from the town’s other Italian joints. When days and nights warm up, don your Marcello Mastroianni shades and haunt the outdoor terrazzo with your favorite foodie cognoscenti.—John Vollertsen

DOUGLAS MERRIAM

La Stazione Ristorante & Saloon, 530 S Guadalupe, 505-989-3300, Mon–Sun 2–9 PM

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REVIEW

rios grande

by John Vollertsen

DOUGLAS MERRIAM

“THERE ARE TWO CHEFS in town who are currently drawing big crowds based on their name and reputation,” a slightly envious Santa Fe chef confided to me recently. “And that’s Martín Rios and Eric DiStefano.” The very same day this chef offered me this assessment, The New York Times’ travel section concurred: in a lengthy story about visiting our fair city, Restaurant Martín appeared atop the list of local restaurants they heartily recommended.

Name and reputation, yes, but in my book, a good dose of delicious food, too. As any Oscar-winning star will tell you, you’re only as good as your last performance. Award-winning chefs can’t rest on their latest laurels, either; they too need to keep turning out food that is creative, palate-provoking, and tasty if they want to stay on top. And with the consistently wonderful cooking I have enjoyed at his eponymously named restaurant, Rios takes home a gold statue.

Rios’s journey toward owning his own place has aptly prepared him for the task at hand. Working previously in the somewhat comforting structure of corporate hotels (fi rst at the Eldorado, then the Inn of the Anasazi), and briefl y in the local favorite Geronimo, has allowed this world-class chef to hone his skills and clarify his culinary voice. Anyone who felt Rios’s cooking was somewhat listless after leaving his longtime stint at the Old House (the gig that really put him, and it, on the map), will in one

One of Restaurant Martín’s diviner dishes: the scallops in a creamy mascarpone risotto

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bite recognize: Rios is home and in charge.

A major renovation to the building that houses the handsome eatery has transformed it from funky to fabulous. A multitude of windows keeps it airy and light-filled, and this summer the extensive outdoor gardens and terrace will make it the place for dining al fresco. Its proximity to both the Capitol district and downtown also make it a fashionable ladies’ lunch destination (when the menu is just as good) and government haunt. As for all us foodies who have been following Rios’s rise—including his turn on Food TV’s Top Chef—our delight in his finally having his own restaurant couldn’t be more rewarding.

Though true to its mantra of “Progressive American cuisine,” as stated on its menu, Rios’s Guadalajaran roots nevertheless pop up now and again—adroitly, of course. There’s the aji amarillo chile here and pumpkinseed pepita there, but the focus is on celebrating American ingredients while incorporating French and Italian cookery as well. Some of the usual suspects are on offer—a yummy Caesar salad napped with tart lemon-anchovy dressing, and the ahi tuna tartare (darling to the upmarket restaurant set)—but all are à la Rios, served parfait-style with creamy avocado and kicky jalapeño.

The menu dabbles in trendy ingredients and treatments. There’s a horseradish-potato “foam” on an unbelievably tender braised beef short rib and—more froth this time—a champagne-and-garlic on a rich, luscious combo of seafood and gnocchi. But these are just touches, not a theme.

Although the list of elements to each dish appears prolonged, every ingredient seems carefully placed there, never muddled and always easily discernible. There’s also a nice tilt toward seafood choices—and Rios clearly loves scallops, which appear in three dishes, most dramatically in a starter of creamy mascarpone wild mushroom risotto topped with black truffle—divine!

Lately, Santa Fe has become a noticeably porky town, so the fatty-rich and meltingly tender pork belly appetizer crowned with chile-glazed tiger prawn received audible ahhs at nearby tables, as well as ours, as did the monster grilled Berkshire pork rib chop topped with frizzled onion rings and dried fruits. The fancy vegetarian tasting plate boasted butternut squash ravioli, wild mushroom–tomato crepes, and crispy goat cheese—all of which tempted even the most die-hard of carnivores at our table, but trading a bite of pig for a bite of veg was non-negotiable.

The beer and wine list is easily navigated, and from the spread of countries and grapes represented, I suspect it is made up of the proprietor’s favorites. Our full-flavored Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc paired well with our predominantly fi sh-and-fowl meal.

A standout dessert of slow-roasted apple tart was a multilayer affair with skinny apple slices caramelizing and melting together seductively. Cocoaphiles can get their fi x with a dense and decadent bittersweet chocolate truffle cake or a lighter (but just as sexy) milk chocolate soufflé tart. Martín Rios starring in his own show. Applause! Applause!

REVIEW

just brew it

THERE’S SOMETHING in the air. After a particularly cold and snowy winter, spring breezes refresh our senses as the longing for comfort food is replaced by a desire for a lighter, perhaps healthier menu: The Farmers Market gears up for a bumper crop of summer goodies, and chefs start to plot their high-season plans for wooing our palates and challenging our taste buds.

Regardless of how speedy the “economic recovery” actually is, local restaurateurs are helping by continuing to lure us to their tables. There are new joints to check out: Jambo Café, Ze French Bistro, Café Phenix, and Louie’s Corner Café, to name a few. Chef/owner Louis Moskow showed off his New York–style chutzpah by revamping not one but both of his local restaurants, 315 and the Railyard—now transformed into La Stazione. This says to me the fi scal thaw has begun.

Enjoying a cold one at Second Street Brewery at the Railyard

matters, you can go from four-ounce “samplers” to 20-ounce imperial pints, or take home a recession-busting half-gallon growler. Fine dining and high art now have two welcoming locations at the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail, notwithstanding the worthy tradition of a bar, an elbow, and a glass of perfectly crafted brew.

Friends have always told me that I have a face perfect for radio, and I am delighted to announce that I am about to embark on a career over the airwaves. Starting April 3, tune in on Saturdays at 5 PM to KTRC 1260 AM for my weekly show, Bits and Bites with Chef Johnny Vee. Along with interviewing local and visiting chefs, I will discuss and divulge the latest goings-on in our vibrant restaurant scene. We’re all familiar with Food TV—think of this as Food Talk Radio. A sure sign spring is in the air—the Coyote Cantina opens April 15, a perfect antidote to Tax Day. See you there!—JV

NATALIE BACA

SANTA FE MAY NOT be as synonymous with beer as, say, Portland or Denver, but that may be changing. Two local players, for example—home-grown Second Street and Albuquerque’s Marble—have recently opened satellite tap houses in downtown Santa Fe. Second Street Brewery, an established artisan brand and a popular neighborhood restaurant, exudes the comfort of a well-worn f lannel shirt, and now has the new Second Street Brewery at the Railyard. Tucked into the end of the Farmers Market building, it has a hip warehouse style with glass garage doors that open onto patios—perfect for the warmer months.

The ample, classic pub fare is enhanced by the many vegan and vegetarian options, which can be smartly paired with a variety of brews: the spiced and fruity Cascade lager, the f loral, yeasty Rail Runner Pale Ale, or the British Mild, with its hint of molasses and mocha. Stop in during “Hoppy Hour” and enjoy the Cream Stout, a meal in itself, with its iced-coffee gusto. If beer isn’t your thing, there’s a selection of fine wine.

Not that far away, on the Plaza, Marble Brewery’s cozy Tap Room sits two stories above land, affording patrons a bird’seye view of all the goings-on below. Great for people watching. And although it’s new, there’s an Old World feel to this tavern, given its darkly painted walls, French doors, and airy balcony. Marble opened its first pub in Albuquerque in 2008 and instantly became one of the region’s top breweries. Here, bountiful thin-crust pizzas, offered from neighboring Rooftop Pizzeria, complement the Tap Room’s dozen distinctive beers, which range from the light and lemony One-Eleven Blonde to the Imperial Stout (tasting of bitter chocolate, licorice, and tobacco). There’s also the Marble Red, with its nose of grapefruit and caramel, and the the malty, toasted Amber Ale. Designated to drive? An espresso machine has you covered.

At both places, free tastes are amiably proffered and, if size

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by James Selby

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taste of the town

northern new mexico’s finest dining experiences

featured listing Three Forks Restaurant

rancho de san Juan country inn, 34020 Us hwy 285, 505753-6818, ranchodesanjuan.com

Exquisite world-class, award-winning restaurant. Sixteen years strong and aging like a fine wine. Enjoy comfortable dining in an elegant but casual atmosphere. Savor innovative continental cuisine with a Southwestern flair. Check our website for special events, wine dinners, Passport Dining Adventures, plus Easter, Mother’s Day, and Saturday lunches. Enjoy our award-winning staff and attentive service.

Relax on our patio with an afternoon cocktail and check our outstanding wine list with reasonable prices to compliment your dining experience. Zagat Survey winner #1 in New Mexico. Condé Nast Traveler #23 of Top 100 List in USA. Come celebrate that special occasion.

Reservations required. Two seatings only 6:30 and 8:00 pm Tuesday–Saturday. Table is yours for the evening. Saturday lunch, 11:30 am and 12:30 pm seatings. Closed on Sunday and Monday.

Amavi Restaurant 221 shelby, 505-988-2355 amavirestaurant.com

Amavi Restaurant’s delicious regional Mediterranean cuisine paired with fine wines, decadent ever-changing desserts, and impeccable service make it a must.

Just one block southeast of the Plaza, Amavi offers fine dining as well as a sophisticated new lounge and bar serving a full menu. Chef/owner David Sellers creates seasonal menus highlighting regions throughout the Mediterranean. Acclaimed as “hot as can be,” Amavi’s classic yet relaxed atmosphere is great for professional and romantic meetings alike. Signature bouillabaisse: classic French Provençal stew with clams, mussels, shrimp, and halibut simmered in a rich saffron-scented broth of fennel, tomatoes, and fresh herbs accompanied by house-baked bread perfect for dipping. Dinner served nightly 5:30–10 pm.

The Bull Ring 150 washington, 505-983-3328

Serving Santa Fe since 1971, the legendary Bull Ring is “the prime” steakhouse in Santa Fe. Voted “Best of Santa Fe” year after year, it also offers fresh seafood, chicken, chops, an extensive wine list, saloon menu, and patio dining. If there’s one thing New Mexico’s politicians can agree on, it’s where to eat in Santa Fe. Conveniently located one block north of the Plaza in the courtyard of the New Mexico Bank and Trust building. For a quick bite after a stroll at the nearby Plaza—or for a late-night snack— the lounge’s bar menu is sure to satisfy. Lunch 11:30 am–2:30 pm, Monday–Friday; dinner nightly starting at 5 pm.

Underground parking available on Washington Street.

Celebrations Village West 1620 st. michael’s, 505-989-8904 celebrationssantafe.com

After two decades on Canyon Road, Celebrations has moved to 1620 St. Michael’s Drive. Now Celebrations Village West, the renowned eatery

features floor-to-ceiling windows, mountain views, a walled patio, and parking galore. Eclectic menus feature upscale new American, contemporary Creole Cajun, and Northern New Mexican dishes.

Local favorites include house-made breads, fresh salads, soups, and, of course, signature housemade vanilla ice cream (more flavors this spring).

A delightful Wine Bar appetizer menu is served the days the restaurant is open for dinner. 8 am–2:30 pm breakfast and lunch, 7 days a week.. Spring and Summer hours: 7:30 am –3:30 pm, breakfast and lunch, 7 days a week. 5–9 pm dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

Chocolate Maven Bakery

821 w san mateo, suite c, 505-982-4400, chocolatemaven.com

A long-standing local favorite, Chocolate Maven does it all: breakfast, lunch, dinner, high tea, brunch, and every type of pastry, cookie, and cake imaginable! Award-winning chef Peter Zimmer creates delicious, eclectic menus using local, organic produce, meats, and cheeses, which help to support local farmers while bringing you the freshest, most flavorful food possible. Don’t miss this hidden gem on your next visit to Santa Fe. Open 7 days a week. Dinner Tuesday–Saturday 5–8:30 pm; breakfast and lunch Monday–Friday 7 am–3 pm; High Tea Monday–Saturday 3–5 pm; brunch Saturday and Sunday 9–3 pm.

The Compound Restaurant 653 canyon, 505-982-4353 compoundrestaurant.com

Recognized by Gourmet magazine’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants and The New York Times as a destination not to be missed. James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef of the Southwest”, chef/owner Mark Kiffin pairs seasonal contemporary American cuisine with professional service www.santafean.com

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in a timeless, elegant adobe building designed by famed architect Alexander Girard. Extensive wine list, full bar, picturesque garden patios, a variety of beautiful settings for wedding receptions, social affairs, or corporate events for 12–250 guests.

Private parking. Seasonal specialty: Tuna tartare topped with Osetra caviar and preserved lemon.

Lunch 12–2 pm, Monday–Saturday; bar nightly 5 pm–close; dinner nightly from 6 pm; full lunch and dinner menu available in the bar.

Doc Martin’s at the Historic Taos Inn 125 paseo del pueblo norte, taos 575-758-1977, taosinn.com

Doc Martin’s restaurant is an acclaimed fine-dining establishment located in a registered historic landmark.

Doc’s is a true Taos tradition, earning multiple awards.

Executive chef Zippy White specializes in organic foods, with chile rellenos being his signature dish. With over 400 wine selections, our world-class wine list has earned Wine Spectator’s “Best Of” Award of Excellence for 21 consecutive years. The Adobe Bar features complimentary live entertainment nightly. Patio dining as weather permits. Featured dessert: chocolate lover’s pie rich, silky chocolate mousse, whipped cream, sweet cookie crust. Breakfast is served daily 7:30–11 pm; lunch 11:30 am–2:30 pm; dinner 5:30–9 pm; Saturday and Sunday brunch 7:30 am–2:30 pm.

El Mesón 213 washington, 505-983-6756 elmeson-santafe.com

A native of Madrid, Spain, chef/owner David Huertas has been delighting customers since 1997 with family recipes and specialties of his homeland. The paella is classic and legendary—served straight from the flame to your table in black iron pans where the saffron-infused rice is perfectly cooked and heaped with chicken, chorizo, seafood, and more. The house-made sangria is from a generations-old recipe with a splash of brandy. The ¡Chispa! tapas bar offers a fine array of tapas. The full bar includes a distinguished Spanish wine list and special sherries and liqueurs imported from a country full of passion and tradition. Occasional musical entertainment and dancing. Dinner is served 5–11 pm, Tuesday–Saturday.

Flying Star Café 500 market, #110, 505-216-3939 flyingstarcafe.com

Fine cuisine in a friendly scene. We’re your locallyowned neighborhood cafe featuring made-fromscratch food, handmade desserts, and pastries.

We open early and stay open late for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Free Wi-Fi, diverse magazines, locally roasted coffee, fine beer and wine, and a bakery in the heart of our cafe. Deliciousness awaits. Monday–Thursday 6 am–10 pm; Friday and Saturday 6 am–midnight.

Geronimo 724 canyon, 505-982-1500 geronimorestaurant.com

Señor Geronimo Lopes would be very pleased if he knew how famous his 250-year-old hacienda on

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Canyon Road has become. The landmark adobe is now home to a cutting-edge restaurant—elegant, contemporary—serving the highest-quality, creative food. Award-winning chef Eric DiStefano serves up a creative mix of French sauces and technique with culinary influences of Asia, the Southwest, and his own roots in Italy blended to bring taste to new levels. Geronimo is New Mexico’s only restaurant to hold both Mobil 4 Star and AAA 4 Diamond awards. Dinner seven days a week, beginning at 5:45 pm.

treats such as trout with trout roe, pork liver from local pigs, and duck breast with French lentils.

You can also enjoy a smaller menu of more casual items (such as duck-fat french fries) at the bar, or the diverse Sunday brunch. Featuring the culinary brilliance of Joseph Wrede, this Food & Wine Best Chef relies on the freshest ingredients from local farms, and he does a solid vegetarian special every night. Sunday brunch and lunch is served 11:30 am–2:30 pm (seasonal) and dinner is served 5:30–10 pm daily.

Holy Spirit Espresso

Josh’s Barbecue

225 W San Francisco, 505-920-3664, holyspiritespresso.com

3486 Zafarano, 505-474-6466, joshsbbq.com

Arguably the smallest coffee shop in America, Holy Spirit Espresso makes the best brew in Santa Fe and the best espresso in New Mexico. Bill is also one of the best baristas in America. No small feat, but after 15 years of making coffee here, the experience and dedication has paid off. The lattes are heavenly, the cappuccinos divine, the mochas angelic, and the americanos amazing. Just a few doors down from the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Come in and see hundreds of postcards from hundreds of customers from around the world. Monday–Friday 7 am–3 pm, Saturday 7 am–2 pm.

Il Piatto 95 W Marcy, 505-984-1091

Locally owned Italian trattoria located one block north of the Plaza. Nationally acclaimed and affordable, il Piatto features local organic produce and house-made pastas. Prix fixe three-course lunch, $14.95. Dinner, three courses, $29.50, or four courses $37.50 (anything on the menu, including specials). No restrictions. Lunch Monday–Friday 11:30 am–2 pm; dinner seven nights a week at 5 pm. “Everything is right at il Piatto, including the price.”—Albuquerque Journal

India Palace 227 Don Gaspar Ave, 505-986-5859, indiapalace.com

Voted “Best Ethnic Restaurant” in Santa Fe. Located in downtown Santa Fe, just one block from the plaza, India Palace specializes in the dynamic, complex cuisine of Northern India using ayurvedic (the science of longevity) cooking principles. Homemade cheese, yogurt, ghee, and kulfi (pistachio ice cream), and tandoori-fired traditional breads complement the extensive menu, which includes chicken, lamb, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. Entrees may be ordered mild, medium, or hot. No artificial flavors or MSG. Vegan and glutenfree meals also available. Open seven days a week. Lunch 11:30 am–2:30 pm; dinner 5–10 pm.

Joseph’s Table 108A S Taos Plaza, inside Hotel La Fonda 575-751-4512, josephstable.com

Located in the La Fonda hotel on the plaza, runs the most lauded—and probably the most beautiful—restaurant in Taos. The moodily lit room glitters with gilt butterflies and pussy-willow chandeliers, the better to appreciate decadent

Voted best new restaurant of 2008! Savor the flavor of classic American barbecue created with a special New Mexican Twist. Chef/owner Josh Baum, with his manager Rodney Estrada, dish up a huge fresh daily selection of slow-smoked, mouth-watering meat choices, including tender brisket and succulent natural ribs, served with a choice of sides, sauces, and desserts, all house made. Special regional dishes like smoked chicken tacquitos and green-chili brisket burritos have made this eatery a local favorite, with additional chef’s specials offered daily. Also available: beer and wine, dine in or take out, catering for all occasions, and a small private dining room for special events. Located next to Lowe’s and Regal 14 cinemas off Cerrillos at Zafarano. Open for lunch and dinner. Winter Hours: 11:30 am–8 pm, Tuesday– Thursday and Sunday; 11:30 am–9 pm Friday and Saturday; closed Mondays.

La Casa Sena 125 E Palace, 505-988-9232, lacasasena.com

La Casa Sena is located in the heart of old Santa Fe, in the historic Sena Plaza. Featuring innovative American-Southwestern cuisine, an extensive wine list, and a spectacular outdoor patio, La Casa Sena is one of Santa Fe’s most popular restaurants. Recipient of the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. For a more casual dining experience, visit La Cantina and be entertained by a wait staff performing jazz and Broadway musical reviews nightly. Lunch is served 11:30 am–3 pm, Monday–Saturday; dinner 5:30–10 pm nightly.

Sunday brunch in a beautiful patio setting 11 am– 3 pm. Our popular wine shop adjacent to the restaurant features a large selection of fine wines and is open 11 am–8 pm, Monday–Saturday; noon–6 pm Sunday.

La Plazuela at La Fonda On the Plaza 100 E San Francisco, 505-995-2334 lafondasantafe.com

La Fonda de Recuerdos—a place of many memories—is an apt description for our legendary hotel and signature restaurant, La Plazuela. This sophisticated dining room is filled with natural light, hand-carved furnishings, and our much-loved, hand-painted windows. Our wine list is award-winning and the menu weaves old favorites with New World twists, showcasing authentic New Mexican cuisine. And, our La Fiesta Lounge offers a fabu-

lous all-you-can-eat New Mexican lunch buffet. La Plazuela hours: Breakfast 7–11:30 am daily. Lunch 11:30 am–2 pm, Monday–Friday; 11:45 am–3 pm, Saturday and Sunday. Dinner 5:30–10 pm daily.

Lambert’s of Taos 309 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos 575-758-1009, lambertsoftaos.com

Contemporary American cuisine in the heart of Taos. Our focus is on quality, value, and consistency. Try our grilled ginger shrimp, glazed roast duck, or grilled medallions of beef tenderloin along with the perfect wine from our extensive list.

Nightly specials include seafood and game dishes.

Vegetables are fresh and local when available, our sauces made from scratch, our desserts to live for.

Bar opens at 5 pm. Dinner served nightly at 5:30 pm.

Luminaria Restaurant and Patio 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-984-7962, Innatloretto.com

Located at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, Luminaria’s eclectic menu features locally sourced dishes in artful presentations. Chef Brian Cooper uses indigenous seasonal ingredients and Southwestern nuances creating delightful flavors and textures. Luminaria’s décor includes white washed pine floors, vigas and latillas, reclaimed barn wood tables, a kiva fireplace and Native American paintings. During warmer months dine outdoors on a patio adjacent to the hotel’s garden and Loretto Chapel. Dine al fresco under the stars in a romantic veranda lit by hanging lanterns. Informal dining fireside in The Living Room features happy hour and late night specials with weekend entertainment. Wine Spectator awardwinning wine list, including organic and sustainable wines, beer and spirits. Inquire about the private Hopi dining room for up to 12 guests. Luminaria: Open Seven days: Breakfast 7:00am-11:00am. Lunch 11:30am-2:00 pm. Dinner 5:00pm-10:00pm. Weekly Sunday Brunch- 11:00am-2:00pm. The Living Room: 2:00pm to 12:00pm daily.

mangiamo pronto!

228 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-989-1904, mangiamopronto.com

A little slice of Tuscany in Santa Fe. This warm and chic café Italiano recently relocated from the Railyard area, where it established a loyal local following, to a more visible location on Old Santa Fe Trail, across from the Inn at Loretto. In the vein of traditional Italian espresso bars, pronto offers fine coffee, pastries, frittata, panini, pizza, zuppa, insalata, dolci, and gelato. One may truly feel as though one were in Italy. Serving breakfast and lunch MonSaturday 8 am–4:30 pm, Sunday 9 am–-2 pm.

Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen 555 W Cordova, 505-983-7929 marias-santafe.com

We Wrote the Book on Margaritas! The Great Margarita Book—Random House. Maria’s features over 160 margaritas, chosen best margarita in Santa Fe, 14 years in a row. Each is hand-poured and hand shaken, using only premium tequila, triple-sec, and pure fresh-squeezed lemon juice (no

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A Taos Treasure of Historic Proportions.

mixes; no sugar). A Santa Fe tradition since 1950, specializing in Old Santa Fe home-style cooking, with steaks, burgers, and fajitas. You can even watch tortillas being made by hand! Lunch and dinner 11 am–10 pm, Monday–Friday; Noon–10 pm, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are suggested.

Old Blinking Light Restaurant Mile Marker 1, Ski Valley Road (State Road 150) Taos, 575-776-8787, oldblinkinglight.com

Restaurant opens daily for happy hour 4–6 pm; dinner at 5 pm. Wine shop opens every day at noon. Breathtaking high-country views provide a spectacular backdrop for Southwestern cuisine, skillfully executed by three great chefs. Our wait staff is efficient, our famous margaritas perfect, our bar diverse and lively, and the live entertainment (Monday nights) will give you unforgettably happy feet. Our wine shop (largest and only wine shop in Taos) has 100 fine wines under $15, full liquor selection, lots of microbrews. (Also in Highlands Ranch, CO, 303-346-9797.)

Rancho de Chimayó

Health &Wellness Packages Available

County Road 98, on the High Road to Taos ranchodechimayo.com 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte | Taos, New Mexico 87571 888 519-8267 | taosinn.com The Adobe Bar • Doc Martin’s Restaurant Premier Live Entertainment

Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante’s grand reopening.

Serving world-renowned traditional and contemporary native New Mexican cuisine in an exceptional setting since 1965. Enjoy outdoor dinin g or soak up the culture and ambience of this century-old adobe home. Try the Rancho de Chimayó’s specialty: carne adovada—marinated pork simmered in a spicy, redchile caribe sauce. Come cherish the memories and make new ones. Rancho de Chimayó is a treasured part of New Mexico’s history and heritage...a timeless tradition. Check the website for updates and hours. Online store is now open!

Santacafé 231 Washington, 505-984-1788, santacafe.com

300 Years of Romance, Intrigue & History.

Your stay becomes extraordinary at the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza. Originally the hacienda of the influential Ortiz Family who settled in Santa Fe in 1694, we offer luxury guestrooms, private casitas and thoughtful touches for the leisure and business traveler alike. For the start of the day, lunch, or a lite dinner El Cañon offers fabulous fare morning, noon & night. Just steps from Santa Fe’s Historic Plaza with fine art galleries, museums and shopping—a unique experience in a unique destination.

open nightly for lite dining and spirits

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Centrally located in Santa Fe’s distinguished downtown district, this charming Southwestern bistro, situated in the historic Padre Gallegos House, offers your guests the classic Santa Fe backdrop.

Step into the pristine experience S antacafé has been consistently providing for more than 25 years. New American cuisine is tweaked in a Southwestern context and the food is simply and elegantly presented. Frequented by the famous and infamous, the Santacafé patio offers some of the best people-watching in Santa Fe! During high season, our courtyard, protected by a sun canopy, becomes one of the most coveted locales in Santa Fe. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Tabla de Los Santos 210 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe, 505-992-6354, hotelstfrancis.com

Tabla de Los Santos, located inside the Hotel St. Francis, is Santa Fe’s new dining treasure featuring exquisite cuisine made from fresh, organic, local, and seasonal ingredients. Experience delectable food based on the right traditions of New Mexico as Chef Estevan Garcia redefines New Mexico cuisine with a fresh, simplified, and uncomplicated approach. Enjoy a relaxing dining experience in the restaurant or on the lovely outdoor patio. Open for breakfast 7:30–10:30 am, lunch 11:30 am–2:00 pm, dinner 5:00–9:00 pm.

M U S I C Contemporary jazz great Pat Metheny’s latest musical adventure involves a one-man robotic band. Or as he calls it, an “orchestrion”—an ensemble of mechanized instruments, from drums to glass-bottle organs, all preprogrammed or controlled in real time by Metheny while he plays his guitar.

It’s a retro-techno project that “recontextualiz[es] the idea of what constitutes a solo performance by a single musician,” he writes on his website, patmetheny.com, and early reviews are enthusiastic. Hear what it’s all about at a 7:30 PM show at Lensic (211 W San Francisco) on April 16. Tickets: $40–$75, 505-988-1234 or ticketssantafe.com

well-heeled history Giddy-up! Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art, opening May 14 at the New Mexico Museum of Art (107 W Palace), celebrates our favorite fancy-but-rugged footwear, presenting a history of the American West since 1880 in the process. Along with boots—contemporary and vintage pairs in colorful leathers with stunning stitching— the exhibit features art objects, from paintings to postcards, that use the cowboy boot as a symbol of freedom, wide-open spaces, and more. Admission: $9, $6 (and free on Sundays) for New Mexico residents, 505-476-5072, nmartmuseum.org

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the kids are alright This year, programs sponsored by the National Dance Institute of New Mexico will get nearly 6,100 children in urban, rural, and Native American communities on their feet and moving to the beat. Show your support at the annual NDI-NM gala, Zing! Went the Strings, May 15 at 5:30 PM at the NDI-NM Dance Barns (1140 Alto).

The benefit event will include a performance by 500 children from the Santa Fe Public Schools, a sit-down dinner, and a live auction, with prizes like a “meet and greet” with the cast from the hit TV series Mad Men. Tickets: $225 per person, 505-983-7646 ext.

101 or ndi-nm.org DANCE

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i, robotic

events FOR THE MOST COMPLETE, UP-TO-DATE CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SANTA FE AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, VISIT SANTAFEAN.COM April 10 Ghost Ship Rodez. This new multimedia

APRIL

April 1 Baroque Holy Week. The Santa Fe Pro Musica

Baroque Ensemble presents Kathryn Mueller, soprano, and a program featuring works by Bach, Biber, and Handel. 8 PM, $15–$60, Loretto Chapel, 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-9881234, ticketsantafe.com April 1 Krishna Das with Deva Premal and Mitten.

Performances by musicians whose albums of devotional yoga chanting are known around the world. 7:30 PM, $35, The Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com April 1-18 Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Pulitzer Prize finalist Sar-

ah Ruhl penned this play, which follows the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. Thur–Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, $12–$15, Santa Fe Playhouse, 142 E DeVargas, 505-988-4262, santafeplayhouse.org April 8 Adam Neiman. The pianist performs one of his own compositions, along with Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata and works by Arensky and Brahms. 7:30 PM, $20–$45, St. Francis Auditorium, 107 W Palace, 505-988-1234, ticketsantafe.com April 9 Tim Armacost Jazz Quartet. Modern jazz by mu-

sicians Tim Armacost on saxophone, Bruce Barth on piano, Kenny Davis on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. 8 PM, $40, Vanessie of Santa Fe, 434 W San Francisco, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com April 9 SITE Unseen 6. Works by hundreds of recognized

contemporary artists—all on identical 5x7 boards—are offered for $250 each in this benefit art sale to raise frunds for SITE Santa Fe’s Eighth International Biennial. Admission to the private preview, 5–6 PM, $100; public reception, 6–8 PM, free; sale continues through April 11. Site Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1199, sitesantafe.org

theater piece by outlaw country singer and artist Terry Allen, performed by Jo Harvey Allen, imagines what it was like for French playwright Antonin Artaud, who spent 17 days chained up in a ship as he was being deported from Ireland to France.

8 PM, $15 –$35, The Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-9881234, ticketssantfe.com.

April 11 Huichol Art and Culture: Balancing the World. This new exhibit features a significant collection of

Huichol art from the early part of the last century. Opening reception April 11; exhibit runs through March 6, 2011. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, 710 Camino Lejo (Museum Hill), 505-476-1250, indianartsandculture.org April 15 Art on the Edge 2010. The second FOCA (Friends of Contemporary Art) biennial juried exhibition features five to seven groundbreaking artists. Opening reception April 15; exhibit runs through August 1. New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W Palace, 505-476-5072, nmartmuseum.org

April 16 Lesley Rich: New Works. Rich’s paintings capture unrehearsed moments, retaining a sense of movement and spontaneity with a flowing, impressionistic style which complements the transitory nature of these slices of life. Opening reception April 16, 5–7 PM; exhibit runs through April 28. Selby Fleetwood Gallery, 600 Canyon, 800-992-6855, selbyfleetwoodgallery.com

April 19 Pieter Wispelwey. The Santa Fe Concert As-

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May 7 International Women’s Day Poetry Reading. This

reading represents four decades of women and addresses poetry relevant to International Women’s Day: spirituality, role models, sexuality, mothering, and womanhood. 3:30 PM, Unitarian Church, 107 W Barcelona 505-577-0479 or 505-988-1655

May 7–15 Zing! Went the Strings. NDI-NM’s annual

”Roadworks v.1 American Idle” tour, Shocked performs songs that chronicle “the chilling effects of our jobless recovery.” $12 in advance, $15 at the door, Santa Fe Bewing Company, 37 Fire Place, thepubandgrill.com

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May 1–2 Battlefield New Mexico. Military drills and cannon fire will highlight two action-filled days, including reenactments of the battles of Glorieta Pass and Apache Canyon fought near Santa Fe. 10 AM–4 PM, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos, 505-471-2261, golondrinas.org

April 16 Wynonna. Country music superstar Wynonna Judd performs old favorites and newer hits. 8 PM, $39–$69, Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, Tewa Grand Ballroom, tickets.com or 800-905-3315

April 29 Michelle Shocked. Stopping in Santa Fe on her

You may know him as cofounder of the Boy Scouts of America. But Ernest Thompson Seton—who founded the Seton Village neighborhood just southeast of Santa Fe and lived there from 1930 to 1946—is also considered one of the great 20th-century conservationists. Wild at Heart, opening at the New Mexico History Museum (113 Lincoln) on May 23, brings Seton’s legacy to life, with more than 30 of his paintings and drawings (he was considered a wildlife illustrator on par with Audubon), along with photographs and personal memorabilia. Admission: $9, $6 (and free on Sundays) for New Mexico residents, 505-476-5200, nmhistorymuseum.org

MAY

May 7 Hib Sabin & Z. Z. Wei. Sculptor Sabin carves wood

Northern New Mexico’s musical traditions promises to fill the Lensic with fun. 7 PM, $10, free for seniors, The Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com

ART

Ann McMullen, curator at the National Museum of the American Indian in the Smithsonian Institution, discusses development of her institution’s online collections search.

5:30 PM, free, The Boardroom in the School for Advanced Research, 660 E Garcia, 505-954-7200, sarweb.org

April 16 HRA Gayla. Enjoy dinner, dancing, auctions, and entertainment in a benefit for the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, featuring Stuart Milk, human rights and LGBT activist and president of the Harvey Milk Foundation. 5:30–11 PM, $100, Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W Marcy, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com

April 17 Nuestra Musica. The 10th annual celebration of

the great outdoorsman

April 30 Opening the Doors: Putting the National Museum of the American Indian Collections Online.

sociation presents cellist Wispelwey—1992 winner of the Netherlands Music Prize—performing works by Bach and Chopin. 7:30 PM, $20–$45, St. Francis Auditorium, 107 W Palace, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com.

April 21 Mad City Chickens and Pollen Nation. The Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute presents two films about food, sustainability, and the environment, along with farm-fresh local food and drink, exhibits, and discussions. 7 PM, Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta, 505-9837726, santafefarmersmarket.com April 22 Habit of Art. Presented live in HD from the National

and casts bronzes into works reflecting his connection to spirituality, shamanism, and mythology. Painter Wei uses bold colors to create unique interpretations of rural America. Reception 5–7:30 PM, Manitou Galleries, 123 W Palace, 505-986-0440, manitougalleries.com spectacular features more than 500 Santa Fe school children together on stage celebrating the power of love to transform the world. $11–$16, Dance Barns, 1140 Alto, ndi-nm.org, 505-983-7661 May 8 Voices and Brass. The Sangre de Cristo Chorale part-

ners with a local brass quintet to perform a world premiere by John Michael Luther, along with polychoral works of Giovanni Gabrieli and Heinrich Schutz. 2 PM, $20, First Baptist Church, 2200 Diamond, Los Alamos, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com May 8 IAIA Annual Spring Powwow. Students from the

Institute of American Indian Arts join community members, and professional musicians and dancers, in an all-day celebration.

IAIA campus, 83 Avan Nu Po, 505-424-2351, iaia.edu May 9 Mother’s Day Concert. The 140-year-old, all-

volunteer Santa Fe Concert Band performs a family-friendly show to celebrate moms. Free, 2 PM, Federal Park, corner of Paseo de Peralta and Washington, santafeconcertband.org May 13 The Meat Puppets. The iconic alt-punk rockers perform with the Squash Blossom Boys, an eclectic bluegrass quintet from Corrales. 7:30 PM, $12 in advance, $15 at the door, Santa Fe Brewing Company, 27 Fire Place, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com May 14 Wild West Cantina. The theme for this annual benefit gala for Santa Fe Prep is Santa Fe’s wild and wooly heyday. 6 PM, $100 per person, El Museo Cultural, 1615 Paseo de Peralta, 505-795-7516 May 15 & 16 Music of Spain, Latin America, and Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus performs pieces by

Ponce, Chavez, Starobin, and more. Saturday 6 PM, Sunday 4 $18–$65, The Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-983-1414, santafesymphony.org

PM,

Theatre of London, Alan Bennett’s play looks at the unsettling desires of two difficult men and reflects on growing old and persisting when all passion’s spent. 7 PM, $22, The Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com

May 16 Santa Fe Century. The 25th annual all-levels bike

April 24-25 The Four Seasons. The Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra presents Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, along with pieces by Bach and Handel. 6 PM April 24, 3 PM April 25, $15–$60, St. Francis Auditorium, 107 W Palace, 505-9881234, ticketssantafe.com

May 22 POP Femme Sugar-Coated Strange. This fourth annual show highlights surrealist pop art by women, bringing difficult social issues into magical relief. Reception May 22, 6 PM; exhibit runs through June 20. POP Gallery, 133 W Water, 505-820-0788, popsantafe.com

ride covers 100 miles along the historic Turquiose Trail, with 25-, 50-, and 75-mile route options. santafecentury.com

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COMING NEXT

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Perennial Gardens Bold color combinations for classic Southwest gardens

in the April/May 2010 issue:

McCumber

FINE GARDENS

LANDSCAPE DESIGN | INSTALLATION | MAINTENANCE

505.660.9599 www.mccumberfinegardens.com

Painter Michael Scott, whose Chief Crisco (above) gives a hint at the type of Buffalo Bill-inspired, Wild West-type exhibit he has planned for his opening at the Gerald Peters Gallery in July (complete with circus performers, musicians, and his own line of candy), is but one of the many Santa Fe artists we’ll be previewing and profiling in the upcoming June/July Arts issue.

J E F F H AM

WINDSWEPT

LEGENDS SANTA FE

54 X 67

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143 LINCOLN AVENUE

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO 87501

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