Santa Fean June July 2009 | Digital Edition

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April / May 2009

THE

ART

ISSUE

w w w. s a n t a f e a n . c o m

Display until May 31, 2009

701 Canyon Road Santa Fe NM 87501 505.992.8878 fineart santafe. com

Charlie Burk

Mark Castator

EVERY

LEGEND Kevin Red Star Real Buffalo Shield acrylic on canvas 22 x 24”

HAS A

STORY LEGENDS SANTA FE 143 Lincoln Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-983-5639 legendssantafe.com

Dave DeVary Evening Glow mixed media on canvas 20 x 16”

june /july 2009

features 30 media mix A dozen Santa Fe art professionals and aficionados, from educators to collectors, sound off on 50-plus area artists who excel at working in all manner of media—be it paint, glass, clay, video, or a mix of many.

36 riders on the storm In honor of Taos’s history as a hippie haven and the 40th anniversary of Easy Rider—filmed there by writer-director-star Dennis Hopper—Santa Fean looks back at Hopper’s creative impact on the tiny town and checks out the Harwood Museum show he’s curated as part of the 2009 Summer of Love.

LISA LAW

42 right as rain

36

This summer, Taos celebrates the legacy of Easy Rider with a little help from Dennis Hopper.

With entrepreneurs, politicos, and water-conscious homeowners all doing their part, Santa Fe is emerging as a regional leader in the still-nascent rainwater-harvesting movement. Plus: how to take advantage of what falls out of the sky to keep your garden green—even in a drought.

departments

8 Publisher’s Note 13 Letters 15 City Different The news around town

19 Q+A COURTESY HUNTER KIRKLAND

Lannan Foundation president Patrick Lannan

23 Mind and Body Four Santa Fe facials for high-desert summers

51

Painter Rick Stevens’s solo show at Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Art opens June 26.

27 Appraisals

51 Art ART Santa Fe, SOFA West; Tom Joyce’s bright idea

65 Dining 20 must-try dishes; cheffin’ gets personal

75 Hot Tickets June and July’s sizzling events

86 History The unspoken story of New Mexico School for the Deaf

88 Day Trip El Morro National Monument

cover Flo Perkins, Mandarino, 2008, blown glass, 12 x 8 x 6" photo by Addison Doty, courtesy Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art

Santa Fean (ISSN 1094-1487) is published bimonthly by Bella Media, 215 W San Francisco Street, Suite 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.

june/july

2009

santa fean

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BE THERE

AN

INTERNATIONAL

ART

FAIR

A R T S A N T A F E 2 0 0 9 / J U LY 2 3 - 2 6 EL MUSEO IN THE RAILYARD ART DISTRICT / 1615 PASEO DE PERALTA O P E N I N G N I G H T G A L A / T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 2 3 , 5 - 8 P. M . / $ 7 5 JULY 24, 11- 7 PM; JULY 25, 11-6 PM; JULY 26, 11- 6 PM / TEL 505.988.8883 / WWW.ARTSANTAFE.COM

ALL TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE LENSIC BOX OFFICE 505.988.1234 PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP ROW: Patrick Berran, Thomas Robertello Gallery, Chicago, IL; Elan Vital, 418 Gallery, Bucharest, Romania; Randall Reid, William Campbell Contemporary Art, Fort Worth, TX; Fabian Detres, West Gallery, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico SECOND ROW: Robert Turner, Robert Turner Photography, Del Mar, CA; Judy Chicago, Landfall Press, Santa Fe, NM; Friederike Oeser, Galerie Walter Bischoff, Berlin, Germany; THIRD ROW: Robert Kelly, Linda Durham Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM; Scott Gruss, Ten472 Contemporary Art, Grass Valley, CA; Miguel Valenzuela, Arte Berri, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Mary Ehrin, Rule Gallery, Denver, CO; FOURTH ROW: Maysey Craddock, David Lusk Gallery, Memphis, TN; Peter Weber, Galerie Renate Bender, Munich, Germany; Yoshiharu Yukawa, EDEL, Osaka, Japan

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P U B L I S H E R ’ S NOT E

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a new beginning this june/july issue is significant for two major reasons. One: This issue, our Art Issue, shows the breadth and renown of our art community—one of the largest in the nation. It is no mystery that art collectors gravitate to this city: The variety, creativity, and vision seen in our galleries, museums, and artists’ workspaces are nationally recognized and significant. The images displayed in this issue will amaze, surprise, and delight you. Two: This issue marks Santa Fean’s return to local ownership. I acquired the magazine on April 1, after serving as publisher since the fall of 2007 and, from 1989 to 1994, as art director. Over the years I have seen the magazine evolve, both while on the staff and as a reader. Some of you may remember its founders, Betty Bauer and Marian Love. I think of Betty and Marian often, and especially over the past several weeks. They literally paid my moving expenses 20 years ago to bring me to Santa Fe to take the job of art director. I like to think that somewhere in the heavens, they are looking down and smiling. To this day, I remain grateful for all the kindness they extended to me. It is now about the future. There will not be any immediate, dramatic changes to the publication; we will continue to stimulate Santa Fe enthusiasts with stories on the arts, home environments, culture, history, and people that have drawn so many to this unique place. Let me close by extending my gratitude to my colleagues at Santa Fean and to you for your continued support. My pledge is to provide a beautiful publication that honors this truly exceptional place. Please enjoy this special issue—one that epitomizes the discovery we hope to continually MISSY WOLF

share with you.

bruce adams Publisher

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C ON T R I B U TOR S

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Q: If you could have the work of only one Santa Fe–area artist in your home, whose would you choose? “Hmm. Difficult,” says Charles Mann (charlesmannphotography.com). “Ford Ruthling, for sentimental purposes; I have photographed his wonderful garden many times.” A full-time photographer for more than 15 years, and formerly a grower for Plants of the Southwest, Mann specializes in imagery of gardens and horticulture, New Mexico culture, and Southwest landscapes. His work appears in Organic Gardening, Sunset, and many other publications. See his local garden shots in “Right as Rain,” page 42. 8

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Photographing Taos artists for “Riders on the Storm,” page 36, fit right into Chris Felver’s oeuvre (chrisfelver.com): books and films highlighting America’s mid-century avant-garde. (Felver’s newest film, Ferlinghetti, premiered in San Francisco in April.) Seeing these iconic figures again made the photo session a cause for celebration. As for selecting one local artist: “I simply couldn’t do that. Couldn’t I be part of a revolving art library that every three days brought in new work by all my favorites?”

Charles Bethea is a freelance writer (and unpublished poet) who splits his time between Santa Fe and Atlanta, Georgia. His journalistic writing has appeared in Wired and The New Yorker, among other publications. His Q+A with Patrick Lannan is on page 19, and although he’s never received a grant from the Lannan Foundation, he would happily accept one. “My favorite literary artist in Santa Fe is Cormac McCarthy,” he says. “I once saw him at Borders perusing paperbacks.”

A self-described recovering film producer, Jason Silverman is the director of the Cinematheque at the Center for Contemporary Arts. His new documentary project, Sembene!, has been honored with a Sundance grant and will be finished in 2010. Silverman’s artist pick: “Jaune Quick-to-See Smith—simultaneously gorgeous and unsettling, dense with meaning and yet somehow transcending our concepts of ‘political art.’” Read Silverman’s feature, “Riders on the Storm,” on page 36.

Scott Paulk

Train of Thought

acrylic

20x40

Lane Timothy

“Toy Stories� June 5 - June 19

Artist’s Reception Friday, June 5 5:00-7:30 pm

“Remember When�

July 3 - July 24

Artist’s Reception Friday, July 3 5:00-7:30 pm

the peterson-cody gallery, llc

Contemporary Artists Legendary Art Lickety Split

oil

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bruce adams

PUBLISHER

EDITOR IN CHIEF

FOOD+DINING EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR EDITORIAL INTERN

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

marin sardy

john vollertsen lori johnson erin brooks

anne mulvaney

WRITERS

michael abatemarco, charles bethea sean brander, joan caballero, ira clark emily crawford, lane coulter, bibi deitz devon jackson, rinchen lhamo, pilar murray stephanie pearson, jason silverman PHOTOGRAPHERS

chris corrie, addison doty, chris felver lisa law, holly mitchell, mark kane norah levine, charles mann douglas merriam, peter ogilvie dick spas, dana waldon

A PUBLICATION OF BELLA MEDIA , LLC

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

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Copyright 2009. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. CPM#40065056

The cover and text paper of Santa Fean are printed by American Web in Denver, Colorado, on SFI-certified papers. Papers used contain fiber from well-managed forests and meet the EPA guidelines that recommend a minimum 10 percent post-consumer recovered fiber for coated papers. Inks used contain a percentage of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) standards.

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“Navajo”

40" x 44"

Acrylic

JOHN NIETO

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Tobey Axton

Richardson

VENTANA FINE ART 400 Canyon Road s Santa Fe, NM 87501 s 505-983-8815 s 800-746-8815 s www.ventanafineart.com Ventana el centro, 102 E. Water St. s Santa Fe, NM 87501 s 505-820-0447 s www.ventanaelcentro.com

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P U E B L O I M A G E S #6 Jelutong, Purple Heart and African Mahogany 8" x 10.5" x 3.75" Š2009 Arlo Namingha

One Man Exhibition Friday, June 12, 2009 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

125 Lincoln Avenue s Suite 116 s Santa Fe, NM 87501 s Monday–Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm 505-988-5091 s fax: 505-988-1650 s nimanfineart@ namingha.com s www.namingha.com

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L E T TERS

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AN ORIGINAL WORK OF ART

C U S TO M M A N U FAC T U R I N G A N D A R C H I T EC T U R A L A N T I Q U E S

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Foodie Find

We have just arrived home after a trip to Santa Fe, where we must have read every magazine published there recently. However, nowhere did we find mention of the wonderful gem Vegan Santa Fe. At this little house on McKenzie Street we had some delicious treats: pumpkin pancakes with a banana-cinnamon spread, vegan frittata with homemade salsa, and wraps that were out of this world. Chef Mariela Rodriguez’s food was a highlight of our trip. Jack and Cay Lee, Brandon, FL A History Different

Phenomenal “Where Credit Is Due� article in the February/March issue on people of influence in Santa Fe history. Unique and informative, it was a thoughtful and fresh take on the city’s history. Laura Banish, Santa Fe Trails of Memories

I am a longtime Santa Fean subscriber and enjoy it very much (as well as your beautiful city). In the February/March issue in “Where Credit Is Due,� I was interested to read about Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny. He is a distant cousin of mine, and while I was aware of some of the details of his life, many were new to me. Patricia Carney, Leesburg, VA

PHOTO: ERIC SWANSON

Regarding the February/March issue [“Where Credit Is Due�]: I assure you that Juan Bautista de Anza is not totally forgotten in the West. His statue stands proudly at one of the busiest intersections in Riverside, California. Though De Anza Days (a local festival) has faded from most memories, he still reminds us of his impressive footsteps. We hope you’ll visit someday. Dwight Tate, Riverside, CA

BEAUTIFUL FUNCTIONAL ORIGINAL La Puerta Originals transforms antique doors and

Corrections: Kirk Ellis is 48 years old, not 62 as stated on page 27 (“Tales of Intrigue�) of the April/May issue. Mary Colter was misspelled as Mary Coulter on page 72 (“Favorite Things�) of the February/March issue. Santa Fean regrets the errors. Send comments to: editorial@ santafean.com, or “Letters,� Santa Fean, 215 W San Francisco, Suite 202A, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Correspondence must include full name, address, and daytime phone number. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity.

reclaimed woods into beautiful and functional works of art for your home. Our handcrafted doors, gates, cabinets, furniture, floors, and so much more are created in collaboration with you, and exclusively for you. Our entire line of products lends a rich history, timeless beauty and unique character to your home. Let us create an original for you. 4523 State Highway 14, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505-984-8164 lapuertaoriginals.com

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Spectacular scenery Amazing costumes Incredible lighting …The show starts hours before the performance begins!

2009 FESTIVAL SEASON JULY 3 - AUGUST 29

La Traviata

•

Don Giovanni • The Elixir of Love

NATALIE DESSAY & SAIMIR PIRGU

SUSANNA PHILLIPS & LUCAS MEACHEM

JENNIFER BLACK & DIMITRI PITTAS

Alceste • The Letter

•

CHRISTINE BREWER & PATRICIA RACETTE & PAUL GROVES ANTHONY MICHAELS-MOORE

Rameau’s Platée 2007 Season

www.santafeopera.org

800-280-4654

O U R P R E F E R R E D H O T E L PA R T N E R S

Opening Nights Performance Sponsor

Encantado, An Auberge Resort 877-262-4666 • www.encantadoresort.com

Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa 800-732-2240 • www.bishopslodge.com

Inn and Spa at Loretto 800-727-5531 • www.innatloretto.com

The Hacienda at Hotel Santa Fe 800-210-6446 • www.hotelsantafe.com

COURTESY TONY MARTINEZ

Gala premiere: July 22, 7 PM, $25, VIP package $100, the Lensic, 211 W San Francisco, 505-988-1234, ticketssantafe.com

dry goods, updated A R T Few cities manage to look to the future while also honoring the past as diligently, and expressively, as Santa Fe. It’s fitting, then, that the brand-new downtown New Mexico History Museum’s gift shop—the Spiegelberg Shop (after one of the city’s most influential 19th-century merchant families)— is chock-full of artwork acquired through the Museum Foundation’s innovative nonprofit, New Mexico Creates (newmexicocreates.org). Launched in 2002, the program was established as a venue for local creativity. Since then, it has grown to include work by more than 900 artists from every corner of the state—racking up more than $1 million in annual sales, both online and in museum shops, of everything from blown glass to beadwork. The Spiegelberg Shop shows off work by more than 150 of these New Mexico artists, including many Santa Feans, among them glass artist Elodie Holmes and jeweler Colin Coonsis. How’s that for local color? 113 Lincoln, 505-476-5200—Marin Sardy

notes from backstage B O O K S Music may not be a visual art, but the beauty of the written score is hard to contest. Multiply that by 85 compositions and you have the spectacularly rare collection of first-edition opera vocal scores (and related materials) at Garcia Street Books, which the local dealer is offering as an undivided set for a cool half-million dollars. The collection, on display from July 3 to September 7, spans two centuries’ worth of opera—including Beethoven’s 1814 Fidelio, Philip Glass’s 1976 Einstein on the Beach, and pieces relating to all five 2009 Santa Fe Opera productions. Made in extremely small editions, the scores were primarily for performers’ use. “Often they just got thrown away,” says store owner Edward Borins. “No one knew if these operas would be hits; and they turned out to be masterpieces.” 376 Garcia, 505-986-0151, garciastreetbooks.com—MS june/july

2009

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COURTESY MNMF

It is a secret to some and a mark of pride to others that this city’s name means Holy Faith. Since Santa Fe’s birth 400 years ago, Catholicism has shaped the city’s character, and these interwoven identifiers are the subjects of El Corazón de Santa Fe, a new one-hour documentary by Peabody-winning broadcast journalist Tony Martinez. “My whole life I’ve wanted to tell the story of Santa Fe through a local’s eyes,” says the descendant of one of the city’s founding families. The film got off the ground in 2008 when Friends of the Cathedral, prompted by the approaching quadricentennial celebrations, cofinanced its $200,000 budget with the Santa Fe Community Foundation. “This documentary is like the autograph of Santa Fe,” says the St. Francis Cathedral rector, Monsignor Jerome Martinez y Alire. For the film, Martinez plumbed the cathedral catacombs, shot historical re-creations, searched records, and interviewed dozens of historians and community leaders. And, he says, he didn’t evade the church’s sometimes bloody history. “Nobody shies away from the fact that the Spanish did terrible things. But more good than bad came from our multicultural identity. That’s the message of the film; of Santa Fe.”—Sean Brander FILM

COURTESY GARCIA STREET BOOKS

heart of the matter

the buzz around town

dale ball trailblazer mike wirtz Since completion in 2005, after seven years of planning and four years of construction, the Dale Ball trail system has become a community favorite. Close to the city and open year-round, the nearly 25 miles of trails are frequented by hikers and bikers alike. Now the trails’ designer, Mike Wirtz, takes a look back—and ahead.

COURTESY GOLER

Q+A

How did you get started with the trails?

peace in the west

MARK KANE

I was first contacted by Dale Ball way back in 1999. He hired me to design the trails, and we built 17 miles that first summer. All the money came from private donations. One day Dale sat down on a rock and said, “I’m going to write a letter to five friends and ask for $10,000 each.” And just like that, he got $50,000. It was a project that people fell in love with.

S T Y L E If “give peace a chance” is your mantra, wander over to Goler Fine Imported Shoes (125 E Palace, 505-982-0924) and preorder a pair of Peace Boots. Hitting the store in August, it’s the creative result of high-style shoe-and-handbag designer Donald J Pliner teaming up with Goler to sponsor a Western boot–design contest. Santa Fe local Donna Michele Schuch won with a motorcycle boot–inspired sketch with peace-symbol motifs. Her design has been ordered by shops across the country, and earned her $1,500 in cash and Pliner merchandise. But she’s not the only one who’ll benefit: $5 from every pair sold goes to Pliner’s Peace for the Children Foundation (peaceforthechildren.org). “If anyone’s interested in putting aside a pair,” says manager Paula Goler, “just call us.”—Bibi Deitz

What makes these trails so special for you? I grew up in the big city—in Oakland, California. There was a park right down the road from where I lived, and I used to spend hours running around the creek and the trees. I feel really happy to be able to create something that people enjoy and adopt as a part of Santa Fe.

What kind of work do you do on the trails now? I work with high school kids in Overland, a summer program dedicated to community service. They come for two weeks from all over the country to work for organizations like St. Elizabeth’s Shelter and to do trail maintenance. They learn interaction skills and about helping others: that’s the core.

What are the chances of the trails expanding—or shrinking? The city might do extensions. There are a lot of visitors: Almost invariably, five to 15 cars are parked there daily, year-round. If the city needed money, one option would be to sell off some property, but the public outcry against it would be so strong that I don’t think it would ever happen.—Erin Brooks Volunteer or pick up a map at Santa Fe Conservation Trust: 316 E Marcy, 505-989-7019, sfct.org

a guide to enchanting summer titles Genre

Title

Sneak Peek

Bonus

Source

Biography

To Walk in Beauty: A Navajo Family’s Journey Home, by Stacia Spragg-Braude

Ten years’ worth of interviews and photographs of the Arizona-based Begay family

Presentation, reading, and signing: June 25, 7 PM, Bookworks, free, 4022 Rio Grande NW, Albuquerque, 505-344-8139, bkwrks.com

$45, Museum of New Mexico Press mnmpress.org

History

El Rancho de las Golondrinas: Living History in New Mexico’s La Ciénega Valley, by Carmella Padilla

The early history of El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, compiled from archival materials and family records

Book signings: June 6–7, 1–3 PM, and June 20, 12:30–1:30 PM; El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos, 505-471-2261, golondrinas.org

$40, Museum of New Mexico Press mnmpress.org

Art

Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian, edited by Lowery Stokes Sims

Retrospective on the life of the groundbreaking Native American artist, in essays and color images

Catch the exhibition Frtiz Scholder: An Intimate Look at the IAIA museum before June 7. $5, 108 Cathedral, 505-983-8900, iaia.edu/museum

$60, Prestel Publishing prestel.com

Novel

Nambé Year One, by Orlando Romero

Celebrated story of Gypsies in the mountains of Northern New Mexico

First published in 1976 and out of print for many years, the underground classic is now available in paperback.

$20, University of New Mexico Press unmpress.com

Children’s

Juan the Bear and the Water of Life, by Enrique R. Lamadrid and Juan Estevan Arellano

Illustrated retelling of the celebrated New Mexico folk legend Juan del Oso (Juan the Bear)

Completely bilingual; each page includes both Spanish and English text.

$18, University of New Mexico Press unmpress.com compiled by Erin Brooks

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New faces. Returning artists. Great works. Rarely-heard gems. It’s all here for you to enjoy.

RICK STEVENS PICTURE MUSIC JUNE 26 — JULY 13, 2009 Artist Reception: Friday, June 26, 5 –7 pm

Join us for our 37th Season: July 19 – August 24, 2009

Intimate. Compelling. Unforgettable. Marc Neikrug, Artistic Director

For tickets and information: 505.982.1890 / Toll-Free 888.221.9836 santafechambermusic.com

THERMALS, OIL ON CANVAS, 36" X 36"

Hunter Kirkland Contemporary 200 –B Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501 phone 505.984.2111 fax 505.984.8111 www.hunterkirklandcontemporary.com

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S T E V E H U S TO N

MARK SPENCER

Picking it Up 72 ”x 72 ” oil on canvas

Expulsions of Doubt 48 ”x 48 ” oil on canvas

A l s o re p re s e n t i n g : R a y Tu r n e r

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G e o f f re y L a u re n c e

R i m i Ya n g

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Juliette Aristides

C h r i s t o p h e r Pe l l e y

•

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Daniel Sprick

Ka t e l y n A l a i n

150 w. marcy street ste 103 santa fe, new mexico 87501 505.820.7787

skotiagaller y.com

866.820.0113

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Q+A

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patrick lannan t h e p at r o n o n R e a d St r e e t

Despite its unassuming presence, the Lannan Foundation—which has quietly occupied a small Read Street office complex for the last decade—boasts a worldwide reach in its efforts to support the arts and social justice. Inside its small library, foundation president Patrick Lannan talks excitedly, even anxiously, about funding major Western earth-art projects, bringing literary luminaries to town for the popular Readings and Conversations series, and how much reading one can possibly do. When and where did this all start?

interview by Charles Bethea photograph by Norah Levine

The foundation was started in Chicago in 1960, by my father, who was a businessman and financier. When he was alive it was, in a real sense, wherever he was. After he passed away, in 1983, his estate went into the foundation. Dad was like the lawyer who doesn’t have a will. We had talked incessantly for years about the foundation, but it was never clear exactly what he wanted to do. I was elected president in 1985. So we on the board basically had to come up with a new playbook. Why did you move this major foundation to tiny Santa Fe 10 years ago?

I think it would have been a distinct disadvantage if we’d come here immediately [instead of L.A.]. I bought a house here in 1986, and I’d go back and forth from L.A. In time, we were a big-enough player in art—we made a lot of grants for exhibitions and got to know museum people. And we made contacts in Indian country, where there were very few nongovernmental funders. Really, though, we weren’t denying june/july

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Trust case against the federal government. We’re not predictable. I don’t know what we’re going to do next year—it’s just kind of what we see.

COURTESY LANNAN FOUNDATION

How do you select the people you fund?

Lannan Foundation president Patrick Lannan, left, with Irish writers Seamus Heaney and Dennis O’Driscoll.

“I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been arrested, but I’ve admired and known a lot of activists.” ourselves anything by being here once we were established. This place—for its size, there’s nothing like it. Our readings program was never as successful in L.A. as it is here. It’s become a fixture in the community. If we stopped, we’d have to move out of town. Was your path to foundation president predictable?

At Georgetown I studied history and philosophy. Then I was in the Army. I thought maybe I’d teach, but I didn’t. My first real job was in an ad agency—maybe sophistry is my real calling. Then I took a year’s worth of business credits at the University of Chicago, and eventually I went to work for an investment-banking brokerage firm in L.A., for 10 years. But I never fit. It’s a very cynical business. So I left, but I was just kind of treading water. A few years later I was running the Lannan Foundation, and I’ve been doing it ever since. As far as being an activist, I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been arrested, but I’ve admired and known a lot of activists. Do you read all the writers Lannan brings to town?

I can’t. If we’re having a Noam Chomsky or Edward Said, I’ve read them. You’d be crazy not to. But I haven’t read every poet; same with a lot of the novelists. What’s your reader selection process like?

It’s informal, but we pretty much cross-check 20

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everything. We’ll call around asking what kind of reader they are; will they be comfortable on the stage. Rarely have we been really wrong, but it’s hard to predict. We did a Yeats evening, and Yeats should always be exciting. Harvard’s Helen Vendler, who’s great, turned it into an academic class. It was deadly! I get anxious, because I just don’t know. What do visiting writers think about Santa Feans?

Writers tell each other that audiences here are so good. They’re very intense. And so well read. I’m amazed sometimes at the people in book lines, at all the books they own. Tell me about Lannan’s work with visual art.

We maintain a very active contemporaryart program—although sometimes we’re misconstrued as not being that involved in the art world. We’ve had some recent exhibitions here, and we still acquire art. We’re involved in two of the major earth-art projects in America: Roden Crater, near Flagstaff, and Michael Heizer’s City complex, in Garden Valley, Nevada. We also provided help to the Dia Center for the Arts for The Lightning Field, in western New Mexico. At the same time, you’re trying to impact social justice. What have been your major projects?

We’re a big funder of Democracy Now! We’re also a major funder of Elouise Cobell’s Indian

If you want to make an inquiry, give us a call. If we think there might be something, we ask you to write a one-page letter. No e-mail. If it leads anywhere, the process is over and done within a month. At other places, it’s not unusual to be strung along for nine months, and then get rejected. You fill out an application and then an addendum to the application. It’s almost perverse. A lot of this, ultimately, is intuitive. You’ve got to have some trust, and you’ve got to be able to recognize good purpose and talent. I think there’s too much caution in a lot of these organizations. Does that caution extend to the way they spend their money?

Most foundations tend to operate like they’re banks. What makes them happy is growing the foundation. What makes us happy is doing things that should be done when we think they should be done. If we’d operated the other way, we’d probably be three times as large. But that isn’t us. How has Lannan dealt with the downturn?

We were down about 20 percent last year, or about half the market, which is very good. I mean, we didn’t cancel any multi-year grants or anything. All things considered, we’re in excellent shape. What are your hopes for the Obama administration?

It’s a big system and he’s just one person, but he’s really a monster talent. I’d like to see him go back to a progressive tax code. The tax code is upside down. Warren Buffett did a survey in his office, in Omaha, and I think of the 30 people working there, the highest marginal tax rate was paid by the receptionist. Have you tried to get Cormac McCarthy, who lives around here, to read?

He doesn’t want to do it. I finally just called him about it. He’s about writing, not talking. Visit lannan.org for podcasts of past Readings and Conversations and tickets to future events. June 10, Eduardo Galeano talks with Michael Silverblatt at the Lensic (7 PM, $6, 211 W San Francisco).

©Phi l l i p Karshi s

Eduardo Oropeza “Horizontes” ©1995 bronze edition 10

George Rivera “Buffalo Dancer II”, ©2008 12' tall, edition 3

Tesuque: Gallery & Sculpture Garden (five miles north of the Santa Fe Plaza) 136 Tesuque Village Road (CR 73) (next to Tesuque Village Market) Tesuque, New Mexico 87574 • (505) 820-0008 Scottsdale: The Phoenician 6000 E. Camelback Road Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 • (480) 990-9110 Take an art tour online: www.glenngreen.com

Monumental granite sculpture by Khang Pham-New Tesuque Sculpture Garden Contact us regarding George Rivera’s sculptures and paintings (505) 820-0008.

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GROUP SCULPTURE SHOW June 10th - 28th Artist Reception Friday, June 26th from 5 to 8pm KIMBERLY WILLCOX: NEW WORKS July 10th - 26th Artist Reception Friday, July 24th from 5 to 8pm

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M I N D + BODY

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face to face f o u r h i g h - d e s e r t fa c i a l s f i g h t t h e s u m m e r s u n

Locking in moisture prevents the clock’s hands from advancing too far, too fast.

DANA WALDON

Lesson learned:

The Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom facial, offered at Absolute Nirvana Spa and Gardens

what does your skin need in the summer? Santa Fe delivers a triple threat: The intense sun attacks your largest organ while it’s deprived of moisture and, given our high altitude, oxygen too. That’s why, says Ten Thousand Waves Spa aesthetician Fatima Phillips, mid-summer facials should cleanse and moisturize without leaving you too sensitive to solar rays. Here’s how four local treatments work these wonders. detoxify: Japanese Organic Massage Facial While European facials are the norm in this country, Japan has its own skin-care traditions that rely on manual action, rather than applied products, to stimulate the skin to replenish itself. What this looks like: fingertips gently fluttering over my face in a circular pattern. What this feels like: a full-body experience.

According to Phillips, who performed the exotic treatment, this finger work flushes the lymph, detoxifying your entire system—including your skin. Alternated with components like a hot-water mist and applications of cleanser and toner, as well as lymph-draining neck and shoulder massages, her flitting fingers were mystifyingly relaxing (I was nearly nonverbal when I left) and clearly effective. My skin was fuller and clearer, and I spent a thirsty next day chugging water—a sign that the impact was not simply sensory but a holistic step toward vibrant skin. 60 or 80 minutes, $119–$169, Ten Thousand Waves, 3451 Hyde Park Road, 505-982-9304, tenthousandwaves.com renew: Rejuvenating Cherry Blossom Facial In possibly the most idyllic spa setting in the downtown area, with a

walled garden at the end of a quiet street, Absolute Nirvana hides in a casita beside a porch-wrapped Victorian—the Madeleine Inn. Inside the Asian-styled casita, aesthetician Janis Gordon’s touch is gentle but her words are blunt: “This climate is one of the worst,” she says. “It wreaks havoc on your face.” To that end, she personalized every step of the Cherry Blossom facial—touted as a means to revive dull skin—to the needs of my face. This included following the title enzyme peel, which combines cherry puree with extracts of pomegranate and red grape seed, with a seaweed mask to calm my sensitive skin. Plus, Gordon is a doctor of Oriental medicine, and performed acupressure on facial points to support the regenerative work of the peel. The result? Renewed skin and a second chance to take care of it the right way. june/july

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DAVID ROTHERMEL

“Black Jack” 72 x 60

ac/res/panel - 2009

“DESERT DIALOGUES” June 26-July 15

“ENTRAINMENTS” June 5-23 Friday, June 5, 5-8 Opening Reception

FINE ART

Friday, June 26, 5-8 Opening Reception

575-642-4981 123 GALISTEO ST., SANTA FE, NM 87501 www.drfa-sf.com

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A P P R A I S A LS

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ask the experts s o lv i n g t h e m y s t e r i e s o f y o u r S o u t h w e s t c o l l e c t i b l e s

I am having a difficult time finding an appraiser for my Santa Clara pot. I contacted the School of American Research, but was told I should check with an appraiser.—J.H., Cambridge, MA

This vessel is an enigma. There are several characteristics that certainly suggest a Santa Clara Pueblo origin: The overall black coloration is typical, and the tall neck form appears in pairs on Pueblo wedding vases. Older pieces from Santa Clara may feature a foot or an elongated handle—details adopted from non-Native forms. But this is not a Santa Clara pot. The surface shows no marks from stone polishing and the foot is not quite the right shape. Most curious are the geometric sgraffito designs scratched into the vase after it was fired. These are light in color, not black from the firing. I would suggest an origin in Mexico or even farther south, but I’m certainly not infallible. As a Mexican vase, it would be valued at $100–$200.—Lane Coulter

I purchased this necklace in 1989 in Silverton, CO, for $300. It is 25" long and very heavy. The tabbed dimes date from 1935 to 1940.—H.K., Hamden, CT

I bought this photo at an auction in Hendersonville, NC, for $10. It is about 10 x 8" in size and is mounted on a thin piece of cardboard.—E.L., Charlotte, NC

Native American jewelers have been crafting coin-silver jewelry since the late 19th century. These pieces were made by melting down U.S. coins or Mexican pesos into silver ingots and crafting those into jewelry via any number of traditional techniques. However, directly crafting whole and only slightly modified coins into Southwest Indian–style jewelry is a more recent adaptation, mostly from the 1960s forward. To support the notion of the jewelry being old, necklaces were strung with string. The arrangement of the Mercuryhead dimes and the placement of the silver drums indicate that your necklace may be one of the classic pieces from that time, but without a physical examination, I can’t be certain this one is Native American made. The value for a similar necklace is about $550–$750.—Ira Clark

Your photograph was taken in the late 19th or early 20th century. Without seeing the photograph in person, it is difficult to ascertain if it is an original photograph, a photogravure, or a commercial reproduction. It is similar to portraits taken by Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), but this is not one of his. The photograph has a few small markings that may be clues as to the maker: a handwritten letter B on the lower right front margin, and tiny numbers in the lower right corner on the back. It is not in pristine condition—dark spots that could be mold are visible on the man’s forehead and cheek. Considering the condition, and the fact that it was taken by an unknown photographer of an unknown subject, the photo has an insurance value of less than $100.—Joan Caballero june/july

Joan Caballero (Joan Caballero Appraisals, 505-9828148) is a member of the International Society of Appraisers. Ira Clark is co-owner and director of Traders’ Collection (219 Galisteo, 505-992-0441). Lane Coulter coowns Coulter-Brooks Art & Antiques (924 Paseo de Peralta #4, 505-983-3232). Send photos, information, name, and phone number to: “Appraisals,” Santa Fean, 215 W San Francisco, Suite 202A, Santa Fe, NM 87501, or e-mail info@santafean.com. All values are estimates and do not constitute a legal appraisal.

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SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR

ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET P

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2009 SUMMER SEASON A GALA EVENING OF STARS Featuring principal dancers from American Ballet Theater and San Francisco Ballet

July 12th, 8pm

PARSONS DANCE July 28th, 8pm ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET Mixed Repertory

August 7-8, 8pm

All performances are held at LOIS GREENFIELD

The Lensic, Santa Fe’s Performing Arts Center Call Tickets Santa Fe:

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or go online: www.aspensantafeballet.com CORPORATE SPONSORS 

OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET FOUNDATIONS 

MEDIA SPONSORS 

Partially funded by the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers Tax, and made possible in part by the New Mexico Arts, a Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

COURTESY GERALD PETERS GALLERY

MEDIA MIX compiled and edited by Marin Sardy

COURTESY SANTA FE CLAY

S

AVRA LEODAS, owner, Santa Fe Clay Clay Max Lehman (opposite, top) Whimsical, subversive figurative work. Michael Corney Fantastic drawn surfaces, cartoon imagery— but more political, irreverent. Mike Jabbur Beautiful sculptural vessels and closed forms. Wood/Mixed Media John Tinker My husband, an underexposed standout! CARMELLA PADILLA, collector Paint Mark Spencer (opposite, bottom) His interpretation of humanity is powerful and profound, sometimes dark, other times light and lovely. His technical skills are phenomenal. Susan Contreras Her unique vision often goes to Hispanic/Latino traditions, such as ancient masked dances of Mexico. Even when representing the past, she evokes a modern Latina. Photography Miguel Gandert No one can even touch Gandert when it comes to photography that expresses a true local insider’s view of Santa Fe and all of Hispanic New Mexico. His photographs are direct and revealing to Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike. And while much of his focus is on New Mexico, his work truly knows no borders.

WENDY MCEAHERN, COURTESY LORY POLLINA

anta Fe’s art scene is known for reaching beyond traditional fine-art materials, and these days, glass, clay, video, and other new media are taking center stage. (This summer, for instance, find examples at New Mexico Museum of Art’s contemporary basket show, Intertwined, through September 6, and our first annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art West expo, June 11–14.) That’s why we’ve asked a dozen local art professionals and aficionados—curators, collectors, educators, and gallerists— to name standout area talents whose work in any medium distinguishes them from the crowd. The 50-plus artists identified create everything from puppets to photographs, from watercolors to woodwork. Yet all share one thing in common: an ability to make art with creativity, depth, and mastery.

Above: Lory Pollina, Noosphere Drawing, graphite on board, 40 x 30". Opposite, from top: Max Lehman, Designer Genes, earthenware and glaze, 18 x 12 x 10"; Mark Spencer, Dawn Flower, oil on board, 5 x 5".

Fiber Joan Brink She takes the ancient art of basketmaking to new levels of expression. Using traditional materials, she weaves ageold techniques with the symbolism of deeply rooted cultures. Her baskets are at once sleek, sculptural, sacred, and durable, speaking to the functionality of the art form and the delicate balance of nature. Mixed Media Bob Haozous A master sculptor whose works express a fully contemporary vision and interpretation of traditional Native culture. Haozous is never afraid to tackle sensitive or controversial issues. The results are always powerful, thought provoking, and ultimately enlightening.

JULIET MYERS, director of education and public programs, SITE Santa Fe Ink David Leigh (page 33, top) Wall drawing. Graphite Lory Pollina (above) Drawing. Susan York York’s graphite installations and cubes embody elegance and mindfulness. Glass Flo Perkins (cover) Mixed Media Ligia Bouton Site-specific installations. Erika Wanenmacher Sculpture. Bob Gaylor Found-object assemblage. Video Peter Sarkisian These artists take their practice into uncharted territory and bring fresh experiences to the viewer that range from playful and humorous to profound, ambiguous, and challenging. june/july

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KEVIN REBHOLZ, COURTESY BLUE RAIN GALLERY

Above: Maria Samora, Lattice Bracelet, 18-karat gold and black diamonds, 2 x 2 x 21⁄2". Below: James Drake, The Sparrow’s Eye (detail), charcoal and mixed media on paper, 96 x 70". Opposite, top: David Leigh, I’m not gay, I just really love rainbows, marker on three walls, 168" high.

COURTESY DWIGHT HACKETT PROJECTS

JACK LEMON, founder/owner, Landfall Press Graphite/Glass/Print Media/Video James Drake (below) I don’t think Drake has tried a medium that he has not quickly

JACKIE M, director of education and public programs, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Paint Shelley Horton-Trippe Thought and feeling translated into great painterly abilities. Photography Erika Blumenfeld She’s back and forth between Santa Fe, Marfa, Antarctica, and other places—a photographer of light who deals with time and change. Her photographs take the medium to its essence: what makes a photo exist in the first place? Light reactions, the capture of a moment, etc. Metal Tom Joyce Sculpture, burnt pieces. Wood/Mixed Media Michael Motley My life partner. I love to watch this often impatient designer focus on a detail-oriented piece; making art becomes his meditation. Mixed Media Eve Laramee A part-time resident of Santa Fe. Wow. Each piece is an investigation of a fascinating idea. Her work is diverse, complex, and communicated masterfully. You need to experience it. Jennifer Joseph I love the fact that these works look playful and spontaneous, when they are, in fact, by nature of the materials she uses (acupuncture needles, etc.), amazing executions of detail to create larger forms with sculptural presence. Video/Mixed Media Susanna Carlisle and Bruce Hamilton (opposite, bottom left) Often featuring the human figure and elements in life—a praying mantis, boats, water— abstracting, creating a dance of color, sound, feeling. I love the vision; the considered, timed execution; the forms, like video projected out of a flagstone fire pit. Intriguing, with a depth of understanding of making art and art-historical precedents. RIXON REED, founder/director, Photo-Eye Photography Debbie Fleming Caffery (opposite, bottom right) Her intense, darkly printed pictures of sugarcane field workers, Mexican prostitutes, and victims of Katrina exhibit her intense compassion for—as she likes to say—her people. Her work transcends traditional documentary photography, moving into the realm of visual poetry. Opposite, bottom, from left: Susanna Carlisle and Bruce Hamilton, Acqua Alta I, video and birch, 11 x 42 x 38"; Sarah Bienvenu, Small Aspen Grove Next to Pines, watercolor, 21 x 30"; Debbie Fleming Caffery, Irma, silver gelatin print, edition of 25, 24 x 20"

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY SITE SANTA FE, COURTESY PHOTO-EYE GALLERY, COURTESY WINTEROWD FINE ART, COURTESY LINDA DURHAM CONTEMPORARY

mastered. Wide recognition both in the U.S. and abroad, in combination with a quick mind and wit to match, makes him the standout in any crowd. Glass Ax: What is more poignant than a tool that would shatter on impact? Feast of Four Rivers: It’s one of the largest lithographs we’ve created.

CHERI FALKENSTIEN-DOYLE, curator, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Metal/Mixed Media Maria Samora (right) Exquisite, handmade contemporary jewelry. She combines silver and gold, accented with diamonds, pearls, and other stones. Her pieces are simple and elegant, based on forms found in nature, and really work with the body. Liz Wallace works in a variety of styles, ranging from traditional handwrought Navajo silver to plique-à-jour enamel (a European technique). Wallace experiments constantly, and in spite of working professionally for a number of years, continues to deepen her understanding and mastery of metalsmithing.

JOAN LOMBARDI and LEE NASH, collectors Paint Edward Gilliam Wonderful use of bright colors; he spends a lot of time in Mexico, capturing its vibrant environment. He often paints on large canvases, which makes his work ideal to be the focal point of a room. James Gasowski Great design, understanding when less is more. His best work usually uses a grayish background with interesting, subtle, colored shapes in the foreground.

Watercolor Sarah Bienvenu (above, bottom center) An “old pro” in the Santa Fe art scene, she produces fabulous colors and shapes, often based on the marvelous outdoor scenes of Northern New Mexico. Her work always seems fresh. Photography Ward Russell He captures the majesty and uniqueness of Santa Fe and its inhabitants on black-and-white film. Photography/Digital Media Linda Vi Vona A transplanted New Yorker who has

been producing work for 50 years; her early career focused on abstract expressionist paintings. Due to a serious automobile accident, she is now confined to a wheelchair and has limited use of her hands—but she has transformed her art into eye-catching computerized photographic pieces. She truly needs to be rediscovered. Metal Alex Watts She studies the human form and produces stunning, moving sculptural objects, such as a dancer piece we own. june/july

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She chooses the path of most resistance and produces uncommonly present vessels. Performance/Puppets Cristina Masoliver She can’t describe what she does and I can’t describe what she does. I can say that what happens as a result of it is influential, innovative, and masterful. Performance/Robotics Christina Sporrong and Christian Ristow This is worth watching: youtube.com/watch?v=KXR4vYPbuZw COURTESY MIKE LOPEZ

JINA BRENNEMAN, curator of visual arts, The Harwood Museum of Art, Taos Paint Tom Dixon (below, left) His process is all blood, guts, and bruises. He gouges, tears, throws—the extreme physicality of his process somehow results in lyrical and deeply poetic paintings. Graphite/Digital Media Kai-sa a.k.a. Mike Lopez (right) Take a wildly imaginative kid who grew up in Taos Pueblo and transplant him to Tokyo. Give him a pencil, some paper, and a computer. Magic. Ink/Print Media Ann Saint John Hawley In the middle of a recent lecture featuring the 89-year-old Taos artist, someone in the audience yelled out, “Eat your heart out, Leonard Baskin!” Ann has buried herself in her work all these years; we are just now getting to see the breadth of it. Clay Mary Witkop I’ve never met anyone closer to the raw process of pottery making.

Above: Kai-sa, Self Portrait, print ink on paper, 20 x 15". Below, from left: Tom Dixon, Untitled, oil on panel, 72 x 48"; Erin Currier, Attica (Athens) Schoolboys, mixed media, 60 x 48". Opposite, clockwise from top left: Mical Aloni, Man With Gun, cotton and silk, 6 x 4"; William Acheff, Nature Signs, Spirit Symbols, oil on canvas, 28 x 48"; Glenna Goodacre, Tablita, bronze, 161⁄2 x 5 x 4"; Geoffrey Gorman, Jayakari, mixed media, 33 x 16 x 16".

KAREN BEDWELL HERHAHN, collector Paint Joseph Breza The artist William Vincent mentioned to me several years ago that Breza was the most talented impressionist around and said to keep my eye on him. Metal Glenna Goodacre (opposite, top right) Nedra Matteucci’s sculpture garden, full of Goodacre’s work, is magnificent. Joshua Tobey A very talented sculptor. David Pearson I am a big fan.

JANE SAUER, owner, Jane Sauer Gallery Paint/Mixed Media Michael Bergt Bergt’s work has all three elements that make an exceptional piece of art. It is filled with layers of alternative meanings; the figures are psychologically charged; and it shows his mastery of his tools of expression—silver point, bronze, egg tempera, gouache, ink, pencil. Mixed Media Geoffrey Gorman (right) He uses materials that lie in the path of everyday life—branches, wire, fabric, and pieces of used metal—bringing animal figures to life through these modest means. His creative, inventive mind and exuberant personality are evident in all that he touches. I want to take home every one. Go to page 49 for a selection of Santa Fe exhibitions of artwork in photography, clay, glass, fiber, and metal.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ASSAF FEZONI, COURTESY NEDRA MATTEUCCI GALLERY (2), COURTESY JANE SAUER GALLERY

FROM LEFT: COURTESY HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART, COURTESY PARKS GALLERY

STEVE PARKS, owner, Parks Gallery Paint William Acheff (above, center) He paints oil-on-canvas still lifes, usually of Southwest subject matter, in a superrealist manner. Acheff has many imitators, but none comes close to his ability to render the sublime. Paint/Mixed Media Erin Currier (opposite, bottom right) Combining painting and drawing with paper-trash collage, she is a political artist with an abiding concern for human rights. Her subjects range from heroes of the Civil Rights Movement to the everyday people she meets in her travels. Her use of trash creates a fascinating statement: The medium is literally the message. Fiber Mical Aloni (above, left) An amazing, self-taught talent, she creates images of stunning verisimilitude with needle and thread, one stitch at a time. I first saw a piece of hers about a decade ago in a large exhibition of Taos artists (a tiny, two-by-two-inch portrait) and it gleamed like a gem in a big pile of slag.

GUNS, DRUGS, AND REVOLUTIONARY ART 40 years after Easy Rider exploded out of Taos communes and onto the silver screen, Dennis Hopper celebrates its legacy with the tiny town it changed forever

riders on the

STORM

by Jason Silverman

selling to hippies. Doctors complained of strung-out mothers

VW buses were torched. Reports of assaults on hippies were routine. The chamber of commerce instructed its members to resist

weapons, warning the students to leave the hippies alone.

in jail with a mob gathering outside. He built machine-gun nests on the roof of the Mud Palace and claimed, in an interview with Vanity Fair, to have stormed a Taos High School assembly and flashed his automatic He told The New Yorker of being harassed by locals, pulling a gun and attempting a citizen’s arrest, and finding himself

PREVIOUS PAGES, LEFT: COURTESY DICK SPAS; RIGHT, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DENNIS HOPPER, HOPPER, LISA LAW, HOPPER, HOPPER, LAW; THIS SPREAD, PORTRAITS: CHRIS FELVER; ARTWORK: COURTESY THE HARWOOD MUSEUM

THE VIETNAM WAR RAGED ON.

H O P P E R

Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Riots left more than 100 cities smoldering. Hollywood’s response to the radical tumult of 1968? Talking apes and a perky Volkswagen. While all of America was struggling through a painful metamorphosis, studio executives were still churning out the same kinds of stories—from moralistic sci-fi (Planet of the Apes) to sanitized family fare (The Love Bug)—that had landed them in a decades-long slump. In 1968, intending to overthrow Hollywood’s inanity, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda customized two Harleys, grabbed some cameras, and headed to Taos, New Mexico. The next year, their Easy Rider, a neo-Western following two bikers on a drug trip, exploded onto the cultural scene— a phenomenon the likes of which America had rarely seen. Young people lined up around the block. The Cannes Film Festival gave it an award. Even the stodgy Oscars honored the film with two nominations. Shot for less than $400,000, it eventually grossed nearly $60 million (in 2009 dollars, that equals two Slumdog Millionaires). Easy Rider’s success forced Hollywood executives to reevaluate the way they made movies and, to reach new viewers, begin funding young, hip directors: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Hal Ashby among them. Easy Rider also changed the tiny, remote town where much of it was shot. Already a countercultural destination—the Berkeley of the Southwest—Taos, after 1969, became, as Parade magazine wrote, “a leading candidate for the hippie capital of America.” The film’s success brought in not only new creative energy and splendid art but also racially charged conflicts and outrageous sex-drugs-and-rock-‘n’-roll behavior. Forty years later, Easy Rider still resonates in our national consciousness, and Taos is celebrating with a citywide Summer of Love anniversary festival with near-daily art shows, lectures, yoga classes, and film screenings. The main event, Hopper at the Harwood, includes an exhibition of work by five of this region’s contemporary-art heavyweights, curated by their longtime friend and the writer-director-star of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper—plus a show of Hopper’s own paintings and photographs. ravel writers routinely describe Taos in mystical terms, with Taos Pueblo at its spiritual center. One of the most conservative Native tribes, Taos Pueblo has fervently guarded its traditions against the encroachments of America’s commodity culture. To outsiders, it represents powerful links to the deep past and the strikingly beautiful land around it. “It would be impossible to live at the foot of [Taos Mountain] for a thousand years and not come to think of it as sentient,” journalist Henry Shukman wrote in his 1997 book, Savage Pilgrims. Shukman, who moved to New Mexico from England, joined a long line of creative types finding inspiration in the shadow of Taos Mountain. Painters Bert G. Phillips and Ernest L. Blumenschein arrived in 1898, adding a Euro-American element to the region’s rich Hispanic and Pueblo artmaking traditions. Mabel Dodge Sterne (soon to become Mabel Dodge Luhan) moved to Taos in 1919, transforming her home into a world-class art colony hosting guests like Marsden Hartley, Willa Cather, Aldous Huxley (who set parts of Brave New World in this region), and Carl Jung. “New Mexico was the greatest experience from the outside world that I have ever had,” D.H. Lawrence, an inspired resident of what he called “Mabeltown,” wrote. And Ansel Adams, upon his visit to Taos, dropped aspirations of becoming a pianist for a career in photography. A few years after Luhan’s death in 1962, another artistic whirlwind arrived to take her place. Dennis Hopper was already a minor movie star—he had played alongside James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and with John Wayne in True Grit—with a growing reputation as an outstanding photographer, creating covers for Artforum and portraits for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. With his Easy Rider profits, he bought the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, renamed it “the Mud Palace,” and set out to connect with the multicultural, mystical vibe in Taos. “There are less than one million people living above 7,000 feet, and the Pueblo is the oldest inhabited structure in North America,” Hopper says. “Taos Mountain is one of the seven sacred

T DENNIS HOPPER b. 1936 Arrived in Taos: 1968 Best known for: Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Hoosiers, Blue Velvet Quotable: “I never made a cent from these photos. They cost me money but kept me alive.”

Dennis Hopper, Elect, 1965/2000, oil on vinyl, 120 x 80"

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Page 36: Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper at Taos Pueblo in 1968, during shooting of Easy Rider. Page 37, center: Ron Cooper at New Buffalo Commune in 1969; clockwise from top left: photographs by Dennis Hopper of Dean Stockwell and Ronald Davis, in 1964; Hopper in Lama, NM, in 1978; Larry Bell, shot by Hopper in 1964; Ken Price in 1962.

mountains. These things are important to us.” Hopper imported visionaries like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, George McGovern, and Joni Mitchell—all of whom witnessed what now seems like an almost unimaginably radical scene. Poet Robert Creeley, who moved to Taos in 1958, called it “the goyim’s Israel,” counting 27 communes there in the late 1960s. John Nichols, writing for the sharp-eyed New Mexico Review, guessed that hippies came to outnumber locals 15 to one. P R I C E Taos—a quiet, religious, centuries-old community—wasn’t ready for the hippies. Their town overrun, some locals responded with vigilante violence. Volkswagen buses were torched. Reports of assaults on hippies were routine. The chamber of commerce (ironically, the creator of the 2009 Summer of Love events) instructed its members to resist selling to hippies. Doctors complained of strung-out mothers neglecting their kids. The Taos News published vicious editorials: “Hippies are hollow creatures, and their outward manifestations smell.” Worried about attendance by “undesirables,” the town canceled its annual fiesta—the biggest party of the year. “Summer of Love?” sniffs Rena Rosequist, owner of Mission Gallery and a player in Taos’s cultural scene since the mid-’60s. “More like the summer of harassment, police brutality, and racial tension.” Transformed by Easy Rider into an international counterculture poster child, Hopper, despite his own efforts, became an emblem of Taos’s Hispanics-versus-hippies conflict. He told The New Yorker of being harassed by locals, pulling a gun and attempting a citizen’s arrest, and finding himself in jail with a mob gathering outside. He built machine-gun nests on the roof of the Mud Palace and claimed, in an interview with Vanity Fair, to have stormed a Taos High School assembly and flashed his automatic weapons, warning the students to leave the hippies alone. (A school official denied the story.) “There is a lot of violence,” he told The New Yorker in 1971. “Not abstract violence, like the violence in New York, where you read about it in the paper. Out there, when somebody gets shot you know who got shot and by whom and why he got shot.” Even under siege, Hopper actively pushed his art-and-freedom agenda, which scholar Lois Rudnick links to Taos’s own maverick identity, with Hopper as a D.H. Lawrence for a new era: “He would do with film, the most important medium of his time,” Rudnick wrote in Utopian Vistas, her outstanding history of the Mabel Dodge Luhan House and Taos’s counterculture, “what Lawrence tried to do with language—revolutionize the consciousness of his generation.” Hopper and the newcomers undeniably energized Taos, rendering it both a magnification and premonition of a massive, nationwide cultural sea change. “We signed on to an alternative way of living from what our parents did,” says artist Douglas Johnson. “It was like going from black and white to color.” Johnson and Jim Wagner, both of whom Parks Gallery owner Steve Parks calls “Taos survivors,” have exhibitions opening at the Parks Gallery as part of the Summer of Love festivities. A Taos stalwart himself, Parks in the early 1970s quit his job at Time, Inc., loaded up the family in a VW microbus, and headed West. “Taos was then,” he remembers, “as far as you could get from America and still be on the continent.”

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he Easy Rider shoots—in El Prado, Taos Pueblo, and a commune outside the city limits—helped establish Hopper’s reputation (which still lingers) as an artist on the verge of psychosis. He ranted and raved, threatened S T O C K W E L L and bullied. Drugs were plentiful, and at times mandatory. One cameraman threw a TV set at Hopper, who retaliated with a black-belt karate kick. A large chunk of the crew quit. Fonda hired a bodyguard and began packing a pistol. But there may have been a method to Hopper’s madness: The energy he and Fonda captured on film set Easy Rider apart

Top right: Ken Price, Talisman to Avert Falling, 1997, ink, acrylic, and pencil on paper, 10 x 8". Bottom right: Robert Dean Stockwell, The Palm Reader, 2005, paper, 35 x 26".

KEN PRICE b. 1935 Arrived in Taos: 1970 Best known for: sensual, colorful, indefinable ceramic works Quotable: “People like to discover things. They don’t like someone to pull them over and point out the whole deal.”

ROBERT DEAN STOCKWELL b. 1936 Arrived in Taos: 1964 Best known for: vivid, surreal collages; coloreddice sculptures; nearly 200 films and TV shows Quotable: “I had been making art in fits and starts all along, and in 2003 I decided to make art for exhibition. It is a great honor being with the other artists in this show.” june/july

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RONALD DAVIS b. 1937 Arrived in Taos: 1990 Best known for: lyrical, geometric paintings and sculptures Quotable: “My work is comprised of aggressively decorative, meaningless, unidentified floating objects that pretend to be rational.”

THIS SPREAD, ARTWORK: COURTESY THE HARWOOD MUSEUM; PORTRAITS: CHRIS FELVER

LARRY BELL b. 1939 Arrived in Taos: 1970 Best known for: inventing “radiant minimalism,” which uses light as an essential medium Quotable: “My work is about the light that strikes the surfaces. The interface of light and surface is my medium.”

from the gorgeous artificiality of the studio movies of that era. “For 40 years the uncreative people told the creative people what to do,” Hopper said in a 1971 interview in Life magazine. “Now we are telling them.” In his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, a history of the “New Hollywood” of the early 1970s, Peter Biskind credits Hopper and Fonda with inciting a revolution, calling them “the Vietcong of Beverly Hills.” Without Easy Rider, we might not have had The D A V I S Godfather, Midnight Cowboy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or the films of Spielberg and Scorsese. “The filmmakers of the ’70s hoped to overthrow the studio system,” Biskind wrote, “or at least render it irrelevant, by democratizing filmmaking, putting it into the hands of anyone with talent and determination.” Though Hopper had gobs of both, he also had drugs and alcohol, which helped turn his 1971 Easy Rider follow-up, the award-winning and richly personal but largely incoherent The Last Movie, into a box-office failure. Hopper edited the film at the Mud Palace, with the hope of turning Taos into a new center for adventurous filmmaking. Instead, the Palace became infested with hangers-on and hard drugs. “It was crazy, with most of the people leeching, taking advantage of Dennis’s generosity,” says actor and artist Robert “Dean” Stockwell, who worked with Hopper in a supporting role in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and whose artwork is included in Hopper Curates. Hopper’s own behavior became increasingly erratic. He told American Film he was snorting half an ounce of cocaine and drinking half a gallon of rum every few days. He began hearing voices. In the documentary The American Dreamer, he was filmed in bed with 18 women. Now clean of drink and drugs for a quarter century—and considering himself lucky to have his sanity and major organs on board—Hopper is a treasure of American cinema, thanks to now-legendary performances in films like Apocalypse Now and Hoosiers. Currently, he stars in the made-in-New-Mexico series Crash, and he still spends time at his studio and apartment in the former El Cortez Theatre, in Ranchos de Taos (Easy Rider played there to overflow crowds in 1969). Somehow he finds time to keep painting. “He is an artist, a photographer, a director, and an actor,” says Ronald Davis, whose work is on display in Hopper’s Harwood show. “I’ve always been impressed at how he could do all of these different things well, when I worked so hard just to do my painting. He was pulling off major pieces basically as a Sunday painter, a hobbyist.” Hopper’s terrific eye for art—honed during daily visits to the Museum of Modern Art in the 1950s—was visible at the Mud Palace, where he hung works by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. He was one of only two prescient collectors to buy one of the iconic Campbell’s soup cans at Andy Warhol’s first show (he paid $75). And he launched his Taos gallery, on Ledoux Street, in 1971, with a show of work by Bruce Conner. “Whatever emotional state he was in, what was always beautiful to me about Dennis is that first and foremost he was really interested in art,” Ron Cooper, an artist with work in the Harwood show, told me in 2000. “He lived and breathed it. He was always bringing cool people here, sharing inspirational people with each other.” In 2008, Hopper’s own paintings—billboard-size versions of his 1960s photos—were a hit at shows in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, and Paris. Jina Brenneman, B E L L the curator at the Harwood, expects his Taos exhibition to cause ripples in the art world as well. “Dennis is a paradigm shifter,” she says. “In the future he will stand alone in his commitment to elevate the status of the visual artist in the eyes of the American audience. I’m stunned by his visual memory and his ability to point at what is great. He sees it, recognizes it, devours it.” Top left: Ronald Davis, Printed Puck, 2005, heat-fused pixel dust on aluminum, 48 x 70". Bottom left: Larry Bell, SuZee, 2007, mixed media on paper, 40 x 30".

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mong the artists Hopper has championed is Dean Stockwell, who made his name in Hollywood before focusing his energy on making contemporary mixed-media art. Stockwell’s acting credits range from challenging works (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) to offbeat classics (Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas), and popular films like Married to the Mob, in which his performance won him an Oscar nomination. Some 65 years into his C O O P E R acting career, Stockwell now bounces between TV appearances, films, and his studio, located in the garage of his Ranchos de Taos home. His walls overflow with art in a dizzying array of styles: hypnotic geometric prints, paintings (including a Jack Smith portrait of Stockwell), and his own precise and striking collages. Welcoming me into this ersatz gallery—wearing a bathrobe, smoking a morning stogie, and finishing cooking breakfast (bacon, blueberries, and waffles)—Stockwell shows me his latest works, which include sculptures made of dice and Tarot-like cards collaged with images sliced from an encyclopedia. Taos Mountain rests outside a large bay window in the living room. “Taos is important to my art. There is an energy here that’s very powerful,” he says, gesturing toward the window. “I don’t think I could do the work I’m doing if I wasn’t here. It seems to come from the mountain.” He, Cooper, Davis, and Hopper, as well as the other two artists in the Harwood show—Ken Price and Larry Bell—have each fled the freeways of L.A. for the relative solitude of Taos. Why? Hopper has his theories. “We were all drawn to the sacred mountain, to the Pueblo and to the way of life,” he says. “You either get it or you don’t, and [the artists who relocated to Taos] got it.” Writer-curator Dave Hickey, who presents a lecture with Hopper at the Harwood on August 1, describes this urban-to-rural diaspora as a prominent feature of American contemporary art: “a willful extension of cosmopolitan life into the far reaches of the American landscape.” And it is particularly resonant in Taos—a place that, as he wrote in the Hopper at the Harwood catalog, “has probably produced more serious art and literature than any other non-metropolitan area in the United States.” “[Taos] has resisted gentrification because, for all its beauty, Taos is not a cozy place,” he continues. “It is the Top of the World, more the Wild West than the Southwest—more Tibet, in fact, than Palm Springs. So if you want a beautiful place to work that bears with it the perpetual reminder that all you do will be broken, buried, blasted, and blown away, a place that makes you brave and serious, Taos is the place for you.”

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RON COOPER b. 1943 Arrived in Taos: 1969 Best known for: figuring prominently in the Light and Space movement; creating Del Maguey brand mezcal Quotable: “Marcel Duchamp said that the next great artist would be a collector, meaning the recognition of the art could be as important as art-making itself.”

Go to page 49 for details about Hopper at the Harwood and selected art exhibitions relating to Taos Summer of Love 2009.

FROM LEFT: LISA LAW, TOM LAW

Top right: Ron Cooper, Tantric Vision, 1991, oil on canvas, 72 x 48". Below: Men building a house at New Buffalo Commune, Arroyo Hondo, 1967. Right: Lisa Law carrying her daughter, Pilar, at Taos Pueblo, in 1967.

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right as

RAIN As a little-known hub for the practice of harvesting rainfall, Santa Fe is taking the lead in a new way to save the West’s vanishing water.

by Marin Sardy

CHARLES MANN; OPPOSITE: DOUGLAS MERRIAM

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elissa McDonald and Nate Downey’s backyard is a microcosm of the water-wise outdoor world they envision for Santa Fe: Stretching between their South Capitol Stamm-style home and the casita they use as the office for their landscape-design business (Santa Fe Permaculture), their water-politic utopia overflows with drought-resistant shrubs and native wildflowers, all of which surround a covered lettuce patch, flagstone walkways, and a large shade tree with a swing for their two children. Yet the most dramatic—and dramatically water-conserving—feature of the yard is invisible. Buried beneath the carefully selected plants and heavily mulched earth, a 10,000-gallon cistern holds an entire winter’s worth of rainfall and snowmelt under the family’s feet, for use during the drier months of the growing season. The husband-and-wife team are part of the reason Santa Fe has become a national hub for the water-harvesting movement. This vision of a water-sustainable Santa Fe is one that, for 15 years, they and a growing cadre of local design and building professionals have been steadily working to create. Santa Fe Permaculture is just one of the more than 60 businesses based here, from systems designers to parts dealers, that offer services and products related to the practice. “We probably have more vendors for a city our size than anywhere except Hawaii,” says local expert Doug Pushard, founder of the popular harvesth2o.com website and owner of the residential watersystems design and installation business Harvest H2O. This growth is linked in no small part to an evolving series of state, county, and city regulations created in the last seven years to support and promote water harvesting. Most recently, the Santa Fe city council passed a new long-term water plan this past January. With Santa Fe’s third hike in water fees in 12 years included in the package, there’s more reason than ever for residents to follow in the professionals’ footsteps and find feasible ways to both conserve and harvest the West’s most precious resource. And given the abundance of know-how right here in town, it’s easier to get started than you might think.

WHY HARVEST RAINWATER ? “I think anybody who is doing their share to take care of our watershed should make sure none of their rainwater leaves their property,” says Claudia Borchert, water-resources project coordinator for the City of Santa Fe Water Division. The reasons break down like this: Santa Fe receives an average annual precipitation of 16 inches per year. Coming off a 1,000-square-foot roof, for instance, that amounts to some 9,000 gallons that, if not collected, would otherwise rush out of home drain spouts, across the pavement of neighborhood driveways and streets (picking up pollutants like tar and oil along the way), and into the Santa Fe River. june/july

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FROM TOP: CHARLES MANN, COURTESY SF PERMACULTURE; COURTESY DOUG PUSHARD

Properly funneled from its rooftop landing pad into a holding tank, however, the rain can instead replace city water to irrigate a lush yard and garden. If every Santa Fe household collected 9,000 gallons of precipitation each year, it would cut average annual residential use of city water by nearly 25 percent and save each household some $100 to $150 per year in water fees. As for safety, although the Environmental Protection Agency does not consider roof-harvested rainwater (which does pick up a few rooftop pollutants) to be clean enough for use as drinking water, it can be close to potable if properly filtered. In general, says Pushard, whose online water-harvesting forum gets some 200,000 hits per month, catchment water is very high quality. Amazingly enough, rainwater harvesting wasn’t even an option in this state until 2003, when the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer announced a new policy acknowledging landowners’ rights to store and use rainwater falling on their property. Combined with the state legislature’s passage, that spring, of a landmark bill allowing the use of graywater (including roof-collected water) for irrigation, this gave New Mexicans the green light. Then, as early as October 2003, Santa Fe County took the idea a step further by mandating rooftop rainwater collection for all new, heated structures within its jurisdiction, and actual cisterns for those larger than 2,500 square feet. The regulations required that each system capture at least 85 percent of rooftop drainage and reuse it for landscape irrigation, with the size of the holding tank based on roof size. The following year, the joint city-county Extraterritorial Zoning Authority extended these regulatory dimensions to apply to every structure within a two-mile ring around the city. But when a similar plan to mandate rainwater collection on new constructions within Santa Fe city limits reached the city council in 2004, it was struck down. Yet despite consistent opposition within Santa Fe to most waterconservation and -harvesting measures, many have passed—including rebates for rain barrels and the newest set of hotly debated water-rate hikes. On January 28 of this year, the city council passed a set of regulations that, since taking effect March 1, increases water charges by 8.2 percent per year for a period of five years. The new rates, which slipped through a split council with the help of Mayor David Coss’s tie-breaking vote, will (assuming constant per capita usage) bring the average Santa Fean’s monthly residential water bill up from 2008’s $31.51 to $46.72 in 2013—a total increase of nearly 50 percent. The city’s stated goal in once again increasing water fees is to raise funds for its share of costs in the in-process Buckman Direct Diversion Project. Scheduled to be completed by 2011, the diversion, says Borchert, will pull a stable supply of water from the San Juan– Chama river system, reducing reliance on the too-small (and highly variable) Santa Fe River reservoirs as well as our underground aquifers. And as many point out, it will also encourage residents to use less water. “We are mining our groundwater at an unsustainable rate right now,” says Borchert. “We are taking water out of storage—the water in our aquifers is from the last ice age. We want to use the surface water when it’s there, and only pump the aquifers as a backup.” Left, from top: A garden designed by Santa Fe Permaculture, watered via drip-irrigation components linked to a rainwater-collection system; a collection box (containing a filter), downspout, and aboveground cistern, to funnel and hold rooftop precipitation.

Borchert, who acts as the city’s long-range water-supply planner, confirms that the rate hikes are part of a larger effort to create a sustainable water supply for the county—one that accounts for both our growing population and dwindling amounts of available wet stuff. For area residents, this means political, educational, and practical elements are coming together to create ideal circumstances for harvesting rain.

Harvesting-system designer Doug Pushard’s yard is typical of those in older Santa Fe neighborhoods: small, walled, divided into flagstone walkways and garden zones. And while his home system—which collects precipitation from his roof and feeds it into a buried, 5-by17-foot, 1,700-gallon cistern—is designed specifically for his property, it’s not much more complex than a setup that could have been built a century ago. Talking me through his water’s path from roof to root, Pushard points out that although his cistern has a pump (an active rather than passive system), he keeps his designs as simple as possible. Catchment systems can and do get much more complicated than Pushard’s, with computerized controls, rain sensors, and timers that integrate the harvesting and irrigation components. But homeowners can avoid overcomplicating things by thinking first about their specific needs. “The number-one cost item is your tank,” says Pushard, “so if you can first conserve water, you can get a smaller tank.” And small tanks are pretty affordable: A seven-foot-tall, 225-gallon, standing cistern with a spigot at the bottom (no pump) costs about $400 and requires very little maintenance. When it comes to those 50-to-60-gallon rain barrels that increasingly occupy the corners of local homes, however, opinions are mixed. While Pushard still recommends them as the least expensive way to get started, Downey argues that it’s better to install more effective passive means or spring for a larger cistern that’s easier to use. “People are finally realizing that rain barrels are just symbolic,” he says. “Unless you’re using a pump that comes on whenever there’s water in there, a 50-gallon rain barrel will fill up and spill over 70 times in an average year from a 500-square-foot roof. And getting the water out of the bottom part of that barrel is backbreaking and messy.” It can even be dangerous: Last year, an Eldorado woman drowned in her rain barrel while apparently trying to retrieve her cat. Better alternatives to a full pump-driven cistern—called “passive” means because they rely on gravity to power the movement of water— can make a major impact at a fraction of the cost. “I don’t like to, but I talk a lot of people out of cisterns,” says Downey from behind the desk in his office casita. “Because I just have to tell them up front what it’s probably going to cost.” (Installing a system comparable to Pushard’s would run about $5,000.) But, he stresses, passive means can do more than just complement the work of a pump-driven cistern. Depending on the property, it can even be the cornerstone of a catchment system. How? The answer, it turns out, is down in the dirt. “It’s about creating environments that make your soil more acceptable to holding water, and that’s one of the hard things in this climate,” says McDonald. Right, from top: A Santa Fe garden with a walkway of permeable hardscaping, which allows rainfall to soak into the ground; an arroyo near Tesuque, after a storm. Previous spread, from left: a rainstorm over Santa Fe; a Santa Fe garden of native regional shrubs and wildflowers.

FROM TOP: CHARLES MANN, DOUGLAS MERRIAM

RAIN-COLLECTION SYSTEMS

CHARLES MANN

Native plants thrive in heavily mulched earth at a Santa Fe home.

“That’s a huge thing that people often overlook.” Most New Mexico soils don’t have the same water-holding capacity of ideal forest loam, and simple additions like a pumice wick—a strategically buried pile of porous stones that absorbs and holds water within the soil for up to six weeks—can be so effective that they may render irrigation unnecessary. “We’ve gone back to a place that had a pumice wick and had been neglected for two or three years—nobody lived there— and the plants were doing great,” says McDonald. “With no irrigation, at the end of a drought. I was amazed.” (Check out Harvesting How-To, opposite, for more on collection-system options.)

HOW SANTA FE STACKS UP Santa Fe isn’t the first American city to begin to embrace rainwater harvesting on a community-wide scale; both Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, actively support the practice through educational and incentive programs. And in October 2008, the city of Tucson passed the nation’s first law to require rainwater collection on commercial properties. Meanwhile, Austin has been offering $500 46

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rebates since 1998 to residents who purchased new cisterns—a move intended to minimize the need for a new storm-water treatment plant. “The city started literally writing checks,” says Pushard, who first learned about the practice while living there. Globally, the U.S. isn’t a front-runner either: In Australia and New Zealand, where the governments offer incentives for installing collection systems, 17 and 10 percent of households, respectively, practice rainwater harvesting. Many of the most convenient and attractive catchment-system products available in Santa Fe—from colorful, modular, aboveground cisterns to ornate copper rain chains—are imported from as far away as Down Under (or at least California). But regionally, New Mexico is in many ways a leader in promoting the practice. Collecting rainfall for home use is still illegal in Washington, and Colorado is just this year beginning to allow harvesting by rural residents. In Utah, putting in a catchment system requires a state permit—but, says Pushard, “the odds of that occurring are none.” And in other states where the practice is legal, water harvesting is still rare in many cities; in Phoenix and Las Vegas, for instance, local participation in city planning and conservation is less a part of the culture than in Santa Fe. Instead, says Pushard, “The preference is to do multibillion-dollar projects to drill for water somewhere else and bring it in, versus looking for simpler solutions.” For Santa Fe, these simpler solutions have so far been more about the conservation than the harvesting of water. In an effort to decrease water consumption, the city first raised the water rates in 1996. Early in the summer of that year, amid a multiyear sustained drought, the city council enacted an ordinance requiring all residential and commercial water users to reduce consumption by 25 percent of their previous year’s use. By late September, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that nearly a third of the city’s water users had been slapped with surcharges for failing to comply. But even as the city struggled with contested cases and angry residents, the plan was working: By August 1996, the number of users who consumed between 12,500 and 25,000 gallons of water had been more than halved from the year before, down from 20 percent to just 7.5 percent. Within a decade, Santa Fe was emerging as one of the most waterwise cities in the West. According to the city’s water-conservation manager, Daniel Ransom, residents served by the Sangre De Cristo Water Division reduced their water use by 40 percent between 1995 and 2007. Although he’s tight-lipped about the question of whether our water supply is sustainable, Ransom is more open about the bigger picture of our desert environment. “Sometimes what we say in the Southwest is that when it’s raining, we’re out of drought; when it stops raining, it’s a drought,” he says. “But when you only get a dozen inches of rain per year, and a significant portion of that is during the winter, we’re pretty much always in a drought.” Getting residents to reduce indoor use by investing in frontload washing machines, hot-water circulators, low-flow faucets, and especially low-flow toilets, says Borchert, has had a huge impact. Outdoors, a panoply of restrictions, including outright bans on everything from hosing down driveways to installing lawns with more than 25 percent Kentucky bluegrass, has not only reduced lawn and garden water use but has also helped push residents to continued on page 80

HARVESTING HOW-TO If you balk at the idea of relying on unfamiliar systems for sustainable home water use, tune in to two secrets local experts know: It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and it doesn’t mean you have to give up having a gorgeous garden. The key, says Melissa McDonald, of Santa Fe Permaculture, is tailoring your system to the needs of your life and land. ACTIVE There are five basic steps to active rainwater harvesting— collection, conveyance, storage, pumping, and filtration. 1 Collection: A metal roof is ideal, but a tar-and-gravel roof works fine. For either type, have components in place to divert the first few (dirty) gallons of rainfall away from the tank. 2 Conveyance, via downspouts leading from the roof to the ground: In the case of HarvestH2O principal Doug Pushard’s home setup, artistic metal rain chains direct water through large copper pots (or less expensive glazed clay pots, available at Jackalope). “Most people think they have to be ugly,” Pushard says. “They don’t have to be ugly.” 3 Storage, either below ground or above: Aboveground tanks are typically smaller, don’t always require a pump, and are simpler to install than a buried tank. “The nice thing about tanks nowadays is you can paint them the same color as your house. When I started 10 years ago, it was pretty boring stuff, but now…” Pushard shows me a photograph of stylish rectangular cisterns in red, lime green, and cyan. Burying a cistern, often preferable for large systems, requires renting a backhoe or hiring someone to install it. But Pushard and Santa Fe Permaculture’s Nate Downey say burial makes maintenance easier in this climate, with its freeze-and-thaw cycles. Pushard accesses his cistern by lifting a flagstone notched with handholds, beneath which he opens a manhole, revealing a buried tank full with the bounty of winter’s storms. 4 & 5 Pumping and filtration: To pump water out, hook your tank directly to the irrigation system via an electric pump. To keep it clean, install filters both on the pump and in the collection box.

PASSIVE If a full-size cistern isn’t feasible for your budget or lifestyle, says McDonald, passive rainwater catchment offers more options than homeowners might think. Replacing pavement with permeable hardscaping, like gravel, allows storm water to soak in rather than slip away. Landscape features, including buried porous stones (pumice wicks) and narrow ditch-like contours (swales), absorb, hold, and deliver runoff through the soil toward plants. Irrigation-system components, from deep pipes to gator bags, direct and keep water where roots can reach it. But Downey and McDonald insist that one of the most effective tools for creating a thriving yet water-wise Santa Fe garden is also one of the simplest: mulch. The easy, low-cost addition of mulch conserves water by dramatically reducing evaporative loss. “When we teach classes,” says Downey, “when people are getting a little overwhelmed and see there’s a lot more information coming, I say, ‘If you leave this class having only learned one thing, just remember: Use the mulch.’” Selecting plants that are not only appropriate to our high-desert climate but are also well suited to the microclimates of your yard isn’t a form of water harvesting—but it is key. Native wildflowers and shrubs, such as yarrow and agastache, as well as ornamental grasses, grow best here. Typically colorful and dramatically textured, they don’t make for a dull yardscape, either. And while gardening in this region requires sacrificing some eastern ornamentals, certain varieties of roses and lawns that thrive in this climate can replace old favorites. Local gardens that use water efficiently can even sustain some water-hungry plants, such as edibles. “All these things combine,” says Maggie Lee, of Terra Flora Garden Design. “Harvesting and organizing water and land contouring, along with restoring the soil and grouping plants compatible in moisture needs, are all important. You have to work with what will thrive. That’s where it’s important to study the nature around us to see what does well, and expand from that.”

FROM LEFT: COURTESY MAGGIE LEE; COURTESY RAIN CHAINS; COURTESY DOUG PUSHARD

Below, from left: The cistern at Santa Fe Children’s Museum; a copper conveyance from rainchains.com; at Doug Pushard’s home, a rain chain transfers rooftop rainfall to an underground cistern.

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7<@214.?1< 4?.;.1<@

S I LV E R RO C K E T Pencil on Paper

22.5" x 30"

©2009 Josedgardo Granados

One Man Exhibition Multiverse Friday, July 10, 2009 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm 125 Lincoln Avenue s Suite 116 s Santa Fe, NM 87501 s Monday–Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm 505-988-5091 s fax: 505-988-1650 s nimanfineart @ namingha.com s www.namingha.com

The Old House Restaurant at Eldorado Hotel & Spa. AAA Four Diamond. Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Honored as New Mexico’s Best by Zagat. For reservations, please call 505.995.4530. 48

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309 West San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, NM | EldoradoHotel.com

Where Santa Fe begins.

“mass media” continued from page 35

HAPPY MEDIA exhibitions of artwork in various materials

Christina Chalmers

Photography Magnum Photos. Magnum Photos, an elite international photojournalist cooperative, presents images from the past 60 years, taken by previous and current members such as Robert Capa and Alex Webb. Jun 25–Aug 22, reception Jul 10, 5–7 PM, Verve Gallery, 219 E Marcy, 505-982-5009, santafephotogallery.com Clay Curiosities. Intricate ceramic forms by four young artists (Lindsay Feuer, Kate MacDowell, Andy Rogers, and Kathleen Royster Lamb) explore nature’s strange beauty. Jun 12–Jul 18, reception Jun 12, 5–7 PM, Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta, 505-984-1122, santafeclay.com Glass En Fuego: Sculpture in Blown & Sculpted Glass. Seven artists, including Ross Richmond, Raven Skyriver, and Niko Dimitrijevic, take figurative and abstract glasswork into realms of the surreal and hyperreal. Jun 12–30, reception Jun 12, 5–7:30 PM, Evoke Contemporary, 130 Lincoln, Suite F, 505-995-9902, evokecontemporary.com Fiber Colored Threads of New Mexico. Antique Hispanic textiles (1860 to 1940) showcase the skill and Nativeinfluenced aesthetic of Chimayó and other important weaving centers along the Rio Grande. Jul 23–Aug 1, Morning Star Gallery, 513 Canyon, 505-982-8187, morningstargallery.com Metal Sergio Bustamante: Bronzes of Modern Mexico. Art/design star Bustamante melds human forms with cubist angles to create fantastical yet grounded figures suggesting realities both magical and mundane. Jul 24– Aug 14, reception Jul 24, 5–7 PM, Meyer East Gallery, 225 Canyon, 505-983-1657, meyereastgallery.com “riders on the storm” continued from page 41

SEE THE LOVE art shows inspired by the Summer of Love Hopper at the Harwood Two concurrent exhibitions—Dennis Hopper: Paintings and Photographs, and Hopper Curates: L.A. to Taos, 40 Years of Friendship (work by Taos artists Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Ronald Davis, Ken Price, and Robert Dean Stockwell)—link contemporary art to Taos’s radical roots. May 8–Sep 20, panel discussion with Dave Hickey: Aug 1, 6–7:30 PM, The Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux, Taos, 575-758-9826, harwoodmuseum.org The Edge of Innocence: Photographs by Douglas Magnus Magnus’s historic images of hippies, Hopper, and friends reveal the free-flowing creative energy of Taos in 1969. Jun 12–Jul 31, reception Jun 12, 5–7 PM, R.B. Ravens Gallery, 4146 Hwy 68, Ranchos de Taos, 575758-7322, rbravens.com

A Desire for Migration . bronze, edition of 7 . 56 x 50 x 36

view all of christina chalmers’ work at www.selbyfleetwoodgallery.com

60s Survivors II: Jim Wagner, Paintings and Sculpture, 1962–2009 A retrospective of this longtime local’s abstracted imagery celebrates Taos’s simple, dramatic beauty. Jul 4–27, reception Jul 4, 4–6 PM, Parks Gallery, 127 Bent, Taos, 575-751-0343, parksgallery.com For a full schedule of events related to Taos Summer of Love 2009, visit taossummeroflove.com.

600 canyon road . santa fe nm 87501 800.992.6855 . 505.992.8877 june/july

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openings | events | reviews | people

Magic becomes reality when New York– based artist Raïssa Venables composes her cubistic C-print images, first photographing a room from myriad angles and then digitally compiling the results into a single shot. Bulging or receding like the world might appear through some hybrid of a fly’s eye and a convex lens, her impossible plays on perspective come into sharp relief among the striking architectural angles and rich colors of the spaces she shoots. On display at Klaudia Marr Gallery (668 Canyon, 505-988-2100, klaudiamarrgallery.com) from July 24 (reception 5–7 PM) to August 24, the high ceilings and narrow stairwells of these buildings seethe as if with the energy of lives that have moved within them. —Marin Sardy

Raïssa Venables, Red Stairs (detail), C-print, edition of 5, 60 x 84", courtesy Klaudia Marr Gallery

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art

PREVIEWS

David Rothermel, Echo, acrylic on wood panel, 12 x 10”

David Rothermel: Entrainments DR Fine Art, 123 Galisteo 575-642-4981, drfa-sf.com Jun 5–23, reception Jun 5, 5–8 PM Rothermel, a painter and graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, opens his new Santa Fe gallery with a show of landscapebased abstract oils, special events, and work by other contemporary artists. His own sky-heavy horizons of the Southwest have an ethereally rococo quality to them.—DJ

Rick Stevens, A Lost Connection, pastel on paper, 35 x 36"

Melinda K. Hall: Jambo Patricia Carlisle Fine Art, 554 Canyon 505-820-0596, carlislefa.com Jul 6–15, reception Jul 10, 5–7 PM On the bright canvases of Melinda K. Hall’s 20-odd pieces in her latest solo show, giraffes, monkeys, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, and warthogs greet viewers with whimsy and humor. The show, called Jambo after a Swahili word for “hello,” was inspired by Hall’s trip last year to Kenya and Tanzania. “There’s a palette over there that wouldn’t have necessarily been a natural one for me,” says Hall, who lives in Santa Fe, of the muted colors of African plains. So after teaching an art class to a group of Masai children and finding their depictions of wild animals to be full of bright hues, she chose to infuse her oil-and-mixed-media pieces with color from her own imagination. “It’s always a surprise how things come out,” she says.—Bibi Deitz

Felipe Castañeda, Lupita, bronze, 26 x 14 x 11"

Felipe Castañeda and Julian Robles Nedra Matteucci Galleries 1075 Paseo de Peralta 505-982-4631, matteucci.com Jun 27–Jul 18 reception Jun 27, 2–4 PM Matteucci Galleries opens its 2009 season with Robles’s brightly rendered paintings and Castañeda’s sensual sculptures. Castañeda, of Mexico, homes in masterfully —in marble, onyx, or bronze—on the female form and its iconic roles and positions (mother, lover, kneeling, sitting).—DJ 52

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John D. Phillips, Rocky Ledge, oil on canvas, 16 x 20" 2009

Rick Stevens: Picture Music Hunter-Kirkland Contemporary Art, 200 Canyon 505-984-2111, hunterkirklandcontemporary.com Jun 26–Jul 13, reception Jun 26, 5–7 PM Here again riffing on the improvisational essence of his creative process, oil and pastel painter Rick Stevens offers up more canvas koans. Maintaining the artistic approach that the landscape he sees and paints is still “essentially wild and that wild is where its true nature remains—even when developed by man,” Stevens grounds his paintings in the abstract. A contradiction? That’s part of Stevens’s jazzy, modernist point—and influences, which range from the Postimpressionists to the symbolists (many of whom, in their own way, used geometric forms to express spiritual ideas). Stevens’s forms and figures—often sticklike, rustic, and crude—evoke all manner of mood and feeling, and most definitely elicit the idea of the divine residing within the natural.—Devon Jackson

Melinda K. Hall, An Elephant Is Seriously Big, oil and mixed media on canvas, 58 x 66"

40th Anniversary Celebration Total Arts Gallery, 121A Kit Carson Road, Taos 575-758-4667, totalartsgallery.com Jun 27–Jul 21, reception Jun 27, 4:30–6:30 PM Founded in 1969 by artist Harold Geller, Total Arts, situated in a centuries-old adobe structure once owned by Kit Carson, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a show featuring Kim English, John D. Phillips, and Spike Ress—travelers all, who travel to paint as much as they paint to travel. English, a Colorado artist, prefers street scenes and people, and a style of immediacy; whereas Phillips, also based in Colorado, and Ress, New York–born but now settled in southern Utah, eschew any outright human presence for a more direct emotional connection to their natural, mostly Southwestern landscapes.—DJ

Timothy Horn: New Paintings Brandon Michael Fine Art, 202 Canyon 505-795-7427, brandonmichaelfineart.com Jun 26–Jul 17, reception Jun 26, 5–7 PM Timothy Horn’s paintings often capture that moment between nostalgia and the weightier stillness of objects and landscapes left behind. Raised in a small town in Ohio, Horn draws heavily from the timeless solace of his childhood environs—a territory strewn with barns, cornfields, pickup trucks, and the homely traces of a farming population. In Power of Wind, for instance, in which a procession of clouds backgrounds a dying windmill, the patches of fluff move across the canvas with a universal majesty—evoking the essence of summer, with its Timothy Horn, Hit the Road, oil on board, 9 x 12" vibrant grass-scented winds. The new works in this solo show capture the intensity of hot sunlight on manmade surfaces, and include one of Horn’s favorite subject matters—the old, possibly abandoned car—as well as more urban and suburban landscapes.—Rinchen Lhamo

Squeak Carnwath: New Works Turner Carroll Gallery, 725 Canyon 505-986-9800, turnercarrollgallery.com Jul 14–Aug 9, reception Jul 17, 5–7 PM Bay Area–based artist Squeak Carnwath’s new, dreamy paintings urge the eye to see images both disjointed and linear in her layers upon layers of paint. With strong symbolism and imagery rendered in grade-school colors and Basquiatian scrawls, her art incorporates and impresses upon the viewer a sense of grace—and also urgency. “She has been producing this style of work for a while, but you can see a marked evolution,” says Megan Fitzpatrick, of Turner Carroll Gallery, who studied the artist in graduate school at the University of New Mexico. Carnwath now has pieces in museum collections from coast to coast, including at least three at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. One reason: “Her point of view,” says Fitzpatrick, “is so incredibly fresh.”—BD

art

PREVIEWS

Tammy Garcia and Shelley Muzylowski Allen, Pink Bird Effigy, glass, 6 x 10 x 7"

Glass Artists Showcase and Tammy Garcia: Effigies in Glass Blue Rain Gallery 130 Lincoln, 505-954-9902 blueraingallery.com Jun 8–22, reception Jun 12, 5–7 PM Artist demos Jun 12–13, 1–4 PM Garcia and Muzylowski Allen bring a collaborative series of fetishes to Blue Rain’s first-ever all-glass group show—also with work by glass masters such as Preston Singletary and Nancy Callan, among others. Says gallery owner Leroy Garcia, “It’s a continuation of our effort to bring glass to the forefront in the Southwest.”—DJ

Squeak Carnwath, Reliving the Event, mixed media on paper, 66 x 54"

Benjamin Montague, Cherry Coke, inkjet print and wax on rice paper, 27 x 31"

Mark di Suvero, Holly Roberts, and Denise Yaghmourian Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, 435 S Guadalupe 505-982-8111, zanebennettgallery.com Jun 12–Jul 18, reception Jun 12, 5–7 PM Renowned for his monumental outdoor steel-beam sculptures that, despite their massive weight and size, seem inspired by the swift, light strokes of written symbols, abstract expressionist Mark di Suvero here offers up a rare public viewing of his intensely colored lithographs and serigraphs. Not all that surprisingly: they’re as self-contained and effective as his larger works. Showing concurrently, Roberts’s work incorporates images cut from her original photographs and then arranged into shapes and forms against richly painted backdrops; Yaghmourian’s sculptures, meanwhile, recall crafts such as quilting and needlework, reinterpreting them as tea-stained cubes or constructions made from found objects of domesticity. All three artists take us a step beyond traditional use of mediums.—Michael Abatemarco Mark di Suvero, Planetaire, 1987, lithograph, 47 x 31"

Emmi Whitehorse and Benjamin Montague Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art 7021⁄2 Canyon, 505-992-0711 chiaroscurosantafe.com Jul 17–Aug 8 reception Jul 17, 5–7 PM At Chiaroscuro’s new location, Montague’s unique photographs— of fingerprints—have a CSI-like intensity to them. Meanwhile, Whitehorse’s new paintings reify her reputation as the Helen Frankenthaler of the West, though rooted in Navajo culture.—DJ june/july

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PREVIEWS

Richard Kurtz, It Hurts Like Brand New Shoes, house paint on board, 36 x 24" Scott Paulk, The Real Roswell, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40"

Richard Kurtz: The End Game Goldleaf Gallery, 627 W Alameda 505-988-5005, goldleafpictures.com Jun 12–Jul 11 reception Jun 12, 5:30–7:30 PM Sometimes crudely painted onto shot-up targets or credit cards (yes, credit cards), often incorporating feathers and shiny objects, Kurtz’s paintings look like a latterday marriage of folk artist Howard Finster and ’80s art-world darling Jean-Michel Basquiat—complete with pithy messages scrawled across the “canvas.”—DJ

Scott Paulk: Toy Stories Peterson Cody Gallery, 130 W Palace 505-820-0010, petersoncodygallery.com Jun 5–19, reception Jun 5, 5–7:30 PM Idioms and everyday objects taken out of context run through Scott Paulk’s new show. In 11 acrylics and one colored-pencil piece, Paulk exhibits both artistic prowess and cerebral dexterity. Playing on phrases like “plain toast and coffee,” Paulk turns the words into a painting of a plane next to a toaster and a cup of coffee. In The Real Roswell, windup robots and a postcard appear atop an unfolded New Mexico map. “I’m telling a story,” Paulk says, “about what I’m thinking about when I hear these phrases.” At first glance, his work might appear animated or cartoonish, but a closer look reveals storytelling at its best. —BD

Robert Daughters Meyer Gallery, 225 Canyon 505-983-1434, meyergalleries.com Jul 10–23, reception Jul 10, 5–7 PM The quality of the light in the Southwest has attracted many painters but few as accomplished as desert-landscape painter Robert Daughters. Now an octogenarian, Daughters, a Missouri native who has lived in Taos for more than 35 years, captures the brilliant hues unique to the area in a tradition reminiscent of fellow Missourian Oscar Berninghaus, whose former home the artist now occupies. Daughters’s desertscapes are bright and rich in color and have a brushwork style reminiscent of Van Gogh: swift, repetitive strokes that let the mind fill in the details of his simply rendered forms. These are welcome oases of beauty.—MA

Robert Daughters, Towering Poplars, oil on canvas, 20 x 16"

Landscape and Memory 222 Shelby Street Gallery, 222 Shelby 505-982-8889, 222shelbystreet.com Jun 4–Jul 6, reception Jun 5, 5–7 PM Landscape and Memory, a four-person show at the four-month-old 222 Shelby Street Gallery, explores the relationship between our shifting perceptions of familiar places and the expression of those perceptions in art, as seen through the works of local contemporary artists Pat Kikut, Debbie Long, Sarah Spengler, and John Wenger. Spengler’s lenticular photographs of reflected moonlight change appearance as we move around them, bringing an element of interactivity to the medium, while Kikut’s landscapes depicting imageless billboards suggest the unlimited potential of the artist before a blank canvas, as well as the creative possibilities inherent in decay. “We want to do very focused exhibitions of coherent and related objects,” says gallery director Tom Tavelli. This show’s theme continues in the late Wenger’s abstract expressionist paintings and Long’s intricately amorphous sculptures: Like Kikut’s minimalist, full-color images, they, too, interpret memories of place as fragmented and ephemeral.—MA

Carole LaRoche, Into the Future, pastel on paper, 40 x 32"

Silver Anniversary Show Carole LaRoche Gallery 415 Canyon, 505-982-1186 laroche-gallery.com Jul 17–Aug 17 reception Jul 17, 4–7 PM Renowned for her brilliantly illumined pastel and acrylic wolves and monochromatic messenger spirits, LaRoche offers up a retrospective that includes public debuts of past creations and newer works of vanishing species in this celebration of her 25 years as artist and gallery owner.—DJ 54

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Sarah Spengler, Eyelight, lenticular photograph, 48 x 28" 2009

art

bright lights, small footprint

NEWS

a r t i s t To m Joyc e ’s s o l a r - p o w e r e d a m b i t i o n s

ALL COURTESY QNURU

“Now more than ever we’ve got a collective responsibility to make a change,” says blacksmith/sculptor Tom Joyce from his barnlike, 2,200-square-foot adobe studio near Santa Fe. “We’ve simply got to do it.” The 52-year-old artist and 2003 MacArthur Fellow is showing me a computer image of an imagined park path lined with streetlamps that resemble Jetsonian trees—a canopy of whimsical, 20-foot-tall, solarpowered pole lamps with three “petals,” each of which contains a high-powered solar cell positioned beneath a clear, impact-resistant acrylic lens. Crafted from high-quality stone, aluminum, bronze, and iron, this series of functional sculpture may seem like a departure for Joyce—who’s better known, in museums from Moscow to Mexico, for his award-winning contemporary forged-iron pieces. But the lamps are a natural next step in the self-taught artist’s evolution as a toolmaker. Why Joyce made the leap from creating iron bowls inspired by Fibonacci mathematical sequences to designing solar-powered landscape lights has a lot to do with the following statistic: 22 percent of all electrical power generated in the world is used for lighting. A quarter of that power is used for exterior lighting, which costs $3.2 billion per year in the U.S. alone. “We all see that we have a problem and in some ways we’re all implicated,” says Joyce. “As the creator of functional objects, I have a unique opportunity to express a new realm, to showcase solar technology in a more aesthetically compelling way. This is about toolmakers’ problem solving.” The opportunity came in April 2008, when Bay Area entrepreneurs Farzad and Rhonda Dibachi, co-founders of Niku Corporation (a software-development company that was acquired by Computer Associates International in 2005 for $350 million), tapped Joyce’s creative talents for Qnuru. The group’s collaborators derived the name Qnuru, pronounced ka'-noo'-roo', from the Swahili word for “light.” Then they added “Q,” a notation scientists use for light’s radiant energy. The goal of the Albuquerque and Santa Fe– based company is to set a new standard for the look, function, and quality of light produced through photovoltaic technology. In keeping with its goals of sustainability, local growth, and design excellence, Qnuru debuted its line of six Joyce-designed solar lights at James Kelly Contemporary in mid-May. The next show, at San Francisco’s Braunstein/ Quay Gallery in late August, will coincide with the company’s pilot project, an installation of Qnuru lights in Golden Gate Park, done in collaboration with San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom’s Green Desk initiative and the city’s departments of Cultural Affairs and Economic Development. Joyce’s ultimate goal is to install the lights worldwide, which is why, this January, he hired Santa Fe metalsmith, jewelry designer, and former AT&T executive Kristin Lora Steinmetz as the company’s executive vice president of global sales and marketing. “We’re focusing anywhere there are alternative-technology initiatives,” says Steinmetz. “The acceptance of this technology is more widely spread in places like Dubai, where the existing grid and lighting industry are not nearly as large or saturated as in the U.S.” The reach may be global, but Joyce and Steinmetz plan to keep research, design, and production as local as possible. As soon as the company has firm footing, it will implement “open source design,” bringing in artists-in-residence and sharing the company’s technology, then licensing the artists’ future ideas through Qnuru. “Right now the loss of jobs is so intense that any part we can play in terms of economic health is key,” says Joyce. “But we have our sights set on major projections. We want this company to have a tremendous impact.”—SP

Clockwise from top: Qnuru’s Aquila, Cumuli, and Talus solar-powered lamp designs; Tom Joyce at work in his studio.

Tom Joyce: Qnuru, through Jun 14, James Kelly Contemporary Art, 1601 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1601, jameskelly.com 56

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Canyon Road Fine Art Internationally collected painter Harold Deist is known for his uncanny ability to capture the light of the Southwest as it shines down on gorges, mesas, valleys, and the historic adobe homes that identify northern New Mexico as a unique place. Working at his craft for more than 35 years has given Deist a keen eye for composition, subject, and the ability to mix paint to achieve a realism that delights the viewer. This year, he is offering a body of paintings that will once again excite both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers. Reception June 19.

222 Shelby Street Gallery Get Ready, Mary Lee Bendolph, color softground and spitbite aquatint etching, 36 x 43", edition of 50

In the wake of a major traveling exhibition entitled The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, the artists of Gee’s Bend have received well-deserved attention and rave reviews. In his New York Times review of the exhibition at its New York City venue, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Michael Kimmelman echoed the experience of museum audiences across the country. To quote Mr. Kimmelman, “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” The Artists of Gee’s Bend, July 9–August 1. Opening Friday, July 10, 5–7 PM.

621 Canyon, 505-988-9511 canyonroadfineart.com

222 Shelby, 505-982-8889, 222shelbystreet.com

the gallery ART SHOWCASE

RANE Gallery Riders to the Sea, Bill Rane, oil on canvas, 50 x 50"

Hunter Kirkland Contemporary Grand—Visitors At the Birdhouse, Ted Gall, Bronze, 24 x 10 x 29"

Ted Gall’s sculptures tend to work in ways that dreams do, presenting familiar images in unexpected combinations and contexts while leaving us to puzzle out what to make of them—yet never presuming to tell us what we are seeing! Show opens Friday, July 31. 200-B Canyon, 505-984-2111, hunterkirklandcontemporary.com 58

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RANE Gallery, now in its tenth year, features the artwork of Taos master painter Bill Rane (1927–2005). Along with original oil paintings are works on paper, prints, posters, fine-art cards, and the newly released poetry and RANE-art book, The Master’s Hand. 214 Ledoux, Taos 575-758-0000 billrane.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Judy Youens Gallery Calla–Dim, Martin Rosol, 14 x 14 x 4"

Big 4 is Michael Taylor, Jack Schmidt, Martin Rosol, and Lawrence Morrell. These four men are some of the most influential people in the development of the Studio Glass Movement. Morrell, from Portland, came in a little later in the timeline; Taylor was the head of RIT School; and Rosol moved here from Poland. June 13–July 10. Opening June 13, 5–7 PM. 826 Canyon, 505-466-3357, judyyouensgallery.com

Joe Wade Fine Art Sundown at Old Oraibi, John Oteri, oil, 11x14"

New works in oil, pastel, and watercolor by renowned Santa Fe artist John Oteri on view July 1–31. Meet the artist Friday, July 3, 5–7 PM. El Centro, 102 E Water, 505-988-2727, joewadefineart.com

POP Gallery King of The Fields, Diego Lukezic, original on canvas, 36 x 48"

POP Goes To The Dogs features work from Diego Lukezic, Amy Nelder, Lynden St. Victor, and Bradford Brenner, among others. This third annual event, with a silent auction, benefits the Assistance Dogs of the West, and runs July 11–28. POP Goes To The Dogs 2009, July 1–August 17. Champagne and chocolate artist reception: Saturday, July 11, 6 PM.

Parks Gallery

133 W Water, 505-820-0788, popsantafe.com

It’s Spring Again, Jim Wagner, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"

Since his arrival in Taos in the early ‘60s, Jim Wagner has developed a signature style of painting that celebrates the ecstatic skies and offbeat, funky charm of the valley. In the process he’s become a leading artist in Taos art history. July 4–27. Reception July 4, 4–6 PM. 127A Bent, Taos, 575-751-0343, parksgallery.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Gabriel Gallery

Brandon Michael Fine Art

Located next to Gabriel’s Restaurant, just south of the new Buffalo Thunder Resort, we showcase the largest collection of New Mexican fine art in the region.

Elizabeth Sandia’s pastel paintings capture the patterns, shapes, and colors of the Southwestern landscape. “Each time I paint on location, my challenge is to capture certain fleeting effects like the last rays of setting sun across a ridge, the pink glow bathing a canyon, or multicolored shadows on an adobe wall.” The exhibition Close to Home opens Friday, June 26.

Sun Drenched Cliffs, Elizabeth Sandia, pastel, 24 x 30"

202 Canyon, 505-795-7427, brandonmichaelfineart.com

Exit 176, Cuyamungue Hwy 84/285 505-455-9230 gabrielgallery.com

Jane Sauer Gallery Brent Kee Young’s work demonstrates his amazing ability to create diaphanous architectural and everyday objects using glass rods. Young’s work will also be featured in Sculptural Objects and Functional Art (SOFA), an art fair being held in the Santa Fe Convention Center at the same time. Opening June 12. 652 Canyon, 505-995-8513, jsauergallery.com

Human Line Studio Feeling Your Wish Fulfilled, Stacey Huddleston, mixed media, 48 x 30"

Human Line Studio is located on historic Bent Street. The Gallery is the public face of Stacey Huddleston, showing mixed-media paintings, monoprints, sculpture, and ink drawings. Huddleston’s vibrant palette and spiritual nature have marked her as the NeoSouthwestern artist. 127-D Bent, Taos 575-751-3033 humanlinestudio @newmex.com

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Frank Howell Gallery A Wish for a Long Ago and Far Away, Dale TerBush, acrylic, 36 x 48"

Well-known artist Dale TerBush has a new home for his ethereal landscapes here in Santa Fe. He is joining our other famous artists—Frank Howell, Bill Worrell, and Ray Tracey on the northeast corner of the Plaza. 103 Washington, 505-984-1074, frankhowellgallery.com

Art Exchange Gallery A Place of Rest, Brad Price, oil on canvas, 14 x 11"

The bold brushstrokes and colors in expressionist works by Brad Price are inspired by the Southwest landscape and its rugged beauty. His work is a rebirth of the sense of style of early Taos painters and the Postimpressionists. While visiting Canyon Road, view his works at Art Exchange Gallery. 618 Canyon, Unit B, 505-982-6329, aegallery.com

Art Exchange Gallery Jemez Billows, Jeff Tabor, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36"

Widely collected and nationally known artist Jeff Tabor uses color and a sense of light, along with a bit of abstraction, to give the feeling of being in the sundrenched New Mexico mountains. Born and raised in New Mexico, Tabor’s work, and that of several other artists, is on view at Art Exchange Gallery. 618 Canyon, Unit B, 505-982-6329, aegallery.com

Carole LaRoche Gallery Red Zebra, giclée on canvas, 20 x 20", limited edition

Carole LaRoche’s work is strikingly recognizable. She captures the emotions of animals in a deep and profound way, reminding us that we’re all connected. We celebrate 25 years on Canyon Road with her Silver Anniversary and Retrospective Show on July 17. 415 Canyon 505-982-1186 larochegallery.com

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AllBright Bright&Lock LockWood Wood

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621 Old Santa Fe Trail •• Santa Fe, NM 87505 Tel: 505.986.1715 •• Fax: 505.986.1518 Hours: 9 - 5 •• Monday - Friday TRADE DISCOUNTS

S A N TA F E

MARY ANN WARNER

"Honoring, continuing, and cultivating the legacy of fine arts in Taos."

www.thetaosgallery.com

HENRY ISAACS

575.758.3911

TOM ROGERS

JEFFREY HILLS

BILL HUDSON

STEVEN GOOTGELD

On summernights,the stars burn bright at The Lensic.

This Summer Don’ t M is s The se Br i lli ant Art ist s: Laurie Anderson: June 8 David Byrne: June 17 New Mexico Jazz Festival: July 14-26 Patricia Racette: Aug. 9 View the full summer calendar at Lensic.org

)(( N\jk JXe =iXeZ`jZf Jki\\k K`Zb\k @e]f1 0//$()*+ Â? K`Zb\kjJXekX=\%fi^

The Lensic Belongs to You... Be Part of It! As a Friend or Leader support: Eclectic Lensic Presents performances Community Sponsorships for arts and nonprofit organizations Education programs that bring 15,000 students to the theater annually

Friends and Leaders receive fantastic member benefits! Call 988-7050 ext. 203 for more information on becoming a Lensic Friend or Leader. 64

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The Lensic is a member-supported, nonprofit organization.

roman holiday When the smells of fragrant espresso and bubbling pizza fresh from the oven hit your nostrils in the same whiff, you know you’re in a classic Italian café. Mangiamo Pronto celebrates the best of Italy’s favorites: pasta, frittatas, panini, and pizzas like the Piadini de Pomodoro (a thin-crust pie topped with roasted tomatoes, Gorgonzola dolce, and balsamic reduction, then cut and stacked with a toss of mixed greens). In summer, you can dine alfresco on the cozy ristorante’s quiet street near the revamped Railyard. Pretend you’re vacationing in Rome; the authentic flavors won’t tell you otherwise. Mangiamo Pronto, 312 Read, 505-989-1904—John Vollertsen DOUGLAS MERRIAM

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dining

eat, drink, be merry

REVIEW

2 0 S a n t a Fe d i s h e s t o t a s t e b e f o r e y o u d e p a r t

Planning a “bucket list,” a collection of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket,” has become a popular pastime. But running with the bulls, bungee jumping, or naked skydiving do not interest me in the least. I’d rather catalog and then devour a collection of must-try dishes in my favorite food town—Santa Fe. So whether you are here for a short visit or considering moving away (How could you?), here are my votes for dine-on-before-you-depart goodies.

Mu Du Noodles Daikon Cakes: They start out as large white tubers; they’re grated, mixed with rice, and then steamed, formed, and frozen. A quick pan-searing and swirl in sweetened oyster sauce give them their unique texture and delectable flavor: warm and soft in the center and crunchy and sweet on the outside. 1494 Cerrillos, 505-983-1411

315 Squash Blossom Beignets: Before a zucchini becomes a squash, it bursts forth in a fragile edible bloom. At 315 these batter-fried little beauties get a double finish—a creamy goat-cheese fondue and zippy tomato sauce—subtle enough to let the flower’s freshness shine through. 315 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-986-9190

Cafe Pasqual’s Smoked Trout Hash: If I’m brunching at this downtown culinary treasure—it’s 30 years old this year—I can’t pass up the Gruyère-laden hash browns topped with perfect poached eggs, tart tomatillo-and-chile-de-arbol salsa, and ever-so-lightly flaked smoked trout. Heaven! 121 Don Gaspar, 505-983-9340 Gabriel’s Made-to-Order Guacamole: It’s all about the atmosphere in making the tableside guacamole so special at this roadside institution. Watch the sun set on the outdoor patio and ask the guac-master to fire it up with jalapeños; you can cool down with a classic margarita. Hwy 84/285, Exit 176, 505-455-7000

The Compound Liquid Chocolate Cake: There’s something sensual about a molten chocolate

DOUGLAS MERRIAM

center that spills forth when pierced with your fork. Siding it with a mini bananas Foster and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream, Chef Mark Kiffin presents a trio of luscious desserts on one plate. 653 Canyon, 505-982-4353

Coyote Cafe Chef’s Famous Telicherry Pepper Elk Tenderloin: Garlic “smashed” potatoes, applewood-smoked bacon, brandied mushroom sauce—Chef Eric DiStefano brought this dish with him from Geronimo to what is perhaps Santa Fe’s most famous restaurant. If you think elk is gamy or tough, one fork-tender bite will convince you otherwise. 132 W Water, 505-983-1615

Los Potrillos Chiles en Ahogada: For Mexico’s Independence Day, these plump poblano chiles, stuffed with spiced meat “picadillo,” covered in a creamy walnut sauce, and scattered with pomegranate seeds, represent the colors of the Mexican flag. Celebrate this dish any day and wash it down with one of this authentic café’s fresh-fruit licuados. ¡Que bueno! 1947 Cerrillos, 505-992-0550 La Boca Fried Egg with Chorizo and Potatoes: This classic tapa speaks volumes about the bustling taparia’s menu—simple, luscious, and so Spanish. The smoky chorizo fat crisps the potatoes; ham ‘n’ eggs for day or night. 72 W Marcy, 505-982-3433

Trattoria Nostani Eggplant Fritters with Homemade Ricotta and Heirloom Grape Tomatoes: Chef Nelli Maltezos knows how to let food flavors shine through, and this celebration of summer ingredients is so unsullied that the fritters almost float off the plate. Veggies growing in the backyard of this stylish downtown trattoria prove her commitment to what’s fresh and seasonal. 304 Johnson, 505-983-3800 A La Mesa Mussels Marinier: Many restaurants dabble in mussel cookery, but this Guadalupe District hot spot has elevated the mollusk to a fine art. At any given time there are three versions on the menu; my favorite comes bathed in white wine with shallots, chopped garlic, and a dash of Pernod. 428 Agua Fria, 505-988-2836 66

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dining

REVIEW

Santacafe Calamari with Four-Chile Dipping Sauce: The ethereal breading on these tender tentacles is so light it’s almost not there. The kick and pucker of the sauce make my mouth water just thinking about it. 231 Washington, 505-984-1788 Tune-Up Café Pupusas: Like a chubby griddled tamale, these tender masa cakes encase chile-pasado–seasoned flank steak or grilled zucchini, with a melting queso-fresco bond that oozes with each bite. House-made salsas top off this Salvadoran wonder. 1115 Hickox, 505-983-7060

Red Sage at Buffalo Thunder Resort Dry Aged Prime Bone-in Rib-Eye Cowboy-Cut Steak: Don’t be fooled by the size (32 ounces)—this honkin’ slab o’ beef is aged 28 days to tenderize it and develop its fabulous flavor. Topped with spicy “tobacco” onion rings before or after a stop at the casino, this steak’s a winner. 30 Buffalo Thunder Trail, 505-455-5555 Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen Margaritas: More than 200 varieties— tart, icy cold, thirst- and soul-quenching, salty, tequila pungent. Enough said. 555 W Cordova, 505-983-7929

La Dolce Vita Quattro Formaggi Pizza: Ohhhh, that lightly charred crust; ooooh, that homemade sauce; ahhh, those four melting cheeses. Toss it into a woodburning oven and you have Santa Fe’s most authentic Italian-style pizza. Get it delivered. 945 W Alameda, 505-629-4500

gotta love a sweet roll that hangs over the edge of a dinner plate, pull-apart tender and dripping with sugar glaze. Plop this monster in the middle of a table of friends, and demolish. 930 Baca, 505-995-1105

BOTH: DOUGLAS MERRIAM

Counter Culture Cinnamon Bun: You

Kakawa Chocolate House Mesoamerican Chocolate Elixirs: True chocoholics know that the pure chocolate drinks at this chocolatier/cocoa café are absolute nirvana. The Mayan Full Spice version is a spicy-hot and decadent brew with chiles, agave nectar, flowers, nuts, and spices. Try it poured over ice for summer. 1050 E Paseo de Peralta, 505-982-0388

Tomasita’s Sopapillas: You won’t find these puffy pillows of dough served in Mexico, but in New Mexico they are the preferred bread to soak up all that hot red-chile sauce. Get them warm by the basket at this popular Railyard favorite, and don’t forget to add plenty of honey. 500 S Guadalupe, 505-983-5721

Opposite: Fried egg with chorizo and potatoes, a classic tapa served at La Boca. Above, from left: squash-blossom beignets, batter-fried and sauced, at 315; Mesoamerican chocolate elixir, available at Kakawa.

Terra at Encantado Resort Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio: How Chef Charles Dale gets these ripe tomatoes so thinly sliced is a wonder, and when topped with house-made mozzarella, a tangle of frisée, and balsamic-reduction drizzle, the tomatoes seem to shimmer and wink. Dale is our best new Santa Fe chef and his respect for flavor in this dish proves it. 198 State Road 592, 505-946-5800 Ristra Grilled Foie Gras with Sautéed Peaches and Blueberry Sauce: True gourmands will take their goose liver any way they can get it, and at this popular eatery Chef Xavier Grenet pairs the rich, fatty foie with summer fruits. It’s classic French with an American twist. Enjoy it now…just in case! 548 Agua Fria, 505-982-8608—JV june/july

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dining

getting personal

Q+A

p r i v at e c h e f s b r i n g i t o n h o m e

Who’s getting dinner? Savvy diners, from Santa Feans with specific dietary needs to visitors who want to be on vacation in every way, are turning to private chefs. Considering that the chefs named here also do the shopping and delivery, this can be cost-effective to boot: prices vary but are typically at a set or hourly rate, with customers covering ingredients. It’s all the more reason to turn in your apron and get outta the kitchen.

Tanya Headley Everything Edible Adept at preparing special menus, including vegan and foodallergy-sensitive dishes, Headley marvels at the variety of eating regimes Santa Feans embrace. With Southern roots and locally famous for her chicken-sausage jambalaya and chicken pot pies, she decided to go into business for herself after running a B&B in tiny Cerrillos, N.M. Spot the company placard on her car as she scurries to satisfy hungry customers. 505-471-0971, everythingedible.net

James Martinez Dinner Solutions A Northern New Mexico native, Martinez has a repertoire that ranges from killer green-chile chicken enchiladas to beef bourguignonne. He credits his listing on hirechef.com for many of his clients, and can find a menu to suit any budget—once Clockwise from top: Tanya Headley, James Martinez, even preparing meals for a UNM footballer whose parents and Harold Orner. wanted a healthy diet for their athlete son. Bring Martinez home or catch him out: he moonlights at Terra at Encantado Resort. 505-920-9368, dinnersolutions.org

Harold Orner Executive Chef, Inc.

NATALIE BACA

ALL: DANA WALDON

With a lengthy resume that includes serving as executive chef both in Santa Fe (at Quail Run and Zia Diner) and on the East Coast, plus current work as a popular caterer, Orner realizes each client has a very specific taste that may take a while to “dial in to.” He notes that most folks want simply prepared food, like a perfect roast chicken or homemade soup, but he also gets lots of requests for his slowbraised, rich, and meaty osso buco. 505-690-9187, executivechefinc.com—JV

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Summer is here and while homegrown edibles spring forth from our gardens, new restaurants, too, are blooming. Atrisco Café & Bar opens in early June at DeVargas Center—at the site formerly inhabited by Diego’s Café (193 Paseo de Peralta)—and owner George Gundrey is no stranger to the food world. He was the director of the Santa Fe Farmers Market for two years, and his mother, Georgia, founded the Nu-Mex institution Tomasita’s. Atrisco, says Gundrey, is the Albuquerque neighborhood where his grandmother owned and operated a “greasy spoon.” Expect great regional specialties as well as comfort-food goodies, served at lunch and dinner daily—plus a full bar. Chef/owner Andrew MacLauchlan, of the new Real Food Nation, just off I-25 at the Eldorado exit (624 Old Las Vegas Hwy), also boasts hefty culinary credentials. He’s a cookbook author and has done stints with Coyote Café’s former proprietor, Mark Miller, and at Charlie Trotter’s, in Chicago. Joined by longtime Santa Fe chef Kim Müller, he’s set out to revolutionize the casual-dining market in a smart former gas station. Open 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM weekdays, the diner offers a gourmet gamut, from healthy salads with creative toppers like quinoa and edamame to changing daily entrees (perfect to take home from the drive-up window). I urge all of us to do our part—eat up and heat up Santa Fe!—JV

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JIMSON WEED RETURNS

From the White House GEORGIA O’KEEFFE:

Beyond Our Shores M AY

22

–

SEPTEMBER

VISIT THE MUSEUM DAILY 10 AM – 5 PM 217 JOHNSON STREET, SANTA FE, NM

20,

2009

FRIDAYS 10 AM – 8 PM (5 – 8 PM FREE) 505.946.1000

OKEEFFEMUSEUM.ORG

The Jimson Weed Returns from the White House and Georgia O’Keeffe: Beyond Our Shores was organized by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. This exhibition and related programming were made possible in part by a generous grant from The Burnett Foundation. Additional support was provided by Los Alamos National Bank, The Kerr Foundation, the Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax, New Mexico Tourism Department, New Mexico Arts (a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs), the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s National Council, and the Members of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Georgi a O’Keeffe, Ji mson Weed, 1932. Oi l on can vas, 48 x 40 i n . Gi f t o f th e Bu r n ett F o u n d a ti o n .

EXTEND YOUR STAY, WITHOUT OPENING YOUR WALLET. STAY THREE-NIGHTS AND YOUR FOURTH NIGHT IS FREE.** Looking for a complete get-away in your own backyard? Take advantage of the **Tamaya Experience Stimulus Package and extend your threenight stay with a fourth night free. The package also includes breakfast for two every day, valet parking and 25% discount on resort activities. Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa is a world-class destination that just completed its largest renovation project since opening in 2001. It was voted among the Top 5 Best Value Hotels in Continental U.S. and Canada and among Top 20 Best Overall Value in the World by Travel + Leisure magazine, 2009. Give your family a unique experience this year and book your next vacation at the culturally unique and affordable Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. For reservations, contact your travel planner at 800 55 HYATT or visit tamaya.hyatt.com and request the Tamaya Experience Stimulus Package. Best Hotel Value in the World by Travel + Leisure, 2009 Top and Most Affordable Spas in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada by Condé Nast Traveler, 2009 Offer valid through October 31, 2009 at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. Reservations are subject to availability and must be made in advance. Package is not valid with groups/conventions and is not combinable with any other promotional offer. Rates are per room, per night based on double occupancy and do not include taxes and resort fees. Additional charges apply to room type upgrades. Additional guests may be subject to additional hotel charges. Package does not include incidental charges or any other hotel specific charges. Breakfast includes gratuity and does not include alcohol. Breakfast is valid in Santa Ana Café and is not valid for Sunday Brunch or Holiday Brunches. No refunds for any unused portion of package. Promotional blackout periods may apply due to seasonal periods or special events. Normal arrival/departure restrictions apply. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this program at any time without notice. HYATT name, design and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. © 2009 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

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G A L I S T E O B A S I N P R E S E RV E A S T EWA R DS H I P C OM M U NI T Y

PHOTO BY JONATHAN TERCERO

Create a home place amid thousands of acres of open space and a nationally recognized stewardship community. Explore miles of trails and endless views minutes from Santa Fe. Properties include four spectacular private ranches and home sites in the Southern Crescent conservation neighborhood. www.GalisteoBasinPreserve.com

CommonwealConservancy

or call Commonweal Conservancy at 505-982-0071, x105

Brent Green Ruben Ochoa JUNE 13–SEPTEMBER 6 Klara Kristalova JUNE 27–SEPTEMBER 6 Public Opening FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 5–7 PM AUCTION SITE 2009 JUNE 19 & 20 Featuring significant works of art by leading contemporary artists for sale to benefit SITE Santa Fe. For tickets call 505.989.1199 x 20, or to view online catalogue, visit www.sitesantafe.org

SITE SANTA FE SUMMER2009 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501 | 505.989.1199 | www.sitesantafe.org This announcement is partially funded by the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax. Special thanks to the Santa Fean. Image: Klara Kristalova, Game, 2007, Stoneware, 8 ¼ x 9 ¾ x 8 ¾ inches Collection of Susan D. Goodman, New York; image courtesy of Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris & Miami

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

*

taste of the town N O R T H E R N N E W M E X I C O ’S F I N E S T D I N I N G E X P E R I E N C ES

featured listing 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 of our legendary hotel and signature restaurant. Generations of Santa Feans have gathered, celebrated, and dined here. La Plazuela is undergoing a gorgeous renovation and when open in June, will be filled with natural light, hand-carved furnishings, a fountain, and our much-loved, hand-painted windows. The new menu, created by executive chef Lane Warner, weaves old favorites with new, showcasing authentic New Mexican cuisine. Breakfast 7–10:45 daily, lunch 11:30 AM–2 PM, Monday–Friday; 11:45 AM–3 PM, Saturday and Sunday. Dinner 5:30–10 PM daily.

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 Provencal 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 is 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.

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.

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-toceiling windows, mountain views, a walled patio, and parking galore. Eclectic menus feature upscale new American, contemporary Italian, Creole Cajun, and Northern New Mexican dishes. Local favorites include house-made breads, fresh salads, soups, and, of course, signature house-made ice creams. A delightful Wine Bar appetizer menu is served the days the restaurant is open for dinner. Open 8 AM–2:30 PM, Sunday–Tuesday; 8 AM–9 PM, Wednesday–Saturday; Dinner is served 5–9 PM, Wednesday–Saturday only.

The Compound 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 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; 12–250 guests, private parking. Seasonal specialty: Made-to-order spring asparagus soup, cr`eme fraˆiche, and caviar. 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.

www.santafean.com

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Doc Martin’s at The Historic Taos Inn 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos 575-758-2233, 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 20 consecutive years. The Adobe Bar features complimentary live entertainment nightly. Patio dining as weather permits. Featured dessert: sweet lemon pound cake with cinnamon ice cream and blueberry cassis sauce. Join us for holiday dining—make your reservations early! Breakfast is served daily 7:30–11 AM; lunch 11:30 AM–2:30 PM; dinner 5:30–9 PM; Saturday and Sunday brunch 7:30 AM–2:30 PM.

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

Geronimo, in its celebrated 18 years, has established a reputation as the place to dine in Santa Fe. Tradition and innovation merge at Geronimo, a Canyon Road legend. Chris Harvey and partner/executive chef Martin Rios have succeeded in bringing unparalleled sophistication to the 1756 adobe home. The romantic, elegant atmosphere creates a fabulous backdrop for Martin’s global fusion–Southwest creations. Geronimo, where simplicity and understatement reign within the venerable adobe walls. Lunch 11:30 AM–2 PM, Friday–Sunday; dinner seven days a week, beginning at 5:45 PM.

Graham’s Grille 106 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos 505-751-3242, grahamstaos.com

Graham’s Grille has become the “in” place in the Taos historic district. Visitors and locals alike are raving about the combination of unique food and comfortable atmosphere. Lesley B. Fay, who designed the restaurant to convey a cosmopolitan atmosphere that fits the mission of this extraordinary culinary endeavor, also doubles as the executive chef. Fay and her husband, Peter, created Graham’s Grille to provide honest, creative food at a reasonable price, with great, friendly service in a hip, fun place. Voted Best of Taos ‘07 and ‘08 and #1 on tripadviser.com. Call us about Graham’s Grille Catering Company. Open daily for lunch, 11 AM– 2:30 PM; dinner 5–9 PM.

India Palace 227 Don Gaspar, 505-986-585, 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 gluten-free meals also available. Open seven days a week. Lunch 11:30 AM–2:30 PM; dinner 5–10 PM.

Inn of the Anasazi, A Rosewood Hotel 113 Washington, 505-988-3236 innoftheanasazi.com

Experience Oliver’s twist on Southwestern cuisine with an all-new menu. In the Anasazi restaurant, kids eat free with parents on weekdays. In the bar and on the patio, enjoy Anasazi’s famous margaritas all month long for just $5. Complimentary chips and salsa daily from 4 to 6 PM. In the wine cellar, enjoy complimentary wine tastings with our sommelier. Call us to reserve a seat for our monthly wine dinner. Special room rates and packages. Spring special: Buy one room, receive one at half price. Call us for details.

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

We’re open for dinner seven days a week, 5:30–10 PM. Featuring the culinary brilliance of chef Joseph Wrede, Joseph’s Table offers award-winning cuisine, an extensive wine selection, and Taos’s newest night spot, the Butterfly Bar–all awash in an elegant, artistically inspired ambience. Menus change daily. “Joseph Wrede is an exceptionally gifted chef,” says The New York Times.

Josh’s Barbecue 3486 Zafarano, 505-474-6466, joshsbbq.com

Mauka

Rancho de Chimayó

544 Agua Fria, 505-984-1969 maukarestaurant.com

County Road 98, on the High Road to Taos ranchodechimayo.com

Euro-Asian cuisine featuring local and organic ingredients. Mauka features exceptionally fresh fish flown in directly and daily from Hawaii as well as beef, lamb, pork, and vegetarian entrees. Ingredients and cooking techniques that reflect Chef Joel Coleman’s Hawaiian, European, and Asian influences flow through the exciting seasonal menu offerings. Dinner is served seven days a week from 5:30 PM. Beer and wine list available.

Rancho de Chimayó Restaurante grand re-opening, late July 2009. Serving world-renowned traditional and contemporary native New Mexican cuisine in an exceptional setting since 1965. Enjoy outdoor dining or soak up the culture and ambience of this century– old adobe home. Try the Rancho de Chimayo’s specialty: carne adovada (marinated pork simmered in a spicy, red-chile 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 open now!

Max’s 4031⁄2 Guadalupe, 505-984-9104

Good things come on small plates at Max’s, where the globally inspired menu is designed for sharing multiple dishes. Located in the historic Railyard District, the intimate lounge environment plays host to a diverse crowd, especially on Friday nights for the not-to-be-missed queer cabaret. Tucked away in the alley behind Willee’s Blue’s Bar on Guadalupe Street, this small restaurant fills up quickly: reservations available for parties of six or more. Open 5–10 PM, Tuesday–Thursday; 5–11 PM, Friday and Saturday.

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

Voted best new restaurant of 2008! Savor the flavor of classic American barbecue created with a special New Mexico twist. Chef/owner Josh Baum, with his manager Rodney Estrada, dish up fresh daily a huge selection of slow-smoked, mouthwatering meat choices, including tender brisket and fall-off-the-bone natural ribs, served with a choice of sides, sauces, and desserts, all house-made. Special regional dishes like smoked chicken tacquitos and green-chile brisket burritos have made this recent upstart 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, 11:30 AM–9 PM, Tuesday– Saturday; 11 AM–8 PM Sunday; closed Mondays.

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 saffroninfused 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.

Lambert’s of Taos

Locally owned Italian trattoria located one block north of the Plaza. Nationally acclaimed and affordable, il Piatto features local organic produce and housemade 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

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.

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

A Santa Fe tradition for six decades, specializing in Old Santa Fe home cooking and fajitas. Watch tortillas being made by hand. A choice of more than 125 margaritas, reputed to be the best in the world, are each made from scratch and hand-shaken. Home of The Great Margarita Book (Ten-Speed Press, Berkeley). Most Mexican beers are available, plus a full-service bar and great wine list. Lunch and dinner 11 AM–10 PM, Monday–Friday; noon–10 PM, Saturday and Sunday.

Il Piatto 95 W Marcy, 505-984-1091

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 waitstaff 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 San Juan Country Inn and Restaurant 34020 US Hwy 285, 505-753-6818 ranchodesanjuan.com

Celebrating 15 years in New Mexico, 1994–2009. “The faraway nearby.” Exquisite world-class, award-winning restaurant. Enjoy comfortable dining in an elegant but casual atmosphere. Savor innovative cuisine with a Southwest flair. Watch our website for special events, wine dinners, Dine Around the World evenings, plus Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day brunches. Enjoy our patio in the summer, and dinner by firelight in the fall and winter. Full bar for sunset cocktails, and awardwinning wine list with reasonable prices to complement your dining pleasure. Zagat Survey winner, #1 in New Mexico. Only 40 minutes north of Santa Fe. Conde Nast Traveler Gold List #28 in USA. Come celebrate our 15th anniversary all year! Reservations required. Dinner served at two seatings only: 6:30 and 8 PM, Tuesday–Saturday. Table is yours for the evening. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Santacafé 231 Washington, 505-984-1788

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 Santacafé 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 has some of the best people-watching Santa Fe has to offer! 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.

Terra at Encantado Resort 198 State Road 592, 505-946-5800 encantadoresort.com

Santa Fe’s new dining destination located at the new Encantado Resort. “The cuisine at Terra is elegant, yet simple; interesting, yet approachable; and contemporary, while maintaining its connection to the cultural and historical antecedents of the region,” explains Chef Charles Dale. “Terra will introduce a new perspective to the Santa Fe dining scene, with more European accents to the rustic regional cuisine and an environment alight with energy and intrigue.” Please call to reserve your dining experience.

www.santafean.com

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the william & joseph gallery glass sculpture by carol savid

www.thewilliamandjosephgallery.com 727 canyon road 505.982.9404

GRAND RE-OPENING Late July 2009 We are pleased to announce the Grand Re-Opening of Rancho de Chimayó Restauranté. Since the fire of 2008, the historic restaurant has been respectfully restored, preserving most of the original adobe walls, structure and many of its authentic features. Come cherish the memories and make new ones. Rancho de Chimayó is a treasured part of New Mexico’s heritage and history and will always remain ... a timeless tradition.

Please check the website for Grand Re-Opening dates and events. NOW taking reservations for late July and beyond. “a timeless tradition”

Shop online at

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“right as rain” continued from page 46

rethink their conceptions about what landscaping should look like and achieve. In this sense, Northern New Mexico has the advantage of precedent: “Santa Fe is blessed with this traditional culture and people who grew up knowing that you don’t have a lawn unless you have sheep,” says Downey of centuries-old Spanish and Native American water-use customs, which carefully regulated distribution. The influence of both tradition and news of water woes is clear: Since 2002, combined commercial and residential water use in Santa Fe dropped from 137 gallons per capita per day to 103 by 2008. “That’s huge,” says Borchert, who says at-home use is close to 50 gpcpd, down from about 75 in 2002. But, she adds, “I’ve traveled to places in Europe where they use an average of 35.” (According to the EPA, the U.S. uses more water per capita than any other country in the world.) “There are so many things that are already part of their water-conscious culture—things we can aspire to.”

A TURNING TIDE The changes brought by Santa Fe’s conservation measures have left the community poised for widespread adoption of harvesting practices, despite the fact that public awareness still lags behind the burgeoning industry’s know-how and available services. Local designers point to a steady increase in consumer interest, which they’ve witnessed in recent years, as evidence of a continuing shift. “We were almost a fringe element when we got started in 1992,” says Downey, who estimates that Santa Fe Permaculture grew at a

rate of 15 to 30 percent per year during its first decade. “And it was the same with water harvesting in general. Now it’s totally mainstream here.” He and landscape designer Maggie Lee, who founded Terra Flora Garden Design in 1995, both say the majority of new clients now ask for water-harvesting recommendations. Other numbers back this up: A 2007 Wall Street Journal article reported that orders for harvesting technology at Santa Fe–based Aqua Harvest grew 20 percent in 2006 alone, compared with 5 percent in 2003. And with the county’s rain-harvesting ordinance in effect, more home buyers are being introduced to cistern systems through simple inheritance. The 13,000-acre master-planned Rancho Viejo development, in Santa Fe County south of the city, has so far built some 300 new homes that come preinstalled with cisterns, with at least another 700 in the planning stages. For Chris Musselman, a Chicago transplant who inherited a catchment system when he moved into his West Alameda condominium unit in 2006, embracing water harvesting was a no-brainer: The catchment in his 500-gallon aboveground cistern easily irrigates his small yard. “It’s great for trees,” he explains, “and I use it a lot for container gardening.” In terms of policy, Pushard praises Santa Fe’s effective waterconservation measures, but stops short of applauding efforts to promote rainwater harvesting. There’s too much, he says, that hasn’t been done—he’s particularly critical of the absence of public education. Richard Jennings, founder of the 11-year-old firm Earthwrights Designs and creator of the elaborate commercial cistern system at the continued on page 85

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“right as rain” continued from page 80

Railyard, says he’d like to see the city put specific installation guidelines into its permit code. “There’s actually a small industry,” he says, “in fixing screwed-up systems.” But, he adds, “I have no complaints about what’s gone down so far. It’s not a linear, always-gettingbetter thing, but it’s a good process.” Still, while the benefits of harvesting rainwater are many, the practice isn’t without its doubters, even within Santa Fe’s own water-conservation offices. Borchert points out that as soon as you pull water from any single source, you’re depriving another wouldbe recipient downstream. If the source is one of this region’s aquifers, that’s the Rio Grande. In terms of the rain, there’s very little evidence to show who may or may not lose out (existing data suggest that collecting rainwater has only a minor impact on downstream flow). Similar concerns have been expressed by state engineers in Colorado, where a grassroots push to allow rainwater harvesting clashes with a water-claims system that’s more than a century old. The practice can also create users with sporadic water needs, complicating water-services planning efforts. “My concern personally,” explains Borchert, “is that if people don’t build a cistern that’s large enough, or if it doesn’t rain, we still have to figure out how to supply them in times of drought. It’s trickier from a policy perspective.” Pushard laughs off the skepticism. “It’s like they believe the water’s disappearing from the watershed,” he says, citing a Colorado study that found that, in dry conditions, only about three percent of rainfall makes it to streams (that goes up to about 15 percent in wet conditions). He also sees another motive for opposing rain catchment: It would reduce the demand for water provided by for-profit utility companies, cutting into their bottom lines. Yet the changes on the horizon, both here and in Colorado, come as no surprise to Pushard and Jennings. The inevitable necessity of the practice, they believe, boils down to simple math. “Conservation is only using less of what you’ve got,” says Jennings. “Rainwater harvesting is gaining more.” Pushard puts it even more succinctly: “Time is on our side,” he says, “because it’s hard to fight logic over time.”

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H I S TO RY

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in their own voice

New Mexico’s first public school has a storied history that has even included banning the use of sign language.

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COURTESY NMSD

p r i de m e e t s p r e j u dic e at t h e Ne w Me x ic o S c ho o l f o r t h e De a f

Lars and Belle Larson pose with some of the first students enrolled at the school “for the deaf and dumb,” circa 1890.

when alvar ´ núñez Cabeza de Vaca first explored the Southwest in the 1520s and ’30s, he found that the Native peoples here relied on a widespread practice of signing to communicate across language barriers. A fundamental means of imparting information, manual language has since been seen by some linguists as essential and beautiful, while others condemned it as primitive and useless. Today, it lives on in this region in the form of American Sign Language: the natural “tongue” of the students at Santa Fe’s most mysterious and misunderstood public school, New Mexico School for the Deaf. Native users of ASL—those born deaf or who lost their hearing before learning verbal language—refer to themselves as Deaf, reserving the lowercase “deaf” for those who lose their hearing later on. Today, New Mexico’s Deaf community is nearly 180,000 strong and part of a closejune/july

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knit international social network with its own magazines, slang signs, and dialects. NMSD is likewise immersed in Deaf culture—but it wasn’t always so. From its early days as the Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, the state’s first public school has a storied history that has even included banning the use of sign language. Even now, after 118 years at its Cerrillos Road campus, with a new vision statement approved in April, language remains at the center of debates surrounding the school’s uncertain future. It was 1885 when Lars Larson, at 29, first placed an ad in The Daily New Mexican announcing the formation of a school “for the deaf and dumb.” Larson, who lost his hearing as a toddler, dreamed of leaving the Midwest to become the first Deaf teacher in New Mexico. A top graduate of Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C.—the nation’s first

to teach Deaf students using ASL— Larson and his wife, Belle, were welcomed warmly in Santa Fe, but struggled to raise funds to provide a normal education for the territory’s often impoverished Deaf children. After a year of persistent lobbying, Larson persuaded the territorial legislature to fund the home-style land-grant school. The legislature established a board of trustees and renamed the school, over Larson’s objection, an “asylum.” Larson, now the superintendent, despised the term, which he closely associated with mental illness and paternalistic attitudes—and which set the tone for Larson’s eventual ouster and a shift toward a “corrective” curriculum that would last six decades. According to Marian Meyer in the school’s self-published 1988 history, A Century of Progress, Larson was replaced in 1906 by Wesley O. Connor, ostensibly to ensure the

HENRI GRAU, COURTESY NMSD

But that would change, as Deaf and Hard of Hearing New Mexicans struggled to recover their natural voice. In 1940, Connor hired Thomas Dillon, a Gallaudet graduate, as the first deaf teacher at the now-renamed school. Three years later, Dillon became its first (at one point the nation’s only) deaf principal. And although Dillon, who lost his hearing in adolescence, spoke extremely well, he realized that manual language was essential for his students— who, he observed, defiantly continued to use “bootleg” signs. Basing his work on groundbreaking 1960s studies by Gallaudet professor William Stokoe, Dillon experimented with the use of finger spelling and signing—and it worked. In 1971, all 21 in the graduating class enrolled in college. Yet, according to Dillon’s son, Tom, none of this could persuade the board to appoint Dillon as superintendent when he came up for consideration in 1962. It did, however, mark a critical step toward the 1994 appointment of multilingual Deaf superintendent Dr. Madan Vasishta, and of his current Deaf successor, Dr. Ronald Stern. Even more important, by giving native ASL users permission to sign, Dillon and others surfaced a largely hidden culture and helped speed the passage of a body of state and federal laws supporting Deaf people and their language.

COURTESY NMSD

safety of “helpless students.” But this concern, suggests Meyer, was a veiled way of expressing some trustees’ discomfort in working with a non-speaking man. And there was another factor: Connor’s fiancée, Hazel Poole, had learned the trustees’ names from Larson himself and then covertly presented Connor— a hearing man—as a replacement. Larson, stunned, learned of the loss of his position from Poole’s wedding announcement. With Larson gone, life at the “asylum” was strict and spare. Larson’s name, like his manual language, was erased from the face of the school. All students were required to repeat sounds aloud and banned from using what 75-year-old NMSD graduate Espie Latimer refers to as “our flying hands.” Students were also encouraged to remain on campus all year, and, conscious of their difference, they were often reluctant to leave. When they did, they didn’t get far. Connor focused on vocational training like shoemaking and housekeeping. “Our idea of education is best expressed by Leo Tolstoy,” he told reporters in 1910. “Teaching children to be useful is ‘a hundred times more important than knowledge of French or history.’” During the 38 years of his tenure, the graduation rate averaged less than one student per year, with not a single one graduating in the first nine.

Above: The school’s first building at its Cerrillos Road location, in 1897. Below: NMSD students converse at a Native American Feast Day event.

Since then, NMSD’s programs have been based on the belief that bilingual ASL/English education is the key to literacy. But bringing Deaf/HH students up to grade level, says Stern, is a challenging task. “We still have students enrolling at age 14 who haven’t been sufficiently exposed to ASL, and lack the corresponding skills in English,” says the native ASL user. Stern also discontinued NMSD’s integrated Deaf/hearing class five years ago, arguing that Deaf/HH students were not benefiting enough from the program. But some in the Deaf community, including Vasishta, disagree with this approach. Add to that the Bush administration’s January amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which encourage Deaf/hearing integration through shared educational and social experiences. These debates point to an ongoing struggle within the Deaf community—one the school’s new vision statement addresses only obliquely but that students like Amy Lucero, a 19-yearold NMSD graduate, know well. She transferred there from Gonzales Elementary when she was 11, loving the refuge it provided. “I was mocked and misunderstood by hearing students,” the sophomore at Rochester Technical Institute says of Gonzales. But, she warns, “I don’t think NMSD students should feel too comfortable. It makes it much harder to experience the outside world.”—Pilar Murray june/july

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talk Dive into Deaf language and culture at

ASL Immersion Week. July 27–31, $200 8:30 AM–4:30 PM NMSD 1060 Cerrillos 505-476-6400 nmsd.k12.nm.us

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D AY T R I P

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el morro national monument photograph by Peter Ogilvie

Location: Ramah, N.M., in Cibola National Forest Distance: 180 miles southwest of Santa Fe; 43 miles southwest of Grants Summer Hours: 8 AM–7 PM daily, Memorial Day to Labor Day Must See: Native American petroglyphs; Inscription Rock, where Don Juan de Oùate marked his arrival in 1605 Must Do: Hike to the remains of two Anasazi pueblos (built circa 1275 with some 900 rooms) atop a 200-foot bluff. Info: 505-783-4226, nps.gov/elmo

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