SFR PICKS

ARTIST TALK SAT/23

COURTESY FORM & CONCEPT

Sanctuary!

Santa Fe artist Niomi “Moss” Fawn soothes themself, and we’re gaining all the benefits

Having recently caught a preview of the new Niomi “Moss” Fawn show Flourish: Romancing the Mysteries at Guadalupe Street’s form & concept gallery, I can tell you this—you’re going to feel better if you visit. Fawn’s been working a tad more on the curation side in recent years, not counting a contribution to form & concept’s Family Room group show, and to see them back to the drawing board with their own personal projects feels both exciting and intriguing.

For those not in the know, Fawn is a mainstay of the local scene, both as a creator and as the operator of the sadly-closed Show Pony space. For their new show, they delve deep into the concepts of nature, flora, ritual and renewal. It’s almost like springtime rolled up into one show composed of digital art, painting, wood work and graphic design. Think altars and retablos—though sans specific deities so, Fawn says, you can choose your own gods and goddesses and enbys.

“I call it ‘The Divine Theminine,’” they tell SFR. “Just taking refuge in my own truth versus looking for other people to tell me my truth...I think during lockdown, I was finally able to organize my wood shop, and I felt like doing a more hands-on craft was the best possible therapy for me.”

That journey culminates in bright pastels of pink and purple with nods to specific flowers and seeds like roses and magnolia pods; find also comfortable faux fur and a glorious golden horse repurposed from that weird and underwhelming citywide painted equine show circa who-knowshow-many-years ago. In a word, Flourish is calming, and this is as much for the viewer as it is for Fawn. Through the work, they’ve reconnected to ancestral roots, indulged a little bit of plant obsession and embraced astrological implications and symbology. Flourish is rather pagan as well, insofar as worshipping the Earth and the sun goes.

“I think what I’m trying to do is invoke a place in your feelings, and you don’t need to totally understand it,” Fawn explains. “It’s a place where spirit can move, because a lot of times, our brain gets in the way of our heart. It’s like a thorough tasting menu—kind of like the difference between standing by the pool and being in the pool. With my work, you’re going to be in the pool with me. And I just want to emphasize this show is queer as fuck.”

Find Fawn discussing the finer points of Flourish at a special artist talk this Saturday. (Alex De Vore)

FLOURISH: ROMANCING THE MYSTERIES ARTIST TALK

Noon Saturday, April 23. Free form & concept, 435 S. Guadalupe St. (505) 216-125

RAISE YOUR VOICE

If you’ve been in Santa Fe even just a minute, you likely heard tell of Indigenous Peoples Day 2020, aka the day activists tore down the Plaza obelisk. It’s a complicated matter to be sure, but in the city’s pursuit of healing the wound and making the former site’s future part of a community-based decision, you’ll find numerous opportunities to make your feelings on the matter known. This week, for example, finds Setha Low, educator and author of On the Plaza: The Politics of Public Space and Culture, leading an event based in social justice and public spaces hosted by nonprofit Artful Life, which was hired to facilitate the city’s Culture, History, Art, Reconciliation and Truth, or CHART, initiative—the body gathering data from the community about what comes next when it comes to one of Santa Fe’s most public spaces. Participants are also invited to create a mini art project version of the Plaza. (ADV)

Public Space and Social Justice:

6 pm Thursday, April 21. Free Santa Fe Community Convention Center 201 W Marcy St., (505) 955-6590

MUSIC FRI/22

JAZZTERPIECE THEATER

What do you even know about contemporary jazz? Unless you’re one of THOSE people, it’s likely very little, so you might not know there are players out there changing the game on the regular. In this instance, that player is Greg Ruggiero, a New York City-based guitarist who comes to Santa Fe’s Root 66 Café alongside locals Bob Fox on piano and Asher Barreras on bass. This one’s for the Charlie Christian fans, the Django Reinhardt dweebs and anyone who just kind of wants to see a shredder of the highest caliber get down among the vegan menu items. Look, it’s so easy for jazz guitarists to meander their way to exhausting noodle territory, but Ruggiero’s control and ear for upbeat jamz kind of reminds us that all those “guitar is dead” thinkpieces you’ve probably read are silly. (ADV) Greg Ruggierro: 6 pm Friday, April 22. $25-$30 Root 66 Café, 1704 Lena St., (505) 780-8249

EVENT MON/25

BACKSTREET’S BACK

As millennials age out of relevance and Gen Z comes into its own, you’re likely to see a lot more ’90s romanticism popping up in your cultural events. It’s like...if you’re of a certain age, you likely remember that kid at your high school who was pretty sure they’d discovered some great unknown music when bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd came their way, but with ’90s stuff. Brilliance of Saved By the Bell: The College Years aside, that’s kind of a funny premise right up until we realize that Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Britney, Spice Girls and countless others had legitimately sick-ass tunes those 30-ish years ago. Oh, God. 30?! Yikes. Now cling to your youth, older folks; and misunderstand pretty much everything we were about, youngsters. (ADV) ‘90s Night: 6 pm Monday, April 25. Free Social Kitchen+Bar, 725 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-5952