Turn, Turn, Turn

The low pressure systems of fall have started moving in. I always feel sorry for the visitors wandering about on these rainy days in sodden bewilderment, never even considering an umbrella on their vacation to this place of mythologically blue skies. In the same way, the high pressure months of the summer art season are turning to the quiet and reflective months of fall.

Like many things in Santa Fe, weather is a mixed blessing. We’re grateful for any moisture we can get, but it detracts from our tourism cache as the city with perpetual sunshine. In a market dependent on the tourist dollar, we need happy campers (ok, more like happy patrons of our luxury hotels). The same is true of the art scene. Santa Fe, though an abundant art market, is not particularly cutting edge (our tourists trend towards the Elderhostel set). It’s really no wonder that Canyon Road rolls out the same routine every summer Friday. We rely on tourism, and that’s what the tourists want. As any observer of Santa Fe art patrons will attest, it’s not uncommon to hear comments along the lines of “Well, but that one would match the wallpaper in the dining room…” The unfortunate effect is a kind of artistic Disneyfication. It’s easy to get disillusioned in this environment, and I think that’s why many locals so adamantly avoid Canyon Road as an artificial experience – a float down “It’s a Small Art World After All.” In a way it’s a relief to watch the crowds thin as September arrives. Part of the legitimate Canyon Road experience is revived in the sense of art for art’s sake. Of course profit matters year round, but in this season it’s more about aesthetic experience than tourism.

I wish galleries would push the boundaries of creativity in really innovative approaches and cutting-edge artists. It will be interesting to see what exhibits emerge during the next few months. Just as fall is the best movie season for the turn from summer blockbusters to more edgy independent films, so too might Canyon Road try to take some chances not considered in the profit-fanatical summer months. We’ll see. ~ Heather