ARCHIVED EVENTS
Mary Gabriel on Madonna
Zoom Talk
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Now for something different at The Wright. In Madonna: A Rebel Life, the author of the acclaimed and compulsively readable Ninth Street Women, about the painters of the Abstract Expressionist generation, turns her reporter’s eye on one of the greatest megastars of the last four decades. I was curious to know why a cultural journalist would spend four years writing about a pop phenomenon, but after reading the 800-page biography I can well understand the fascination. Madonna was (and is) more than an outsized talent, she is an activist who has had a very real impact on attitudes toward sexuality and a pioneer in launching musical spectacles that are, for better or for worse, a permanent part of the media landscape.
Michelle and Isabelle
Isabelle Plat and Michelle Cooke in Conversation
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Isabelle Plat, who divides her time between Paris and New York, will talk with Wright curator Michelle Cooke about her long career in Europe, the inspirations behind her unusual portraiture, and the difficulties of working as a contemporary installation artist. Because of the nature of this show, space is extremely limited, but we will accommodate as many as we can, so please RSVP soon!
Paula Roland doing a demo
Encaustic Artists in New Mexico
Sunday, May 14th, 2023
In tandem with “The Art of Encaustic: Koment and Roland,” we are sponsoring a panel about the pleasures and pitfalls of working in this seductive medium. Paula Roland, Ellen Koment, and Raphaelle Goethels are all well-known New Mexico artists working with the medium of encaustic (pigmented wax). Each has found a unique approach to the process and exhibits nationally. They will discuss the history of this age-old painting technique and their experiences in finding a genuine and distinct voice.
Amy Cowart
Amy Cowart: Organizing Your Archive
Saturday, March 25, 2023
A professional archivist and consultant to artists from New York to Seattle, Amy Cowart will talk about her systems for documenting and organizing your work, so that your focus can remain in the studio. Amy begins by establishing a comprehensive, cloud-based, archive of artwork to help organize, centralize, and preserve the artist’s life and work. She also consults as a strategic partner to streamline and manage the business aspects of an artist’s studio. Cowart holds a degree in printmaking from Baylor University and an M.A. in art history, criticism, and conservation from the University of New Mexico.
Ken Boiarsky
A Celebration for J.S. Bach’s Birthday
Sunday March 19, 2023
Back by popular demand, Ken Boiarsky will be offering a lecture/concert in honor of Bach’s birthday (March 21, 1685). Ken, who is both a lawyer and a virtuoso at the electronic keyboard, will offer selected works and include a discussion of the last piece by the maestro, which he wrote on his deathbed (Contrapunctus XVIII of Die Kunst der Fuge). Expect an hour of sheer delight.
Carmen
Saturday, March 11, 2023
My assistant, Mel Redmond, and I recently discovered a shared love of flamenco when a well-known singer and dance troupe visited the Wildflower Theater in Taos, an event that made me remember how much I loved Carlos Saura’s movies. A famed director in his native Spain, Saura died on February 10 and was best known for a trilogy of flamenco films—Blood Wedding, El Amor Brujo, and Carmen—made in collaboration with the extraordinary choreographer and dancer Antonio Gades. It’s the familiar story, immortalized as an opera by Bizet, brought to vivid life through fado and flamenco.
David Chickey
Saturday, February 25, 2023
More Books About Artists!
David Chickey, founder and publisher of Radius Books in Santa Fe, will talk about the history of this unusual enterprise, which publishes affordable monographs (often around $60) about notable artists, both from the Southwest and elsewhere. Since starting Radius in 2007, Chickey has worked with Doug Wheeler, Lee Friedlander, Marlene Dumas, Shirin Neshat, and many others, his main contributions being an obsessive attention to materials and the way he attempts to lay bare the artists’ creative process. Chickey will tell us about the nonprofit aspects of the business, how and why he decides on the artists, and how the future looks for this specialized sort of venture.
Chrisotpher Benson
Saturday, February 11, 2023
“Art in the Making”
Santa Fe-based artist Christopher Benson will discuss and give readings from his recent book Art in the Making: Essays by Artists About What They Do (The Fisher Press). “This is a book about making art: about what it is, how it gets made, and above all, how the people who make it understand all those things.” Compulsively readable, the collection includes 91 essays from artists of all persuasions, colors, and aesthetic creeds, from craftsmen to ceramists, cooks to conceptual artists. Benson will talk about the origins of this collection, and photographer Zoe Zimmerman, whose works are in The Wright Office this month, will read her essay from Art in the Making. Copies for sale will be on hand.
Louis Salerno
Victor Johnson
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Louis Salerno and Victor Johnson on Artists and Intellectual Property
How well is your work protected against borrowing without permission and compensation? High-profile court cases involving Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol have provided some guidelines, but all artists need to know how to protect their intellectual property (IP), including copyrights, rights of publicity or personality, and moral rights. IP provides the artist with tools to control and financially benefit from their art and strengthen his or her legacy. Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. Questions and answers afterward.
Attorneys Louis Salerno and Victor Johnson will be presenting this panel to aid artists in the realization of these goals.
Louis Salerno splits his time between Taos and New York City, where he serves as General Counsel for business organizations including corporate negotiations, insurance, contracts, litigation and compliance with state and federal laws. As General Counsel Lou is responsible for a comprehensive coverage of intellectual property matters and is highly experienced in transactional matters.
Victor Johnson advises entrepreneurs, start-ups, and multinationals on intellectual property matters including copyright and trade secrets while focusing on patent and trademark issues. Victor founded Santa Fe IP (http://www.santafeip.com) to provide a concierge-level of attention leveraging his experiences at AmLaw 10 and AmLaw 100 firms, IP boutiques, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Louis Grachos
Saturday, December 17, 2022, 3 pm
Louis Grachos
Join SITE Santa Fe’s Phillips Executive Director Louis Grachos for a talk on contemporary art in New Mexico. Learn more about Louis’ multi-decade career in the field and hear his reflections on SITE Santa Fe during his first tenure in the 1990s, now, and his vision for the institution’s future.
Ken Boiarsky
Saturday, December 10, 2022, 3 pm
Ken Boiarsky
Ken Boiarsky, lawyer and organist extraordinaire (he built his own pipe organ in his house in Taos) will be demonstrating his talents on a portable keyboard. The program includes a variation on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Prelude in C Major from Book 1 of JS Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, three of JS Bach’s Two-Part Inventions (Numbers One, Eight, and Thirteen), Minuet in G from JS Bach’s Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook, Prelude in C major for Organ (adapted to keyboard), and an original composition.
Lauren Tresp
Sunday, December 4, 2022, 3 pm
Since taking over THE Magazine in 2016, publisher and editor Lauren Tresp has rebranded the publication as Southwest Contemporary and transformed it into several thriving offshoots, including print and online editions, and expanded the publication’s reach to include the greater Southwest region. Tresp will talk about how the staff makes editorial decisions and SWC’s overall approach to art criticism and arts journalism. She also has tips for artists about handling their own public relations and reaching out for press coverage.
Louis Salerno
Kenneth Boiarsky
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Louis Salerno and Kenneth Boiarsky
“The Art of Contracts: An Artist’s Guide”
Artists will agree that the opportunity to ask for, negotiate and/or execute an arts contract is often not given the attention it deserves. Whether for an art exhibition, a public art installation, a fee-for-service or a gallery contract, laying out the expectations between the parties, and the consequences for not meeting those expectations should be dealt with in an agreement before any relationship moves forward.
Even if the artist knows and trusts the organization or person, entering into a professional agreement is important to lay out all terms and responsibilities in a clear and detailed written document. For the artist, this could mean a guarantee of compensation and payment in a timely manner, as well as the proper care, display and handling of the artwork.
Boiarsky and Salerno are both seasoned attorneys, specialists in corporate and tax law. The panel, moderated by curator Michelle Cooke, will provide a review of the Arts Contract, focusing on certain specific sections meant to protect the artist’s compensation, tax consequences, and intellectual property rights, as well as the work itself.
Simon Schama’s “The Power of Art.”
Saturday, November 5, 2022, 3 pm
We will be showing the first two episodes from this acclaimed series (with others to be scheduled later in the year or early 2023). “Schama leapfrogs across time and place, focusing on eight artists and their masterpieces, like Caravaggio’s David With the Head of Goliath and Picasso’s Guernica, framing each work with a dramatic turning point in history: the Counter-Reformation in Italy (‘the greatest propaganda campaign Christendom has ever seen’) or the rise of fascism in Europe,” wrote The New York Times critic when the series first aired in 2007. Some of my snootier friends in the art press have sneered at Schama’s theatrics, but I find him rather thrilling.
Film Presentation Behind-the-Scenes Talk
EVA HESSE, an award-winning documentary, and presentation by filmmaker Marcie Begleiter
Sunday, September 25th, 3 p.m.
Eva Hesse’s life was a short but triumphant one. Before her death from a brain tumor in her thirties, she created a trailblazing body of work that continues to engage audiences and influence artists worldwide. In her first documentary film “Eva Hesse,” Marcie Begleiter brings to the screen the artist’s story—her profound dedication to her work, her talented circle of friends, her relationships with her family, and her indomitable courage and keen sense of the absurd.
After the movie, Begleiter will give a half-hour presentation, revealing how how she first became engaged with Hesse’s work and later pored over 1200 pages of journal entries to find the narrative and voice for the film. She takes us behind the scenes to tell us about the interviews she conducted, the choice of actress Selma Blair (“Anger Management” and “Hellboy”) for Hesse’s voice, and how she managed to capture the heady milieu of the art world in the 1960s.
AN EVENING WITH LARRY BELL
Saturday, September 10th, 5 p.m.
Some are familiar with Bell’s best-known works, the luminous cubes that secured his reputation in the 1960s as part of the California Light and Space Movement and the installations now at Dia Beacon in upstate New York. But few know the full arc of his career, from his pioneering vacuum process through the homages to guitars, light knots, furniture, and vapor drawings (two of which will be at the Wright through the end of September). An illustrated conversation with Wright director Ann Landi takes us through the highs (and maybe the lows) of this nimble and thoughtful artist’s life and work.
Panel of Art Dealers
GALLERISTS OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
Sunday, August 28th, 4 p.m.
A panel of art dealers–including Charlotte Jackson and Tonya Turner from Santa Fe and Jules and Georgia Epstein from Taos–will talk about their careers and answer questions about this mysterious and mind-bending profession.
Illustrated Talk
DORA DILLSTONE
Saturday, August 20th, 4 p.m.
“The Accidental Collector,” an illustrated talk by artist Dora Dillistone on her journey from Houston to Taos and her extraordinary collection of works by Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Dorothy Hood, Christian Eckart, Dan Christensen, and others. Q&A after.
Film Presentation
BEFORE THE GRID
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 4-6PM
A few years back, two friends from Taos, photographer Kathleen Brennan and curator Jina Brenneman (formerly of the Harwood Museum), put together an illuminating film about the indomitable Agnes Martin, including information about a long-buried and long-running love affair which escaped even the notice of Martin’s biographer Nancy Princenthal. They showed the film to a small audience in Taos, but I’ve asked them back to discuss their discoveries and the difficulties of making movies about cherished art-world icons.
Film Presentation
POLLOCK (2001)
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 5-7PM
On Saturday July 23, from 5 to 7, we’re presenting Ed Harris’s award-winning Pollock (2001), my all-time favorite biopic about an artist, starring Harris as Jackson and Marcia Gay Harden as Lee Krasner (and with Victoria’s Secret model Stephanie Seymour in a cameo role as Helen Frankenthaler). Why Pollock? Because it ties in nicely with our show “Explosive Abstraction”—so much of the grandfather of AbEx’s legacy continues in these works: large scale, gestural freedom, and highly personal iconographies.
