Recent museum attendance numbers reveal the disparate impact the pandemic is having on local arts communities.
Patrick McGuire
Music Venues and Festivals Reinvent Themselves to Stay Afloat During the Pandemic
Music venues and festivals are embracing creativity and resourcefulness to stave off financial ruin and bring live music to audiences at a time when they desperately need it.
[sponsored] Leah Mata Fragua at the School for Advanced Research
Artist Leah Mata Fragua on addressing climate change during her School for Advanced Research fellowship in Santa Fe.
Molly Burch
Led by her syrupy, understated vocals, Burch’s songs often unfold slowly and serve as storytelling vehicles for topics like romantic despair and anxiety.
Unburdened: Black Belt Eagle Scout’s Katherine Paul Celebrates Connection and Intimacy
“Having your crew is essential,” says Paul who relocated to Portland for college and stayed after graduating. “When you walk outside and don’t see people who look like you, it makes you feel helpless. It’s a lonely feeling.” She goes on to say that the people of color who supported her during the creation and release of Mother of My Children were invaluable for their love and understanding. The “party” Paul’s new album refers to is a bittersweet one, the unavoidable and contrasting beauty and despair of life, born of a worldview that’s inextricably linked with her Native upbringing, friends, and family.
[sponsored] Timothy Edaakie at the School for Advanced Research
Zuni potter Timothy Edaakie considers himself something of a revivalist in the world of natural pottery. While conventional ceramicists opt for the speed and convenience of modern throwing and firing methods, everything about Edaakie’s meticulous approach is slow, spiritual, and aimed at celebrating the seminal work his ancestors pioneered. As 2019’s Rollin and Mary Ella King Native artist fellow, Edaakie traveled from his home on the Zuni Reservation to Santa Fe this fall to live, work, and speak at the School for Advanced Research. Specifically, he plans on re-creating two Zuni pieces from SAR’s collection using clay and other materials collected from Zuni land during his fellowship: an A:shiwi olla jar and a traditional stew bowl.
Lightning Cult’s EP2: Ether Waves
Some amount of personal suffering is expected to be felt by those who create music, but it’s rare for musicians to fuel their work with it as adeptly as Lightning Cult’s Mike Marchant. Now living in Santa Fe, the former Denver musician was hailed as one of the city’s most promising songwriters until a devastating cancer diagnosis stopped him in his tracks in 2012. Marchant survived but experienced significant memory loss related to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. A crippling self-destructive period followed. The Lightning Cult project represents Marchant’s return to music-making and reveals an artist transformed through tragedy and tenacity.
Valerie June: My Songs are Portals
“To me, the root of music is like the root of a plant. You can’t have a garden without a strong musical foundation. I want to start in the world of roots, but I don’t want to stay there forever”
Matron’s Matron: Eliza Lutz
“What exactly is a record label’s future in a music industry climate seemingly hellbent on conditioning audiences to pay next to nothing for music?” Eliza Lutz, founder of the pioneering Santa Fe–based Matron Records label, thinks the only path forward is to embrace the inevitable and adapt accordingly…
