By the time the evening was over, we could see our breath, but hours of damp and chill didn’t quench the warm afterglow from Sights and Sounds, Changing Gallery’s recent mix of art and music. Rising talent, Phillip Vigil, plastered Unit Seven with his energetic pastels. Jennifer Joseph had two paintings in Unit Six and Elizabeth Mesh displayed her richly dyed eggs in Unit Eight. Enveloping all, from the shelter of a garage under Unit Four, were the sounds of Bundobeats, whose free flowing musical blend gave the event cohesion and flow.
This past Saturday, May 2nd, marked the fourth art opening of Changing Gallery, a locus of emerging and independent creative talent being shown at the real estate listings of Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes. Its driving spirit is the desire to unite community through the creation of a sort of Stone Soup where each diner puts what s/he can comfortably spare into a common pot from which all may feast. Unrepresented artists get a free venue and all proceeds; the real estate gets viewed by fresh eyes; and those who love art get to see something they probably would not otherwise have a chance to see: in some cases, breaking talent; e.g., Phillip Vigil.
Since he first reached out to me on Facebook, I’ve been fascinated by this earnest young artist and the dynamic pastels that pour from his heart and hands. “Vigil’s bold pastels on paper are a treat to those who hunger for something new and powerful from young ndn artists…Fresh and original, Phillip Vigil is an artist to watch” says artist Charleen Touchette in her One Earth blog. Vigil’s heroes are William de Kooning, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Murray and Diane Arbus, among others. His work shows these influences and an assemblage of images from his daily life, community and mental divings. The well is deep. This is a kid who knows art history and is poised to make his mark.
In the April 29th-May 5th issue of the Santa Fe Reporter, Zane Fischer spoke about the disjunct between the results of the city’s recent poster contest representing ” a generalized, gauzy impression of an unremarkable place” and Santa Fe’s actual creative character. “…what makes Santa Fe an engaging community for those of us invested in it…is everything that lies beneath that surface. The soul of the city–and its enduring attractiveness–lies in the real activities of its people.”
With the occasionally awkward gait of a newborn, these events intend to be soapbox and megaphone for real activities of a sector of the city’s people: emerging and independent artists. Here’s to the creation of a real and relevant space and voice for an ever expanding chorus of creatives.
Changing Gallery is currently located at the Bella Donna condominiums: seven beautifully restored units, including a 1912 Pueblo Deco style dwelling, located at 111 East Santa Fe Avenue, in the South Capitol area of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Real estate agents Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes, use their listings, where appropriate, to showcase the art, photography, sculpture and other creations of emerging and independent talents. To learn more about the condominiums, and for full access to the MLS, visit: www.santafedowntownrealestate.com. **Access the MLS from your smartphone: www.santafedowntownrealestate.com/m
[…] We gave him space in several of the Changing Gallery group shows, (described in the posts Sights and Sounds and See and Be Scene) because we were impressed by his knowledge of art history, his huge curiosity […]