A SEA in the Desert Gallery: October 2015

October 18, 2015

A SEA Gallery has been in it's new space for 6 weeks [moving a gallery is almost as intense and complex as moving our home of 30 years. I'm still organizing but the gallery looks great. We had a small, intimate "re-opening" celebration, which was never-the-less very satisfying as guests stayed long and pleasant conversations accompanied the new layout of paintings. George Arntz, one of whose primary collectors lives in Santa Fe and has urged me to consider his, has sent me 3 paintings including the large "Master Jackie" which remains very timely with Mars in the news and the hawkish Republicans (and Obama?) pushing for endless war. A SEA hopes to host a full show for Arntz later in 2016. In the meantime I am looking forward to visiting Friedrich Geier this coming week in Munich and picking out the 10 paintings (technically drawings in color ) for his show opening up November 21 through February 5th, 2016.

About our Gallery

A Sea Gallery has gone through several stages over a 10 year period. A Sea stands for "Association of Socially Engaged Artists" which began about 2002 with meetings of artist discussing the state of art in Santa Fe as well as politics of the United States and the world at this time. Most of the artists either were or had been political activists, against war, corporate exploitation, empire, etc. and committed to honoring the earth. Over the years since that time I have thought a lot about the artists roll as mirror to a society, addressing social ills and aspirations. It seemed the Santa Fe ‘art scene’ had become increasingly commercial: ‘successful artists’ making a recognizable product for wealthy private collectors or corporations. Much of the art shown was about prestige and investment. The art I was drawn to in major art centers in the USA and in Europe was deeper and more challenging than that. While Santa Fe may have more art galleries than the current economy can support I felt there is room for one more: a gallery of challenging work supported by the artists themselves- a Collective (rather than a cooperative) as the structure is evolving. It’s aesthetic philosophy: Art is shown because of its merit rather than salability. It has an owner (Monika Steinhoff) but no profits are taken out of the gallery. Artists participate in paying expenses, gallery sitting and decisions about running the gallery. Proceeds from sales are between 50 and 70% to the artist, depending on artist involvement. The gallery is small and can have up to 10 members. It has existed at its present location in the Railyard since July 1st 2011.