A SEA in the Desert Gallery: April 2016

April 17, 2016

April 17 th Sunday - we're in one of those mid -Spring unseasonable (unreasonable?) cold spells...but that's pretty normal for April ["April is the cruelest Month, bearing lilacs out of the deadlands, mixing memory with desire, stirring dull roots with Spring rains..." from Prufrock, ]* we sure need the moisture so us locals are content with the week long cloud cover! And despite the cold, lots of people are out visiting galleries in Santa Fe, and yesterday the gallery had not just one but two good sales: the first, 2 Steinhoff etchings and the other, Friedrich Geier's Rickies 2nd Dream to collectors from Pennsylvania. Hardly anyone buys on [* In this rather bizarre polarized political climate poetry studied more than 50 years ago, creeps into mind. ]
After all this is a gallery of "politically engaged artists" and my commentary on the ABSURDITY (the computer does this to me when I start typing too fast), moral bankruptedness and downright insanity of Congress authorizing billions to upgrade our whole arsenal of nuclear weapons in this time of civilization being on a precipice ....global warming threatens survival, little expenditure on our crumbling infrastructure, education, etc. was finally published by the New Mexican under Opinions, My View. Empires always eventually crumble, and greed and power grabs don't steer the 'ship of state' into a sustainable harbour. (image borrowed from Leonard Cohen) MS

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.