Places and Faces

Technological issues have been causing a lot of headaches lately. So it's nice and headache-erasing when a tool comes along that reminds me of how cool, unique, and useful technological advances, such as The Internet, can be. Last week I came across such a tool: WhatWasThere, a site that matches Google Maps to uploaded historical or personal photos.

We're often getting patrons, both locals and visitors, who want photos of how things in our ancient city used to look. WhatWasThere is a good place to start before heading to the Santa Fe history books or the Palace of the Governors Photo Archive. What's also neat about this site is that it doesn't differentiate between personal and "official" history. Locales are made by the memories of those who inhabit them, so you can upload your pictures of family and friends enjoying the Fourth of July Pancakes on the Plaza and bring the personal touch to the pictorial history.

So far, there are only 4 photos when you search for "Santa Fe, NM". It's great that none of them are newer than the 1950s, but let's get uploading. Santa Fe is a photogenic city, and a memorable city, and a website like WhatWasThere seems made for us.

Is that you, Spring?

Tra la, tra la. The trees are in bloom on the Southside Plaza. The thornless Hawthorns were purchased with a gift from Jeff and Michelle Branch in honor of the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s 25th Anniversary. The trees were planted after the creation of the Southside Branch Library’s Plaza. Councilor Carmichael Dominguez was instrumental in securing funding for the completion of the Southside Plaza last Fall.

by PCH @Main
Photos by TT @SS

Teen Photo Wall at Warehouse 21

Opening Exhibition Reception

Friday, April 29
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Warehouse 21
1614 Paseo de Peralta
Railyard District

The City of Santa Fe Children and Youth Commission is pleased to announce the installation of a Teen Photo Wall at Warehouse 21, Santa Fe's Teen Arts Center. Anne Staveley, a local photographer, will install over sixteen photographs using wheat paste, a liquid adhesive made of flour and water. Born in Santa Fe and a graduate of Santa Fe High School and the Rhode Island School of Design, Staveley is a staff photographer for THE Magazine and a working portrait photographer in Santa Fe and around the U.S.

The Photo Wall will be 12 feet tall, installed on the west exterior wall of the Arts Center building, and will depict a wide array of Santa Fe’s youth. Staveley hopes that these larger-than-life images will empower and inspire Santa Fe’s teens. Through these portraits we can recognize that teens are an important part of a vibrant community. The Commission congratulates WH21 for this larger-than-life exhibit that is an alternative to graffiti.




For more information, contact:
Ana Gallegos y Reinhardt, Executive Director, Warehouse 21
ana@warehouse21.org

Better than Television

While many of you are out skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and just going on with your daily lives, some of us are more of the hibernating variety. So while we load up on recipes to make, books to read, movies to watch, and firewood to warm our hands with, winter is also a good time to explore other hobbies and interests that we don't have time for in the warmer months.

Perhaps it's the crystal clear night skies, or the unwholesome angle of the sun, but wintertime inspires my amateur astronomer side. However, with the often frigid temperatures dissuading me from long evenings outside with a telescope, I've learned to rely on the experts for my star-and-sun fixes. Thankfully, NASA has an amazing Astronomy Picture of the Day archive. With offerings ranging from a video of solar flares to a still of Stardust in Aries (what a great title for something!), the images are fantastic educational entertainment. Each image is accompanied by an explanation by an astronomer that even a lapsed skygazer like myself can understand.

But that's enough talk from me. Warm your hands in front of the following photo of Spicules: Jets on the Sun:

Santa Fe Sunrise

They say that while summer in Santa Fe is for our visitors, the autumn is for locals. The crisp air can't get away from the scent of roasting green chile, the aspens on the mountainside are a delight, and the sky is a constant soothing spectacle.

One of our staff members took this photo at sunrise on August 12 at about 6:07 am. While that's still technically "summer", it's definitely a herald of the lovely rises and sets that are just for us.



Photo by JP @SS

Santa Fe Scavenger Hunt

I love cracking open the Santa Fe Reporter on Wednesdays and heading to the Outtakes section. In addition to making sure that I'm not quoted in the Eavesdropper, I like the Meme, the place where a picture truly is worth a thousand words. It's neat when I recognize the object in the photograph, and it's also neat when I then have a week to locate the object of visual humor / derision / irony.

This week, on page 10 of the Reporter, we're honored to be featured in one of those somewhat embarassing tableaux. The meme resides on the second floor of the Main Library. Since we see it every day, we've long meditated on its overall Kafkaesque uselessness. However, it never occured to us to share it with the wider world.

If you also participate in this kind of scavenger hunt, my apologies for ruining your weekly Meme. And to whomever noticed its ridiculousness enough to snap a photo of it, thank you!

Be the Creative

I've been aware that Santa Fe is one of UNESCO's Creative Cities, but a recent trip to Santa Fe Literary News highlighted the different activities and organizations that are available in this program. The Santa Fe Creative Tourism site lists dozens of workshops, classes, and meetings for a large range of experiences, such as photography, pottery, agritourism, and of course, literary arts.

Not all the programs are free or low-cost, so keep that in mind as you browse the offerings. Also, the website isn't always up-to-date, so you might want to check with the hosting organization to confirm. However, there is a blog that has new postings regularly. If you're a hosting organization, be sure to get listed.

For locals and tourists alike, this is a fantastic resource for ongoing programs to explore a new aspect of your creative side. In fact, I'm browsing the Theater/Dance/Music page right now, and they list some great dance classes. Let's just hope I don't scare our tourists away when I practice my mambo at the reference desk.

The Modern Ruins

Here in the Southwest, we're accustomed to seeing ruins. Whether they're in national historical parks like the church at Pecos or Chaco Canyon, a crumbling homestead cottage off the highway, or the skeleton of a Route 66 service station, the entire history of Southwest settlement and culture can be traced in these architectural vestiges.

Folks in other areas of the country are waking up to the ruins in their midst. Photographers are having an especially interesting time chronicling the passage of decay and the reclamation of nature. This Slate gallery has an artist's statement from photographer Camilo Jose Vergara, with a thoughtful slideshow of the (mostly) Midwest's modern ruins.