Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe - Photography Exhibition to open at the Palace of the Governors
SANTA FE - The Photo Archives at the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum, Museum of New Mexico, Department of Cultural Affairs opens its first major photography exhibition in 25 years. Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe will open to the public on Friday, November 21, 2008 with a reception, hosted by the Women's Board, from 5 - 7 PM. Co-curated by Mary Anne Redding, Curator of Photography at the Palace of the Governors and independent curator, educator, and photographer, Krista Elrick, Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe is part of the city wide celebration of the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe as well as the centennial of the Museum of New Mexico. Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe will be on view in the west wing of the Palace though October 25, 2009. Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe, examines the history of Santa Fe through the visual record created by internationally respected photographers. Over the past 160+ years documentary and fine art photographers have been drawn to the Santa Fe, its peoples, regional architecture, and the quality of light found nowhere else in the world. Many of the most recognized names in photography have focused their lenses in and on Santa Fe and through their creative efforts have helped define the geographical imagination thus contributing to the mystique of Santa Fe. The exhibition features photographs that reveal the visual transformation of Santa Fe since the 1860s. Featured photographs are drawn from the historic collections of the Photo Archives and from the work of contemporary photographers committed to documenting the magical light of Santa Fe. There are over 100 photographers in the exhibition. The Museum of New Mexico Press is publishing a book of the same name to be released at the end of January 2009 with essays by Frances Levine, Lucy Lippard, Andrew Lovato, Siegfried Halus, David Noble, Rina Swentzell, and Mary Anne Redding.

A satellite exhibition, Through the Lens: A Contemporary View of Santa Fe will be hosted at the Visual Arts Gallery, Santa Fe Community College opening on Thursday, January 29, 2009 with 40 images by contemporary photographers living and working in Santa Fe will be on view through March 9, 2009. The Palace of the Governors, the Visual Arts Gallery at the Santa Fe Community College, and the Photography Department/Marion Center for Photographic Arts at the College of Santa Fe are co-sponsoring a year-long series of public lectures that are free and open to the public. Contact the Photo Archives for more details.

Here is a list of photographers in the show.