Frontecijada
Adrian Aguirre
December 3 - December 20, 2024
Reception: December 6, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Frontecijada, a solo exhibition by El Paso/Las Cruces based artist Adrian Aguirre. The exhibition will be on view from December 3rd through December 20th, with a special reception on Friday December 6th from 5-7pm.

In this show, Adrian Aguirre will present his most recent drawings and paintings depicting the U.S.-Mexico Border. There are portraits of refugees, scenes from camps and border patrol agents. With this work, Aguirre shares a glimpse of the refugee experience with the purpose of drawing recognition, empathy and solidarity with marginalized people.

A native of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Aguirre has a personal connection to the border or ‘frontera.’ and sees it as a modern day Ellis Island. It is a place where people from all over the world arrive on their way into the United States. It is a crossroads or ‘encrucijada.’ He states, “I am excited to return to Santa Fe, a city full of people that acknowledge that the borders of today mark land that was stolen from the indigenous people.”

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

We are closed for the holiday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your understanding.

A Collection of Pursuits
Carlos Canul
November 5 – November 22, 2024
Reception: November 8, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents A Collection of Pursuits; the work of Established Member, Texas-based artist Carlos Canul. The exhibition opens November 5th, with a special reception on November 8 from 5-7pm.

Carlos Canul’s paintings are based in landscapes, Meso-American and world mythologies, spiritual realms, and figuration are all major themes in his paintings and drawings. The use of darkness and light, stark lines and blurred imagery combine to invite the viewer into a world of questions both personal and communal. 

Carlos Canul stated, “It’s great to be involved with Strata Gallery and the Santa Fe Community. Through the engaging dialogue of paint and all its physical properties, my art plumbs physical and spiritual realms, influences of Meso-American mythologies and traditions, the collision of abstraction and representational forces, all the while holding close painting as a tactile poetic adventure.”

Canul’s artwork has been shown in solo, curated and juried exhibitions in the United States and Europe.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Raven, Raven
Joyce Yamada
October 15 - November 1, 2024
Reception: October 18, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Established Member solo exhibition, “Raven, Raven” by New York City based artist Joyce Yamada. The exhibition opens October 15 with a special reception on October 18 from 5-7pm.

Joyce Yamada’s show features paintings, the dominant two of which are “Raven, Raven”and “Coywolf”. Both paintings are inspired by Santa Fe’s animals and landscape, executed in oil on linen. Also featured are multiple paintings from her long-running series, “The Accidental Cloud”, an experimental counterpoint to her more conceptual work.

Joyce Yamada stated, “It is such a pleasure to be part of Strata Gallery; I have always loved Santa Fe. My paintings reflect my interest in ecology, animals, nature, and the relationship of humans to the natural world. For much of my life I was painting in protest; now that the damage we are doing to the environment is so clear—think of the violence of our current weather and the increasing number of endangered animals--I am painting in celebration of Earth’s glories.”

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Retrospective
Grant Johnson
September 24 - October 11, 2024
Reception: September 27, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Retrospective, by California-based artist Grant Johnson. The exhibition is on view September 24th through October 11th, with a special reception on September 27th from 5-7pm.

Grant Johnson’s work is about our environment. He grew up on a farm and spent a large amount of time outdoors which over the years morphed into an interest in environmental issues. He eventually became an assignment photographer for The Nature Conservancy, for twenty years covering California and Hawaii. 

Johnson produces long-running series of works on topics of landscape ecology such as Water, Landform, Old Growth, and Domesticated Landscapes. He adds to these series when appropriate work is produced based on his own photographs or by processing satellite imagery. He posts informational articles on his website (www.grantjohnson.net), that support the science behind the visual stories he’s creating. 

Grant received a BFA from the University of Arizona where he painted, did lithography and learned about color photography. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1972, the year the first Landsat images were introduced to the public and not long before the first planetary landscape images were beamed back from Mars. This, along with information about video that he ran across while doing a research paper on painting and photography, convinced him that the future of creative image making would be electronic.

Johnson applied to the Rhode Island School of Design's nascent video department and received the first graduate degree in experimental video awarded by RISD in 1975.

He worked with analog computer systems for video and audio synthesis and eventually their digital counterparts. Landsat imagery was out of reach financially until 2008 when the entire archive entered the public domain, and it became possible to identify a location, collect the satellite images, and compose the columns and rows of images into a large, coherent, very high-resolution landscape.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Geometric Landscapes
Stephanie Gonzalez
September 10 - September 20, 2024
Reception: September 13, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery announces “Geometric Landscapes,” a solo exhibition by Emerging Artist Stephanie Gonzalez. The exhibition opens September 10th and runs through September 20th, with a special reception scheduled for September 13th from 5-7pm.

The influence of these works comes from the metaphysical, quantum, and spiritual realms. Stephanie uses isolation and self-reflection to come up with this subject matter. Her inspiration comes from the practice of meditation and the natural and spiritual world. She intends to capture unseen energies in the work and create an imagined landscape of the energy world. By channeling her meditative experience, her process is like decoding a spiritual language derived from the subconscious mind.

Stephanie Gonzalez stated, “I am excited to share my works with this community. I feel a deep connection with Santa Fe and its beautiful landscapes. My work is all about perspective and connection. I’m using iridescent paint which requires the viewer to get closer and look at the work from different angles for its true nature to be revealed. With these pieces, I’m encouraging others to question their perceptions and reconsider what a landscape can be.”

Stephanie Gonzalez received her MFA in Painting from Houston Christian University. Her work has been exhibited in California, Texas, Korea, and Santa Fe. This is her first solo show in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Chamisa Ghosts and Nightworks
Jane Shoenfeld
August 20 - September 6, 2024
Reception: August 23, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Chamisa Ghosts and Nightworks, an exhibition of pastel and mixed media paintings by Jane Shoenfeld.  The exhibition will open on August 20 and run through September 6, with a reception on Friday, August 23 from 5-7 pm, including an artist's talk at 6 pm. 

In this new series of pastel paintings, Shoenfeld grounds herself in the visual complexity of northern New Mexico’s indigenous shrub, chamisa. The magical and structural combine as Shoenfeld, nearing 80, explores her own impermanence within an intimate relationship to nature. In these works, after a phase of largely abstract painting, Shoenfeld has returned to careful observation of the visual world at the same time as she contemplates ghosts and the unknowns of time. Shoenfeld is a master of the pastel medium. Color’s emotional impact is central as representations of chamisa coalesce with images of her face and silvery hair becomes chamisa streaming in the wind. Surprises are welcomed into Shoenfeld’s art as landscape merges with self portrait. Alongside Jane’s pastel paintings, half a dozen photographs of chamisa will be displayed. 

This exhibit also includes a series of small mixed media paintings called “Nightworks” that were created during sleepless nights. Jane layers pastel and water based ink pencils on top of watercolor washes. These pieces are a conversation between the eye, hand, insomnia and the unconscious.  

In 2024, Shoenfeld’s exhibitions included curated selections into Drawings From Perception, Invention, and Memory at the Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries at Wright University in Dayton, Ohio and a suite of five pastels curated into The Big Small Show, The Drawing Rooms, Newark, NJ. Shoenfeld was also honored with a two person exhibit based on chamisa with Katherine Meyer at HERE Gallery, Santa Fe. Three of Shoenfeld’s pastels were recently curated into a permanent exhibit at the University of NM Hospital Tower. 

Shoenfeld taught for 15 years at the former College of Santa Fe. Although no longer part of academia, she continues to teach plein air pastel classes in the spring and fall in Santa Fe and at Ghost Ranch. She is also a published poet and has received honors for her ekphrastic (poems about painting) poetry.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Private Parts // Private Places
Chloe Hanken
August 6 - August 16, 2024
Reception: August 9, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Emerging Member solo exhibition, Private Parts // Private Places by New Mexico based artist Chloe Hanken. The exhibition opens August 6th, with a special reception on August 9th from 5-7pm.

Chloe Hanken is a printmaker and illustrator whose work explores the intersection of history, place, and family narrative. Her work is informed by her background in natural history and ecology, which is brought to bear upon issues of loss, change and unbelonging at the tail end of the American empire.

Hanken stated, “This body of work examines internal landscapes shaped by intimate moments. What are the topographies of stories and how do we assimilate our lived experiences with history and ideas about the future. I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to share this exhibition with the Santa Fe community and to be a part of Strata Gallery this year.”

Hanken earned her BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and her MFA in Studio Arts from the University of New Mexico. Her work has been exhibited across New Mexico and this is her first solo show in Santa Fe.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

4th Annual Group Exhibition
July 9 - August 2, 2024
Reception: July 12, 5-8pm

Strata Gallery is thrilled to announce its Fourth Annual Group Exhibition, showcasing the incredible talents of both Established Members and Emerging Members. The exhibition kicks off on Tuesday, July 9th, with a special reception on Friday, July 12th, from 5-8pm. Mark your calendars for an evening of captivating art and engaging conversations!

Since its establishment as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in August 2021, Strata Gallery has become a beacon of diversity and innovation in Santa Fe. Renowned for its commitment to showcasing artwork based purely on artistic merit, Strata offers a bold and refreshing perspective in the contemporary art scene. Our artists, rigorously peer-reviewed by esteemed professors from college art departments nationwide, bring unparalleled creativity and vision to the gallery.

A highlight of Strata’s mission is the mentorship of emerging artists by Established Members. Each year, five emerging artists are selected for mentorship and given the opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the gallery.

This year’s exhibition features twenty-two exceptional artists from across the country:
Adrian Aguirre (TX), Anne-Katrin Spiess (NY), Bernice Ficek-Swenson (MN), Beverly Todd (NM), Carlos Canul (TX), Chloe Hanken (NM), David Olivant (NM), Emma Ressel (NM), Jandey Shackelford (AZ), Jane Shoenfeld (NM), Katie Simmons (CO), Keanu Jones (NM), Margi Weir (NM), Max Sorenson (NM), Millian Giang Pham (AL), Mirabel Wigon (CA), Peter Chapin (NM), Shelby Shadwell (WY), Stephanie Gonzalez (TX), Susan Stephenson (CA), Tulu Bayar (PA), and Xuan Pham (MA).

The works on display delve into a myriad of urgent and thought-provoking themes, reflecting the pressing concerns and discoveries of our time. From hybridity and fragmentation, cultural identity, and the nature of consciousness, to border politics, myths, rituals, and archetypes, each piece offers a unique and innovative perspective. 

The exhibition also addresses issues such as accountability, climate change, environmental degradation, landscape nostalgia, tradition, materiality, decay, and the adaptation of aesthetic principles to meet contemporary challenges. Join us at Strata Gallery for this exciting exhibition and experience the powerful and diverse voices shaping the future of art!

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Selected Images:

Into the Thicket 
Mirabel Wigon
June 18th – July 5th 

Strata Gallery presents Into the Thicket, its first solo exhibition of California-based artist Mirabel Wigon. The exhibition opens Tuesday June 18th, the artist will be present between 11am - 5pm opening day to answer questions. 

Wigon’s work is comprised of abstracted landscape paintings that grapple with environmental phenomena resulting from, and related to, the built landscape. These paintings explore notions of progress, instability, and system collapse. 

Wigon states, “It is wonderful to be a part of Strata Gallery and I am so excited to be involved in the Santa Fe Community. In my work I utilize various strategies to impede, encapsulate, reflect, and cast doubt on apparently benign natural spaces. Pristine and seemingly tranquil views are interrupted and broken. In historical bucolic landscape paintings, the aim was to exemplify humanity’s mastery over nature – a reflection of a cultural moment that wished to disrupt natural order to create a semblance of control over the land. I sincerely hope to make works that consider how a lack of control offers potent room for growth and renewal.” 

Wigon received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Traditional Art from California State University, East Bay and her Master of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach. Her works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions both regionally and nationally. She is Assistant Professor of Art at California State University, Stanislaus. Wigon resides in the San Joaquin Valley of California and this is her first solo show in New Mexico. 

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Luminous Instants
Lin Medlin
May 28 - June 14, 2024
Reception: May 31, 5-7pm

Texas painter Lin Medlin’s new landscape show, Lin Medlin: Luminous Instants, opens at Strata Gallery on May 28th and closes on June 14th. The reception for the artist will be held Friday, May 31st from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is Medlin’s second show at Strata Gallery, the first having been in October 2021.

The exhibition of 15 works consists of views from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, and two coastal scenes, one from Ireland and one from Maine. Notable qualities of the work are vibrant, saturated colors and lyrical color harmonies. There is also a sense of stillness to the paintings as if they are frozen moments in time. Yet paradoxically, the landscapes communicate the flow of natural processes such as the movement of clouds and wind over water, and in place of humans, spirits of bright color haunt these vistas, giving them motion.

Medlin’s ties to the Southwest include study in Taos, and living in Moenave, Arizona, with its natural springs in a desert setting.

Medlin began painting landscapes when he was 15 years old. He earned a BFA with highest honors in painting and art history at Southern Methodist University and worked as a Kress Foundation Fellow in art history at Oberlin College. He also earned a JD at Yale Law School. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and their cat and dog.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Glass Eyes Stare Back
Emma Ressel
May 14 - May 24, 2024
Reception: May 17, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents its first solo exhibition by New Mexico-based artist Emma Ressel. Ressel lives and works in Albuquerque, and she is a 2023-2024 Emerging Artist Member at Strata Gallery. The exhibition, titled Glass Eyes Stare Back, will open Tuesday, May 14th, with a special reception on Friday, May 17, 5-7pm.

Glass Eyes Stare Back is the first exhibition of Ressel’s work exploring natural history collections, animal preservation, and environmental catastrophe. The show is primarily comprised of still life images she makes with a large format view camera, constructing tableaus with animals, objects, and printed backdrops to assemble fictional scenes of animals in nature. In this work, Ressel is interested in how natural history collections speak to the human desire to draw animals closer and form experiences with the species we are destroying. Her works convey not only her fears about the future of biodiversity, but also a sense of sublime awe about the mystery of what’s to come of our ecosystems.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to exhibit this work at Strata Gallery,” says Ressel. “Developing this work over the last several years has helped me learn so much about the ecosystems and biodiversity both where I grew up in Maine and where I now live in central New Mexico. Showing this work in Santa Fe, not far from where many of these animals live, feels particularly resonant for the project.”

Emma Ressel received her BA in Photography from Bard College and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of New Mexico. Her work has been exhibited across the Northeast and is held in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her first photobook, Olives in the street, was published in Italy in 2017. She was the 2022 recipient of the Film Photo Student Project Award and is currently a 2023-2024 fellow at the Center for Regional Studies at UNM. She lives in Albuquerque, where in addition to working toward her MFA, she teaches photography at UNM. This is her first solo show in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Spaces
Juried Exhibition
April 23 - May 10, 2024
Reception: April 26, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents the Juried Exhibition “Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Spaces,” juried by Stephanie J. Woods. “Inner Sanctuaries” will be on view from April 23rd through May 10th, with a reception on April 26th from 5 to 7 p.m.

"Inner Sanctuaries: Exploring Domestic Space" invites contemplation on themes of grief, joy, sacredness, gender constructs, femininity, loneliness, memory, animal kinship, and the delicate interplay of existence. Through a diverse array of disciplines, including paintings, sculpture, photography, textiles, collages, drawings, and works on paper, this exhibition unfolds as a gentle ode to the sanctuaries we call home.

Selected with care, each artist offers a unique perspective, urging viewers to ponder the complexities of domesticity with both tenderness and introspection. Joni P. Gordon's poignant photography piece, Untitled (Beyond Expectation II Series), captures the experiences of a Jamaican immigrant navigating the realm of domestic service, prompting reflection on assumed roles and untold narratives. In moments of quiet reflection, Justin Carney's photography series, With Family Photos and Our Shadow, guide us through the labyrinth of loss juxtaposed against the joys of being alive. Meanwhile, Hugo Ximello-Salido's visionary work, The Radiance of Gender Fluidity, invites contemplation on the fluidity of time and our perception of gender.

These 32 featured artworks serve as whispers of cultural memory, prompting us to question the boundaries between the private and the public, the seen and the unseen. From the use of breast milk as a material language to the intimate embrace of self-swaddling and the use of everyday objects, this exhibition becomes an invitation to explore the essence of home and the sanctity of the human experience.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Prize Winners:
Best in Show: $200 Justin Carney, With Family Photos or Our Shadow
Honorable Mention: $100 Hugo Ximello-Salido, The Radiance of Gender Fluidity
Honorable Mention: $100 Ali Hval, Mirror, Mirror

Exhibiting Artists:
Aileen Bahmanipour, Ali Hval, Briena Harmening, Caitlin Carcerano, Carolyn Berry, Charis Fleshner, Delaney McRitchie, Elaine Hullihen, Eleanor Oakes, Elisabeth Williams, Ellan Luna, Emily Grace McCoy, Hannah Altman, Heather Merckle, Hedda Neelsen, Hugo Ximello-Salido, Jeanette Hammerstein, Joni P. Gordon, Justin Carney, Karly Jean Kainz, Katria Foster, Lauren Allen, Mariah Cameron Scee, Rebecca Cohen, Robert King, Roxanne Darling, Ruiqi Xu, Sam Bennett, Stacy Isenbarger, Veronica Ceci, William Lukas

Selected Images:

Gathering Between
Carla Caletti
April 2 - April 19, 2024
Reception: April 5, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents a solo exhibition, "Gathering Between" featuring abstract figurative paintings and sculpture by New Mexico-based artist, Carla Caletti. The exhibition opens April 2nd with a reception for the artist on April 5th from 5:00 to 7:00pm. An artist talk will follow on April 6th from 3:00-4:00pm.

Working from an inner landscape and worlds real and imagined, Caletti's abstracted figures are conceived as a cross between superheroes and totemic beings that bridge between the seen and unseen. They surface as a ballast for the chaotic and destructive aspects in the world and offer an infusion and protection, care, and hope. She is drawn to practices of mending and repair, gathering disparate parts and fragments into a new whole. The use of wax and paper with acrylic paint adds layers and depth to her surfaces. The process of adding and removing materials creates a sense of time and speaks to the impermanence of the physical realm and the richness of liminal space. 

Fellow Santa Fe Artist Trent Gerard Edwards comments, "An ancient warmth resonates from these paintings; a thoughtful pulse from the heart. The simple yet adorned figures occupying Carla's work are the vowels of her artistic language and a beautiful art form providing space for our contemplation."

As a self-taught artist working since her first painting 23 years ago when pregnant with her daughter, Caletti has forged her own path in how she makes her work and what materials are involved. She has shown in galleries and art fairs including SomARTS Gallery in San Francisco and Van Der Plas Gallery and Art Expo both in New York City, created pop-ups, street art and curated group shows. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Caletti is now based in Northern New Mexico. She is an Established Artist Member of Strata Gallery.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook. 

Intersecting Lifetimes
Keanu Jones
March 19 - March 29, 2024
Reception: Friday, March 22, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents "Intersecting Lifetimes" by Albuquerque-based Emerging Artist Member Keanu Jones (Diné). This exhibition is on view March 19 through March 29, with a special reception on March 22nd from 5:00 - 7:00pm.

Emerging Artist Keanu Jones examines the intersectionalities of lifetimes through his exploration of photographs, textures, and time in his digital collages. Through his artwork, Jones aims to display the collisions from past moments to the present. Jones' art practice is a form of healing, expressing pain, beauty and the complexities of life. 

Keanu Jones stated, "I'm honored to have my first solo show as an Emerging Artist Member. My work explores the intersections of lifetimes through all forms of media. Through my diverse body of work, I aim to provide an experience that allows viewers to have a new understanding of contemporary identity."

Keanu Jones (Diné/Navajo) is Mexican People Clan born for Big Water Clan and is originally from Grand Falls, Arizona. He graduated from Navajo Technical University with a BFA in Creative Writing and New Media. He is currently based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is his first solo show in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook. 

People Like You
Millian Giang Pham
February 27 - March 15, 2024
Reception: March 1, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents People Like You, a solo exhibition by Alabama-based artist and educator Millian Giang Pham. The exhibition opens February 27th, with a special reception on Friday, March 1st from 5-7pm.

Millian Pham’s art practice focuses on structures and barriers that oppress the body through visual abstraction and textual obfuscation. She uses visual art strategies to flip this on the viewer by creating visual puzzles through small embroideries and needlework. Since the answer to each composition is provided in the title of each work, Pham’s works exist as a demonstration of perspectival shift rather than a challenge to solve; however, the opportunity to solve each puzzle is still available by not looking up the answer.

Millian Pham stated, “This will be a wonderful return to Santa Fe. It’s been three great years with Strata Gallery, during which I had many wonderful mentorship meetings with emerging artists and saw a myriad of different works by established artists. I’m so happy to be back with a collection of new works to share with the Santa Fe community.”

Millian Giang Pham received her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma and her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Studio Art – Foundations at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Her works have been exhibited throughout the United States and in Canada, Korea, and Pakistan.

Imprint
Jandey Shackelford
February 13 - February 23, 2024
Reception: February 16, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Emerging Member solo exhibition, Imprint by Arizona-based artist Jandey Shackelford. Imprint is on view February 13 through February 23, with a special reception on Friday, February 16th from 5-7pm. 

Jandey Shackelford’s interdisciplinary art practice is centered on the persistent stereotypes, gender roles, and forms of oppression that persist in today’s society, specifically in a home or house setting. Shackelford uses footprints from herself and others to serve as tangible evidence, presence, and memory of the impact that this space can have on those who occupy it. Visitors will experience an immersive experience at Strata Gallery during Shackelford’s exhibition.

Jandey Shackelford stated, “As an emerging member of Strata Gallery, it’s been exciting to plan for a solo exhibition on the heels of graduating with my MFA. I am very excited to exhibit in Santa Fe because of the supportive community surrounding the gallery. My work employs bodies, space, interaction and physical manipulation of materials. The act of creating these drawings represents an effort to transcend the space of sadness from which they were born.”

Jandey Shackelford received her MFA from the University of Arizona in May of 2023. Her work has been exhibited both in the United States and internationally. This is her first solo exhibition in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit us our website, Instagram, and Facebook.

We are between exhibitions. Please join us next week when we reopen with a new and exciting exhibition!

Dwelling With
Rebecca Padilla Pipkin
January 23 - February 2, 2024
Reception: January 26, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery is pleased to present Dwelling With, a solo exhibition by Arizona based artist Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin. The exhibition opens January 23rd, with a special reception on January 26th from 5-7pm.

Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin is an interdisciplinary visual artist and educator living and working in Phoenix, Arizona. Her work explores ecologies of place through a wide variety of site-specific materials and processes that index moments of interaction between the human and more-than-human. Ultimately, she strives to make work that deepens the care and attention we give to the places in which we dwell.

Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin stated, “Being a part of Strata Gallery has been an incredible experience. The connections I have made with other artists through Strata have been so generative for my practice. In my work, I consider and expand on practices of attunement within the landscapes that hold us, particularly the desert. I am honored to be expanding the reach of my work throughout the Southwest and with the Santa Fe community.”

Rebecca Padilla-Pipkin received her BFA from the University of Oklahoma, and her MFA from Arizona State University. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States, and has been generously supported through various grants such as the Phoenix Artist To Work program.

Selfhood
Juried Exhibition
January 2 - January 19
Reception: January 5, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Selfhood, a juried exhibition by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas. This juried exhibition will be on view from January 2 through January 19, with a special reception on January 5th from 5-7pm.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas selected 30 artists from locations across the United States including Colorado, Kansas, Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington for this exhibition. Selected artworks are centered upon the concept of selfhood; the works consider how selfhood is constructed, altered, and reimagined. Artists investigate the multiplicitous nature of selfhood: gender, sexual orientation, race, class, age, ethnicity, and so forth. Selfhood, as a dichotomy, can reflect cultural norms and be a source of resistance to them. Navigating selfhood during disruptive times can lead to crossroads of crisis; therefore, some featured artists present visualizations of selfhood that explore the process of self-discovery, self-definition, and self-direction.

Two artists, Renee Couture and Suzanne Faris, explore the impact of gender upon selfhood. Renee Couture contemplates the nuances and complications of motherhood via photography and hand-painted ink. In her artwork titled The Ordinary Work of Women, Faris considers the endless nature of the women’s movement wherein the fight for equality is never finished. 

From a stance of self-discovery and self-definition, artists examine the role of race and ethnicity within selfhood. What does it mean to be American? How does one traverse life as an immigrant, first-generation American or second-generation American? Two artists investigate these questions through traditional art historical genres: portraiture and still life. Yashoda Latkar suggests otherness in her digital image Everything at once by referencing food and religion. Introspective, arranged objects allude to familial roots in Jennifer Seo’s three-dimensional artworks.

Realist painters, Jason John and Marshall Sharpe, anchor selfhood within a space: exterior and interior. Literally, the characters in their paintings are placed in environments; however, the seated male figures divulge internal narratives of identity.

The artists featured in Selfhood approach the topic from innovative perspectives and create with an assortment of materials. Some artworks approach the concept of selfhood in a symbolic manner. For example, Laura Nugent’s paintings, Changing Bodies No. 36: Subtext and Changing Bodies No. 47: Subtext, hint at the passage of time and the development of psyche through the years. Perhaps selfhood is not a case of resolution but a daily existence of progression. Nika Feldman’s artwork Catch of the Day employs a variety of materials: recycled t-shirt, vintage buttons, thread, and 300 needles. This fiber artwork dangles like femininity turned upside down. The built-up encrusted materials read as the evidentiary fingerprints of selfhood.

In this juried exhibition, Selfhood, visual artists address the fluidity and facets of identity within an intersectional discourse. 

Prize Winners:

Best in Show: $200 Suzanne Faris, The Ordinary Work of Women

Honorable Mention: $100 Jennifer Seo, Honbab 

Honorable Mention: $100 Rica Maestas, Father's Day performance with yucca flowers

Exhibiting Artists:
Ajean Ryan, Allyson McDuffie, Anastasia King, Brenda Stumpf, Caitlin Carcerano, Claire Christine Sargenti, Craig Cully, Daniel Brothers, Isabel Winson-Sagan, Jason John, Jennifer Seo, Katie Sieker, Katrina Shafor, Laura Nugent, Lois Harbaugh, Maggie Day, Marianne Hall, Marshall Sharpe, Nandi Egber, Nathan Garcia, Nika Feldman, Oli Boyer, Paulina Arango Mora, R. Melinda Hoffman, Renee Couture, Rica Maestas, Sang Lee, Shirin Melatgohar, Suzanne Faris, Yashoda Latkar.

About the Juror
Rosemary Meza-DesPlas is a 2022 Latinx Artist Fellowship recipient. A multidisciplinary artist, her studio practice incorporates fiber art, drawing, installation, painting, performance art, and video. Meza-DesPlas’ visual artwork is thematically linked to her academic writing and poetry. She presents at academic conferences including College Art Association, International Conference of the Image, and Feminist Art Conference. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. 

Selected Images:

We are closed for the holiday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your understanding.
See you back in the gallery in 2024!

Pandemic Paintings and Political Protest
Margi Weir
November 28 - December 15
Reception: December 1, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents its last Established Member solo exhibition of the year, Pandemic Paintings and Political Protest by New Mexico based artist, Margi Weir. The exhibition opens November 28th, with a special reception on December 1st from 5-7pm. The exhibition runs through December 15th. 

Margi Weir’s paintings, drawings and installation work are centered around her response to the world around her, whether that world is the digital world, as during the pandemic, or the physical world. Weir relies on the juxtaposition of imagery to create meaning with the hope that the viewer will take away a continued questioning of the current events and situations that have been affecting all of us. 

Margi Weir stated, “After the years of isolation during the Pandemic, when the interaction with friends, family, and students was mediated by a screen of some sort or other, it is wonderful to be having a solo show, in person, at Strata Gallery. I look forward to sharing the work I did during that period of isolation and to demonstrating how that work relates to my more political work of the past.” 

Margi Weir, a recently retired Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, earned her MFA in painting from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA); her MA in painting from New Mexico State University; her BFA in painting from San Francisco Art Institute; and her BA in art history from Wheaton College, Massachusetts. This is Weir’s first solo show in Santa Fe. 

We are closed for the holiday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your understanding.
See you back in the gallery in 2023!

Imago
Mehrdad Mirzaie
November 7 - November 17
Reception: November 17, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents its first Emerging Member solo exhibition,"Imago," by Phoenix-based artist Mehrdad Mirzaie. The exhibition opens on November 7th, with a special closing reception on November 17th from 5-7 pm.

Mehrdad Mirzaie's artistic journey is deeply intertwined with the convergence of culture, history, and politics. It is fueled by his curiosity about the past and a fervent desire to understand how historical images influence our perceptions of history. Archives, in particular, occupy a central position in his artistic vision, serving as a gateway to explore the intricate layers of human experiences and the passage of time.

Mehrdad Mirzaie states, “My body of work is characterized by a steadfast dedication to working with a diverse array of images of the past, whether through the curation of new archives or the reinterpretation of existing ones. I firmly believe in the transformative power of historical imagery to inform our present and shape our future. By scrutinizing historical images and the mental images they evoke, my goal is to think about conventional interpretations of the past and investigate how various contexts and audiences, each with their unique backgrounds, can influence our understanding of historical truths. I deeply believe that we cannot claim to fully understand and narrate the truth of what happened in the past. Instead, we can only remember the past through honest narration (with the awareness that it is a personal experience).”

Mehrdad Mirzaie is an Image-Based artist originating from Iran, currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree with a specialization in photography at Arizona State University. He received his BFA in Photography from Art University in Tehran. This is his first solo show in New Mexico.

Allowing Goodness Its Own Speech
Beverly Todd
October 17 - November 3
Reception: October 20, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Established Artist solo exhibition Allowing Goodness Its Own Speech by New Mexico artist Beverly Todd. The exhibition opens October 17 with a reception Friday, October 20, 5-7 PM. 

“This collection relays a personal conversation about the value of moral beauty – a dimension of awe. The work is poetic and descriptive, reflective of the power of witnessing others’ courage, kindness, strength, and overcoming. Everyday encounters with moral beauty can, in turn, move us to goodness,” says Todd.

“My goal is to start an internal dialogue within one person, or an external dialogue within a greater community. Providing enough visual inspiration to point in a direction, then to let the viewer veer off course for their own discovery of every human’s goodness.”

Beverly’s large-scale abstract expressionist paintings playfully dance with color and movement. Her painting process is physical, using hardware-store brushes, broken sticks, rags, and hands to drip, scrape, wipe and pull paint across surfaces. 

Beverly began painting in Santa Fe in 2018. To give others that experience, she opened Santa Fe Artist Getaway in 2019 moving her art practice and arts-based teaching from Omaha, NE, to Santa Fe, NM. 

She is currently serving as an Established Artist with Strata Gallery. Her art is in collections including the University of Nebraska, Albrecht-Kemper Museum, and Wilson Performing Arts Center. She has shown with Jen Tough Gallery, Art Santa Fe, Strata Gallery, Gallery 1516, Visionary Arts Collective, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Kansas City Artist Coalition, Norfolk Arts Center, and the Nebraska Governor’s Residence.

Small Works
Juried Exhibition
September 26 - October 13
Reception: September 29, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery is happy to present our upcoming juried exhibition, “Small Works,” which will be on view from September 26 through October 13, 2023, with a special reception on September 29th from 5-7pm. Strata Gallery co-founders, Jennifer Van, Stephanie Jacinto, and David Olivant have selected the works of 48 artists from eight states, Berlin and Fakenham. A total of sixty-four artworks in various media were selected for inclusion - photography, painting, fiber, ceramic, collage, intaglio, drawing, lithography, wood, caster paper, recycled cans and stainless steel. 

Small works are often underappreciated in a contemporary climate where artists feel they must make an increasingly bigger splash, where intimacy, delicacy and precision get the short curatorial straw. The quality of works in this exhibit belies that trend and makes a case for close inspection, private worlds and the thrill of discovering a gem. 

Minimalism fares well in this environment and the intricate works of Eleanor Wood bear this out - exquisitely nuanced surfaces, finely calibrated proportions, and an unerring sense of composure. At the other end of the spectrum Deirdre Brown evokes cosmic rays through evocative microscopic textural shifts – a universe contained in a square foot of canvas!  This is a scale that lends itself to the intricacy of woven materials and Al Canner employs knotted cords of cotton, hemp, rayon and glass beads to generate a lively hexapod. 

On a different spectrum, Jack Crouch’s collage “After the Faculty Meeting” puns on the smallness of the painting with the depiction of a tantrum-possessed toddler who symbolizes just how heated intellectuals can get, over the triviality of administrative disagreements! Daniel Esquivia-Zapata revels in the delicacy that graphite is capable of with a beautifully nuanced portrait of Cecilia. Susanne Kessler from Berlin reminds us that small can also be monumental with her “Book Moth” weighing in at 15 x 15 inches. With a parallel ambition the small archival inkjet prints of Mehrdad Mirzaie open a window to deep, occluded histories and the suffering of a nation. To end on a happier note, Katie Sandridge gives us a two by four-inch ceramic stoneware reminding us of the preciousness of our arid environment.

This has been to follow very few of the myriad possible threads that weave their stylistic and thematic journey through these minuscule moments of integrity, resilience, mischief making and modesty. We feel sure that viewers will uncover their own surprises and perhaps lose themselves in miniature but monumental, microcosmic magic.

Small Works aims to celebrate the power of small artworks that invites viewers to explore the intricacies of minute details.

Exhibiting Artists:
Al Canner, Anna Bush Crews, Anthony Pessler, Chris Wubbena, Claire Moore, Daniel Esquivia Zapata, David Larson, David Linn, Deirdre Brown, Dominick Porras, Donna Fleetwood, Drew Gaines, Eleanor Wood, Falon Mihalic, Francesca Yorke, Gordon Senior, Hannah Freeman, Hannah Ramage, Heidi Cost, Jacey Coca, Jack Crouch, Jacqueline Mallegni, John Decker, Juan Granados, Judy Stevens, Katie Sandridge, Kenneth FitzGerald, Linda Barlow, Lita Kenyon, Lori Colt, Marie Birkedal, Marisa Brown, Megan Morgan, Mehrdad Mirzaie, Mikki Ulaszewski, Myra Colbert, Nandi Makala, Robert Hoerlein, Robin Hesse, Sihan Zhu, Simon Levy, Simone Schiffmacher, Snow Pond Ceramics, Susan Lefkowich, Susanne Kessler, Theodora Varnay Jones, Vanessa Gonzalez, Yeon Choi

Prizes:

• $100 - President’s Choice (1)
  Robert Hoerlein, the body gives itself for nothing #9, oil and acrylic on stretched canvas, panel, bones, 14 x 16 x 4.5 in, 2023

• $100 - Director’s Choice (1) 
   Jacqueline Mallegni, Blue & White, handmade paper, indigo, silk thread, rattan, 8 x 9 x 9 in, 2023

• $100 - Assistant Director's Choice (1)
  Jacey Coca, Splitting Cells (Untitled No. 2), beads and thread, 4 x 5 x 0.25 in, 2023
   

Peter Chapin
Unexpected Findings
September 5 – September 22
Reception: September 8, 5-7 pm

Strata Gallery is pleased to present new works on paper and acrylic paintings by Santa Fe artist, Peter Chapin, in our new downtown location on Lincoln Avenue. The exhibition will run from September 5 through September 22, with a reception on September 8th from 5:00-7:00pm.

Chapin states, “Visual art is a way of finding meaning, ‘finding our way in this world of variety’ as Paul Klee put it. We think with our senses, come to our senses, and more specifically we think with the tools and materials at hand. Drypoint printmaking and other materials on paper, and acrylic on panels, lead to unexpected findings.”

Having lived and worked in Santa Fe for 36 years, Peter is delighted to be part of a gallery that values education, relationships with the other arts, and the “examined life”. He is particularly pleased to share his explorations with his hometown community.

Peter graduated with high honors in Art History from Yale, earned an MFA from Columbia University, studying with John Heliker and Philip Guston among others, and went on to teach at Drew University where he chaired the Art Department and Directed the New York Art Semester. He then joined 4 other artists to found the Printmaking Center of New Jersey. He and his wife, Honey, moved to Santa Fe to direct Skylight Conversations, weeklong sessions for museum groups based on talking with area artists in their studios. Peter has involved himself fully in this place as President of Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity, Chair of the Board of Cornerstones Community Partnerships and of Santa Fe New Music. Far from distracting Peter from his artwork, he is grateful for these involvements which have enriched his life and work.

Strata Gallery is located at 125 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 105, in Downtown Santa Fe, and is open from 11:00am to 5:00pm from Tuesday through Saturday.