On November 8, I joined a group of over thirty members of our Committee who travelled to the 12th SITE SANTA FE International: Once Within a Time. We began our tour in a room dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII. While each piece of artwork did not necessarily represent the Code Talkers, they did all have to do with the general topic of language or code. It was in this room that I found the piece that brought the entire International together for me and solidified the theme: a weaving by Marilou Shultz. The weaving had a dark background with brightly colored lines running through it in various directions, reminiscent of a circuit chip.
Showcasing local as well as international artists, this International brings the global art world to us while still highlighting our local talent and history. The director of SITE describes it as “SITE SANTA FE International’s most sprawling and ambitious installment to date.” This International is not only hosted at SITE, but it has also expanded into the community; you can find artworks from this International at various museums, parks and businesses scattered throughout the area. It has become a treasure hunt for art enthusiasts as well as a happy accident for the occasional passerby.
In the words of its renowned curator Cecilia Alemani, Once Within a Time “places storytelling at its heart, exploring New Mexico’s history through twenty-seven characters- or ‘figures of interest’- with close ties to the region.” All the artwork and artists included in the show tie into this theme and have connections to New Mexico and to the figures of interest.
As I walked through the various rooms of the show, my mind kept returning to Shultz’s weaving and it wasn’t until I was driving home that I realized why. To me, the show was like a giant tapestry. Each thematic room was like a vein of color running through the weaving, and that vein was made up of individual threads: the artists. Each of the artists’ works were made up of even smaller fibers: that person’s experiences, thoughts, and culture. So, as I walked through the exhibition, I was experiencing this massive woven history. Not only was I discovering twenty-seven figures of interest, but I was also discovering the individual artists and their lives. It was clear to me that each thoughtfully curated piece brought to the show an almost infinite depth: weaving together the complex history of New Mexico.
Our tour took an hour and we barely scratched the surface of what was there. Considering that the show is not even contained within the walls of SITE SANTA FE, it is easy to imagine the vastness of the entire exhibition. The day after the tour, I was out doing Christmas shopping and got to experience another part of the exhibition at a gift shop downtown where a kind employee acted as docent. So…now I only have thirteen more places to go to experience the entire exhibition, at which point I should probably circle back to SITE to discover what I missed the first time.
Sometimes you need an experience to help you remember the beautiful complexity woven into the world: for me, this was that experience, and I’m not yet done experiencing it.
— Alicia Jones, Member and Volunteer; photos courtesy Lucy Finch
