Santa Fe Book Arts Group’s Santa Fe Origins & Ancient Travelers Exhibition
Opening Friday, August 5, 2022, 5 pm to 7 pm
Exhibition Continues Through August 26, 2022
Historic Santa Fe Foundation (HSFF) is pleased to host the Santa Fe Book Arts Group. Santa Fe Origins & Ancient Travelers is a 12.5’ long, handmade book exploring the history of Santa Fe from its beginnings. The exhibition will open at El Zaguán, 545 Canyon Road, Suite 2, Santa Fe, NM on Friday, August 5, 2022 from 5-7 pm.
Santa Fe Origins & Ancient Travelers is a collaboration between paper and book artists from the Santa Fe Book Arts Group (BAG). The group is made up of working artists who love the fertile creative spirit of Santa Fe and have contributed to the piece throughout the pandemic by hand making and cutting paper as well as through providing individual paper mechanics and illustrations. Sally Blakemore, as BAG Artist in Residence from 2020-2022, proposed the book as a collaborative project promoting Santa Fe’s fascinating human history of Native people, migrants from Mexico, colonization through European influences, the Catholic Church, scientists, archeologists, and adventurers.
Click on any image to enlarge.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Santa Fe Origins & Ancient Travelers is a handmade, interactive book which features the history of Santa Fe from her beginnings.
Who traveled to Santa Fe?
Why did they travel to New Mexico?
What did each group contribute to the diverse culture?
How diverse is Santa Fe’s history?
How has tourism enriched the experience?
Santa Fe Origins & Ancient Travelers is a folding, accordion book that is 15.5″ by 20.5″ closed and 12.5’ long when fully opened and appears as a wild scrapbook of historical facts. Each spread contains a central piece of adobe and historical architecture hand cut from lokta paper, dyed to match the adobe colors of Santa Fe. The following buildings are the centerpiece of their respective spread: the Oldest House, San Miguel Chapel, St. Francis Cathedral, the Palace of the Governors, and La Fonda Hotel. These structures provide a starting location for the stories and historical entries contained in small books which are comprised of illustrations in paper engineered formats, paintings, drawings, and articles by scholars concerning Santa Fe’s diverse history. Each group of travelers has brought wisdom, beliefs, foods, the wheel, honey, agriculture, music, dance, ritual architecture, business, and stewardship to the Southwestern region. The public is encouraged to explore the piece and acquaint themselves with the mystery and wonder of Santa Fe by removing the small books from their cases and flaps.
More information: https://www.historicsantafe.org/santa-fe-origins-exhibition-2022