The writing's on the wall

Sep. 22—Yes, there was art on the wall in many rooms of the new Vladem Contemporary roughly a month before it opened, and the guy overseeing the whole thing was excited about showing off the almost-ready place to an eager visitor. But the noisy activity of drilling, beeping, blinking (as in lights), and background talking gave the impression of something still growing, something still growling, something still grasping for definition.

Which makes sense, as the Vladem is, after all, a contemporary art museum, which means it may take a little time to figure out its place in Santa Fe, renowned for its traditional, cultural, and historical art scene.

But Mark A. White, executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Art, does not seem in a hurry to prove anything fast with the Vladem. Give the museum a year or two to find its place among the city's vast artistic landscape, he says about the museum.

For White, the Vladem Contemporary fulfills the promise of the New Mexico Museum of Art, which opened in 1917 with an emphasis on contemporary art and its significance to the time. Over the ensuing century or so, it became increasingly difficult to keep showcasing that kind of art as it became part of a time capsule of the people, themes, mores, and aesthetics of a long-gone time.

Contemporary art is always changing, White says, and the 1917 building "is just not suitable for that kind of work anymore." Hence the opening of the Vladem, which has been in the works for years.

White speaks of the postwar trends in contemporary art that included "an increase in scale, a diversity of media, the introduction of electronic and digital media, all things that came about in the '50s and '60s and which we're still dealing with in a variety of ways."

Contemporary art, White says, has always spoken to "concerns of our age." "Contemporary art is responsive to a diversity of ages that concern us as a region, country, people — take your pick," he says. "[Contemporary art] allows us to think about social issues, policy issues, religious and spiritual issues, climatological issues, all these things that form in some ways a kind of zeitgeist of our age."

White and company are determined to make the museum a place where everyone feels welcome as they navigate the ever-changing world of contemporary art, which, at this museum, starts out with some weird and wacky sculptures, some holograms, and, quite delightfully, some kitty cats hanging around the art work [see "The art comes on little cat feet," page 36].

The feline fun stuff is related to an exhibition using works by renowned contemporary artist Judy Chicago, who loves animals, in an "augmented reality" showcase of animated cats wandering around the gallery's art pieces, White says. It's not a gimmick, but rather an initiative aimed at children with families "who may not necessarily be comfortable with contemporary art, but this becomes a gateway for getting to understand the pieces."

It's about finding a way to relate to contemporary art, he says, and proves that such art can be "fun, it can be cool, and it can be kind of crazy."

The roughly 38,000 square foot facility, which has plenty of storage space and five places where art will be displayed, is likely to have works that everybody likes and some works nobody likes and a lot of stuff in between. (White did not say that, but he agreed that if people like this writer connect with 16 out of the 24 artists being shown in the opening exhibition, Shadow and Light, the museum will have achieved its mission.)

For the most part, the museum will concentrate on showcasing works from 1980 to present, White says, although an exhibition next year will highlight contemporary art from 1970-2000 as "a kind of a love letter back to the artist community of New Mexico and its relationship with the museum." The majority of the works for that show, he says, will come from the permanent collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art.

Contemporary art dealers in Santa Fe say the museum will help spotlight the city's contemporary art scene and solidify its reputation as a top art spot to visit.

Santa Fe art gallery owner Deborah Fritz says with a laugh that many of the artists she represents at GF Contemporary asked her to help them get a showing at the new museum. She says the museum has the ability to educate people about contemporary art, which could lead more visitors to the city's many contemporary art galleries.

Just as importantly, she adds, visitors stepping off a New Mexico Rail Runner Express in Santa Fe will almost certainly be captivated by the celestial light display set up outside the museum by artist Leo Villareal, which will remain on all day and night [see "Seeking enlightenment," page 42].

"It's so welcoming when you come off the train to be able to step into that lighted exhibit," Fritz says. "It will change people's opinion of Santa Fe and be a gateway to both art and the city."

She, like other contemporary art gallery owners, agrees that the museum is also going to shine a light on long-time New Mexico artists who either live here or have on-and-off ties to the state: Chicago, Bruce Nauman, Larry Bell, Susan York, Harmony Hammond, and others — all of whom, White says, will find a wall displaying their art in the museum at some point.

Gallery owner Charlotte Jackson, who has been pushing for years for a contemporary art museum in Santa Fe, says the fact the museum will have its own collection space means that artists, galleries, and other entities can donate items that can be put on display for the public. The museum can absolutely inspire people to gravitate to contemporary art and that, in turn, could encourage them to "go see more and find something they want to live with — and that all came from the seed of visiting the museum," she says.

Tonya Turner Carroll, co-owner of Santa Fe's CONTAINER and Turner Carroll Gallery, says the museum's focus on New Mexico artists will show that these artists are part of our artistic legacy and history. "Now we can claim our native sons and daughters and show them in a way they are proud of and finally get New Mexico's contemporary arts scene the respect on an international scale that it deserves," she says.

The museum also showcases the works of international artists from different cultures and races, White says, adding that New Mexico continues to attract visual artists from everywhere and places a demand for an institute like the Vladem Contemporary to operate.

"For the average individual, if they want to see what the cultural landscape looks like," he says, "the Vladem Contemporary can be one possible solution to getting a sense of the culture diversity, the richness of this place."