Jenny Southan discovers bountiful galleries and an abiding hippy spirit in the historic US city of Santa Fe
Standing at a level crossing next to the farmers’ market, I take in the aroma of roasting chillies and watch the silvery steel of the Rail Runner Express glint as it glides past.
On the side is painted a cartoon-like roadrunner, its red and yellow plumage streaking across the carriages like flames. The commuter service, which was extended in 2008 to connect the New Mexico capital of Santa Fe with its neighbour, Albuquerque, comes to a standstill at the Railyard District.
On Tuesday and Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons, bohemian locals sell peaches, sunflowers and “intergalactic” bread here, just as they have since the 1960s, when the desert town experienced an influx of hippies, artists and writers. But before the laying of train lines in the 1800s, Santa Fe – an hour’s drive from Albuquerque International airport – was a dusty Wild West frontier community of native Pueblo Indians and the descendants of Spanish conquistadors from the 17th century.
“The city has always been on a spur line so it never got the big economic push that it would have if it had been a stop on the main branch of the railway,” says Steve Lewis, spokesman for the Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Instead, it became a tourist destination and a place where people came to reinvent themselves.”
The small-scale city may only have a population of 76,000 but its cultural heritage and dramatic natural landscape has brought it great wealth and interest from outsiders. Formerly part of Mexico – which is why you are still guaranteed zingy margaritas, crispy blue corn nachos and luscious guacamole in most of the eateries around town – New Mexico became part of the US in 1912, making Santa Fe one of the oldest cities in the country (it was 400 last year).
More recently, it has become one of the top three markets for art in the US, next to New York and LA, generating more than US$1 billion a year in revenue. Lewis says: “Many interior designers, collectors, gallery owners and companies seeking art for their offices come from all over the world to buy.” There is particular demand for the work of native Pueblo communities so the annual Indian Market in August, the largest of its kind in the world, is one of the busiest periods for the city.
Other annual events include the Art Feast in February – “a weekend of artful events combined with sensational savouries and drink” – the Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival in May, Art Santa Fe in July, modern art fair SOFA West in August, and the Santa Fe Film Festival in October. The city also has more than 250 galleries, so it’s little wonder the United Nations has designated it a UNESCO Creative City.
A stroll up to Canyon Road presents me with a long, gently winding avenue that stretches up to the foothills of the national park. I stop off at the Wiford Gallery (at number 403) to admire some kinetic wind sculptures, before checking out the Selby Fleetwood Gallery (600), which has paintings in all manner of styles, from landscape to abstract. Kelly Moore’s studio at 620 welcomes me with orange colanders hanging from the trees and Christmas baubles impaled on cacti. It’s weird, wired and inspiring.
At the Jane Sauer Gallery (652), which spotlights innovative works in a range of media, I get chatting to the owner herself. She tells me that when the hippies first arrived, Canyon Road was nothing more than a dirt track – now it is a prestigious place to be thanks to the opening of more than 100 establishments. In the centre of town, I pop into the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The US artist, revered for her close-up paintings of flowers, animal skulls and rock formations, spent most of her life in the state.
Still, it’s the Railyard District that really captures my interest. Officially unveiled in 2008 after a significant facelift, the 20-hectare site houses cutting-edge art venues in converted warehouses and spacious new-builds. The LewAllen Galleries “is committed to modernist masterworks”, James Kelly Contemporary represents post-war artists from Europe and the US, and Tai specialises in Japanese bamboo work and photography. There is a buzz about the place that I can’t help but get high off.
If your enthusiasm for the creative is short-lived, Santa Fe also offers a unique base from which to experience outdoor activities such as rafting, llama trekking and skiing. But however you decide to spend your time here, ensure you end each day at a rooftop bar, taking in the changing colours of the expansive sky and the golden dusk as it settles around you.
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