New kid on the block Foto Forum Santa Fe
In November, gallery and studio Foto Forum Santa Fe opened just a block down from the newly remodeled SITE Santa Fe on Paseo de Peralta in the Railyard. The nonprofit art space is the brainchild of local photographer Sage Paisner, conceived as an all-in-one exhibition area, darkroom, and educational center. Paisner was born in Minneapolis and raised in Santa Fe. On opening night, a group of his photographs called Mi Familia es Todo (My Family Is Everything) adorned the newly painted white walls of Foto Forum’s modest exhibition room. Intimate portraits of the artist’s friends and family, displayed in a wide range of photographic techniques and all taken in New Mexico, constituted Foto Forum’s inaugural exhibition.
The poignant show bolstered Paisner’s stated interest in photography’s potential as a means of “visual storytelling.” In his shot Three Boys Working
in Cordova, NM, a trio of young Hispanic boys looks frankly at the camera, with the smallest boy flanked by two larger ones, who hold the long wooden handles of rakes or shovels. As our eyes travel from left to right, we notice the first two boys, with their rather somber expressions, give way to the face of the last boy, who has a smile or a smirk creeping across his face.
A selection of wet plate images was included in the exhibit, some of which had been made ear- lier that night during a live demonstration. First introduced in the 1850s, wet plate photographs retain a Civil War- era mystique, but are positively contemporary in the swiftness with which they’re realized. Taken and developed within the span of about 15 minutes, Paisner called them “the first Polaroids” because of their rapid processing time; their pleasingly imperfect appearance, with areas of both penetrating clarity and dark shadow, are bordered by hazy, splotchy outer edges. For a fee, visitors to Foto Forum can learn this technique, alongside many other methods. For those interested in larger projects, the entire studio and darkroom is available to rent, along with cameras, lights, and other equipment. On-site studio and technical assistants are even available for hire.
According to Paisner, for decades, the building that now houses Foto Forum was owned by Florentino and Celestina Ortiz, who originally purchased the space in 1937 and ran it as a neighborhood grocery store, laundromat, and woodworking shop. Its transformation from quaint storefront to operating art space began last September, and now the 600-foot area is divided between exhibition room and studio. Given its historical background and its location in the revitalized Santa Fe Railyard district, Foto Forum feels ideally suited to showcase regionally focused art. “I always had a fascination with the camera,” Paisner said. “My two prized possessions growing up as a kid were my camera and my Walkman.”
December’s exhibition (openings are slated for the last Friday of every month, with shows on view for around four weeks) features the work of regional photographer and multimedia artist Marina Eskeets, who was born on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Her images, largely informed by the havoc wreaked on Dinétah by toxic uranium mining, relate to another one of Paisner’s commitments: displaying socially and environmentally focused art. In one of Eskeets’ large- scale, unframed photographs, the form of a woman in profile appears in nearly life-size dimensions. Though the print is in black and white, the subject’s patterned dress, beaded belt, and moccasins convey an indelible sense of vibrancy and color; the image is cropped at the neck, but strands of dark hair, perpendicular in the breeze, are still visible.
As part of it s programming, Foto Forum will host a series of lectures by local and visiting artists. Recently, writer Susan Morgan gave a talk about Fred Block (1889-1955), a pioneering color film photographer whose work was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s first color photography exhibition in 1950. An integral aspect of Foto Forum is education — a natural fit for Paisner, who teaches at California State Summer School for the Arts. After nearly a decade in the Bay Area, Paisner moved back to New Mexico several years ago, where he taught film at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. The school’s closing turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise, affording him the opportunity to realize a longtime dream of opening up a mixed-use gallery and work space. Given his background, it’s fitting that Paisner designed Foto Forum, at least in part, as an educational center. Internships are unpaid, but university credit is possible for students, and volunteers are always welcome. “Galleries that support artists need to reflect the time in which they’re living,” Paisner said. “There are enough platforms and venues for pretty images that are a commodity for economic profit.”
Foto Forum is ambitious, certainly, but also inviting and earnest in its mission of inclusivity and locally focused programming.