With a 2023 population of just 89,220, Santa Fe is the 4th largest city in New Mexico and the 383rd largest city in the United States. Not very impressive, population-wise. However, what I learned when I first moved here to “The Land of Enchantment” ten months ago, and what really surprised me, is that Santa Fe is the third largest art market in the United States, based on sales, with over 250 art galleries and dealers in town. New York, Los Angeles, and little ol’ Santa Fe! Wow! And Canyon Road, right off Santa Fe’s Central Plaza in “The City Different”, like its equivalent art meccas and avenues in New Yawk, such as Soho, Tribeca, and Madison & Fifth Avenues, along with Venice Beach, La Brea, and the Arts District in Downtown LA, is one of the most commercial art markets in the world.
And “Eldorado”? Exactly what and where is that? New Mexico speaking, that is? Well, historically, the Spaniards called the 16th-century mythical city in modern-day Colombia, ruled by its flamboyant Andean monarch, "El Dorado," Spanish for “gilded one,” and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, “El Dorado” is often metaphorically and generically used for any place of vast riches, abundance, and opportunity.
Well, Eldorado, New Mexico is a suburban town about 20 minutes southeast of downtown Santa Fe with a population of approximately 5500 that is actually considered part of metropolitan Santa Fe, along with also being considered an “extremely nice place to live, known for its family-friendly atmosphere, great amenities, and a close-knit community”. And since May 12, 2023, it has also been the new home of the Jen Tough Gallery and AIR (Artist in Resident ) Studios.
Jen Tough, the eponymous owner of the new gallery, and her husband, Todd Hemsley, are hoping their new venture will be an inspiring community gathering place that reflects the creative energy of both Eldorado and Lamy, the nearby town and home of the famous Spanish Mission-style train station built in 1909 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
We want the gallery to be a unique place to meet with friends, attend an art workshop or event, take in gallery exhibitions, and connect with the rotating roster of resident artists during open studios held every weekend.
The couple purchased the former Cimarron Office Building next to Eldorado Water last fall, and they’ve spectacularly transformed it into three, multi-level exhibition spaces, several lounging areas with a kitchen, and ten artist studios. Soon - with a large teaching studio as well. Committed to utilizing community feedback, the twosome plans on creating a New Mexican-style sculpture garden, and they dream of creating a weekend wine and tapas service.
Overall, our mission is to create a beautiful and upscale art center that is a true asset to the community that neighbors, visitors, and artists, alike, will enjoy for years to come.
Jen first opened her original eponymous gallery in the San Francisco Bay Area in February 2017, while her partner Todd, who does visual effects for the film industry, was working at Apple. A trip to Santa Fe in 2009 cemented their dream to one day move here, and they made the change permanent in early 2020. Unfortunately, the move happened just two weeks before the pandemic shutdown, and with her publicized grand opening scheduled for April 4, 2020, Jen’s dream to open her gallery was shattered and the doors never opened. However, not one to be deterred, she moved the gallery online and created a community called the “Artist Alliance”, a gathering space for artists similar to Facebook.
As a former art director turned gallerist, Jen has both a studio and commercial art background with a BFA in fine arts. Most of her professional life was spent in Los Angeles, and she is the former art director for Warner Bros Records, Urban Outfitters (corporate), Hollywood Records (Disney), and several ‘90s magazines. Her freelance clients included Capitol Records, Drew Carey, and Nike.
She knew that the gallery system, for the most part, frequently excluded exceptionally talented artists (especially those over 40), and that exhibition opportunities were few and far between. While contemplating what the art market would look like after the pandemic, Jen conceived the concept of AIR Studios, knowing that collectors love meeting artists one on one and hearing their stories.
The concept was simple, and also a tribute to the origins of Canyon Road, when artists opened their studios to the public to connect with art lovers directly without the gallery middleman.
At AIR, artists rent one of the ten studios by the week and participate in open studios held each weekend, where they can connect with the public directly and earn 100% on sales. There is no application or review process for the rentable studios at this time, and Jen is offering 20% off for New Mexico residents for all of 2023.
By offering the studios at a very reasonable cost, artists can easily earn enough to pay for their studio, putting artists back in the driver’s seat within the art market.
To encourage tourists and the public to make the trek to “Lamarado”, as Jen and Todd affectionately call it (a mashup of Eldorado and Lamy), they will soon be offering a free shuttle from the Sant Fe Plaza every hour on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the hours that the facility is open to the public.
Just last Saturday, July 22, I hopped on 25 Freeway South (I don’t know, are the roads called “freeways” in Santa Fe like in Los Angeles? I know they should be because the speed limit is 75 mph!!!), and I stopped by the Opening Reception for the “Autumn 2023 Collective”.
The “Collective” show was presented in the upper and center of the three “Tough” galleries, and four of the collective artists participated in a live “artist talk”, speaking about the origin and nature of their work. Some had previously been members of The Artist Alliance or AIR participants, artists renting studios by the week, who were now going on to have longer multi-month relationships with Jen, which included shows like these and publication in “Contemporary Artist”, a magazine in which Jen, as a gallery owner, published their profiles and photos of their work, which was seen by literally millions of international readers.
The lower level galley is curated by Jen herself, often presenting the work of artists with whom she’s had long-time collaborations. Currently, “Fable: Art with Narrative”, just closed on July 25th.
And the second, upper gallery, is for solo exhibition rental shows, currently featuring Deanne Olguin Williamson. through July 30.
At least that’s the “layout” for this moment in time. Things promise to change again in January 2024.
Down the hall were artists like Chris iota (small “i” intentional) and Sarah Moldovan, both from Nebraska, who came for the week, for a breath of New Mexican fresh air, to rent artist studios, to create new work (Chris of far-out fish, Sarah of bebop bananas), and to hopefully to sell some of their art.
Now I don’t claim to be an expert in the art gallery business. Or in the sales of commercial art. Far from it. But this model, of the gallery owner renting studio space and offering exhibition opportunities to everyday working painters, sculptors, and visual creators of all kinds, seems significantly different than the “old school” model of the patriarchal giant like Leo Castelli, who “gave” Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella their first one-man shows in his legendary New York gallery. Or even modern-day Santa Fe and New York gallery owner, Gerald Peters, who entirely curates and “chooses” his artists for exhibition. No, because here, by contrast, is Jen Tough, empowering artists to create work, on-site, and then giving them the opportunity to sell it in her gallery, with the gallerist and artist splitting the commission. Quite a different thing, I believe. Quite a different attempt at community building.
So if you visit Santa Fe, especially to see the thriving art scene here, I highly recommend a short visit southeast to Eldorado, “The Gilded City”, hopefully by the time you arrive, by shuttle from Santa Fe’s Central Plaza, to see the expansive and thought-provoking Jen Tough Gallery and AIR Studios.
Say hello from Trules.
Jen Tough Gallery & AIR Studios
4 N Chamisa Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87508
(505) 372-7650
https://www.facebook.com/JenToughGallery
https://www.instagram.com/jentoughgallery/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jentoughgallery/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EktkE_b-koW7R4s6gyNQw
______________
If you enjoyed this post, or any previous ones, please LIKE it (by clicking the Heart), and LEAVE A COMMENT. It helps build an enthusiastic and interactive readership.
Also, if you have any friends who you think might enjoy Santa Fe Substack, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH THEM.
Thanks so much!!!
Another great essay from Mr. Trules...... keep 'em coming!
Painting at one of Jen's studios is a wonderful dream. My sister paints too -- a painting party!