Jenny's View

Film & Performance 

The Lensic’s The National Theatre Live in HD series continues with Small Island, Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel brought to life in an epic new theater adaptation. Then see an encore of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet. Wrap the month with The Lehman Trilogy, the story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening. Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes (Skyfall, The Ferryman) directs Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles who play the Lehman Brothers, their sons and grandsons.

Enjoy more Shakespeare, this time in the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. Laugh with The Comedy of Errors (July 26-27 & Aug. 2-3) at the Garden’s amphitheatre, Ojos y Manos: Eyes and Hands.

The Jean Cocteau Cinema has a heck of a schedule in July. First, see Double Indemnity, a classic film noir full of schemes, a femme fatale and intrigue. Then Carlos Medina’s All Fierce Comedy show delights, and the Game of Thrones Burlesque a parody burlesque troupe traveling from California. It doesn’t matter what side of the wall you’re on, striptease is coming for you, so bring your Wildling friends and celebrate with themed cocktails, dragons and fire! And HP Lovecraft is back from the dead and wants to answer your questions (July 26). What dubious wisdom or dubious advice will the godfather of horror dispense? Find out for yourself!

Live theater in July includes Stop Kiss from the New Mexico Actors Lab (July 11-28), a once-controversial play featuring evolved thinking that promotes social progress. Stop Kiss examines a hate crime through the prism of a love story and vice versa. Over at Santa Fe Playhouse, it’s NSFW, a dark workplace comedy satirizing media attitudes to sexuality and personal privacy. In the office of a British men’s magazine, appropriately called Doghouse, disaster strikes when they discover that their amateur centerfold is actually a non-consenting 14-year-old girl (July 18-Aug. 4).

The Screen presents a series of family friendly favorites. First, March of the Penguins tells the story of one year in the life of a flock of Emperor penguins who overcome daunting obstacles as they trek across the Antarctic on an annual journey. Then Whale Rider (July 13), about Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. HUGO, based on Brian Selznick's captivating and imaginative New York Times bestseller and directed by Martin Scorsese, is the tale of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station and the magical movie director he meets (July 20). Wrap the month with Queen of Katwe (July 27), the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess. Wrap the series with an outdoor showing of Coco.

Then switch gears and join acclaimed editor-producer Paul Barnes, best known for his work with Ken Burns, at The Screen as he reveals the mysteries of film editing of the classic Bonnie & Clyde. Come back for Barnes’ illuminating art with The Elephant Man and Raging Bull.

Lovett or Leave It is a wildly popular, critically beloved and deeply sexy podcast hosted by former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett. Each week, he’s joined by comedians, journalists, activists, elected officials, actors (not annoying ones), and musicians to break down the latest news, quiz the audience, and mock the endless frustrations and absurdities of our broken political nightmare factory. Get your tickets now for a live, in-person taping of the podcast at our very own Lensic (July 19).

Out & About

Psst! Hey buddy! Did you hear that La Fiesta Lounge has a secret cocktail menu? Yep, when you make a purchase at Detours during the July 5^th First Friday celebration of Downtown Santa Fe, you’ll receive a password. Give that password to the guys and gals at La Fiesta Lounge to access a trio of $5 pre-Prohibition cocktails. Detours will be open until 7 pm for you to shop, as will other galleries, boutiques and attractions all within a short walk from La Fonda. We’re offering the secret cocktail menu this First Friday (and every First Friday), and only at Detours. So enjoy a stroll, keep it local and end the night at La Fiesta, where the locals gather. But don’t forget the password!

A quick, scenic drive from Santa Fe is lavender country, and July means the Lavender Festival at Purple Adobe Lavender Farm. This year’s 10^th annual event features music, food, pick-your-own lavender, handmade products made from lavender, crafts, a labyrinth and more, all celebrating the perfect growing conditions for lavender in and around Abiquiu. Sweet!

El Rancho de las Golondrinas’ summer festival series continues in July with not one, but two events! First, head to the 26th annual Santa Fe Wine Festival (July 6-7). Test your taste buds and sample New Mexican wines from 20 vintners around the state. Eat delicious foods, buy local arts and crafts, and dance your weekend away at the longest running wine festival in Santa Fe. Then celebrate the music, arts, crafts, and food of our neighbor to the south at ¡Viva Mexico! (July 20-21). Surround yourself in the majestic culture and feel the spirit of Mexico with food, drink and family-friendly activities. ¡Que viva!

If historic architecture or Native American art is your interest, a tour of the School for Advanced Research’s historic campus will satisfy both urges. The nearly 8-acre estate features architecture by William Penhallow Henderson, artwork by Gustave Baumann, lovely gardens and more. Take a tour of the Indian Arts Research Center’s astounding world-class collection of Native American art, too.

ART Santa Fe (July 18-21) brings collectors together with artists and representatives from dozens of galleries around the world. This four-day juried contemporary art show features extraordinary global art, specially curated programming, special events, and entertainment with a variety of modern and contemporary work by both acclaimed masters as well as emerging artists.

Embark on an artistic adventure, like the one Georgia O’Keeffe set forth on when she visited Santa Fe for the first time in 1917. She was immediately impressed by New Mexico’s vast skies and vistas and the stark beauty of its landscape forms. Take advantage of our Georgia O’Keeffe special to explore her remarkable American story through art, materials, photographs and personal possessions at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, then take a drive up to her home and studio in Abiquiu. Our package includes two museum passes, luxury guest room accommodations for two at La Fonda, and breakfast for two in La Plazuela. Best of all, there are never any hidden resort fees when you stay with us.

Music & Dance 

This year’s Santa Fe Bandstand season – just steps from La Fonda’s door – continues Tuesdays through Saturdays through August 9 with free music, dancing and summer fun. Stop by the Bell Tower Bar for a sunset cocktail or nosh before or after, too.

Pack a picnic supper and visit the Santa Fe Botanical Garden for Sunset in the Garden concert Series. This month hear David Berkeley handcrafting songs to rouse your soul. The Garden opens for picnicking at 4:30pm; music begins at 5:30pm.

Music on the Hill, free Wednesday night performances on the St. John's College Athletic Field continue this month, too. Ron Crowder, an award-winning singer/songwriter and his bandmates appear (July 10), then feel the funk-laced beats and bass-heavy sousaphone blasts of Cha Wa (July 17). The series and month conclude with Nosotros, a 9-piece Latin music powerhouse and local favorites (July 24). Bring your dinner, your friends and family, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the hill.

Audiences are in for a surprise this summer when Aspen Santa Fe Ballet premieres its first-ever evening-length ballet: long-time collaborator Nicolo Fonte’s "Beautiful Decay". Featuring an original set design by Tony Award-winner Mimi Lien, and the timeless music of Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" and Max Richter’s reinterpretation of the same, this haunting work juxtaposes daring athleticism against the reality of aging.

The Lensic is where it’s at for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (July 14- August 19) , presenting Mendelssohn Octet, Miami String Quartet, Voice of the Whale and Kirill Gerstein, among others. New this year is music at noon on Wednesdays, a brand new 5-concert series. And in August, violinist Ida Kavafian and pianist Peter Serkin perform Beethoven’s complete Violin Sonatas in a can’t-miss event of the season.

Toronto-born mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo is only 24 but is already taking the opera world by storm. With a voice that critics are hailing as “glowing” (Opera News), “sublime” (New York Classical Review), and “arrestingly vulnerable” (The New York Times), D’Angelo has skyrocketed into the international spotlight with win after win at some of the most prestigious vocal competitions in the world. Brought to us by Performance Santa Fe, see her at the Lensic and judge for yourself.

Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s summer festival (July 19-Aug 20) kicks off in July, presenting three distinct programs: French baroque, celestial light, and a celebration of American poets. It’s an eclectic summer season, with free public pre-concert lectures, afternoon chamber music, late-night jazz evenings and more.

Over at Gig, see Portuguese/Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Awna Teixeira, the core member of the highly-esteemed and internationally acclaimed Canadian band, Po'Girl (July 5). New venue Eldorado Taphouse at La Tienda Shopping Center hosts The Riddims (July 28) for an evening of killer reggae.

AMP Concerts’ eclectic smorgasbord of folk, world and indie acts kicks off July with X (July 3), Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven (July 18), Toots & the Maytals (July 24), James McMurtry (July 27) and The Dead South (July 29). And AMP continues its Levitt AMP Santa Fe Music Series at Santa Fe Railyard Plaza with a exciting, eclectic and best of all, free outdoor concerts. Headliners include Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Greyhounds, the Jambo Café 10th Anniversary Celebration featuring Natu Camara and the July 26 Santa Fe Salutes Aretha Franklin.

The New Mexico Jazz Festival is celebrating its 14th season! Featuring local and world-renowned artists and jazz masters with performers like Edmar Castaneda on the Santa Fe Bandstand, AB Spellman, Kenny Barron and Dave Holland, and Stanley Clarke Band at the Lensic. Plus more TBA!

Meow Wolf ups the musical ante with Pup, Yeasayer, Man with Rebecca Black, Guster, Drugdealer, Black Pistol Fire, Julia Holter, Drab Majesty and finishes the month with Frank Iero and the Future Violents.

At the Museums

More outdoor adventures, this time botanical, await at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. Positioned throughout the garden’s floral riches, the exhibition Human Nature showcases human figures in bronze by Allan Houser, David Pearson and Jonathan Hertzel (through May 2020).

Don’t forget SITE Santa Fe’s opera-themed exhibition Bel Canto: Contemporary Artists Explore Opera (through Sept. 1), when you’re enjoying the live opera experience. This is the first large-scale exhibit to delve into the shared aesthetics and history of contemporary and opera, and includes opera props, concerts, and opera-themed talks.

The Center for Contemporary Arts presents Judy Tuwaletstiwa: The Dream Life of Objects. Tuwaletstiwa is a multimedia artist/writer/teacher and lecturer whose art and publications have been acclaimed worldwide. She explores internal and external emotional, physical and spirituals landscapes.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum galleries reopened last month after installing a new show: Ken Price, part of Contemporary Voices (through Oct. 23). One of the foremost American sculptors of his day, Price was also an accomplished graphic artist. Ten ceramic sculptures by Price, a longtime resident of Taos, will be displayed on pedestals throughout the Museum’s galleries. The organic, sensual forms and chromatic complexity of Price’s sculptures will be paired and juxtaposed with O’Keeffe’s still life and landscape subjects, inviting visitors to view both artists in a new light.

Mark your calendars for Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art at the Institute of American Indian Arts (Aug. 16-Jan 19, 2020), a thought provoking, experimental, and critical show of works by 15 established and emerging artists whose art confirms a strong continuation of Chickasaw art practices. The participating artists share an interest in certain themes and concepts including humans’ relationships with the land, environmental concerns, place, and belonging (i.e. artists’ connections to their current and historic homelands).  They explore the importance of women in Chickasaw culture and society, tribal and personal histories, community life, cross-cultural relationships, personal and collective identities, the preservation, continuation and further development of Chickasaw art traditions, as well as contemporary art practices, aesthetics, or materials.

Speakers

Find a space at St. John’s College’s Summer Classics programs this month, 3 one-week long sessions exploring literary, cinematic, scientific and philosophical works. The Summer Classics program is recommended by Arthur Frommer as “among the finest summer vacations that you might ever enjoy,” with time built in for exploring the culture, outdoors and history of Santa Fe while stimulating your brain, too. And if you’ve got a teen, sign them up for the Summer Academy for Teens for a true family adventure.

Explore Where Wind Works: Documenting the US and European Rise of Wind Turbines and Correlating Change to the Landscape at School for Advanced Research (July 10). Since 2011, photographer Bryan Steiff has tracked developments and uses of energy-generating wind turbines. From small applications and individual residential use to massive commercial wind farms, visualizing the current state of wind-use invites a dialogue around practicality, community impacts, environmental concerns, and political implications of this particular energy source.

Then join Dr. Marilyn Norcini, SAR's 2019 William Y. and Nettie K. Adams summer scholar, as she presents research on the practical economics behind the life and career of Santa Clara Pueblo painter Pablita Velarde (1916–2006). Norcini examines how Velarde became a role model for a new full-time occupation: the self-employed, professional Native woman artist (July 18).

La Fonda and Santa Fe in the News

SPIRITED:
The Crawl, Santa Fe, NM

AIR FRANCE MAGAZINE:
La Fonda on the Plaza

READER'S DIGEST:
12 Perfect Place to Stay to Celebrate Pride

NewsTalkZB.com:
Mike Yardley: Santa Fe's La Fonda on the Plaza