Raids on the Inarticulate
David Olivant
August 26 - September 12, 2025
Reception: August 29, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Establish Artist Member solo exhibition, Raids on the Inarticulate by New Mexico based artist David Olivant. The exhibition opens August 26th and runs through September 12th, with a special reception on August 29th from 5-7pm.

David Olivant’s imagery is centered on the fundamental existential crises that define our humanity. Is our species capable of the necessary moral energy to reinvent itself from the ground up and to what extent is art the driver of such an effort? Olivant seeks an art that fights its way out of and through history, finding meaning in suffering and the fraught attempt to “complete” each other through fundamental difference.

Olivant stated, “In a time when compromise, complacency, confusion, complicity and the hegemony of the couch increasingly govern our actions I hope to point the finger as much at myself as at others in the fraught attempt to make historically and humanly answerable art despite circumstances.”

David Olivant received his MFA in Painting from the Royal College of Art, London. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions in New York City, Chicago, Brooklyn, Dusseldorf, Wuppertal, and New Delhi. His book “Bakhtin and the Prospect of a Methodology for Rethinking Visual Art” is scheduled for publication by Intellect Books, UK in Spring 2026.

50% OF THE PROCEEDS FROM ALL SALES OF ARTWORK IN THIS EXHIBITION “RAIDS ON THE INARTICULATE” BY DAVID OLIVANT WILL BE DONATED TO MSF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

People, Places, and Passion
Frank Trocino
August 5 - August 22, 2025
Reception: August 8, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Established Member solo exhibition, People, Places, and Passion by New Mexico based artist Frank Trocino. The exhibition opens August 5th, with a special reception on August 8th from 5-7pm.

Frank’s subject matter is primarily people and buildings. He explores how both entities entwine to enrich our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The relationships we cherish are mirrored in the spaces we inhabit, and both serve as reminders of our own narratives - celebrating the joys, challenges, and connections that shape who we are. Through his art, he highlights the depth of these intertwined experiences, inviting viewers to reflect on the significance of their own relationships within the environments they call home.

“I feel that art is really about epic fantasy,” Frank explains, “the layering and depth of emotion and tension. Each of my paintings comes with a quote or a brief excerpt from a fictional back story that is pulled from the depths of my imagination. It acts as sort of a plausible scenario which prompts the viewer to use their own imagination and create a story of their own.

Frank Trocino is a retired architect turned painter currently residing in Santa Fe New Mexico. His path to Santa Fe began in New York, then to Oregon as a young child through College. After graduation he has lived in diverse and iconic locations including Italy, Los Angeles, the Middle East, Portland, and Austin. Frank’s work can be seen in galleries, hotels, and the homes of private collectors internationally.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Fifth Annual Group Exhibition
July 8 - August 1, 2025
Reception: July 11, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery is pleased to announce its Fifth Annual Group Exhibition, featuring new and recent work by a selection of its Established Artist Members from across the country. The exhibition opens July 8 and will run through August 1, celebrated with a public reception on Friday, July 11, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. This annual summer show highlights the range and vitality of artistic practices represented within the Strata community.

Founded in 2021 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Strata Gallery has established itself as an artist-run space dedicated to showcasing work based on merit rather than market trends. Located in the heart of Santa Fe’s downtown plaza, Strata provides a platform for artists who continue to push their practices in bold and thoughtful directions. Members are selected through a rigorous peer-review process led by professional artists and educators from institutions across the country.

This year’s exhibition features the work of fifteen accomplished artists:Bernice Ficek-Swenson (MN), Carlos Canul (TX), Charles Rosenthal (NM), David Olivant (NM), Elaine Duncan (NM), Frank Trocino (NM), Grant Johnson (CA), Jane Shoenfeld (NM), Jeannine Spooner Kitzhaber (MN), Lin Medlin (TX), Lita Kenyon (WA), Michael Donnelly (NM), Millian Giang Pham (AL), Shelby Shadwell (WY), and Susan Stephenson (CA).

The works in this year’s exhibition reflect a wide-ranging, deeply thoughtful engagement with the world we live in. Some artists respond directly to urgent global and political realities. Carlos Canul’s stark, poetic drawings address the violence unfolding in Palestine, while Grant Johnson’s photographs trace the visible effects of climate change on the natural world. Bernice Ficek-Swenson’s soil-based compositions echo the layered history of the land itself, reminding us of the quiet power of environmental memory. Michael Donnelly’s photographic essays explore shifts in American culture and the evolving nature of image-making.

Others turn inward, exploring identity, perception, and personal narrative. Millian Giang Pham weaves text and imagery into visual puzzles that examine cultural barriers, while David Olivant and Frank Trocino use shifting forms and emotional depth to explore what it means to connect with others. Material and process are central for artists like Jane Shoenfeld and Susan Stephenson, whose works hover between observation and abstraction, as well as for Lita Kenyon and C. J. Rosenthal, who embrace texture, spontaneity, and surface.

Elaine Duncan approaches painting as a form of movement and rhythm, often incorporating sand for added texture and play. Lin Medlin’s luminous landscapes evoke places of spiritual and emotional resonance, while Jeannine Spooner Kitzhaber’s refined compositions explore balance and formal tension. Shelby Shadwell’s hyperrealist drawings invite a visceral reaction, balancing the uncanny with the beautiful. Whether working in photography, painting, drawing, or collage, each artist brings a distinctive voice to this rich and thoughtful reflection on contemporary experience.

Join us this summer at Strata Gallery to experience a compelling range of perspectives and practices from artists committed to exploring the complexities of our time.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallerywebsite, Instagram, or Facebook.

All-Encompassing
Susan Stephenson
June 10 - June 27, 2025
Reception: June 13, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents “All-Ecompassing,” a solo exhibition of paintings and drawings by Californian artist, Susan Stephenson, an Established Artist Member of the gallery. The exhibition is on view from June 10th through June 27th, with a reception on Friday, June 13th, from 5-7pm.

Stephenson sees vivid color interactions everywhere, finding inspiration in widely acknowledged “beautiful” vistas as well as in the unexpected vitality of “ordinary” sunlit street signs. Celebrating the exuberant colors glimpsed during our day-to-day lives, Stephenson’s latest artworks are a dose of optimism in today’s world.

Stephenson stated, “Since moving to the West, I find an uncommon vibrancy in color relationships, as if the gift of abundant sunshine brings revitalizing energy. This luminosity encourages me to look for fresh methods of conveying sunlight and its sharp shadows. Addressing beloved subject matter with a different eye has made the entire act of painting feel new again.”

Originally from Louisiana, Stephenson earned her BFA degree from Louisiana Tech University and her MFA degree from Boston University. After living and teaching in New England for years, she now lives in California’s San Joaquin Valley and teaches at the California State University, Stanislaus.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Collapsed Distances, Collapsed Bodies
Katie Simmons
May 27 - June 6, 2025
Reception: May 30, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents its Emerging Member solo exhibition Collapsed Distances, Collapsed Bodies, by Colorado-based artist Katie Simmons. The exhibition will run from May 27 through June 6, with a special reception on May 30 from 5-7pm.  

Katie Simmons creates drawings centered on the parallels she observes between the exploitation and commodification of the natural world and female bodies in the Anthropocene. Using natural dyes and fibers, Simmons works with materials in a way that promotes their agency and vitality. On top of dyed surfaces, Simmons then creates drawings of bodily ecosystems using a ballpoint pen. Simmons seeks to flatten hierarchies, embrace radical care, and explore making kin in our modern era.

Katie Simmons stated, “It is a privilege to be part of the emerging artists program at Strata Gallery and I am so excited to be involved in the Santa Fe Community. My work is about surviving abuse and commodification as a woman and seeing the same thing happening to other species and our planet. I see the Earth ravaged by man and feel a deep, shredding, hideous pit inside because I too know what it is to be raped, bought, and sold. My drawings are me seeking a path forward with other species through our shared experience of surviving man.” 

Katie Simmons is an artist, educator, and wildlife biologist from the Appalachian mountains in east Tennessee. She holds baccalaureate degrees in art history, visual art, and wildlife biology and her M.A. in education. Katie is currently an MFA candidate and instructor of drawing at Colorado State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in group and  solo shows. This is her first solo show in New Mexico. 

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Drawings
Shelby Shadwell
May 6 - May 23, 2025
Reception: May 9, 5-7pm
Live Drawing Demo: May 6, 1-3pm

Strata Gallery presents an Established Member’s second solo exhibition, Drawings, by Wyoming based artist Shelby Shadwell. The exhibition opens May 6, with a live drawing demonstration on Tuesday, May 6, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, where the artist will be drawing in the gallery to show viewers how the work is made. There will also be a reception on Friday, May 9, 5:00 – 7:00 pm with an artist talk at 6:00 pm. 

Shelby Shadwell’s work consists of large-scale charcoal and pastel drawings of non-traditional imagery such as chunks of black anthracite coal, piles of cockroaches, and “space blankets” used in emergency situations to stay warm. The drawings may illicit feelings of disgust or revulsion and awe or ecstasy simultaneously due to the contrast between the vulgarity or ephemerality of the imagery juxtaposed with its meticulous, hyper-realistic, rendering. Shelby’s work allows viewers space to ask questions about low and high status in artistic subject matter and romantic tropes in contemporary western art.  

“I am very honored to share my work again with the Santa Fe community through Strata Gallery with its unique non-profit and educational mission.” – Shelby Shadwell  

The Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research provided support to help facilitate this  exhibition.  

Shelby is currently a Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Wyoming. From Springfield, MO, Shelby received his BFA in 2003 from Washington University in St. Louis and his MFA in 2006 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His work has been exhibited throughout the nation at venues including the Portland Art Museum, OR, William Havu Gallery in Denver, CO, and Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. For more information on Shelby and his work, please visit his website at www.shelbyshadwell.com or Instagram @shelbyshadwell. 

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Stratas of New Mexico Art
Juried Exhibition
April 15 - May 2, 2025
Reception: April 18, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Stratas of New Mexico Art, a juried exhibition featuring artists living and working across the state. On view from April 15 through May 2, with a reception on on April 18, the exhibition brings together a wide range of material practices and conceptual approaches, offering insight into how artists in New Mexico are engaging with place, memory, and transformation.

The dynamic show includes works by 31 artists, each bringing their unique voice and vision to the conversation. From abstract and conceptual explorations to intimate depictions of the local environment, the exhibition offers a multi-faceted view of how materials and mediums are used to convey different artistic expressions.

In her Chupadera Foothills Archive Book, Desara Boehm uses the landscape as a medium to explore emotional and sensory engagement with memory, time, and place. This deeply introspective piece captures moments in nature that mirror internal transformations, embodying Boehm’s practice of turning fleeting experiences into lasting visual narratives. The painting’s quiet and expansive nature uses light and texture as key tools, conveying a sense of reflection and stillness that defines her work. Chupadera Foothills invites viewers to reflect on the emotional resonance of the landscape as both a personal and collective memory.

DJ Barrett’s abstract works An Ideal Presence and Stumble offer a raw, personal language that challenges the viewer’s understanding of form and perception. Influenced by his background as a saxophone player and composer, Barrett’s work explores abstraction and improvisation, pushing boundaries to break free from predetermined artistic traditions. Barrett’s An Ideal Presence and Stumble both communicate a visceral, emotional language that calls upon viewers to confront their own internal landscapes.

Tate Rockwell Lithgow’s Where is the Friend’s House? explores the fluidity and impermanence of the psyche, using fractured, ornate structures to materialize the often intangible nature of human consciousness. Drawing on elements of architecture, philosophy, and psychology, Lithgow’s work challenges traditional ideas of permanence and authority, transforming these structures into abstract forms that reflect the malleability of memory and emotional experience. 

Working across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, the selected artists investigate personal and shared narratives through varied forms and processes. Together, these works offer a glimpse into conversations and inquiries shaping art across the state.

Exhibiting Artists:

Chase Ankeny, Jim Baker, DJ Barrett, Carol Belcher, Jo Bertini, Jacquelyn Blackstone, Desara Boehm, Jordan Caldwell, Elijah Chong, Anna Bush Crews, Jessi Cross, Patty deGrandpre, Mark M. Feldman, Michael Gallagher, Joan Grabel, Leah Hardy, Isabel Jerome, Justine Kablack, Katrina Lasko, Shana Levenson, Tate Lithgow, Lisa Miles, Lysha Montiel, Timothy Nero, Benjamin Normand, Andrea Polli, Mark Reynolds, Jenna Ritter, Estelle L. Roberge, Robbie Sugg, Carlos Sullivan

Selected Images:

Margin
Max Sorenson
April 1 - April 11, 2025
Reception: April 4, 5-7pm
Panel Discussion: April 5, 1-3pm

Strata Gallery presents Margin, Albuquerque-based artist Max Sorenson’s first solo exhibition. The exhibition opens April 1st, with a reception on Friday, April 4th from 5-7pm and an artist talk at 6pm. There will also be a free, public event in collaboration with the Institute for Applied Ecology on Saturday, April 5th from 1-3pm featuring presentations from local ecologists, writers, and artists in conversation with the exhibition.

Margin traces both the organic and human-made lines that we find, follow, and help to draw in our home landscapes. The drawings and installations included quietly document the strain that our modern cities place on the native ecosystems they partially replace, asking us all to examine our relationships to order and wildness in the places we call home.

Sorenson has stated, “All of the work is rooted in my experience working in ecological restoration and aligns a landscape-scale ecological tension with a more personal contrast between a sense of wonder for wildness in all its forms and an aesthetic sense of simplicity and minimalism. Much of my work—and my identity—often feel wedged into the space between two things: order and wildness, control and nonpossession, an art and a science.”

Max Sorenson holds a B.A. in Studio Art and Biology from Grinnell College. He has shown work throughout the Midwest and in New Mexico, and he has been a resident artist at the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Cedar Point Biological Station.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Grounded
Anne-Katrin Spiess
March 11 – March 28, 2025
Reception: March 14, 5-7pm
Artist Presentation: March 15, 3-4pm

Strata Gallery presents its first Established Member solo exhibition, Grounded, by New York-based artist Anne-Katrin Spiess. The exhibition opens March 11th, with a special reception on March 14th from 5-7 pm. In addition, Spiess will give a special presentation on Saturday, March 15th, from 3-4 pm, offering deeper insight into her artistic practice and environmental engagement. 

This exhibition draws inspiration from the landscapes of Southern Utah, a region that Anne-Katrin Spiess discovered early in her artistic career and returns to repeatedly to produce work inspired by nature. These landscapes are characterized by vast horizons, a shifting perception of time, and the seemingly endless possibilities of the desert palette. The material focus of this exhibition and much of Spiess's work is soil and the ground itself.

Over time, Spiess’s broader artistic endeavor has expanded to address pressing environmental issues through direct action, inevitably though all her work begins with the body in the landscape. Her projects are ephemeral, captured through photography and video, and presented with descriptive text. The examples in this exhibition illustrate the artist’s dedication to site-specificity, engaging with her immediate surroundings before any audience, and a desire to safeguard these precious landscapes while inspiring others to do the same.

Spiess’s desire to retreat into nature is made possible by her Airstream trailer, outfitted as a traveling studio, which has become one of the artist’s greatest teachers in learning to live sustainably. Her training in geomancy, shamanism, and wilderness survival have also greatly informed her artistic vision and methodologies.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Language of the Land
Bernice Ficek-Swenson
February 18 – March 7, 2025
Reception: February 21, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Minneapolis, MN based artist, Bernice Ficek-Swenson’s solo exhibition, Language of the Land that coincides with the opening of Strata’s new gallery space at 125 Lincoln Ave, Suite 111. Her exhibition opens February 18th with a reception on Friday, February 21st from 5-7pm and a gallery talk at 6pm.

Ficek-Swenson photographs stones as a metaphor suggesting deep time and a human presence within the landscape. Her recent photographs and installations incorporate fragments of written observations and contemplations about each site she has visited, creating an interplay between the physical geography and the geographies of the mind and spirit. Land retains memories. Many of these stones represent places of historic, political or spiritual relevance. 

Bernice has stated, “I’m very pleased to be part of Strata Gallery and to have an extended involvement with the Santa Fe community. I’ve had wonderful opportunities to exhibit in the SW including Albuquerque, Denver and Scottsdale. This is my first solo exhibition in Santa Fe. In this exhibit I encourage conversation about environmental concerns.”

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Between
Xuân Pham
February 4 - February 14, 2025

Strata Gallery announces Between, a solo exhibition by Emerging Artist Xuân Pham. The exhibition opens February 4th and runs through February 14th.

Xuân Pham explores themes of hybridity, vulnerability, and empathy through object making and storytelling. Her work centers the relationship between trauma, migration, and race, investigating how the political and psychological impact of trauma and grief transpires within the Asian American communities and how it informs the formation of subjectivity, especially in representations of race in the United States. Working between drawing, sculpture, and installation, she pursues these questions through materials that bear on the cultural and political histories of European imperialism. 

Pham’s garments and drawings in the exhibition explore the interplay between private and public, visible and invisible, borders and screens, and various forms of spiritual, physical, and psychological protection. At first glance, Pham’s “suits” appear to be clothing. However, the sheer, transparent influence fabric neither hides nor protects the body. Rather, the unguarded suits function as talismans, drawing influence from historical ritualistic practices. These sheer suits are instilled with positive intentions which transcend physical projection and create a veil of spiritual security that acts as a second skin. This body of work explores the intersections between the ideas of faith, hope, and superstition. Displayed with these garments are life-size drawings, which serve as recording of the suits performances and functions according to the artist. Pham invites you to press upon these tactile “ghost” drawings to reveal layered imagery. 

Xuân Pham received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Art Studio Department at Mount Holyoke College. She has a solo show between February 13-March 16 at Hampshire Gallery, MA and a forthcoming 3 person show in March 2025 at CT State Community College in Manchester, CT. Her work has been exhibited in New York City, Nebraska, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Florida. This is her first solo show in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Small Works
January 10 - January 31, 2025
Reception: January 10, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery is pleased to announce the second iteration of its annual juried exhibition, “Small Works.” The show will be on view from January 10 through January 31, 2025, in Santa Fe’s historic district. An opening reception will take place on January 10th from 5 to 7 PM, and is open to the public.

Featuring 44 works by 33 artists, “Small Works” invites viewers to consider the impact of scale and detail. This year’s exhibition includes a range of media, such as photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media, showcasing diverse perspectives and methods.

Among the works on display is Thomas Family Portrait #1 by Taylor Thomas, a collage that reimagines familial images through the use of personal photo archives and second-hand materials. By weaving these elements together, Thomas reflects on representations of Blackness across generations and cultural contexts.

Egor Shokoladov’s etching, Master, engages the viewer in a narrative journey. Shokoladov’s meticulous approach draws attention to details that evoke both introspection and discovery, encouraging an exploration of the stories embedded within the work.

Cristi Frye’s sculpture, Spring Chickens, combines polymer clay and found objects to depict a moment of humor and connection. Frye’s work examines shared human experiences, inviting audiences to construct their own narratives about the relationships and actions portrayed.

Athena Parella’s Quiet House, created with graphite and pastel on paper, reflects nostalgia and the surreal. Through subtle shifts in recurring motifs, Parella explores the convergence of memory and imagination, transforming personal experiences into symbolic reflections.

The exhibition underscores Strata Gallery’s commitment to fostering dialogue among artists and audiences, highlighting the potential of small-scale works to leave a lasting impression.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Exhibiting Artists
Saba Besier, Terry Brewer, Emily Budd, Clea Carlsen, Graham Cassano, Steve Counsell, John Decker, Kelly Dunagan, Christy Ferrato, Trish Foschi, Christi Frye, Michael Gallagher, Laura Gatto, Zoe Gleitsman, Patricia Gould, Jody Graff, Jesse Hinson, Heidi Hogden, Rachel Katz, Carla Lopez, Nicole Merkens, Ashley Miller, Elizabeth Morisette, Joel Murnan, Ruth Omlin, Athena Parella, Fabiola Penafiel, Adrian Ricca Lucci, Terri Sanders, Egor Shokoladov, Taylor Thomas, Mahli Toscano, Catherine Walker

Selected Images

We are closed for the holiday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your understanding.
See you back in the gallery in 2025!

Frontecijada
Adrian Aguirre
December 3 - December 20, 2024
Reception: December 6, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Frontecijada, a solo exhibition by El Paso/Las Cruces based artist Adrian Aguirre. The exhibition will be on view from December 3rd through December 20th, with a special reception on Friday December 6th from 5-7pm.

In this show, Adrian Aguirre will present his most recent drawings and paintings depicting the U.S.-Mexico Border. There are portraits of refugees, scenes from camps and border patrol agents. With this work, Aguirre shares a glimpse of the refugee experience with the purpose of drawing recognition, empathy and solidarity with marginalized people.

A native of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Aguirre has a personal connection to the border or ‘frontera.’ and sees it as a modern day Ellis Island. It is a place where people from all over the world arrive on their way into the United States. It is a crossroads or ‘encrucijada.’ He states, “I am excited to return to Santa Fe, a city full of people that acknowledge that the borders of today mark land that was stolen from the indigenous people.”

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

We are closed for the holiday to spend time with our families. Thank you for your understanding.

A Collection of Pursuits
Carlos Canul
November 5 – November 22, 2024
Reception: November 8, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents A Collection of Pursuits; the work of Established Member, Texas-based artist Carlos Canul. The exhibition opens November 5th, with a special reception on November 8 from 5-7pm.

Carlos Canul’s paintings are based in landscapes, Meso-American and world mythologies, spiritual realms, and figuration are all major themes in his paintings and drawings. The use of darkness and light, stark lines and blurred imagery combine to invite the viewer into a world of questions both personal and communal. 

Carlos Canul stated, “It’s great to be involved with Strata Gallery and the Santa Fe Community. Through the engaging dialogue of paint and all its physical properties, my art plumbs physical and spiritual realms, influences of Meso-American mythologies and traditions, the collision of abstraction and representational forces, all the while holding close painting as a tactile poetic adventure.”

Canul’s artwork has been shown in solo, curated and juried exhibitions in the United States and Europe.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Raven, Raven
Joyce Yamada
October 15 - November 1, 2024
Reception: October 18, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Established Member solo exhibition, “Raven, Raven” by New York City based artist Joyce Yamada. The exhibition opens October 15 with a special reception on October 18 from 5-7pm.

Joyce Yamada’s show features paintings, the dominant two of which are “Raven, Raven”and “Coywolf”. Both paintings are inspired by Santa Fe’s animals and landscape, executed in oil on linen. Also featured are multiple paintings from her long-running series, “The Accidental Cloud”, an experimental counterpoint to her more conceptual work.

Joyce Yamada stated, “It is such a pleasure to be part of Strata Gallery; I have always loved Santa Fe. My paintings reflect my interest in ecology, animals, nature, and the relationship of humans to the natural world. For much of my life I was painting in protest; now that the damage we are doing to the environment is so clear—think of the violence of our current weather and the increasing number of endangered animals--I am painting in celebration of Earth’s glories.”

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Retrospective
Grant Johnson
September 24 - October 11, 2024
Reception: September 27, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Retrospective, by California-based artist Grant Johnson. The exhibition is on view September 24th through October 11th, with a special reception on September 27th from 5-7pm.

Grant Johnson’s work is about our environment. He grew up on a farm and spent a large amount of time outdoors which over the years morphed into an interest in environmental issues. He eventually became an assignment photographer for The Nature Conservancy, for twenty years covering California and Hawaii. 

Johnson produces long-running series of works on topics of landscape ecology such as Water, Landform, Old Growth, and Domesticated Landscapes. He adds to these series when appropriate work is produced based on his own photographs or by processing satellite imagery. He posts informational articles on his website (www.grantjohnson.net), that support the science behind the visual stories he’s creating. 

Grant received a BFA from the University of Arizona where he painted, did lithography and learned about color photography. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1972, the year the first Landsat images were introduced to the public and not long before the first planetary landscape images were beamed back from Mars. This, along with information about video that he ran across while doing a research paper on painting and photography, convinced him that the future of creative image making would be electronic.

Johnson applied to the Rhode Island School of Design's nascent video department and received the first graduate degree in experimental video awarded by RISD in 1975.

He worked with analog computer systems for video and audio synthesis and eventually their digital counterparts. Landsat imagery was out of reach financially until 2008 when the entire archive entered the public domain, and it became possible to identify a location, collect the satellite images, and compose the columns and rows of images into a large, coherent, very high-resolution landscape.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Geometric Landscapes
Stephanie Gonzalez
September 10 - September 20, 2024
Reception: September 13, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery announces “Geometric Landscapes,” a solo exhibition by Emerging Artist Stephanie Gonzalez. The exhibition opens September 10th and runs through September 20th, with a special reception scheduled for September 13th from 5-7pm.

The influence of these works comes from the metaphysical, quantum, and spiritual realms. Stephanie uses isolation and self-reflection to come up with this subject matter. Her inspiration comes from the practice of meditation and the natural and spiritual world. She intends to capture unseen energies in the work and create an imagined landscape of the energy world. By channeling her meditative experience, her process is like decoding a spiritual language derived from the subconscious mind.

Stephanie Gonzalez stated, “I am excited to share my works with this community. I feel a deep connection with Santa Fe and its beautiful landscapes. My work is all about perspective and connection. I’m using iridescent paint which requires the viewer to get closer and look at the work from different angles for its true nature to be revealed. With these pieces, I’m encouraging others to question their perceptions and reconsider what a landscape can be.”

Stephanie Gonzalez received her MFA in Painting from Houston Christian University. Her work has been exhibited in California, Texas, Korea, and Santa Fe. This is her first solo show in New Mexico.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Chamisa Ghosts and Nightworks
Jane Shoenfeld
August 20 - September 6, 2024
Reception: August 23, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents Chamisa Ghosts and Nightworks, an exhibition of pastel and mixed media paintings by Jane Shoenfeld.  The exhibition will open on August 20 and run through September 6, with a reception on Friday, August 23 from 5-7 pm, including an artist's talk at 6 pm. 

In this new series of pastel paintings, Shoenfeld grounds herself in the visual complexity of northern New Mexico’s indigenous shrub, chamisa. The magical and structural combine as Shoenfeld, nearing 80, explores her own impermanence within an intimate relationship to nature. In these works, after a phase of largely abstract painting, Shoenfeld has returned to careful observation of the visual world at the same time as she contemplates ghosts and the unknowns of time. Shoenfeld is a master of the pastel medium. Color’s emotional impact is central as representations of chamisa coalesce with images of her face and silvery hair becomes chamisa streaming in the wind. Surprises are welcomed into Shoenfeld’s art as landscape merges with self portrait. Alongside Jane’s pastel paintings, half a dozen photographs of chamisa will be displayed. 

This exhibit also includes a series of small mixed media paintings called “Nightworks” that were created during sleepless nights. Jane layers pastel and water based ink pencils on top of watercolor washes. These pieces are a conversation between the eye, hand, insomnia and the unconscious.  

In 2024, Shoenfeld’s exhibitions included curated selections into Drawings From Perception, Invention, and Memory at the Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries at Wright University in Dayton, Ohio and a suite of five pastels curated into The Big Small Show, The Drawing Rooms, Newark, NJ. Shoenfeld was also honored with a two person exhibit based on chamisa with Katherine Meyer at HERE Gallery, Santa Fe. Three of Shoenfeld’s pastels were recently curated into a permanent exhibit at the University of NM Hospital Tower. 

Shoenfeld taught for 15 years at the former College of Santa Fe. Although no longer part of academia, she continues to teach plein air pastel classes in the spring and fall in Santa Fe and at Ghost Ranch. She is also a published poet and has received honors for her ekphrastic (poems about painting) poetry.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

Private Parts // Private Places
Chloe Hanken
August 6 - August 16, 2024
Reception: August 9, 5-7pm

Strata Gallery presents an Emerging Member solo exhibition, Private Parts // Private Places by New Mexico based artist Chloe Hanken. The exhibition opens August 6th, with a special reception on August 9th from 5-7pm.

Chloe Hanken is a printmaker and illustrator whose work explores the intersection of history, place, and family narrative. Her work is informed by her background in natural history and ecology, which is brought to bear upon issues of loss, change and unbelonging at the tail end of the American empire.

Hanken stated, “This body of work examines internal landscapes shaped by intimate moments. What are the topographies of stories and how do we assimilate our lived experiences with history and ideas about the future. I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to share this exhibition with the Santa Fe community and to be a part of Strata Gallery this year.”

Hanken earned her BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic and her MFA in Studio Arts from the University of New Mexico. Her work has been exhibited across New Mexico and this is her first solo show in Santa Fe.

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website and Instagram.

4th Annual Group Exhibition
July 9 - August 2, 2024
Reception: July 12, 5-8pm

Strata Gallery is thrilled to announce its Fourth Annual Group Exhibition, showcasing the incredible talents of both Established Members and Emerging Members. The exhibition kicks off on Tuesday, July 9th, with a special reception on Friday, July 12th, from 5-8pm. Mark your calendars for an evening of captivating art and engaging conversations!

Since its establishment as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in August 2021, Strata Gallery has become a beacon of diversity and innovation in Santa Fe. Renowned for its commitment to showcasing artwork based purely on artistic merit, Strata offers a bold and refreshing perspective in the contemporary art scene. Our artists, rigorously peer-reviewed by esteemed professors from college art departments nationwide, bring unparalleled creativity and vision to the gallery.

A highlight of Strata’s mission is the mentorship of emerging artists by Established Members. Each year, five emerging artists are selected for mentorship and given the opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the gallery.

This year’s exhibition features twenty-two exceptional artists from across the country:
Adrian Aguirre (TX), Anne-Katrin Spiess (NY), Bernice Ficek-Swenson (MN), Beverly Todd (NM), Carlos Canul (TX), Chloe Hanken (NM), David Olivant (NM), Emma Ressel (NM), Jandey Shackelford (AZ), Jane Shoenfeld (NM), Katie Simmons (CO), Keanu Jones (NM), Margi Weir (NM), Max Sorenson (NM), Millian Giang Pham (AL), Mirabel Wigon (CA), Peter Chapin (NM), Shelby Shadwell (WY), Stephanie Gonzalez (TX), Susan Stephenson (CA), Tulu Bayar (PA), and Xuan Pham (MA).

The works on display delve into a myriad of urgent and thought-provoking themes, reflecting the pressing concerns and discoveries of our time. From hybridity and fragmentation, cultural identity, and the nature of consciousness, to border politics, myths, rituals, and archetypes, each piece offers a unique and innovative perspective. 

The exhibition also addresses issues such as accountability, climate change, environmental degradation, landscape nostalgia, tradition, materiality, decay, and the adaptation of aesthetic principles to meet contemporary challenges. Join us at Strata Gallery for this exciting exhibition and experience the powerful and diverse voices shaping the future of art!

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Selected Images:

Into the Thicket 
Mirabel Wigon
June 18th – July 5th 

Strata Gallery presents Into the Thicket, its first solo exhibition of California-based artist Mirabel Wigon. The exhibition opens Tuesday June 18th, the artist will be present between 11am - 5pm opening day to answer questions. 

Wigon’s work is comprised of abstracted landscape paintings that grapple with environmental phenomena resulting from, and related to, the built landscape. These paintings explore notions of progress, instability, and system collapse. 

Wigon states, “It is wonderful to be a part of Strata Gallery and I am so excited to be involved in the Santa Fe Community. In my work I utilize various strategies to impede, encapsulate, reflect, and cast doubt on apparently benign natural spaces. Pristine and seemingly tranquil views are interrupted and broken. In historical bucolic landscape paintings, the aim was to exemplify humanity’s mastery over nature – a reflection of a cultural moment that wished to disrupt natural order to create a semblance of control over the land. I sincerely hope to make works that consider how a lack of control offers potent room for growth and renewal.” 

Wigon received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Traditional Art from California State University, East Bay and her Master of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach. Her works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions both regionally and nationally. She is Assistant Professor of Art at California State University, Stanislaus. Wigon resides in the San Joaquin Valley of California and this is her first solo show in New Mexico. 

Strata Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata Gallery, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Luminous Instants
Lin Medlin
May 28 - June 14, 2024
Reception: May 31, 5-7pm

Texas painter Lin Medlin’s new landscape show, Lin Medlin: Luminous Instants, opens at Strata Gallery on May 28th and closes on June 14th. The reception for the artist will be held Friday, May 31st from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is Medlin’s second show at Strata Gallery, the first having been in October 2021.

The exhibition of 15 works consists of views from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, and two coastal scenes, one from Ireland and one from Maine. Notable qualities of the work are vibrant, saturated colors and lyrical color harmonies. There is also a sense of stillness to the paintings as if they are frozen moments in time. Yet paradoxically, the landscapes communicate the flow of natural processes such as the movement of clouds and wind over water, and in place of humans, spirits of bright color haunt these vistas, giving them motion.

Medlin’s ties to the Southwest include study in Taos, and living in Moenave, Arizona, with its natural springs in a desert setting.

Medlin began painting landscapes when he was 15 years old. He earned a BFA with highest honors in painting and art history at Southern Methodist University and worked as a Kress Foundation Fellow in art history at Oberlin College. He also earned a JD at Yale Law School. He lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife and their cat and dog.

Strata Gallery is open from 11am - 5pm, Tuesday – Saturday. For more information about Strata, the current exhibit, and the future schedule of events, please visit the Strata Gallery website, Instagram, or Facebook.