Public Art, Historic Preservation, and Reclaiming Community
In his blog at The Taos News, Jan. 9, 2015, Tempo Editor Rick Romancito remarks on the “Two major art events from 2014 [that] opened a lot of eyes in Taos.” He mentions the Fall Arts show on the Paseo and the Harwood’s “¡Órale! Kings and Queens of Cool.” We can all agree that both the Fall Arts committee and the Harwood curator and director transformed “run of the mill” events into new and exciting public art, to which, as Rick remarked the “reactions were extremely positive. Better yet, locals wanted more.”
We saw during these two shows Rick mentions, an outpouring of multigenerational crowds and representatives of our own multicultural demographics, whether participating as artists, viewers, etc. Despite Taos’s renown history as an art community, attendance at any single gallery or music event can constitute a study of the way in which our multiple subcultures ignore one another, either due to habit, feelings of being excluded, or a lack of consciousness on the part of producers or potential audiences, etc.
The visual art world is rooted historically in the bourgeois culture of folks with middle class and upper middle class backgrounds and education. Though classical music and various forms of jazz, reggae, blues and rock also retain the strains of singular appeal to this or that subculture, local musicians and popular forms attract more broad-based audiences. From time to time local community theatre or high school productions overcome the habitual barriers of our parochial tribes. One sees the cultural divide at work in the greater community as well, whether at meetings of merchants, county commissioners, or in the villages.
But, let me hasten to say the mix and match of local cultures is changing as new folks move in and observe the protocols of their adopted communities, while navigating the shoals of historic family feuds or political gamesmanship. The right art events, as Rick mentions above, bring young and new people into the mix, who have fresher attitudes and much to contribute. By shining a light on “Public Art,” whether it’s Huberto Maestas’s Padre Martinez on the Plaza or at the County Complex with Ted Egri’s “Flight of the Wind” and John Suazo’s “Taos County History Carved in Stone,” community leaders can help knit together the multicultural community.
Public Art or symbols placed in the commons raise consciousness and serve as universal reminders of our humanity. Historic preservation, whether of public art, public buildings, the unique elements of town and village, as well as the natural world, helps us understand each other and come to terms with communities and individual awareness of where he or she lives.
Both public art and historic preservation honor the past and inspire us in the present.
Perhaps the most important public art project or symbol that has the potential to tie together a multitude of historical and current issues is the Historic County Courthouse on the Plaza, a WPA building with singular frescoes executed by some of Taos’s most accomplished visual artists. When folks visit the building, the Frescoes, the “Easy Rider” jail and the self-contained steel box of a cell or look at the historic photos and ask questions, they frequently comment, both liberals and conservatives, on how well government worked back then.You might say the Historic County Courthouse serves a reminder of how Americans once helped Americans no matter who they were.
In the thirties and forties greater Taos served a kind of laboratory for social programs, what worked and what didn’t. The real bonus of the era turns out to be both the artful and historic photographs, many of which are now being exhibited in the County’s new Complex (with more on the way). These photographs document the dignity of daily life of ordinary people here in El Norte.
Despite the limited light cast by a night sky at the opening of the WPA photos in the Historic County Courthouse last fall, visitors continued looking at the stark black and white photos in the ambient light of cell phones right up until 10 pm. While the crowd sat in the dark at the anniversary celebration of If Mountains Die in October, author John Nichols and photographer Bill Davis read and discussed the history of the book with the aid of tiny desk lamps. When you have a room with the right feeling and the right event, the audience and artists respond with a kind of organic synchronicity that carries its own electrical charge.
The photos mentioned above, like the Public Art, not only preserve historic images of the Hispanic, Taos Pueblo, and merchant-political culture but also introduce the viewer to the idea of “beauty,” an old-fashioned term that can be applied to art, nature, and individuals. The notion of beauty has a long provenance going back to Plato and can be seen as the inspiration for the arts and relations of human beings.
In Taos, however, political gamesmanship, not beauty, is generally more common and sought after. Since 2006 then Commissioner Barrone and now the Taos Mayor has been pushing for the renovation of the Historic Courthouse. Indeed all the community leaders, particularly Commissioners Blankenhorn and Romero, as well as various cultural mavens see the historic building as a symbol and central focus for continuing to honor the multicultural community, which also has economic ramifications for experiential tourism. So far, due to turf wars, rival egos, incompetence or misunderstanding, not to mention a lack of vision and how to implement it, nobody has pulled the trigger.
The Commissioners meet on Monday in a retreat. Inside sources at the county tell me they’ve found the “way” to finance a start on renovation. I only hope they have the “will.” Right now, what with the sand and grime, tattered flyers and excessive signage in the historic district, Taos Plaza needs all the exemplary help she can get. Taos Friction continues to urge our elected leaders to honor the past and express their pride in the present and confidence in the future by focusing on the Beauty of the Heritage right in front of their eyes.