Collected Interviews
Megan Hill
Founder, Hills Gallery
On starting out:
“In spring of 1970, Hills Gallery opened on Lincoln Avenue with a major exhibit of Raymond Jonson’s work—organized through UNM. That was the same week I gave birth to my son, so I missed the opening.”
On early Santa Fe:
“Santa Fe was small but very cosmopolitan. Jim and I filled the gallery with contemporary art and fine craft from artists and furniture makers we knew. We didn’t follow market trends—we showed what we loved.”
On risk and change:
“Back then, the risks you could take were different. Money wasn’t such a dominant factor. Now the scene’s more money-oriented. It has its share of crap—but so does New York.”
On art that matters:
“What moves me hasn’t changed: it has to come from the heart. I’ve looked at a lot of art. I want to feel the artist’s guts in the work.”
Linda Durham
Founder, Linda Durham Contemporary Art
On the early scene:
“In the late ’70s, artists hung out at my gallery. It wasn’t formal—it was community. We’d go to Elaine Horwitch’s openings, see people like Arlene LewAllen and Larry Munson.”
On representing New Mexico artists internationally:
“In 1978, I took Santa Fe artists to Toronto for a show called New Mexico in Toronto. I borrowed money and just did it. That led to shows in Houston, Seattle, Chicago, and even Edinburgh.”
On the gallery as theater:
“My background is in theater. Organizing exhibitions felt like staging plays—lighting, flow, emotion. I never studied art formally. I just listened to the artists.”
On longevity and faith:
“I had no idea it couldn’t be done. Naiveté was an asset. I kept going out of sheer love and determination.”
Arlene LewAllen
Director, LewAllen Contemporary; Formerly of Janus & Hills Gallery
On her calling:
“I didn’t have the hunger to work in the studio alone. I wanted to support artists, to connect people to the work. I understood how artists think—I’d been one myself.”
On money and mission:
“At Hills, we didn’t worry about money. Rent, salaries—it was all manageable. Our job was to show good art.”
On SITE Santa Fe:
“SITE is vital. It brings international perspectives to Santa Fe, even if we’re still not taken seriously enough as a contemporary art center.”
On dealer ethics:
“It’s my responsibility to visit studios, to know the artists. That personal connection—that’s our advantage over the big city markets.”
Stuart Ashman
Artist, Educator, Administrator; Director, Museum of Fine Arts
On arrival:
“In 1977 I came to Santa Fe with a portfolio, a girlfriend, and no plan. In 24 hours I had a job, a place, and felt at home. The place embraced me.”
On early years:
“I showed at artist-run co-ops and at restaurants. The Greyhound station was downtown. Everyone crossed paths—Connell, Levin, Newman. It was alive.”
On the Armory & community shows:
“We curated shows like Space X, played with Orwellian themes, and worked with CCA and the Museum. Back then, it was all about collaboration and energy.”
On SITE Santa Fe’s impact:
“SITE was a wake-up call. A way to connect Santa Fe to the international art world. But we need to make sure we don’t lose touch with the local scene in the process.”
Dick Cook
Curator, Dealer, Former Director at Hills Gallery
On Santa Fe in the ’60s and ’70s:
“It was small, raw, affordable. You could get a downtown studio easily. The UNM art department played a huge role—so did Tamarind and its printmakers.”
On gallery culture:
“At Hills, I wouldn’t take on an artist unless I was going to give them a full show. Doris Cross brought in that East Coast conceptual energy.”
On what makes a scene work:
“You need four things: a place that attracts artists, a viable market system, institutions for education and dialogue, and—most overlooked—critical writing.”
Forrest Moses
Painter, Moved to Santa Fe in 1969
On being drawn to the land:
“I came for the summer and never left. The land, the light, the mud houses, the cultures—it all resonated emotionally. It felt like Japan: spare, serene, essential.”
On staying grounded:
“I wasn’t influenced by the market. I just painted. I showed in New York and Houston, but Santa Fe was my place.”
On artistic purpose:
“The true artist, like the true poet, channels something larger. It’s not conceptual—it’s emotional. My work comes from spirit, not strategy.”
