Art Books
Karen Barrie's new biography published by University of New Mexico Press
How Radius Builds Community with Fine-Art Books
The fact that the name Darius is an anagram of radius is purely coincidental, according to Darius Himes of Santa Fe–based Radius Books, a cooperative labor of love by which four of the city’s top names in the field publish fine-art tomes. “We chose the name because the radius of a circle extends outward from the center, or from the edges into the heart of things,” says Himes, a photographer and writer who co-founded the company in November 2007 with editor/marketing director Joanna Hurley and designers David Chickey and David Skolkin. So far, most funding has come from the founders’ friends and family, but Hurley expects Radius to receive legal nonprofit status by the end of the year—just in time to celebrate its first birthday. “It’s not unusual for a publishing company to be nonprofit,” she says, “but it is unusual for an entity not affiliated with an educational institution.”
Radius’s not-for-profit approach supports its mission to promote dialogue in the arts and reach a wide audience, with projects like a new library donation program, through which Radius promises 300 copies of each book published to New Mexico schools and libraries. But the founders’ primary efforts lie in making books—publishing at least eight per year, with the total coming to 12 by the end of 2008. These include monographs on local talents like painters Johnnie Winona Ross and Joan Watts, and multimedia artist Judy Tuwaletstiwa. “We don’t publish anything that all of us aren’t excited about,” says Hurley of the group’s continuing momentum. “We hope to add another dimension to the conversation about art that happens in Santa Fe.” Info: 505-983-4068, radiusbooks.org
Of diminishing traditional pottery designs, Kenneth Milton Chapman was told by the young women of one pueblo, “How can we find out what kind of pottery our old people made? There is none left.” The New Mexico archaeologist, artist, and professor went on to spend six decades helping revitalize Native arts. Janet Chapman and Karen Barrie’s thorough new biography, <i>Kenneth Milton Chapman: A Life Dedicated to Indian Arts and Artists</i>, details his influential accomplishments. University of New Mexico Press, $35
From one of the most intensely photographed states in America comes <i>Photography: New Mexico</i>, an encompassing display of captured light featuring 25 contemporary photographers who all have one thing in common—a connection to the Land of Enchantment. An opening essay by Stuart Ashman highlights some of the state’s rich photographic history, while the large glossy images reveal the cross-fertilizations among influences regional and global alike. Fresco Fine Art Publications, $95
To view the paintings of Ernest L. Blumenschein, founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, you could either rummage through old adobe houses in Taos (where he was rumored to have given his inadequate canvases to a housekeeper as roof liner) or you could pick up a copy of Peter Hassrick and Elizabeth Cunningham’s <i>In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein</i>, which pairs an extensive collection of his luminous modernist landscapes and portraits with a comprehensive analysis of the artist’s life, influences, and legacy. University of Oklahoma Press, $35
Subtle variations in startling spaces mark the work of Santa Fe resident Joan Watts in this 300-page volume simply titled <i>Joan Watts</i>. Highlighting abstract color-field paintings and more from throughout her 40-year career, supported by an essay by Lilly Wei, the book devotes two pages to each piece, not only reflecting the space and light of the art but also mimicking the effect of viewing the piece on a white gallery wall. Radius Books, $65 - Brian Ross
