DAVID MICHAEL KENNEDY

Cultural Landscapes

Andrew Smith Gallery, at 203 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM 87501, opens an exhibit of new palladium print photographs by David Michael Kennedy entitled Cultural Landscapes, on Wednesday, October 15, 1997 with an opening reception from 12 noon to 9 p.m. The exhibit, funded in part by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, contains "relics of beauty," photographs of little known historical sites throughout the state in the form of petroglyphs, churches, pueblos, artifacts, and cattle trails that are the legacy of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo culture. Kennedy is donating 10% of his proceeds from the show to the National Trust.

1997 is the year Georgia O'Keeffe's house in Abiquiu is being donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Trust's convention in Santa Fe this October coincides with Kennedy's show at Andrew Smith Gallery. To commemorate the occasion, Jeffrey Lynford, a former trustee of the National Trust, arranged for Kennedy to produce a poster and a body of work documenting the impact of three distinctly different cultures upon the New Mexican landscape. With this project Kennedy, though an old hand at photographing New Mexico, discovered a fascinating borderline reality where the modern world and the old Spanish and Indian worlds come together. He chose to photograph areas unknown to most people and spent several months traveling around New Mexico's back country, guided by an altruistic Santa Fe organization called Cornerstones concerned with historic preservation of New Mexico churches. Barbara Zook and Sam Baca from Cornerstones provided a great deal of help. Jerry Rogers, the superintendent of the Southwest System of the National Park Service, not only suggested places and provided directions, but made sure Kennedy had access to all areas anytime of day or night with no restrictions. The exhibit runs through November 21, 1997.