Santa Fe curator Eileen Braziel introduces patrons to a new dimension in collectible art
Painting has been declared “dead” more than once in recent years, and even the least art-aware among us has seen contemporary art that flashes across monitors or climbs gallery walls—sans frame or canvas. But the shift from public exhibition space to private home can be fraught with challenges: where will it hang? How will we dust it? What happens when we go out of town? Understandably, some collectors—even those familiar with contemporary art—are hesitant to purchase work that requires excessive equipment or time for maintenance and upkeep. Not so the clients of Eileen Braziel Fine Art in Santa Fe. Despite the city's deep roots in traditional media, Braziel has built a thriving business on the kind of art that does much more than match the sofa.
A former artist and teacher, Braziel opened her gallery—a small installation/exhibition space near the plaza in downtown Santa Fe—just over two years ago. She explains, “I was tired of selling static art, and thought that there was something more going on. My instinct was that people were looking for more of an experience.” So Braziel's clients are invited to participate in the process of creation; their living spaces and aesthetic preferences become part of the artists' consideration as they design and realize works specifically for individual homes.
For example: when one collector mentioned excessive birdsong in her neighborhood, Cathy Aten (who is represented by Braziel) created a series of abstract sculptural pieces from smoke-fired clay that evoke the shape and spirit of the raven. These were installed near a skylight in the patron's home, set off by the low light around the ceiling. Sometimes, Braziel says, the art comes first and the collector follows. For a series of works about the nearby forest, artist Joan Lefrak carefully burned out the negative spaces in drawings of trees on paper; light shone through the cut-out parts, reflecting the tree image on the wall. When the nearby Coralles Fire Department recognized the silhouette of their beloved Bosque National Forest, they contacted Braziel to purchase Lefrak's work. Of this atypical collector, Braziel says, “We love that kind of thing!”
Other artists represented by Braziel work with projected animations, manipulated film, transparent emulsion, cast glass and an array of materials ranging from butterfly wings to solar-powered LEDs. Although Braziel does exhibit a limited number of pieces, much of her work (like the art she represents) happens away from the gallery—in meetings with clients, visits with artists and interactions with collectors. The result is an eclectic body of work that shares one unique quality: inviting the viewer to be more than a passive participant in the experience.
For more information about Eileen Braziel Fine Art, visit www.eileenbrazielfinearts.com.
