FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2016
In 2009, photographer Alan Pearlman set out on a quest to capture the soul of Santa Fe in a series of photographic portraits. Some of the results take center stage in the New Mexico History Museum’s Mezzanine Gallery, March 13–September 18, 2016. Santa Fe Faces features a selection from 90 portraits that Pearlman created between 2009 and 2013. Included among them are images of flamenco artist Juan Siddi and Turquoise Trail rancher Archie West. Through them, Pearlman aimed to reveal a moment in the City Different’s history, focusing on the ways that clothing and settings speak to identities and occupations.
Join Pearlman and Palace of the Governors Photo Curator Daniel Kosharek at 2 pm on Sunday, March 13, at the exhibition opening.
Pearlman is an emeritus professor of neurology and cell biology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he worked as a clinician, teacher and researcher for nearly 35 years. He brings his lifelong fascination with vision to photography, the exciting way in which we suggest to others what we are seeing and what it might mean. An uncle who was a professional photographer introduced him to photography at age 13. His first camera was a bulky medium-format press camera, which he lugged to sports events and school activities as photographer for the high school newspaper. While his photographic interests have varied, he settled on portraits as a major theme shortly after moving to Santa Fe in 2002.
Now a loyal volunteer in the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, Pearlman continues to shoot, and his work has been represented in many shows, including Verve Gallery and the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. In honor of the Photo Archives’ Photo Legacy Project, which aims to collect works from contemporary shooters, he recently donated almost 200 archival pigment prints to the History Museum, including his highly valuable Santa Fe Faces collection.
“This work will make a great addition to the Photo Archives for future researchers and exhibits,” said Photo Curator Daniel Kosharek.
