Laura Carpenter: The Gallery Years, 1974-1996

Laura Carpenter was instrumental in bringing contemporary art to Santa Fe in the mid-1990s. She began her career as a gallerist in Dallas, Texas, showing artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Martin Puryear. Upon her arrival in Santa Fe, she held solo shows for the likes of Kiki Smith, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Juan Muñoz and Susan Rothenberg, transforming the Santa Fe art world. Ellsworth Kelly, John Chamberlain, Ed Ruscha, Joan Mitchell, Louise Bourgeois and Marina Arbamovic all had shows or came to support fellow artists. Carpenter was also a founder of SITE, helping to permanently establish Santa Fe as a premier destination for contemporary art. Through the lens of Carpenter's experience, this book presents a combination of personal anecdotes, interviews and archival material—from Carpenter as well as critics, curators, art dealers, collectors and artists—to create a historical snapshot of this pivotal time in Santa Fe.