Letters to the Editor

News, June 28: “Still In the Dark”

The Wild West

Lawsuits are the solution to get justice in an uncivilized society. That's how New Mexicans solve their disputes. Lawsuits only work for those that can afford it in this poor state, and our government knows that very well. The majority of the citizens lick their wounds and continue to struggle to put food on the table. I don't think we need another agency. We just need the AG to be respected enough that a five-minute phone call explaining the law is enough to get the records custodians to produce the records. This sure beats waiting five months for a legal opinion and saves taxpayers' dollars. Respect is another value that is lacking in general in New Mexico and is indicative of an uncivilized society. It's the Wild West here, folks. We need strong and effective leaders who respect the laws and government's policies and procedures.

Dianne Goodman
Albuquerque

AC, June 28: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”

Divisiveness?

Since when was art not involved in business and politics?! There's no need to force such division and separation in our city that so desperately needs the opposite. If someone is not moved or their thought process are not expanded upon experiencing Meow Wolf, I'm not sure anything could. Critique is fine, warranted even, but let's be clear that art is a whole range of things, including an experience, which more and more of us want and seek to have. Art goes beyond things that hang on someone's walls and MW is proving that with their consistent support for artists in our community. No one else in this city is doing that to this length and that's what we really should be critiquing. We're a small and large city with a place for everyone. Jealousy and fearing the Zeitgeist is clearly alive and well.

Marissa Sutfin
via Facebook

Do It for the Kids

Who cares? My son loves that place. Is it art? Is it entertainment? Are there ulterior motives? Maybe … but it makes my son smile and that's the only critic I care about.

Phil Lucero
via Facebook

Horse’s Mouth

Where does art cease to exist or, better yet, what is the point at which the lines presented by this question begin to shift? Homer is considered literature, but long before his stories were written down they were recited, alongside music, at Olympic events. What art is is tangential. Its function is found within the way it reaches the participant, who—upon engaging with the work—fulfills its very intention, to deepen what it is to be the viewer, to walk away from that work and then outward into time as a person changed. This is glorious and profound and, obviously, not something that interacts between every viewer and every work of art.

Art is art when it places us nearer to the center of ourselves or to the experience of others. It is not a sole engagement, one on one, with things nor a mass ingestion, say, of a grand performance—these are not measures of its power. Art is when a viewer engages and cannot disengage. Art is when we are changed by what the artist, whether the work is small or assemblage or immersive, presents us with who we are or would be or, if we try very hard, could become, and its works are as diverse as we are ourselves.

Christopher J Johnson
Narrative Team, Meow Wolf

Go On, Hug It

Meow Wolf is doing great things for our community. Embrace it. It inspires the imagination. It gets you to think and ask questions. I'm intrigued by all the talent that has come together to make such an awesome place. These artists are showcasing their work that probably would have never been shown in a gallery in Santa Fe.

Hortencia T Benavidez
via Facebook

What a Gift

There does not need to be a clear definition for a space that is artistic, entertaining and magical. I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but after experiencing Meow Wolf, I can honestly say that it is in a class by itself and a gift to this community. The people who invented it, are true artists, and the people who visit it leave happy with their thoughts expanded, so leave it alone and just enjoy the collective immersive experience. They also give back to the community.

Jo Ann Garcia
via Facebook

Cover, June 21: “Permanent Collection”

Don’t Do It, Kids

I'm a big fan of the Reporter, however, the article on tattoos in the last issue deeply disturbed me. There are many health risks associated with tattoo ink—including heavy metals, cancer and infection. ... Often, the person getting a tattoo doesn't understand that blood vessels in the skin carry the contaminants throughout the body—skin is not merely a "covering" over the body, but rather part of a connected system. This article will encourage young people to pursue tattoos, not aware of the health risks.

Susan Guyette
Santa Fe

Cover, May 31: “Mortally Maternal”

Glaring Disparity

"Mortally Maternal" is, in my opinion, the most important article I have read in the Reporter. Those of us with interest have had a general idea of these statistics for quite some time. ... Americans should be appalled that we have mortality rates of a third-world nation, and those who still proclaim racism isn't an issue should examine this article and think. Looking at health statistics and claiming that it is someone's fault due to lifestyle habits might explain a surface cause, however it is a very shallow exploration. We have to examine why women feel forced or compelled to make those lifestyle choices. It isn't laziness or ignorance, as so many assume as the primary cause. Even though I am Caucasian, I have walked both sides of the poverty/wealth fence. I thank God that I was wealthy and had the ultimate power to make the decision as to where my three children were born and to a great degree, how they were delivered. … Our mortality rates are inexcusable, and a glaring sign of the disparity in the lives of women and children, as we attempt to navigate life in Western society. We do need to examine our culture here before we criticize others.

Hallie Smith
Santa Fe

Correction

Delight Talawepi is the assistant to the academic dean at the Institute of American Indian Arts. In "Paper Genocide" (June 28), her title was misstated.

SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mistake, editor@sfreporter.com or 988-7530.

Mail letters to PO Box 2306, Santa Fe, NM 87504, deliver to 132 E Marcy St., or email them to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

Santa Fe Reporter