“How do you photograph the disappeared?”    Erika Diettes posed this question to herself when planning out her photographic project, Sudarios. The disappeared in her case were the victims of violent attacks on Columbian citizens by the guerrilla warfare that has plagued their country over the past 60 years.  Her final execution of this rather intense and emotionally exhausting subject matter seemed so intentional and precise that one hardly questions the story behind it. Displayed at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, due to the sacred and pristine nature of Catholic churches, Diettes aligned 16 silk-screen photographic prints of women’s faces, all in black and white. The prints were hung from the ceiling and arranged symmetrically, allowing the pictures to blend together from certain angles and come together as a whole when viewed from the center. Diettes interviewed and photographed the victims’ family members—all of whom were women in the project’s final draft—at each individual’s exact moment of horror. During interviews that spanned up to three hours in duration, Diettes had a therapist sit down with victims and guide them through the atrocities they had witnessed firsthand. Although Diettes hadn’t originally planned to only use female subjects, as she gathered interviews and looked at the photographs, she realized that the emotion drawn from the viewer looking at a woman’s face who has experienced a traumatic event, is similar to that of a mother’s loss of her son. This loss of love, she said, is how she wants the viewer to feel while walking past the photographs. According to Diettes, the pictures she has displayed were at the moment in the interview that the subject couldn’t open their eyes. She felt that this moment where loss has been established, but not yet accepted, is the key to giving the disappeared...

We introduced a lot of new students this fall semester at SFUAD, and a handful of new professors. One of those new professors is Andy Mattern, or just Andy for short. Andy is an adjunct professor in the Photography Department teaching the intermediate digital photography class Monday through Thursday nights in the Marion Center.  At first, Andy seems to be a quiet individual. Before every class he casually sits in the classroom, legs crossed, shirt tucked, waiting with stoic anticipation for students to arrive.  But when the clock ticks to 6:30 p.m., Andy ignites into a high-energy educating force, laying down plans and information faster than Busta Rhymes can articulate a sonnet. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Andy frequently went to Wisconsin through out his childhood to visit family.  He received his BFA in Art Studio at UNM Albuquerque, concentrating in visual arts. After graduating, he meandered out to Southern California with guitar in hand to pursue music. After a couple of years playing in coffee shops and recording/producing for other musicians, Andy packed up and moved to Austin, Texas. Live music capital of the world! Once arriving to Austin, Andy quickly decided to never play music in front of people again, bought a camera on eBay, and started making art again. For six years he created visual art for galleries and owned an architectural photography company. In 2009, he applied to grad school and, in “what seemed like a lark,” received a fellowship to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. After three years, Andy graduated with an MFA and two books, Driven Snow and Everyone I Never Knew. Since then Andy has moved back to Albuquerque where he teaches at both UNM and SFUAD. When asked how to justify art, Andy’s answers range from aesthetic...

Photographer, teacher and alumni Mike Webb talks about his experiences making art and in the...

Cliff Shapiro graduated from the College of Santa Fe, now known as the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, in 2010 with a BFA in Photography. He is a New York native but has recently planted some rivaling roots in Santa Fe. Like the rest of us, the land has enchanted him beyond his expectations and he has been living and working in Santa Fe for the past five years. Working like a true photographer, he has enrolled in classes at the Community College to grasp a better understanding of his newest photographic subject… food.  Not only has he enrolled in culinary classes to broaden his understanding of food but to fine tune his existing skills in the kitchen. He has hopes of someday combining his two passions of food and photography by finding his way into what I imagine would be a fine art/fine dining...

Writers and photographers from Jackalope joined 25,000 other Santa Feans at the Sept. 5 Zozobra celebration at Fort Marcy park to check out the annual ritual burning of Old Man Gloom, and talk to officials and attendees about the ritual. Check out their stories: Arianna Sullivan investigates the security at the event. Brandon Ghigliotty considers the meaning of gloom. Maria Costasnovo and Sandra Schonenstein talk to attendees about Zozobra’s meaning. Charlotte Martinez looks at the way the event has changed. Nick Martinez and Christopher Stahelin delve into Fiesta food. Amanda Tyler documents the Historical/Hysterical Parade. Shayla Blatchford captures the spirit of Fiesta in words and...