Opening of Once Within a Time

The 12th SITE SANTA FE International, Once Within a Time is curated by Cecilia Alemani. This ambitious, citywide exhibition places works by local, national, and international artists in dialogue with a cast of regional “figures of interest” to probe the power of storytelling. Featuring ninety-eight participants exhibited across fourteen venues throughout the city, Once Within a Time marks the triumphant return of the SITE SANTA FE International (formerly the Biennial), which has been the centerpiece of SITE SANTA FE’s programming since its founding in 1995 and is the first such presentation under Phillips Executive Director Louis Grachos’s return. 

Opening June 27, 2025, the 12th International includes ninety-eight participants, comprising 71 artists and 27 figures of interest: characters both real and fictional, historical and contemporary, with strong ties to Santa Fe and the surrounding region. The stories of these figures are put in dialogue with the work of the exhibiting artists, opening up new ways of seeing and understanding the multilayered histories of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. 

Once Within a Time will include more than 350 artworks made from 1926 to the present. Around half of the participating artists will present new commissions that engage directly or indirectly with the experiences and lore of the figures of interest. Many of these works are site-specific installations that respond to and incorporate features of the unique venues in which they are presented. These new productions will be shown alongside contemporary and historical works from around the world, inspiring new narratives when viewed in dialogue with New Mexico’s rich artistic and literary history.

In a first, this iteration of the International will extend beyond SITE SANTA FE to fourteen partner venues across the city: New Mexico History Museum, New Mexico Museum of Art, Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico Military Museum, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe (CCA), Finquita (formerly known as Shidoni Galleries and Sculpture Garden), Railyard Park, Best Daze Cannabis Shop, Doodlet’s, Las Palomas Hotel, Shiprock Santa Fe, Santa Fe Village, and Axle Contemporary. Visitors to each venue will encounter the stories of various characters, who are incarnated in the exhibition through a collection of texts, documents, images, and objects. The locations set the tone for novel dialogues between figures, artists, and places, prompting visitors to explore different corners of Santa Fe. 

The 12th International takes its title, Once Within a Time, from the most recent film by Godfrey Reggio, the legendary Santa Fe-based experimental filmmaker who is also a participating artist in the exhibition. Reggio’s Once Within a Time (2022) intertwines fairytale atmospheres with apocalyptic landscapes, pursuing a form of storytelling that blends the fantastical and the mundane in a moving portrait of the existential condition. Inspired by the film’s circular narratives, the exhibition places storytelling at its heart, and will also feature new commissions from acclaimed writers and poets including Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Alicia Inez Guzmán, Lucy R. Lippard, Tommy Orange, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Estevan Rael-Gálvez, Luci Tapahonso, and Karen Tei Yamashita, among others. 

Full participant list: 
Korakrit Arunanondchai 1986, Bangkok, Thailand. Lives in New York, NY, United States and Bangkok.  John Chee Arviso 1910, Asaayi, Ch’óshgai Mountain, Navajo Nation—2005, Gallup, NM, United States. Awa Tsireh (Alfonso Roybal) 1898 San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico Territory of the United States (present-day NM, United States)—1955, San Ildefonso Pueblo, NM, United States, Patricia Ayres 1975, New York, NY, United States. Lives in New York. B Ruppe Drugs Founded in 1883 by Bernard Ruppe, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Closed 2017. Donald Beauregard 1884, Fillmore, Utah Territory of the United States (present-day UT, United States)—1914, Fillmore, UT, United States. Louise Bonnet 1970, Geneva, Switzerland. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, United States. Tejal Boor Life dates unknown [future], present-day southeast New Mexico, United States. Willa Cather 1873, Gore, VA, United States—1947, New York, NY, United States. Autumn Chacon 1987, Corrales, NM, United States. Lives in Albuquerque, NM, United States. Ali Cherri 1976, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Paris, France. Helen Cordero 1915, Cochiti Pueblo, NM, United States—1994, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Minerva Cuevas 1975, Mexico City, Mexico. Lives in Mexico City. Santiago de Paoli 1978, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lives in Stamford, NY, United States. Omari Douglin 1992, New York, NY, United States. Lives in New York. Dragon and Lion Dance Figurine Created circa 1958, Taiwan. Esteban / Estebanico Circa 1500, sub-Saharan Africa—disappeared 1539, Hawikuh (present-day NM, United States). The Fire Spirit, archenemy of Zozobra Originated by dancer Jacques Cartier and artist Will Shuster, 1939. Cristina Flores Pescorán 1986, Lima, Peru. Lives in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Guillermo Galindo 1960, Mexico City, Mexico. Lives in Oakland, CA and Roswell, NM, United States. Ximena Garrido-Lecca 1980, Lima, Peru. Lives in Mexico City, Mexico. Maureen Gruben 1963, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada. Lives in Tuktoyaktuk. Raven Halfmoon 1991, Norman, OK, United States. Lives in Norman. Frederick Hammersley 1919, Salt Lake City, UT, United States—2009, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Sidsel Meineche Hansen 1981, Ry, Denmark. Lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill 1979, Comox, British Columbia, Canada. Lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Max Hooper Schneider 1982, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Lives in Los Angeles. Sky Hopinka 1984, Ferndale, WA, United States. Lives in New York, NY, United States. Lilli Hornig 1921, Aussig, Czechoslovakia (present-day Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic)—2017, Providence, RI, United States. David Horvitz 1980, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Lives in Los Angeles. Maryam Hoseini 1988, Tehran, Iran. Lives in New York, NY, United States. Archbishop Nitten Ishida 1901, Hiroshima, Japan—1996, San Francisco, CA, United States. Saodat Ismailova 1981, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Lives in Paris, France and Tashkent. Claude James 1919, Nice, France—1985, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Joanna Keane Lopez 1991, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Lives in Galisteo, NM, United States. Heechan Kim 1982, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in New York, NY, United States.Karla Knight 1958, New York, NY, United States. Lives in Redding, CT, United States.Dominique Knowles 1996, Nassau, the Bahamas. Lives in Paris, France. Ladies Auxiliary of Local 890 1950–52, picket lines of the Empire Zinc Strike, Grant County, NM, United States.Terran Last Gun 1989, Browning, MT, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM, United States.Louise Lawler 1947, Bronxville, NY, United States. Lives in New York, NY, United States.D. H. Lawrence 1885, Eastwood, England—1930, Vence, France. Dionne Lee 1988, New York, NY, United States. Lives in Columbus, OH, United States. Mire Lee 1988, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Seoul. Simone Leigh 1967, Chicago, IL, United States. Lives in New York, NY, United States. Candice Lin 1979, Concord, MA, United States. Lives in Altadena, CA, United States. Looking Glasses Conceived by writer Ted Chiang, 1998.Greg Mac Gregor 1941, La Crosse, WI, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM, United States. Doña Mala Created by artist Gustave Baumann, circa 1940. La Malinche Circa 1500, Anahuac (present-day Mexico)—1529, Mexico City, New Spain (present-day Mexico). Diego Marcon 1985, Busto Arsizio, Italy. Lives in Italy. María Jesús de Ágreda 1602–65, Ágreda, Spain. Cormac McCarthy 1933, Providence, RI, United States—2023, Santa Fe, NM, United States. John McCracken 1934, Berkeley, CA, United States—2011, New York, NY, United States. Diego Medina 1993, Las Cruces, NM, United States. Lives in Taos, NM, United States. Na Mira 1982, Lawrence, KS, United States. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, United States.N. Scott Momaday 1934, Lawton, OK, United States—2024, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Hira Nabi 1987, Lahore, Pakistan. Lives between Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Berlin, Germany; and Lahore. Vladimir Nabokov 1899, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire (present-day Russia)—1977, Montreux, Switzerland.Nora Naranjo Morse 1953, Kha’P’o Owenge, NM, United States. Lives in Kha’P’o Owenge. Chester Nez and the “Original 29” Navajo Code Talkers Nez: 1921, Chi Chil Tah, NM, United States—2014, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Ni-huil 2492, present-day Valley of Fires in Carrizozo, NM, United States—death date unknown. Amol K. Patil 1987, Mumbai, India. Lives in Mumbai. Agnes Pelton 1881, Stuttgart, Germany—1961, Cathedral City, CA, United States. Florence Miller Pierce 1918, Washington, DC, United States—2007, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Pop Chalee (Merina Lujan) 1906, Castle Gate, UT, United States—1993, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Eliot Porter 1901, Winnetka, IL, United States—1990, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Daisy Quezada Ureña 1990, Anaheim, CA, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM, United States. Theodora “Theo” Ruthling Raven 1931–2019, Santa Fe, NM, United States. Will Rawls 1978, Boston, MA, United States. Lives in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY, United States. Godfrey Reggio 1940, New Orleans, LA, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM, United States. Pablo Romero Birth date unknown—1992, NM, United States. Maja Ruznic 1983, Brčko, Yugoslavia (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina). Lives in Placitas, NM, United States.Rebecca Salsbury James 1891, London, England—1968, Taos, NM, United States.Agnes Scherer 1985, Lohr am Main, Germany. Lives in Salzburg, Austria. Francis Schlatter 1856, Ebersheim, France—circa 1896, Casas Grandes, Mexico. Marilou Schultz 1954, Leupp, AZ, United States. Lives in Mesa, AZ, United States. Katja Seib 1989, Düsseldorf, Germany. Lives in Los Angeles, CA, United States. Wael Shawky 1971, Alexandria, Egypt. Lives in Alexandria. Penny Siopis 1953, Vryburg, South Africa. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa. Luis Tapia 1950, Agua Fría, NM, United States. Lives in La Ciénega, NM, United States. Epifania Sandoval Trujillo 1881, Córdova, New Mexico Territory of the United States (present-day NM, United States)—1972, Truchas, NM, United States. Doña Tules (Maria Gertrudis Barceló) Circa 1800, Sonora, New Spain (present-day Mexico)—1852, Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory of the United States (present-day NM, United States). Nora Turato 1991, Zagreb, Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia). Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Ultima Conceived by writer Rudolfo Anaya, 1972. Uman 1980, Mogadishu, Somalia. Lives in Upstate New York, NY, United States. Ana Vaz 1986, Brasília, Brazil. Lives in Paris, France and Brasília. Pablita Velarde (Tse Tsan) 1918, Santa Clara Pueblo, NM, United States—2006, Albuquerque, NM, United States. Gisèle Vienne 1976, Charleville-Mézières, France. Lives in Paris, France. WangShui 1986, Dallas, TX, United States. Lives in New York, NY, United States. Charisse Pearlina Weston 1988, Houston, TX, United States. Lives in New York, NY, United States. Emmi Whitehorse 1957, Crown Point, NM, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM, United States. Will Wilson 1969, San Francisco, CA, United States. Lives in Santa Fe, NM and Austin, TX, United States. Joseph E. Yoakum 1891, Ash Grove, MO, United States—1972, Rock Island, IL, United States. Norman Zammitt 1931, Toronto, Ontario, Canada—2007, Pasadena, CA, United States. ZHANG Ruyi 1985, Shanghai, China. Lives in Shanghai. ZHANG Yunyao 1985, Shanghai, China. Lives in Paris, France. ZHANG XU Zhan 1988, Xinzhuang, Taiwan. Lives in Xinzhuang.