Taste Never Sleeps: A Santa Fe Season Like No Other

The Leaves of Mexico, 2023.  Image by Ivan Barnett

Since the inception of the tourist industry in Santa Fe, there’s always been an “off and on season.” It’s part of the rhythm of life here. Summer remains the high season, when the town swells with energy, openings, and out-of-state license plates. And the first six months of the year? Still the off or shoulder season—a quieter time when the galleries settle in, the snow threatens from the Sangre de Cristos, and the town exhales after the swirl of holidays.

An entire multi-million dollar economy has grown around this rhythm—still limited by the times of year. And before the internet and e-commerce changed the way we access nearly everything, the only way to experience the depth and nuance of Santa Fe’s art scene was to come here. To make the pilgrimage. To walk the Plaza. To feel the textures of earth and sky under your shoes and your skin.

The first wave of tourists a century ago often boarded a train from a major city—Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis—and disembarked in Lamy, NM (still a sleepy, beautiful little town). From there, they’d be shuttled into Santa Fe, often to Fred Harvey’s iconic La Fonda hotel, just off the historic plaza. And then, like today, they’d wander. They’d discover. They’d collect.

But as soon as the first frost touched the cottonwoods, the flow slowed. If you were a merchant—of fine art or fine crafts—you had to make hay before the snow. That seasonal window could make or break your year.

Yet, the deeper seasonality of collectors—real collectors—has nothing to do with weather.

It has everything to do with taste.  “Great taste!”

Being Lonely at the Top Can Indeed Be Painful, Mexico, 2023. Image by Ivan Barnett

The Taste Alignment

Serious collectors do not collect on a whim. They collect based on trust. And trust is born of alignment—an alignment of taste, of vision, of curiosity.

And that’s where the role of the gallery becomes not just vital, but sacred.

The finest galleries are not merely retail spaces—they are curatorial temples, sanctuaries of discernment. And the best gallery owners are not simply salespeople, they are tastemakers. They live for the extraordinary. They are always searching. Always selecting. Always refining what they show and why they show it.

At Patina Gallery, which I co-founded and directed for 25 years, that alignment was everything. I knew that if a collector—whether new or seasoned—walked through our door, they needed to feel something immediately: a throughline of quality. An unmistakable pulse of intention. A story that held its integrity from one artist to the next.

Staying Number One Is Harder Than Being Number One, Mexico, 2023.  Image by Ivan Barnett

A List of Expectations

It’s no secret that the most engaged collectors—the ones who anchor a gallery’s financial stability—expect to be notified early when something exceptional arrives. They’ve earned that trust, and they’re eager to keep discovering. But here’s the rub: you only get to surprise them so many times before they drift.

A gallery that gets lazy—one that stops taking risks, stops acquiring bold and unusual work—will find that its collector base becomes fickle. Taste, once aligned, begins to dislocate. The collector starts wondering if they’ve outgrown the space. Or worse, if the gallery has lost its way and it also could be “And & Both.”

I’ve seen it happen, far too often.

The Internet Changed the Weather

Today, with the internet and social platforms providing instant access to thousands of artists worldwide, collectors can shift their gaze with the swipe of a finger. A decade ago, your clientele might have stayed loyal through a few underwhelming exhibitions. Not anymore. If the fire is gone, they’ll quietly move on—and they rarely return.

To use an analogy close to my heart: a four-star Michelin restaurant doesn’t get to serve an off-night and expect their loyal patrons to wait patiently for the chef to recover. If the food falters, the service slips, the presentation weakens—even a little—the customer may never return.

The same is true for galleries.

Outrageous Service, Mexico, 2023.  Image by Ivan Barnett

Santa Fe Isn’t an Exception

Santa Fe may be singular in its light and history, but it’s not immune to these realities. This “city different” has always been about discovery. But discovery requires excellence. It demands a spirit of authenticity and rigor. And yes, it demands consistent, curated taste.

That’s why, in all my years directing one of Santa Fe’s most beloved gallery destinations, I treated each season as if it could be our last. I never relied on the weather. I relied on the work. And I knew that whether it was a Tuesday in February or a Friday in August, someone extraordinary might walk through the door and we needed to be ready to give them outrageous service.

When they did, I made sure the “green chile,” so to speak, was the very best.  Consistency is king!

Final Thoughts from the Field

Collectors will always want to be surprised and taken speechless. They want to be moved. And the gallery that continues to surprise—continues to show them what they didn’t know they needed—is the gallery that earns not just their purchase, but their loyalty.

So as we begin this new season, I offer a gentle reminder from someone who has lived the full arc of it:

• Never underestimate the collector’s eye.
• Never assume they’ll wait around for you to innovate.
• And never let your passion for excellence slip into routine.

Seasonality is real. But excellence? Excellence never goes out of season.

Want guidance on sharpening your gallery’s curatorial lens? Looking to reconnect more of your core collectors or rethink your seasonal strategy? That’s exactly what we do at Serious Play. Let’s talk soon…and do not wait until the writing is “on the wall.”.

© 2025, by Ivan Barnett