Museletter

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,…

By Ivan Barnett | Founder, Serious Play Santa Fe Skies Number Four, Rooftop.  Image by Ivan Barnett “Avoidance is not the answer; it is merely the illusion of peace.” — Brené Brown The Beautiful Trap of Avoidance If you’re avoiding…

Erich Zimmerman Silver Cuff and Necklace-Santa Fe NM 2022. Ivan Barnett Studio. “The most dangerous thing about illusion is how comfortable it makes us feel.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates In the evolving landscape of contemporary art, one uncomfortable truth emerges with…

Entrance to Gustave Bauman’s Home and Studio on the old Santa Fe Trail, 2024. Image by Ivan Barnett “The arts are not a luxury. They are as fundamental to our humanity as language, love, and shelter.”—American Poet, former Chairman of…

Patina Model re-enacting Madame Butterfly for photo shoot.  Image, Peter Ogilvie “Opera is love, hate, death. It is very important. With a little makeup, you can become another person. The opera is something fake, that, little by little, on stage,…

Lost souls, Finding faith finally, Santa Fe, 2021.  Image by Ivan Barnett “The role of the artist is to not look away.”— Akira Kurosawa Why Ivan Barnett Isn’t Just Another “Art Coach” or Creative Consultant The internet is flooded with…

Cracking the code of aging, De Vargas Street, Santa Fe 2024.  Image by Ivan Barnett. “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”– Thomas Merton I’m Ivan Barnett, an artist, an Arts coach, a creative…

The GRR Martin train with the light of my life, daughter Grace Barnett.  Image by Ivan Barnett. “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” — Elbert Hubbard In the world of creative coaching, the word “serious” can sound…

A Mid-career cut short, Claire Kahn, Santa Fe 2022.  Image Ivan Barnett The Journey of a Working Artist This is not theory. It is a lived experience. For over five decades, I’ve walked the tightrope of creativity and commerce, of…

Marcel Duchamp and Milton Avery.  Image by Ivan Barnett. “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” — Bertolt Brecht If you work in the arts, you already feel it. The…

All eyes were on 131 West Palace, Santa Fe.  Image by Ivan Barnett “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”— Vincent van Gogh Building a great gallery—a world-class gallery—is not for…

Sandros perfect design sense, Santa Fe. image by Ivan Barnett “To create one’s own world takes courage.” — Georgia O’Keeffe In all great works of art, two forces are always at play:  practiced discipline and fearless invention or reinvention. Groundbreaking…