Last June, a long line formed out the door at Baca Street Railyard-area contemporary arts space [CONTAINER], stretching out beyond the concrete stoop and drive, onto the sidewalk and nearly down the street. At a small card table out front on Flagman Way, a pair of [CONTAINER] officials handed out snow-white balaclavas and encouraged visitors to don them as they entered. A sign on the door cautioned attendees they might be filmed.
The event—the local opening of Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova’s exhibition Putin’s Ashes—marked the Russian protest artist’s first time showing her work in Santa Fe. It also underscored the key and unique position Container proprietors Tonya Turner Carroll and Michael Carroll—who also run Turner Carroll Gallery—play in Santa Fe’s gallery ecosystem.