PHOTOBOOK REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS AND WRITE-UPS
ALONG WITH THE LATEST PHOTO-EYE NEWS

Social Media

Jo Whaley: Monograph Release and Book Signing, Sunday, June 24th, 4pm at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center


photo-eye Gallery Jo Whaley: Monograph Release and Book Signing, Sunday, June 24th, 4pm Join photo-eye Gallery represented artist Jo Whaley as she celebrates the release of her latest monograph, The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture, and Theatre, on Sunday, June 24th beginning at 4 pm at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center located at 463 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe.

Stage Still(12), Archival Pigment Print, 23x33" Image, Edition of 10, $2000 – Jo Whaley

Join photo-eye Gallery represented artist Jo Whaley as she celebrates the release of her latest monograph, The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture, and Theatre, on Sunday, June 24th beginning at 4 pm at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center located at 463 Paseo de Peralta in Santa Fe.

Whaley along with the book’s authors, editors, and historian will speak in the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple’s historic Alhambra Theater about ­The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple and the inspiration behind it. Their presentation will also include a unique scenic spectacle demonstrating the stagecraft of the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple's theater.

The event is free and presentations will be given twice by the book's contributors on June 24th; the early presentation begins at 4:30 pm and the late presentation begins at 6pm, both in the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple's historic Alhambra Theater.

Register for the presentations HERE.  Select which ticket time best suits you and remember that the Alhambra Theater's capacity is 325 so tickets will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple:
Freemasonry, Architecture, and Theatre
Photographs by Jo Whaley
$35.00 Hardcover
Santa Fe's Scottish Rite Temple, built in 1912, is a historic landmark and the home of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in New Mexico. The building — including its jewel box theater with original scenery collection — and its artifacts, represent a time capsule of Masonic culture and theatrical history. Essays examine the emergence of Freemasonry, key Masonic figures during New Mexico's territorial period through statehood, and the architectural significance of the iconic pink building and Freemasons' use of it to the present. Illustrated with contemporary and historical images, the book reveals the theatrical production of Masonic degrees and the production of the magnificent scenic backdrops. Today, many of the country's Masonic buildings are being repurposed and their collections are being liquidated. Through the heroic efforts of its members, the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple has been preserved, remaining under the continued stewardship of the Freemasons, who share their building with the community.

Stage Still (13),  Archival Pigment Print, 23x33" Image, Edition of 10,$2000  – Jo Whaley

Images from Whaley's fine art series Stage Stills are among the contemporary views included in The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple. Stage Stills is at once a document of, and response to, the theatrical backdrops used for Masonic Degree performances preserved at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Corresponding with the release of the monograph, photo-eye is proud to release a number of new works, now available to view in the Stage Stills portfolio.
Stage Still (17), Archival Pigment Print, 23x33" Image
Edition of 10,$2000 – Jo Whaley
"In the art portfolio of images entitled Stage Stills I am responding to theatrical backdrops that were intended for masonic degree performances, but I repurpose their original intent. In my eyes they are viewed out of context and are material for fiction. I arrange the props, stage the models and design the lighting in order to create an image, much as I have done in my studio for years. The difference is that the scale is much grander and I must interact to the arcane visual references inherent in the theatrical past of the backdrops. These Stage Stills also take the viewer back stage, deconstructing the illusion that theater hopes to create and revealing the stagecraft. Theatrical sets are always created with speed and efficiency, intending to look good only from the distance of the audience. Up close they tend to appear crude and in the case of the Scottish Rite temple collection, showing the signs of over a century of use. The camera captures these cracks in the illusion. This series is still in progress. I have fallen down a rabbit hole into a theatrical fantasy world still intact. There is more to explore. "
.
Stage Still (9), Archival Pigment Print, 33x23" Image, Edition of 10, $2000 – Jo Whaley

The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple will also be open for personal tours of the building and refreshments will be served all evening in the Temple's Grand Ballroom.

The proceeds from every book sold at this event will be given to the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple Historical Preservation Foundation, the non-profit organization created to maintain and preserve the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple as a premier performing arts center.

Stage Still (8), Archival Pigment Print, 
 33x23" Image, Edition of 10, $2000
– Jo Whaley
For more information on Jo Whaley's Stage Stills series, and to purchase prints, please contact Gallery Staff at 505-988-5152 x 202 or gallery@photoeye.com. 

All prices listed were current at the time this post was published.

» Purchase the Book

» View the Stage Stills Portfolio


» Register for FREE presentation tickets