“Santa Fe Current” – 2% for Public Art
Artist Statement
“Santa Fe Current” utilizes multiple forms of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout to stimulate flowing water. This site-specific composition of twenty-seven carved granite fish analogizes Santa Fe as a stream—fluid, vital, and forward moving.
The components of this work represent the individual elements that merge to create a community. In the case of Santa Fe, the richness of its history, heritage, geology, arts, and culture combine to form a cherished home for some and a world-renowned travel destination for others. The river also implies a past, present, and future, as Santa Fe’s historic significance, current dynamism, and promising future combined to make this city unique among cities in the world.
- Colette Hosmer’s model for “Santa Fe Current”
“Santa Fe Current” is designed to encourage public interaction. This composition will draw people form the sidewalk into the plaza. The piece reflects the Santa Fe Community Convention Center’s role as Santa Fe’s foremost venue for coming together.
The portrayal of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout, New Mexico’s state fish, in this artwork supports environmental responsibility as a major focus of the Center. In the wild, the Rio Grande Cutthroat is an indicator of a perfectly balanced ecology, as they can only thrive in the cleanest waters. McClure reservoir, located in the upper Santa Fe River watershed, was chosen as a broodstock lake for its ideal conditions to use in stocking, rearing, and spawning this trout for restoration efforts. The use of granite, the primary component of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is the final element that completes the work.
Hosmer inspects one of the twenty-seven fish in Stone City, Fujian Province
Fabrication
The twenty-seven carved Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout making up “Santa Fe Current” were created in Stone City, Fujian Province, China, where several generations of skilled stone-carving artists have given the area its renowned reputation. Full-scale models were built by the artist in Santa Fe and taken to Stone City where duplicates in granite were produced.
Artist
Colette Hosmer has lived in Santa Fe for nearly three decades. Her work has been widely exhibited both locally and abroad in China and Germany. Hosmer is an experienced public artist with four existing large-scale projects completed to date.
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