Past Exhibitions
Oblique Views: Archaeology, Photography, and Time
October 25, 2015 through May 7, 2017
White House
White House is harder to see now because of the additional vegetation. This is the only site in Canyon de Chelly that is accessible without a guide and is by far the most visited ruin in the canyon. A hiking trail leads to the site from a parking lot on the rim above. A pedestrian bridge over the wash can be seen, as can the hiking trail. Tour trucks and jeeps park at the ruin-end of the bridge, although they ford the wash rather than crossing the bridge. Even outside the wash, plant growth is lusher today, in part because the site is not being grazed as intensively as it was in 1929. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.
Standing Rock
Standing Rock in Canyon del Muerto. This scene is much like that in 1929, except that the stream has changed its course and the field is now planted in a more standard linear layout. The field is smaller than in 1929 because a small slump of debris from the canyon wall to the left extends farther than it used to. Perhaps in response, additional fields have been planted. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2008.
For the first time in Oblique Views: Archaeology, Photography, and Time, large prints of Heisey’s stunning images will be paired directly with the Lindberghs’. The exhibition opens October 25, 2015 and runs through May 7, 2017 at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.
During 2007 and 2008, flying at alarmingly low altitudes and slow speeds, Adriel Heisey leaned out the door of his light plane, and holding his camera with both hands, re-photographed some of the Southwest’s most significant archaeological sites that Charles Lindbergh and his new bride Anne photographed in 1929.
Santa Fe
While still not large, Santa Fe has grown remarkably since 1929. Houses cover the areas that were once farmed, and flat roofs around the Plaza dominate the scene. The Palace of the Governors (now backed by the New Mexico History Museum), the New Mexico Museum of Art, the cathedral, and other beloved buildings are still in use. The Roundhouse has replaced the old capitol building, which was remodeled and converted to administrative use. The river still flows through Santa Fe, at least seasonally, but it is less visible among the sea of buildings that engulf it. A few solar panels show environmental investment by individuals. Photograph by Adriel Heisey, 2015.
