As an architect, I am concerned with how man builds on the land. As someone who has witnessed the ravages of conventional land development in the Western United States – especially on rural ranchland – I am interested in finding a better way to satisfy the need for development while protecting the land.
-- Anthony Anella
Written by Anthony Anella and John Write, with Through the Lens photographer Edward Ranney's photographs, Saving the Ranch: Conservation Easement Design in the American West is a call to protect the rapidly vanishing rural landscapes of the American West.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Anthony Anella spent his early summers working on farms and ranches in New Mexico. From that experience he gained an abiding respect for the land and the people who earn their living on the land.
He is the principal of Anthony Anella Architect AIA (anella.com), an award-winning practice dedicated to environmentally sensitive design and planning. He is co-chair of the Aldo Leopold Centennial Celebration 2009 (LeopoldCelebration.org), and secretary of the New Mexico Land Conservancy. He is co-author, with John B. Wright, of Saving the Ranch: Conservation Easement Design in the American West (Island Press, 2004), and Preserving Critical Lands in New Mexico (the Governor’s Task Force for Community Growth and Sustainability, 2008).
He is also co-author, with Mark C. Childs, and Krista Elrick (photography), of Never Say Goodbye: The Albuquerque Rephotographic Survey Project (Albuquerque Museum, 2000). He has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Dartmouth College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado. He believes that good design is distinguished by the art of listening and by letting the land do most of the talking.
At the heart of that design philosophy are issues of growth, development and sustainability -- issues that are also addressed in Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe.
The exhibit, on display at the Palace of the Governors through Oct. 25, provides a historical and contextual perspective on how photography has played an important role in documenting and shaping Santa Fe's image. From the 1850s to the present, photography has been an effective medium for exploring, documenting, and promoting the great frontiers of civilization.
The exhibition, lecture series, and publication of the book, Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe, are sponsored by the Scanlan Family Foundation, Verve Gallery of Photography, New Mexico Council on Photography, New Mexico Humanities Council, Visual Arts Gallery at the Santa Fe Community College, Photography Department/Marion Center for Photographic Arts at the College of Santa Fe, Scheinbaum & Russek LTD., Santa Fe 400th Anniversary Partnership, Santa Fe Art Foundation, Andrew Smith Gallery, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, Palace Guard, Phyllis and Edward Gladden Endowment Fund, and the Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico.
