Artists Terry and Jo Harvey Allen have built a creative partnership spanning more than six decades, establishing themselves as cornerstones of Santa Fe's vibrant artistic community. The couple, who recently celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary, has lived and worked in their Santa Fe studio compound for nearly forty years, producing work that challenges conventional boundaries between visual art, performance, and storytelling. Their latest project, a comprehensive archival initiative titled 'Nasty Drawings: Sixty Years of Uncompromising Art,' will preserve and exhibit Terry's extensive collection of provocative works on paper. This retrospective effort ensures that their artistic legacy will remain accessible to future generations of artists and scholars.
Terry Allen's 'Nasty Drawings' series, which he began in the early 1970s, comprises over three hundred works that combine biting political satire with deeply personal imagery. Created primarily in graphite, ink, and watercolor, these drawings feature rough, unapologetic lines and often incorporate handwritten text that ranges from darkly humorous to profoundly critical. The subjects tackle everything from corporate greed and political corruption to intimate family moments and the absurdities of daily life. Allen refers to these works as his 'visual diary,' explaining that they represent his most immediate and honest responses to the world around him. The drawings have rarely been shown as a complete collection, making this archival project particularly significant for understanding his artistic evolution.
Jo Harvey Allen, a celebrated performance artist and writer, has been an equal partner in the couple's creative endeavors, often collaborating with Terry on multimedia installations and theatrical productions. Her work explores themes of memory, identity, and the American West, frequently incorporating elements of music, spoken word, and visual art. Together, the Allens have created a unique artistic language that reflects their shared experiences while maintaining distinct individual voices. Their Santa Fe compound has become a gathering place for artists from around the world, fostering a creative community that extends far beyond their own practice. Local galleries and museums credit the Allens with helping establish Santa Fe as a serious contemporary art destination, not just a center for traditional Southwestern art.
The archival project, set to debut at the New Mexico Museum of Art in spring 2025, will include a fully illustrated catalogue raisonné of the 'Nasty Drawings' series and a documentary film about the couple's creative process. Museum director Mary Kershaw emphasized the importance of preserving this work, noting that Terry Allen's drawings capture a particularly turbulent period in American cultural history through a uniquely personal lens. The project also involves digitizing the entire collection, making it available to researchers and students through an online database. This digital component ensures that the work can reach audiences beyond the physical exhibition and provides a model for preserving other important contemporary art collections.
The Allens' influence on the Santa Fe art scene extends far beyond their own artistic output. They have mentored countless young artists through informal studio visits and formal teaching engagements at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and other institutions. Their commitment to artistic integrity over commercial success has inspired a generation of creators to pursue ambitious, unconventional projects. Local gallery owner Jane Hamilton credits the couple with raising the bar for what contemporary art can achieve in a regional market, proving that artists can maintain global relevance while working outside major urban centers. Their studio has hosted benefit events for arts education and community organizations, further cementing their role as cultural leaders.
As they enter their ninth decade, Terry and Jo Harvey Allen continue to create new work while embracing their role as elder statesmen of the Santa Fe art community. The 'Nasty Drawings' project represents both a celebration of their past achievements and a foundation for future scholarship about their contributions to American art. Community leaders have announced that the city will honor the couple with a proclamation recognizing their cultural impact, and local schools are developing curriculum materials based on their work. The Allens themselves remain characteristically humble about the attention, insisting that their primary goal has always been to remain truthful to their artistic vision and to support the creative community that has sustained them for four decades.
