Gestures from the Land
A Photography Exhibit in Celebration of Native Plants and Public Lands
June 26th - November 6, 2025
Co-Fe Gallery, Open Daily 8am-5pm
314 Guadalupe St., Santa Fe, New Mexico
ABOUT GESTURES FROM THE LAND
The Gestures from the Land exhibit invites viewers to witness the intimate language of wild plants—through the lens of Santa Fe-based conservation photographer Christina Selby. This collaborative exhibition explores the extraordinary biodiversity of New Mexico and the greater Southwest, revealing native wildflowers as essential contributors to ecosystem health, vital allies to pollinators, birds, and wildlife, and quiet companions to the human spirit. Through this body of work, Selby asks us to celebrate these botanical treasures—and to protect them.
Artist’s Statement
“The land speaks to us through gestures... If we listen to the land, we will know what to do.”
—Terry Tempest Williams, The Open Space of Democracy
Every spring, public lands across the Southwest erupt in breathtaking floral color—living tapestries of rare and native wildflowers. These lands—national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and Bureau of Land Management areas—are more than scenic, they’re essential sanctuaries. With space to grow, protection from development, industry, agriculture, and relatively undisturbed ecosystems, public lands provide the conditions rare and native plants need to survive. They also offer us the opportunity to witness, appreciate, and advocate for the fragile beauty of natural communities.
In my wildflower photography, I seek to capture the gesture of plants—the subtle lean of a flower toward a rainbow after a storm, a bloom opening its petals in response to the vibration of a pollinator’s wings, or a cluster of wildflowers gathered together like a community. These small movements reflect a larger language—an expression of life, resilience, and connection.
I experience wildflowers as gifts rom the land—ephemeral works of art scattered like blessings across the landscape. They act as spiritual messengers, reminding me to slow down, to delight in the details, and to honor the present moment. I listen for their stories—tales of survival, adaptation, and relationship—and I translate those into images. In return, I share their voices in the hope that others will fall in love with them too, and feel moved to protect their habitats.
Fine Art Prints for Conservation
The exhibition is a collaboration between Christina Selby and The Institute for Applied Ecology, Native Plant Society of New Mexico, and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden.
50% of the profits from the sale of fine art prints support the conservation work of these organizations. Purchasing a print gives these incredible plants and their habitats on public lands a chance to thrive!
An Introduction to the Gestures from the Land exhibition from Ted Harrison, Co-Founder of Co-Fe Santa Fe
Co-Fe is a collaborative workspace with a mission to bring together professionals and creatives dedicated to making a difference in the world.
This is the fourth in a series of “corridor shows” at the Co-Fe Gallery—an art space that celebrates the work of some of Santa Fe’s most remarkable image-makers.
Separate from my role developing this old school into a community gathering space, I’ve had a decades’ long career in conservation and community building. As an extension of my conservation practice with the Trust for Public Land and Commonweal Conservancy, we created the Co-Fe Gallery to bring light and attention to stories of evironmental protection, climate change, and social justice.
It’s a community gallery that invites visitors and patrons to find inspiration in the beauty of the wildlands and open spaces that distinguish our homeplace as unique and precious.
Gestures of the Land celebrates the incredible work of Christina Selby—a photograph and multimedia storyteller whose passion and commitment to the natural world implores people “to act in service to the earth.”
Christina Selby is a widely acclaimed photographer, writer, filmmaker, and educator. Her photographs and stories have been published in leading environmental magazines such as Audubon, Outdoor Photographer, High Country News, Scientific American, among others. She has authored two books on hiking and adventuring in New Mexico, and served as an instructor in leading photographic workshop programs.
Having Christina’s work at the Co-Fe Gallery is an honor and a privilege. Her work is an offering of hope, love, and respect for the gifts we share as New Mexicans in a land of enchanting wild-open spaces.
Join us at the Gallery and in welcoming Christina Selby to this space!
Ted Harrison, co-owner, Co-Fe Gallery
Exhibit Events
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Opening Reception
June 26th 5:30-7:30PM
Conservation talks, floral refreshments and snacks, fine art print give-a-ways and more!
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Meet the Artist
Friday, August 15th & 29th
Friday, September 12th & 26th (TBC)
Talk with the artist, support conservation efforts.
Book & Fine Art Print Sales
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Closing Reception
Thursday, November 6th 5:30-7:30PM
Details coming soon
Join me on Substack
@The Beloved Here
For behind-the-scenes stories of these images and conservation efforts from my collaborating organizations.
Publishing Weekly
July - October, 2025
