The Future of the Arts in Santa Fe

Forum Plus - TRAITORS; A Conversation with author Robert McCaw

In this episode of The Forum Plus, Jim Falk talks with bestselling author Robert McCaw about his new novel, Traitors. Best known for his Koa Kāne Hawaiian mystery series, McCaw's latest novel takes readers into the world of counterintelligence, Russian disinformation, and the complex legal and moral choices involved in protecting national security. McCaw believes one reason for the success of his books is that, while he strives to tell a compelling story, he also works to make his plots plausible and relatable to current events. Before becoming a full-time novelist, McCaw spent more than four decades as an attorney handling some of the nation's most significant cases involving money laundering, financial fraud, and national security. He discusses how those experiences shaped Traitors, why he built the novel around Robert Cooper, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice's National Security Division, and why the spy genre has endured for generations. Host:            Jim Falk Guest:          Robert McCaw, author, Traitors (pub. 7/7/26)

The Future of the Arts in Santa Fe

Santa Fe's reputation as one of America's premier arts and cultural destinations is central to both its identity and its economy. But how are the city's galleries and performing arts organizations adapting to changing audiences, economic uncertainty, and new expectations? In this episode of The Forum, Jim Falk and co-host Daniel James, executive director of Santa Fe Pro Musica, explore the opportunities and challenges shaping Santa Fe's cultural future with two of the city's arts leaders: Joel Aalberts, executive director of the Lensic Performing Arts Center, and Ken Marvel, co-owner and CEO of LewAllen Galleries. Aalberts discusses how the Lensic has expanded its mission beyond its historic downtown theater through Lensic360, bringing performances, many of them free, to venues across the community and state in partnership with organizations including the Santa Fe Railyard, Reunity Resources Farm, and Meow Wolf. The Lensic, as a non-profit, is committed to taking the arts to different communities not just in Santa Fe but also throughout New Mexico. He also reflects on why audiences remain eager to share live performances, noting that unlike what is occurring with movies, attendance at The Lensic continues to grow. Marvel explains how galleries are evolving to meet changing visitor expectations by creating more immersive and educational experiences while expanding their online presence. Although economic uncertainty has affected buying patterns, he believes the art market remains fundamentally healthy. Both guests called for a greater investment by the city in marketing which in their view would strengthen Santa Fe's entire arts ecosystem.  Together, the conversation offers an insightful look at the creativity, and collaborative spirit that continue to make Santa Fe one of the nation's most distinctive and dynamic cultural communities. Host:               Jim Falk Co-host:          Daniel James Guests:            Ken Marvel, CEO and co-owner, LewAllen Galleries [https://lewallengalleries.com/]                         Joel Aalberts, Executive Director, Lensic Performing Arts Center [https://lensic.org/]

Crossing Borders: The Music That Made Us American

This coming Saturday is the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation. In nearly every city, town, village across the U.S., there will be celebrations with fireworks, food, speeches and especially music—which is the focus of tonight’s forum, titled “Crossing Borders: The Music That Made Us American.” We’ll trace the history of some of the best-known songs and musical styles of this country—and especially the depth and diversity that developed when we were willing to learn from one another across lines of race, culture, class, and national origin.

06/24/2026 The Expanding Reach of Private Equity

Originally, this program was intended to be an in-depth discussion of Blackstone's proposed acquisition of PNM, New Mexico's largest electric utility, by Blackstone, the private equity firm that describes itself as the world's largest alternative asset manager. Unfortunately, shortly before we went on the air, one of the leading opponents of the proposal was unable to join us. Representatives of both Blackstone and PNM also declined our invitations to participate. Fortunately, Evan Buckingham, who had originally planned to join us for the first 15 minutes of the program, was able to remain with us for the entire hour. Together, we examined the proposed acquisition, summarized the principal arguments both for and against the deal, and explored the broader implications of private equity's expanding role in the American economy. Our conversation also looked beyond the PNM proposal to consider how private equity ownership, from small medical practices to major corporations, is reshaping industries and raising important questions about public trust, corporate accountability, and the relationship between businesses and the communities they serve. https://open.substack.com/pub/democracyofhope/p/snake-oil-in-the-modern-economy [https://open.substack.com/pub/democracyofhope/p/snake-oil-in-the-modern-economy] Host:               Jim Falk Co-host:          Peter Smith Guests:            Evan Buckingham, contributing writer to Democracy of Hope on Substack; author, “Snake Oil in the Modern Economy.”

The Archaeologists Who Became Spies

It is one of the most remarkable, and least known, stories of World War II. Under the leadership of William “Wild Bill” Donovan, founder of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a group of American archaeologists set aside their scholarly pursuits to become intelligence operatives. After limited training at “The Farm,” they recruited Greeks and Greek Americans to carry out secret missions across Greece and the Middle East. During our conversation, Stephan Talty describes the extraordinary efforts undertaken to protect Greece’s ancient treasures from Nazi looters. He also explains how Hitler’s interest in Greece extended beyond military strategy. Hitler believed there was a racial and cultural connection between ancient Greece and the Aryan race, making Greece’s antiquities a matter of ideological as well as strategic importance. Host:            Jim Falk Guests:        Stephan Talty [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/61298/stephan-talty/], Author, The American School of Spies: The archaeologists Who Fought the Nazis and Saved the Treasures of Ancient Greece