Gayle Maxon-Edgerton

Gayle Maxon-Edgerton passed away peacefully, surrounded by members of her loving family. After years of challenging her cancer, and winning many rounds, Gayle died Saturday, December 5, 2020. Thoughtful of others always, she continued to the end to remember a birthday, and know if there were snacks and ice cream for her granddaughters.Born June 23, 1951 in Sidney, Nebraska to Joanne Ackerman and F. LeBaron Goodwin, she grew up in a family that was full of music. True to her family’s homesteader roots, they grew feed and raised cattle. Her grandfather William P. Ackerman owned the first calliope in Nebraska, made a living as a jazz musician, and wrote the University of Nebraska fight song “Hail Nebraska.”Gayle received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1973, and spent the next several years in the restaurant business in El Paso. She moved to Santa Fe in 1980, and very quickly began to be involved with the artistic life in Santa Fe. She worked at the Gerald Peters Gallery for 25 years as director of contemporary art and as a curator, arranging museum exhibitions and placement of artwork all over the country. She traveled extensively from Europe to Asia to Mexico to promote and sell artwork.Gayle was very much involved in developing the careers of many artists in New Mexico. She was a friend, a promoter, a critic, and a business consultant to many - including Bill Shepherd, Carol Anthony, Carol Mothner, Mark Spencer, Kelly Johnson, Rebecca Bluestone, Michael Scott, Melissa Zink, and Mary Neumuth Mito. She was close to Agnes Martin and Ken Price in Taos.On a broader landscape, she knew and worked with many of the ”icons” of contemporary art, such as Lynda Benglis, Manuel Neri, Richard Deutsch, Louise Bourgeois, Deborah Butterfield, Helen Frankenthaler, Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Philip Pearlstein, Beverly Pepper, Paul Resika, George Rickey, and James Surls. Her passion was for public space sized sculpture. After leaving the gallery world, she became very involved in the work of Charles Ginnever and revitalizing interest in his sculpture.Beyond the economics of the art world, Gayle was devoted to the development of new art, new artists, and new venues. She was involved with the opening of Site SantaFe. as a SITE Foundation Council Member. She joined the board and became board chair of Theatre Grottesco. She was on the Board of the Center for Contemporary Arts. She was one of the progenitors of the Monothon fund raising events sponsored by the Santa Fe Community College. She was a decades-long member of the ArtTable, a national organization devoted to recognizing and promoting the roles of women in the arts.Gayle was a “natural” at many things. She had a wonderful ear for music, and could harmonize with any tune she heard. A beautiful dancer, she could teach anyone to dance. She ran marathons in her 20’s and learned how to ski in her 40’s. An effortless swimmer, she and her husband built a summer home on Canandaigua Lake in the Fingerlakes of western New York, where she could swim, canoe, kayak and splash around with her granddaughters. A meditator since college, in the last ten years, Gayle began the study and practice of chi gong and became certified to instruct others in the practice. She developed another new community and many new friends around this aspect of her commitment to Buddhist practices.Gayle is survived by her husband Philip Bontecou Edgerton, and by her two sons, Matthew Girard Maxon (Aleishall) and Daniel M. Edgerton. She was a wonderful mother to both. Her granddaughters Toscana Paz Girard Maxon and Matiz Pascal Girard Maxon were her true delight. She is also survived by her brother Lee Goodwin (Karen) and family, her sister-in-law Diana D'Avignon Goodwin (Robert, deceased) and family, and many cousins who have remained lifetime friends. Alexis and Marshall Girard, her son’s in-laws, have been caring and welcoming as the two families came together.Gayle will be remembered and missed by those who knew her.The family would also like to thank the caregivers of Ambercare Hospice, and Elite Home Care for their attention and concern for her well-being. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you give donations to Bienvenidos or the Food Depot.