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NEW MEXICO INSPIRATIONS | Art
Art in New Mexico is as essential as air. Even the earliest nomadic people, whose presence in the state has been documented as early as 10,000 B. C., chipped and carved beautiful utensils. Later, Native Americans built elaborate towns and villages, sometimes multi-storied, sometimes carved into rock cliffs. They were an artistic people who painted even their everyday pottery, wove and embroidered designs into their textiles, and decorated themselves with jewelry.
The Spanish, who colonized New Mexico beginning in 1598, brought their religious and secular arts to the new territory. They carved and painted images of saints for their homes and churches. Their fine weavings were traded as far as Mexico City and set the style for weavings of the region.
When the railroads arrived in the late 1800s, European and American artists came in droves, attracted by the golden light, exotic landscape, and bohemian lifestyle. They established important art colonies in Taos and Santa Fe.
Distinguished artists from all over the world have continued to come to New Mexico. In Santa Fe, for example, it is estimated that one out of six people is employed in the art industry. The city is also widely considered one of the foremost centers in the U. S. for contemporary art. Traditional arts flourish, although both Hispanics and Native Americans have taken new artistic directions too. There is almost no end to the many ways to enjoy art in New Mexico.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Past
Native American
• Ruins. There are many spectacular Native American ruins throughout New Mexico. Some of the most famous are cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, near Santa Fe, and at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument near Silver City. Chaco Culture National Historic Park, near Farmington, was an ancient capital. Salmon Ruin County Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument are in the same region. Pecos National Historic Park is near Santa Fe.
• Taos Pueblo. Taos Pueblo is more than a thousand years old, one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in North America. Its multi-storied architecture and setting at the foot of New Mexico's highest mountains make it a very dramatic site. Near the city of Taos. There are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico. Almost all allow visitors.
• Museums. A number of respected museums showcase historic Native American art and culture. Among the best are the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, the Silver City Museum in Silver City, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in Albuquerque, and the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos. The School of American Research in Santa Fe has an outstanding collection that is not open to the public, but can sometimes be visited by private arrangement.
• Galleries and Shops. Numerous galleries and shops throughout the state display and sell traditional Native American arts; including turquoise and silver jewelry, Navajo rugs, pottery, and carvings.• Shows. The Antique Ethnographic Art Show and Antique Indian Art Show, both in Santa Fe in the summer, sell antique Native American art.
• Petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are drawings picked into rock. There are sometimes hundreds of them at a single site. There are petroglyphs throughout New Mexico on both public and private land.
Hispanic
• Mission Churches. Spanish colonists built charming adobe mission churches wherever they settled. New Mexico's many mission churches are filled with artwork—some made locally and some brought from Spain or Mexico. A visit to the Santuario de Chimayó, known as "The Lourdes of the Southwest," for its miraculous dirt, is a must.
• Architecture. Spanish settlers in New Mexico readily adapted the custom of building with adobe—dried mud and straw—because there were few large hardwood trees suitable for construction. Many buildings, dating from the 1600s, still stand—a remarkable achievement since adobe is very vulnerable to weather.
• Chimayó/Rio Grande Weaving. The lovely village of Chimayó, just north of Santa Fe, is the headquarters of a family known for high-quality weaving in the Rio Grande tradition of Spanish Colonial times.
• Museums. Although numerous museums feature traditional Spanish arts, the best known are the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Palace of the Governors, both in Santa Fe. The Palace of the Governors, built in 1610, is the oldest government building in the United States. El Rancho de las Golondrinas, south of Santa Fe, is a living history museum that recreates live on a Spanish Colonial farm.
• Galleries. Traditional Hispanic arts are still widely practiced in New Mexico, even some arts that no longer exist in Spain. Many galleries sell painted and carved images of the saints, weaving, tinwork, ceramics, embroidery, and furniture.
Anglo
• Architecture. To the native Spanish/Pueblo style of architecture, Americans added their own refinements. Territorial architecture is defined by long white porches and pitched roofs. In the first half of the twentieth century, several American architects acted to preserve and perpetuate New Mexico's unique architecture. Today, many fine examples of their work can be seen in all areas of the state.
• Art Colonies. Artists began to arrive in Taos and Santa Fe around the turn of the twentieth century. They established important art colonies and popularized the images of the Southwest. Today, many artists live and work in both cities.
• Museums. The Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe has a first-rate collection of works by the early Santa Fe and Taos Artists. In Taos, the homes of Nicholai Fechin and E. L. Blumenschein can be visited and the Harwood Museum houses a fine collection of Taos artists.
• Galleries. A number of galleries still sell the work of early Taos and Santa Fe artists.
Ideas of Places to Visit: Present
Native American
• Monumental Sculpture. Contemporary Native American sculpture is extremely popular. There are many examples in public buildings and parks. In Santa Fe, the grounds of the state capitol building and the front of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture feature well-known sculpture.
• Studios. Many Native Americans have taken contemporary directions in their artwork, while others keep to traditional styles and methods. It is possible to visit artists' studios both on the Pueblos and in cities.
• Museums. The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, both in Santa Fe, exhibit contemporary and traditional Native American art. The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe houses the National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art.
• Galleries. Both contemporary and traditional Native American arts are sold in many galleries.
• Portal at the Palace of the Governors. Native American artists have sold their wares for decades under the long portal (porch) at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe. The program is part of the Museums of New Mexico and only those who actually make the goods and their families are allowed.
• Shows. A range of both contemporary and traditional Native American arts are shown and sold at Indian Market in Santa Fe, the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show at San Juan Pueblo, and during feast day celebrations at several Pueblos.
Hispanic
• National Hispanic Cultural Arts Center. This new center incorporates an art museum, theater, library, and geneological research center. Both traditional and contemporary music, dance, theater, and art celebrate Hispanic culture. In Albuquerque.
• Studios. It is possible to visit studios of both traditional and contemporary Hispanic artists, particularly in traditional Hispanic communities in northern New Mexico.
• Galleries. Besides traditional Hispanic arts, folk art and contemporary Hispanic art also flourish. Galleries exhibit a wide variety of Hispanic arts.
• Santa Fe Fiesta. The oldest continually celebrated festival in the United States, Fiesta marks the return of the Spanish to New Mexico in 1682, after the Pueblo Indian Revolt. There are parades, dances, food, and the popular burning of an effigy representing bad news.
• Shows. Contemporary Hispanic Market and Spanish Market, both held in Santa Fe, sell Hispanic arts.
Anglo
• Georgia O'Keeffe Home. The artist's home, located in Abiquiú, can be visited with advance reservations.
• Museums. New Mexico, especially Santa Fe, has become very important in the world of contemporary art. Museums include the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe with the largest collection of the artist's work in the world. The Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe is the largest of its type in the world. SITE Santa Fe exhibits cutting-edge contemporary art and is known for its international biennial shows.
• Lightning Field. For the thrill of a lifetime, stay overnight and watch hundreds of lightning strikes. In northern New Mexico.
• Studios. Many artists welcome visitors to their studios.
• Galleries. Galleries carry a wide range of American and international art. Many shops and galleries also sell fine crafts, such as jewelry, ceramics, and woodworking. At Shidoni, near Santa Fe, bronze sculpture is cast and poured. Visitors can watch a pouring and tour the sculpture gardens.
• Artists. Artists have continued to make New Mexico their home. Many famous contemporary artists, including Bruce Nauman, Judy Chicago, Frederick Hammersley, and Susan Rothenberg live and work in northern New Mexico.
• Writers. New Mexico's rich history and cultures are often literary subjects. Among the contemporary writers living in New Mexico are N. Scott Momaday and Rudolfo Anaya. Tony Hillerman's detective novels, set on the Navajo reservation, have been translated into many languages.
