The Art Scene

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum - www.okeeffemuseum.org

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, inaugurated 1997, contains the largest collection of her work in the world. Currently 117 oil paintings, drawings, watercolors, and pastels by this genius of the 20th Century are combined with more than 50 works by other artists.  The former Baptist church, with its cathedral-like adobe setting—13,000 square feet—is the perfect setting for these treasures. O’Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1917, returning for extended periods of life and her work from the 20’s through the 40’s.  Her Southwest themes have become icons, easily recognizable in museums and settings around the world.   The Eldorado is situated adjacent to the O’Keeffe Museum.

Museum of Fine Arts - www.museumofnewmexico.org

Opposite the Palace of the Governors, the pueblo revival-style buildings date back to 1917. The permanent collection has more than 20,000 works, with a strong emphasis on  regional art. Included are landscapes and portraits by all the Taos masters, los Cincos Pintores (a 1920s organization of Santa Fe artists), and contemporary artists. The great photographers, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Elliot Porter are strongly represented. Through the year, temporary exhibits celebrate the work of modern artists. Two sculpture gardens highlight a range of three-dimensional art, from the traditional to the abstract, perfect in this Southwest setting.

Museum of Spanish Colonial Art - www.spanishcolonial.org

Imperialism in the Southwest was often harsh, yet the beauty created during and just following this time is powerful and often, romantic. Spanish colonial art and architecture  flourished here. The museum is located within same compound as the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Its collection celebrates this richness with 3,000 devotional and decorative works and utilitarian artifacts. Housed in a former private home, the museum displays retablos (religious paintings on wood), bultos (free-standing religious sculptures), furniture, metalwork, and textiles.  Within the museum’s boundaries is an 18th-century wooden colonial house from Mexico.

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture - www.indianartsandculture.org

The museum recreates and teaches the experience of the Native American in the Southwest. "Here, Now and Always" takes visitors through thousands of years of history. Intricate basket weaving, pottery, clothing, carpets, and jewelry--much of it quite old--are rotated continually, allowing revisits to be fresh and enlightening.  Each visit is thoroughly engrossing, and the changing exhibits often include contemporary art.

Museum of International Folk Art - www.internationalfolkart.org

A branch of the Museum of New Mexico, it is the largest of its type in the world, with a collection of over 130,000 objects created in more than 100 countries.  The visitor is always engrossed during the hours that can be spent here. Collections include Spanish Colonial silver, traditional and contemporary New Mexican religious art, Mexican tribal costumes and majolica ceramics, Brazilian folk art, European glass, African sculptures, East Indian textiles, and the wonder of the Morris Miniature Circus. Giving particular delight are the dioramas of people living around the world--at work and play in typical town, village, and home settings. Recent acquisitions include American quilts and weathervanes, Palestinian costume jewelry and amulets. Also new are the Bhutanese and Indonesian textiles. The Hispanic Heritage Wing houses America’s finest collection of Spanish Colonial and Hispanic folk art.  Visitors enjoy and partake in folk-art demonstrations, performances, and workshops that are often presented here.

The Business of Regional Art

Santa Fe is also a major center for purchase of regional and folk art, now frequented by collectors and purveyors from every corner of the world. The commerce has become a major source of income and tax benefit for the city and region. More than 300 galleries, the treasure-filled museums, and 3,000 to 4,000 artists and artisans in the Santa Fe area are responsible for contributing an enviable 25 percent to the thriving economy.  Art-related commerce can account for $662.8 million of the local economy, including $410.8 million in direct retail and wholesale art sales.

The annual Santa Fe Indian Market each August draws at least 100,000 visitors, The Spanish Market, held in June, saw its highest attendance ever in 2007, with crowds estimated at more than 50,000 for the weekend. Planners can now envision a steady percentage of growth for the year following.

All vendors in the city, of course, benefit, with hotels, restaurants, personal and business services thriving at these times, always gathering new admirers of this magic city and Southwest region of the USA.

SITE Santa Fe - www.sitesantafe.org

SITE Santa Fe is a private not-for-profit contemporary arts organization that does not build or own its own collection, but serves as an exhibition venue for artists meriting worldwide recognition.  It has become important in its commitment to enriching the cultural life of Santa Fe, bringing to the Southwest the art vision from around the world. As well as exhibitions, the group offers complimentary education and multidisciplinary public programs. Its International Biennial is a crucial part of their mission.