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Friday, July 7, 2000
Santa Fe Boasts World-Class Institutions
By Tracy Dingmann
Of The Journal
Santa Fe, the town named by AmericanStyle Magazine as the third best destination in the country for art-seeking travelers, is just 60 miles away. So what's your excuse for not hopping in the car this summer and visiting some of the best museums in the country?
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Among the most popular attractions in Santa Fe are the four museums operated by the state of New Mexico, each with a different focus.
You can take in New Mexico history at the Palace of the Governors, see a stunning breadth of works by famous artists at the Museum of Fine Art, enjoy quirky and culturally significant objects at the Museum of International Folk Art or view ancient and sacred artifacts at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology.
In addition to their permanent exhibits, all the museums have special shows and events planned for the summer. Spend $10 for a four-day pass and you can visit all four and enjoy Santa Fe on the cheap.
Here is what's happening now:Palace of the Governors
Located in one of the country's oldest buildings, the Palace of the Governors, 105 W. Palace, is the keeper of New Mexico's historical treasures.
In addition to permanent exhibits on the pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial periods, the Palace will feature "Sights Once Seen: Daguerrotyping Frémont's Last Expedition Through the Rockies" through Sept. 12. The show examines daguerrotyping, an early form of photography, and Santa Fe scholar Robert Schlaer's attempt to recreate a historic expedition using the nearly obsolete art.
On Aug. 5, look for the 10th Annual Rug Auction of traditional and contemporary Navajo weavings in the Museum Shop at the Palace.
Also available at the Palace are daily docent tours of the museum's collections and docent-led walking tours of the historical heart of Santa Fe. Meet at the blue gate at Lincoln and Palace for the city tour, called "Palace Walks and History Talks." Tours cost $10 and are offered at 10 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays until Oct. 31. For information, call the Palace at (505) 476-5100.The Museum of Fine Arts
Among the collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, 107 W. Palace, are works by big-name artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Allan Houser and many of the Taos Society artists who made New Mexico famous. In all, the museum has collected 20,000 works of art, with an emphasis on contemporary and historic artists who worked or are working in the Southwest.
Featured exhibitions this summer include "20/20: Twentieth Century Photographic Acquisitions by Twenty Leading Patrons," through Sept. 12; "Term Limits: Crafting a Discussion About New Mexico Art," through Oct. 29; and "Tom Ashcraft: Universal Gum and Tradecake," an investigation of biology, botany and the design of functional objects, on display in a custom-built lab and workstation. The Ashcraft exhibit opens July 14 and remains through Oct. 15.
Also at the museum through Sept. 17 is "Crossing Boundaries/Transcending Categories: Contemporary Art from Mata Ortiz," featuring potters from northern Mexico.
Docent-guided tours of the Museum of Fine Art's collections are available at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily.
On Mondays, the museum is closed, but guided "Art Walking Tours" of the city depart from the museum shop steps at 10 a.m. Stops include Works Progress Administration murals in the Federal Building and the art collection at La Fonda. The cost is $10.
For information, call the museum at (505) 476-5072.Museum of International Folk Art
Chock-full of dolls, puppets, masks, textiles and ceramics from around the world, the Folk Art Museum at 706 Camino Lejo is regularly voted Santa Fe's best. The museum is home to the world's largest collection of cross-cultural traditional folk art. Exhibits examine the customs, festivals, music, drama, dance and storytelling of various societies. And there are lots of hands-on activities for families and children.
New at the museum this summer are "Sin Nombre: Hispana and Hispano Artists of the New Deal Era," through Sept. 3, and "La Casa Colonial," a reconstruction of an early 19th-century house on the Santa Fe Plaza that opens July 17 and continues until April 4, 2001.
A whimsical installation called "Curiouser and Curiouser: A Walk Through the Looking Glass" displays textiles and objects from the museum's Neutrogena collection in a variety of surprising ways. The exhibit explores ideas of visual perception and illusion and encourages viewers to see art in a different way. It closes in January 2002.
Also, "Santiago," a three-part exhibition on the apostle, pilgrim and Moorslayer, opens July 23 and continues through January.
The museum's permanent exhibits include "Multiple Visions: A Common Bond," a varied display of objects, and "Familia y Fe/Family and Faith," which defines the central position of family in northern New Mexico's Hispanic culture.
Docent tours are available at 10:15 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.
For information, call the museum at (505) 476-1200.Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology
It's a sweeping story to tell, but this museum at 710 Camino Lejo tries to illuminate the rich history of the American Indian with the help of 72,000 cataloged objects and more than 10 million artifacts.
Using textiles, pottery and oral histories on video, the museum's exhibits chronicle ancient and modern times in the American Southwest.
Currently at the museum are "Strong Hearts: Native American Visions and Voices," more than 100 photographs, prints and mixed- media works by Native American artists that contrast sharply with stereotypical views of American Indians, through Sept. 17; and "The Keystone of the Arch: The Stewart Collection," including Native textiles, silver work, belts and bridles, through February.
Permanent exhibits include "Here, Now and Always," in which the voices of 50 Native Americans tell the story of the Native presence in the Southwest, and "The Buschbaum Gallery of Southwestern Pottery," tracing two millennia of pottery-making in Pueblo communities.
Docent tours are available on a walk-in basis from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
For information, call the museum at (505) 476-1250.
