"Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts—the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art."
John Ruskin (1819-1900), British writer, artist and critic

New Mexico has been casting its spell on artists of all kinds for centuries. Many of the European-American artists, writers and expatriates who came here in the early part of the 20th century decided to remain, drawn by the region’s natural beauty and cultural richness.

Art in New Mexico, however, was being produced many years before the 20th century. The indigenous peoples of this region created pots and baskets as functional household objects—the predecessors of today’s cherished pottery and fine basketry. The Spanish colonists’ early crafting of religious art objects and furniture arose out of necessity.

Both of these early art traditions evolved, often influencing one another, to produce the variegated wealth of Southwest and contemporary art now being created by regional artists for world markets.

In fact, New Mexico’s first “artist colony” was neither the storied Taos Society of Artists nor the Cinco Pintores. According to Joseph Traugott, curator of 20th-century art at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, “...the first artist community in the Southwest was actually at the Hopi pueblos. The community started around the potter Nampeyo in the 1890s and expanded to include basket makers and weavers, and these goods went into outlets of the Fred Harvey Company and venues along the Santa Fe Railroad.” (Interview, The New Mexican’s Pasatiempo, January 28-February 3, 2005)

Santa Fe’s beginning as a center for 20th-century contemporary art coincides with the opening of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1917. New Mexico’s most famous contemporary artist, Georgia O’Keeffe, began painting her desert images in the late 1920s, but, ironically, little of her work was displayed in Santa Fe until the opening of the O’Keeffe Museum in 1997.

Today, Santa Fe is recognized as one of the most important art centers in the United States with a global presence and an ever changing kaleidoscope of artists, galleries, art fairs and museums —all contributing to the rich arts and culture economy of New Mexico and its capital city. In fact, arts and culture generated more than $1 billion in 2002 in Santa Fe County, as well as 17.5 percent of its total employment, as reported in a recent study. (The Economic Importance of the Arts & Cultural Industries in Santa Fe County,” University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research, November 2004.)

The report also confirmed the long-standing belief that Santa Fe is one of the nation’s largest art markets; in terms of 1997 economic data, it ranked second after New York City.

The most striking change, however, in Santa Fe’s visual arts market in the past 30 years is the growth in contemporary art, especially in the high-end, serious contemporary art market. Estimates are that almost one-half of the city’s galleries now deal in contemporary art—with at least a dozen that either have a presence in New York or are well connected to its cutting-edge, global art scene.

Yes, you can still find traditional Western and Native American art in Santa Fe, along with all kinds of “outsider art” and mixed-media objects—everything from the “ridiculous to the sublime.”

On Canyon Road alone, a one-mile walk encompassing about 80 of the area’s 200+ galleries, one can find: 12th century Anasazi pottery, 19th century Plains Indians moccasins, abstract expressionist paintings, handmade jewelry of various precious metals, Tibetan Buddhist arts, kinetic sculpture, Ming Dynasty urns, traditional cowboy art and sculpture— and much more. Art can be purchased for $10 or $250,000 (or more) on Canyon Road, Santa Fe’s artists’ enclave since the middle of the 20th century.

And the diverse group of galleries downtown near the Plaza, art patrons will want to visit the Baca Street enclave of art studios and galleries. Located just off of Cerrillos Road, a bit south of the Railyard area, the Baca Street Arts has emerged in the past five years as another “Soho of Santa Fe.” A new cluster of art galleries and arts-related businesses has grown up on Second Street, south of downtown Santa Fe. Anchored by the complex of lofts and warehouses near Cloud Cliff Bakery, these shops and galleries feature everything from fine art, fine crafts (glass, stone work and handcrafted furniture) to “homegrown” clothing and jewelry, to handmade chocolates and book arts/graphic design.

While painting, sculpture and photography are much in evidence in Santa Fe, contemporary fine art crafts and art jewelry have been underrepresented until recently. In the past decade, a handful of galleries have emerged that specialize in material-based art and mixed-media work that is neither traditional folk art nor is it ethnographic—but worthy examples of hand-crafted fine art. Artists from all over the world, including local artisans and artists, are represented in a range of work: jewelry, furniture, textiles, basketry, sculpture, metal and ceramics—adding an important and lively dimension to the local mosaic of fine art and craft.

Santa Fe is home to several galleries devoted to photography of the ages and state-of-the-art digital media. Browsers and serious collectors alike can view and purchase masterpieces of black-and-white photography, historical images and photogravure, as well as digital art and animation cels. Works of photographic masters living and dead (Stieglitz, Adams, Curtis, Cartier-Bresson, Leibovitz, Garduño)—and the late Chuck Jones, creator of popular animated cartoon characters—can be found in local galleries.

Plans are nearing fruition for a new digital arts gallery to open in Santa Fe, showcasing a range of new.

Summer in Santa Fe still means Indian Market and Spanish Market, but now it also means International Folk Art Market July 9-10 (2005). In alternating years, summer art also includes SITE Santa Fe’s Biennial Exhibition or ART Santa Fe’s Biennial International Contemporary Art Fair.

The 6th Edition of ART Santa Fe will take place at Sweeney Convention Center on the weekend of July 14-17 (2005), bringing leading art galleries from Europe, Asia and the Americas to show exceptional contemporary art. For tickets and information on ART Santa Fe, call (505) 988-8883 and visit www.artsantafe.com.

The rich Hispanic culture of Northern New Mexico will be celebrated at the 54th Annual Traditional Spanish Market, July 30-31 (2005). The oldest and largest exhibition and sale of Spanish colonial art forms in the United States, Spanish Market features more than 300 traditional Hispanic artists, continuous live music, art demonstrations and regional foods. It is a unique opportunity for visitors to enjoy a taste of New Mexico’s vibrant Spanish culture, both past and present. Admission is free to the public. Call 505-982-2226 or email museum@spanishcolonial.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; visit www.spanishcolonial.org.

Several of Santa Fe’s finest shows will be held in August at the Sweeney Center, including the Fine Arts of the American West Art Show, August 8-10 (2005), the Ethnographic Art Show, August 12-14 (2005) and the Antique Indian Art Show, August 15-17 (2005). Call 505-992-8929 for more information or visit www.pueblopottery.com

Each year the Santa Fe Indian Market, August 20-21, (2005) includes 1,200 artists from about 100 tribes who show their work in more than 600 booths. The event attracts an estimated 100,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world. Buyers, collectors and gallery owners come to Indian Market to take advantage of the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this is a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Indian arts and cultures. Call (505) 983-5220 or email info@swaia.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; visit www.swaia.org.

Another art blockbuster arrives in Santa Fe in the fall of 2005. October 14th is the opening of an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. Strokes of Genius: Masterworks from the New Britain Museum of American Art presents 135 oil paintings from the Connecticut art museum’s collection of late 19th- to mid-20th century works. The show contains important pieces by Albert Bierstadt, Ralph Blakelock, Frederic Church, John Singleton Copley, Stuart Davis, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, John Sloan, and James McNeill Whistler.

Santa Fe is one of ten museum venues in the country to participate in this exhibition which will run here through January 8, 2006. The New Britain Museum of American Art, founded in 1903, is the first museum of strictly American art in the country.