Pouring Bronze

Eight acres of sculpture-studded grounds, a 14,000-squarefoot state-of-the-art foundry, the spacious Bronze Gallery, and the modern, solar Fine Art and Craft Gallery belie the humble origins of Shidoni Foundry and Galleries: a “chicken brooder house” on a defunct egg-farm-turned-art-colony! In 1971 Texan Tom Hicks packed up his family and moved to northern New Mexico to join others who shared the dream of creating an art colony. The defunct Williams Egg Ranch in the farming village of Tesuque offered the perfect setting: rustic barns, orchards, beautiful surroundings—and in a Santa Fe suburb just five miles north of the Santa Fe Plaza.

With partner Gil Beach, Hicks set up his foundry. A sociable man, Hicks welcomed everyone to watch his crew create sculptures by melting and pouring 2000° molten bronze into molds. Within a couple of years, Beach had moved on. To accommodate his growing business, Hicks added a larger, upto- the-minute building that featured overhead cranes, sand pits for use when pouring metal, exhaust fans, and gas lines. Eventually he purchased the land from the art colony. Later, through the beneficence of Ann Maytag, a longtime friend of Shidoni, he acquired another three acres that allowed him to display more outdoor sculpture.

Countless artists have called on Shidoni to cast their fine art bronzes. Shidoni’s galleries represent more than 150 artists, whose work is displayed in the buildings, courtyards, and in the expansive, open outdoor areas. On Saturdays the public is invited to watch foundry artisans pour molten bronze into high-tech ceramic-shell molds. Knowledgeable gallery staff can help visitors select the perfect piece for their collection, whether it is a limited edition bronze sculpture, or a work of painted silk, blown or fused glass, wood or metal furniture, or carved stone. Shidoni takes great pride and pleasure in demonstrating its craft and sharing the world of fine art and craft with its guests and clients. www.shidoni.com • 505-988-8001