When Carlos Vierra (1876-1937) arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1904, he wrote to his sister, “The people in this part of the country have about as much use for an artist as their burros have for a fiddler’s midsummer night’s dream.” He told his mother, “I expect to stay here two or three months.” Vierra became the first resident Anglo artist in Santa Fe, running a photo studio on the plaza, pursuing his painting and advocating for the preservation of historic architecture.
Mabel Dodge Luhan’s home in Taos. Courtesy New Mexico Tourism Department.
An 1883 etching by Peter Moran (1841-1914), illustrates what Santa Fe may still have looked like, 20 years later when Vierra arrived.
Vierra was joined by other artists who came to Santa Fe not for the light, color and history, but for the salubrious environment as the region became a mecca for the treatment of tuberculosis. Fresh air was the therapy of choice before antibiotics were invented. Soon, Gerald Cassidy, Sheldon Parsons and Kenneth Chapman arrived for the same reason. Cassidy’s wife, Ina Sizer Cassidy, noted at the time, that Santa Fe had “no paved streets, no automobiles, and one sewer line…A passenger could ride all over town in a horse-drawn taxi for a quarter.”
Edgar Lee Hewett (1865-1946) came to Santa Fe with his wife, Cora, for relief from tuberculosis. An extraordinary figure in the history of art and archaeology of New Mexico, Hewett was a cultural entrepreneur who founded the Museum of New Mexico in 1909. He offered the recovering artists studio space, exhibitions and jobs.
Raymond Jonson (1891-1982), Arroyo #4, 1922, oil on canvas board, 15 x 24¼”
In her book From Humble Village to Cultural Center: The Birth and Growth of Santa Fe’s Art Community, Stacia Lewandowski writes, “Particularly interesting to discover is how the artists responded to the Santa Fe environment once they arrived. Some were enraptured for a lifetime. Others found the city engaging for a limited period, while there were those whose stay was brief because they were not convinced it served their artistic needs. Those who found the environment captivating, however, responded with a visceral enthusiasm that spilled over into the life of the city. These artists became energetic, visible members of the community—activists as well as neighbors—who provided varied expertise, assistance, and highly entertaining diversions. As a result, their influence seeped into the city culture and created an atmosphere attentive to the arts.”
A highlight of her book is a pamphlet describing walking tours of artists’ homes in Santa Fe.
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “The plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850-1930.
The Armory Show, officially the International Exhibition of Modern Art, shocked the country when it opened in New York in 1913. It showed the works of European modernists for the first time in this country along with the more avant-garde of American artists. Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879-1962) wrote to the board of the Armory Show, “I’ll be delighted to help in any way with the exhibition, because I think it is the most important thing that ever happened in America, of its kind. Anything that will extend the unawakened consciousness here (or elsewhere) will have my support…The majorities are content to browse upon past achievements. What is needed is more, more and always more consciousness, both in art and in life.”
John Sloan (1871-1951), Travelling Carnival, Santa Fe, 1924, oil on canvas, 30 1⁄8 x 36 1⁄8”. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gift of Mrs. Cyrus McCormick, 1972.149.
Mabel moved to Taos in 1918 and brought modernism with her, inviting artists to visit. Many of them stayed.
Raymond Jonson (1891-1982) had seen the paintings of Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) at the Armory Show and was inspired by Kandinsky’s book Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Kandinsky wrote, “Color directly influences the soul. Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Jonson had visited Santa Fe on a sketching trip and returned permanently in 1925, determined to make his paintings “an expression of sensation, rather than as a reflection of environmental appearances.” In 1938, he and a group of other artists formed the Transcendental Painting Group “to carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light, and design.”
Santa Fe has always entertained a mix of cultures from those of the many pueblos, to the blending of Spanish and Mexican influences, to those who brought different ideas from the East and from the West.
P.A. Nisbet moved to the Southwest in 1980 and began renting a studio on Garcia Street in Santa Fe in 1995. John Sloan built the studio in 1922. It was the site of Sloan’s painting and partying for four months each summer for nearly 30 years. Nisbet’s painting, High Desert Dawn, depicts one of the many extraordinary moments of sun, clouds and landscapes in northern New Mexico—and its challenges for the artist. Nisbet writes, “The dawn comes up playing a crescendo! In truth, a painting cannot really capture the intensity of color that spreads before the astonished eye. On canvas, the reds and yellows are by necessity dull compared to the real transmitted brilliance of a New Mexico sunrise. Attempting it in paint is a kind of celebration and also a forgiving nod to the limitations of pigment.”
Emil Bisttram (1895-1976), New Mexico Compound with Poplar, ca. 1950, watercolor on paper, 17¾ x 233⁄8". Courtesy The Owings Gallery, Santa Fe, NM.
Artists who have mastered their craft and have expressed their ideas through innovation have always been at the top of the market in Santa Fe. Native American and Hispanic art maintains traditions but there have always been innovators. Painters and sculptors of the American West complement the older traditions. All are represented in over 250 galleries across the city in areas such as Canyon Road, the Santa Fe Plaza and the Railyard. Most galleries are in converted homes or shops and galleries in the Railyard have been purpose-built.
Leroy Garcia began selling art in the second floor of his family’s home in Taos. At that time, he sold primarily art made by his cousins and other family members. Thirty-one years later Blue Rain Gallery in the Railyard (with a branch in Durango, Colorado) is a world-class gallery. A fortuitous acquisition of a collection of high-quality Native pots, and his recognizing the future of art glass when he first saw the work of Preston Singletary in 1998 have complemented his own eclectic interests. He also recognized the importance of the pottery of Tammy Garcia who “used the entire surface of the pot, unlike many people before her,” he notes. “Nancy and Nathan [Youngblood] were doing that but with different designs and imagery.”
Peter Moran (1841-1914), Santa Fe, 1883, etching in black on wove paper, 4½ x 67⁄8". National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Reba and Dave Williams Collection. Gift of Reba and Dave Williams.
Garcia continues, “Another development in Native art is fashion. The artists are designers and are looking for a new canvas for their designs. It’s a completely natural fit.” Across the spectrum of art offered at Blue Rain, Garcia insists on innovation and refinement, qualities that are found in all of Santa Fe’s best galleries.
With the arrival of the Internet and social media, the gallery world began to change. It found new ways “to invest in the artists, to help them grow and to protect their prices,” according to Garcia. The arrival of Covid spurred another major adjustment when galleries closed to foot traffic and had to find other ways to promote their artists to collectors and to the general public.
As Santa Fe galleries evolve and adjust to fluctuations in the market, Garcia sees one thing remaining constant: “Santa Fe has held its place because of the aesthetic of natural light that has always brought artists here. There is a treasure trove of imagery to paint.”
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Barbara Meikle Fine Art
236 Delgado Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 992-0400
info@meiklefineart.com
www.meiklefineart.com
Experience Barbara Meikle’s captivating artistry, a homage to New Mexico’s tranquil beauty. A lifelong artist, Meikle’s journey from sketching beloved horses, to earning a bachelor's degree in painting and printmaking, led her back to New Mexico in 1990.
Barbara Meikle Fine Art, A Peaceful Evening, oil on canvas, 24 x 24", by Barbara Meikle.
Her style, which she describes as “expressive impressionism”, infuses emotion into vivid colors, capturing subjects and places with a unique depth. Her limited-edition bronze sculptures feature unique patinas that reflect her emotional response to color and her subjects. Meikle’s success empowers her to support local equine rescues and animal shelters, including the Equine Spirit Sanctuary, Santa Fe Raptor Center, the New Mexico Wildlife Center and the Horse Shelter.
Barbara Meikle Fine Art, Seasonal Spring near El Rito, oil on canvas, 20 x 16", by Barbara Meikle.
“Join us at the gallery for one of our annual animal fundraising events,” says Meikle. Ambassador birds from the Santa Fe Raptor Center will visit the gallery on Saturday, June 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Therapy burros from Equine Spirit Sanctuary of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, pose for portraits on Saturday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meikle will paint portraits of animal models live while offering a limited-edition print release. A portion of all proceeds from the day are donated to the featured organization to continue their rescue and therapy programs.
Barbara Meikle Fine Art, Milagro, limited edition bronze with unique color patina, 16½ x 11 x 22½", by Barbara Meikle.
A variety of colorful artwork is also available in the gallery, including work by local glass artist David Shanfeld, pottery by ceramist Randy O’Brien and oil paintings by local painter Simone B. Silva.
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Blue Rain Gallery
544 S. Guadalupe Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 954-9902
info@blueraingallery.com
www.blueraingallery.com
Blue Rain Gallery, Big Red Bandana, oil on canvas, 40 x 36", by Dennis Ziemienski.
With a prime location in the Santa Fe Railyard, Blue Rain Gallery represents established contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums that include paintings, glass and bronze sculptures, pottery and jewelry. The gallery is eclectic in its approach, yet maintains a special focus on regional, Western, Native American and studio glass art, and features celebrated artists like Preston Singletary, Kathryn Stedham, Jim Vogel, Billy Schenck, Roseta Santiago, Dennis Ziemienski, Deladier Almeida, Starr Hardridge, Hyrum Joe, Brad Overton, Doug West, Erin Currier and many others.
Blue Rain Gallery, Indian Scout, acrylic on canvas board, 19¼ x 15¼", by Tony de Luz.
Blue Rain Gallery is now in its third decade of providing important art to Southwest collectors. With a gallery now in Durango, Colorado, Blue Rain has two locations where visitors can enjoy a thoughtful curation of artworks that embody the essence and aesthetic of Blue Rain’s flagship gallery in Santa Fe.
Front exterior view of Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The gallery also hosts regular shows, including Helen K. Tindel from May 17 to 31, Z.Z. Wei from May 31 to June 14, new glass works from Rik Allen and Shelley Muzylowski Allen from June 14 to 28, and Erin Currier from June 28 to July 13. Check the website for additional show information.
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John Meister
(505) 235-3213
john@meistergraphics.com
www.johnmeisterart.com
John Meister, Dignity, oil, 10 x 10"
John Meister divides his oil painting production between his Albuquerque studio and painting in plein air. “I consider the New Mexico outdoors the best ‘classroom’ for the artist,” says Meister. “The term ‘magical realism’ had to be created for this state. Living here, I appreciate the aesthetic of life, in all its forms, and I gravitate toward smaller intimate views of nature. Life must do a little something extra to thrive here, and sometimes it displays great beauty in the process. I strive to capture that.”
John Meister, Open to Possibility, oil, 11 x 14"
For the past four months, Meister has been focusing on a new style that places a close-up view of his subject, often a cactus, flower or other botanical, in front of a colorful but simple graphic background. “I imagine these subjects as performers in front of a backdrop,” he says. “My hope is that these pieces show my appreciation of the natural form while providing an artistic answer to color.”
Meister is represented by Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Canyon Road Contemporary Art
409 Canyon Road Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 983-0433
info@canyoncontemporary.com
www.canyoncontemporary.com
Canyon Road Contemporary Art, Beyond the Horizon, oil on canvas, 36 x 45", by Ed Sandoval.
Canyon Road Contemporary Art gallery is in its premier new location at 409 Canyon Road in Santa Fe. The gallery features 25-plus artists and offers art enthusiasts an eclectic mix of contemporary art in gemstones, pastel, oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, fused glass, ceramic, as well as aluminum and bronze sculpture. Gallery artists harken from just around the corner and from all over the world, and share their vision with guests and art collectors alike.
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Liquid Light Glass
926 Baca Street, Suite 3, Santa Fe, NM, 87505
(505) 820-2222
sales@liquidlightglass.com
www.liquidlightglass.com
Interior view of Liquid Light Glass.
Liquid Light Glass Studio and Gallery is located in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This world class gallery of glass art features the sculptures of award-winning artist Elodie Holmes. Respected and admired in the artistic community for her technical expertise and unique formulations of glass colors, Holmes’s glass and metal sculptures are highly sought after and collected. Her more recent Fractured Time series are colorfully abstracted sculptures on the flow of time, and time’s fractured nature that was experienced during the Covid pandemic. The spiraling forms represent the flow of time with a portal that is cut in half and off-set, fractured from the whole.
Liquid Light Glass, Contorta, blown and hot-sculpted chalcedony glass, 19 x 18 x 14", by Elodie Holmes. Photo by Wendy McEahern Photography.
Being a founding member of the Glass Alliance-New Mexico and the Baca Street Arts District, Holmes and Liquid Light Glass have become a major focal point in the Santa Fe art scene. Through offering hands-on learning experiences to the public, performing public demonstrations with the top glass artists from around the world and hosting community events, Liquid Light Glass has become a destination gallery that has something for everyone.
Liquid Light Glass, Purple Vortex Aurora, blown chalcedony glass and forged steel, 38 x 9 x 9", by Elodie Holmes. Photo by Wendy McEahern Photography.
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Old West Events
(484) 639-9378
brian@brianlebel.com
www.oldwestevents.com
Last year’s Old West Auction in action.
Old West Events will host Brian Lebel's 34th Annual Old West Show & Auction in historic Santa Fe, New Mexico, from June 21 to 23. The anticipated event consists of a weekend vendor sale including more than 100 national dealers exhibiting some of the finest Western collectibles in the country, as well as an exciting live auction on Saturday night. Brian Lebel's Old West Show & Auction is held annually in both Santa Fe and Las Vegas, and are regarded as the premier vendor shows in the Western collecting community.
Old West Events, Untitled (Native on Horseback), acrylic on canvas, 11 x 13½", by Mark Maggiori.
The Old West Auctions hold several records for Western artist Edward Borein and frequently features work from both contemporary and deceased fine artists such as Will James, Maynard Dixon, Charles M. Russell, Olaf Wieghorst, Nick Eggenhofer, John and Terri Kelly Moyers, Michael Coleman, Eric Michaels, William Moyers, Joe Beeler, Edward S. Curtis, Marjorie Reed and many others. In addition to Western artwork, the auction will feature authentic Western antiques, cowboy memorabilia and Native American artifacts.
Old West Events, High Pass, bronze, 40 x 12 x 23¾", by Scott Rogers.
In early 2023, Old West Events joined forces with Morphy Auctions, creating a partnership that will foster the growth of the Western art and collectibles community in both the quality and availability of materials offered, as well as expanding the audience for these unique and historic pieces.
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Tourism Santa Fe
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
201 W. Marcy Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(800) 777-2489, www.santafe.org
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is home to one of more than 20 world-class museums in the City Different.
The diverse and creative city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has long inspired creators and today, it hosts hundreds of artists, working passionately at their craft, be it pottery, jewelry, painting, textiles, sculpture or photography. The “City Different” is a truly unique destination that proudly carries the international honor of being a UNESCO Creative City for its innovation, investment and community in a range of arts and creativity.
From contemporary art to Native American treasures, Santa Fe has something for every art lover.
These local artists and others from the region and around the world are represented in Santa Fe’s 250-plus world-class galleries. To fully experience the scene, begin along Canyon Road, one of four classified art districts in the City Different. It’s a half-mile stretch featuring more than 100 galleries ensconced in charming adobe homes. Open a dialogue with a gallery owner to learn about an artist’s process of working with oils, watercolors, clay or glass. Other hotspots include the downtown area, where visitors can engage directly with the Native American artisans under the portal of the Palace of the Governors nearly every day of the week, rain or shine, and learn about their techniques of working with turquoise and silver.
Visitors to Santa Fe will find a diverse variety of art in the city’s many historic and contemporary galleries.
The more contemporary Railyard Arts District and the Baca Street Arts District enliven industrial warehouse-style spaces and offer a chance to see artists at work in their studio spaces. Santa Fe also has a concentration of more than 20 important museums. Clustered in and around the Plaza and Museum Hill neighborhoods, opportunities include historic and contemporary works of Native American art and culture, Georgia O’Keeffe, folk art, the history and art of New Mexico, as well as ever-changing and provocative installations by influential artists of today that challenge the viewer to ponder their assumptions about the meaning of life.
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SWAIA
(505) 983-5220
members@swaia.org
www.swaia.org
SWAIA youth artist, Apaolo Benally (Diné). Photo © Gabriella Marks for SWAIA.
SWAIA’s Santa Fe Indian Market is the oldest and most prestigious Native North American art show in the world. This honored, juried show includes multiple categories of art in the competitive show, including pottery, diverse arts, two-dimensional art, jewelry, basketry, youth, textiles, bead and quillwork, Pueblo wood carving and sculpture.
SWAIA artist, basket weaver Carol Emarthle-Douglas (Northern Arapaho-Seminole). Photo © Kitty Leaken for SWAIA.
The 2024 show, now in its 102nd year, will be held in downtown Santa Fe on August 17 and 18. This year’s event will welcome back SWAIA’s marquee events like the Best of Show Ceremony and award-winning art previews, along with visitor favorites like the Native American Clothing Contest. The weekend’s events include Native American food vendors, multiple dance and musical performances, panel discussions and the new Get Indigenous Film Festival.
Judging taking place for a basket by Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy). Photo © Kitty Leaken for SWAIA.
All ticketed events will be made public on SWAIA’s website, so be sure to check it for updates. —
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