Located minutes away from historic Old Town Albuquerque, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Pueblo Native American culture, history and art. Courtesy Visit Albuquerque.

“The 1913 Armory Show, in Chicago and New York, introduced the public to the most radical European and American art, and artists began to align themselves either with the new, the ‘modernists,’ or the old, ‘the academic realists,’” continue museum representatives. “In New Mexico, modernists were drawn to Santa Fe, where the open-door policy of the Museum of Fine Arts created a place for progressive and modern artists to show their work. Well-known artists Robert Henri and his friend John Sloan were frequent visitors from the East Coast who drew other artists to Santa Fe. European-trained academic painters and illustrators mostly congregated in Taos. After World War I these communities broke into distinct societies that sometimes overlapped and sometimes opposed each other. As time went by, art from both groups became more modern and abstract.”

 

 

John Sloan (1871-1951), Music in the Plaza, 1920, oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in. Gift of Mrs. Cyrus McCormick, 1952 326.23P. Courtesy New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument. Credit: New Mexico True. Courtesy Tourism Santa Fe.

Other well-known artists linked to New Mexico include Marsden Hartley, Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Raymond Jonson and Emil Bisttram.

As time crawled along, historical events and movements, like World War II, the Cold War and 1960s counterculture, introduced even more change. “In 1962, the Institute of American Indian Arts replaced the Studio at the Indian School,” adds the museum. “The school hired new faculty who were engaged in contemporary issues and styles. Fritz Scholder became an important teacher there, and he energized a rebellion against the prevailing formalist styles of the day…He influenced many young Native American artists including T. C. Cannon, who attacked Native American stereotypes and transformed them into political commentary.”

The 2026 edition of Art Santa Fe 2026 is slated for July 9 through 11 at the Santa Fe Convention Center.

Within this section, dedicated to the art and culture of New Mexico today, it’s clear that these early influences and the state’s natural splendor, are still very much a part of the fabric of the region’s art scene. Everything from Pueblo Deco style and Pueblo Spanish Revivalism to New Mexico’s food (home of the Hatch green chile), the cultures of the Pueblo, Apache and Navajo communities, as well as the beautiful, desert landscape, wildlife and national parks, has seeped into many a creative mind.

Raymond Jonson (1891-1982), Landscape – New Mexico, 1928, oil on canvas. Courtesy University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM. 

Throughout this section, you’ll hear from the voices of today, while some may harken to the past. Whatever may bring you to New Mexico in the future, take some time to soak up the artistic energy that remains so prevalent and ubiquitous. History is all around you.

Clockwise from top left:  An interior view of Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe. Blue Rain Gallery, Firebrand, blown and engraved glass, horse hair and steel, 22 x 23 x 10 in., by Shelley Muzylowski Allen. Blue Rain Gallery, Big Cloud Day, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in., by Kathryn Stedham.

Established in 1993, Blue Rain Gallery has spent more than three decades championing cultural appreciation, artistic innovation and the preservation of tradition. Located in Santa Fe’s Railyard Arts District, the gallery specializes in regional, Native American and studio glass art, representing more than 50 contemporary artists across ceramics, painting, bronze and glass. With a commitment to excellence and authenticity, Blue Rain has cultivated a diverse program that honors both traditional practices and evolving contemporary expression.

Clockwise from top left: Interior of Manitou Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Manitou Galleries, Enchanting Taos, gold and copper leaf with acrylic on Belgian linen, 48 x 60 in, by Alvin Gill-Tapia. Manitou Galleries, Warm Embrace, oil, 48 x 60 in., by Douglas Aagard.

At Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, contemporary Western art continues to evolve through artists who bring both technical mastery and individual perspective to their work. Situated in the heart of Downtown Santa Fe—long recognized as one of the country’s most important art destinations—Manitou Galleries presents a program focused on painters whose work reflects the landscapes, cultures and experiences of the American West through a distinctly modern lens.

Kay Contemporary Art, At the Beach, mixed media on canvas, 36 x 42 in., by Kate Rivers. Kay Contemporary Art, Patterns Against the Sky, oil on canvas, 54 x 36 in., by Rick Stevens.

This summer, Kay Contemporary Art on Santa Fe’s Historic Canyon Road features the work of Kate Rivers, Rick Stevens and Kevin Box. Rivers’ exhibition coincides with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival in May. Rivers’ work integrates a variety of ephemera including book covers, maps and letters that are sewn together then painted. “She experiments with ideas of impermanence, value, significance and examines the story of a life through the books we read,” explains a gallery representative. In July, Stevens will showcase a new body of paintings. “His unique mark making with oil pastels and paint accentuate the feel of the forest,” notes the gallery. “Elements of the wooded areas hold the viewer through a sense of oneness that took years of study and uninterrupted solitude to cultivate. His style captures the setting of the natural world in harmony with the internal landscape.”

Interior of Kay Contemporary Art with bronze sculpture by Kevin Box and oil painting by Nathanael Gray.

Not to be missed, the sculpture garden at Kay Contemporary Art displays a rotating exhibition of origami-inspired metal sculptures by Kevin Box.

Top: A past edition of Art Santa Fe. The 2026 event takes place July 9 through 11.Bottom from left:  A display of art offerings at the 2024 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. This year’s market is August 15 and 16 in and around the Plaza. Santa Fe’s New Mexico Museum of Art showcases historic and contemporary works by artists of the Southwest.

Santa Fe, the small capital city of New Mexico in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, happens to be one of the largest art markets in the United States. Since its founding in 1610, the City Different has been a hub for creativity and was the first in the world to be designated a UNESCO Creative City in 2005. In fact, it’s been proven time and again that Santa Fe’s creative concentration is unmatched among American cities of comparable size.

Top, from left: Artist Golga Oscar (Yup’ik) at the 2025 Santa Fe Indian Market. Photo by Kaela Waldstein. SWAIA’s 2025 Santa Fe Indian Market. Photo by Kitty Leaken. Bottom: SWAIA’s 2025 Santa Fe Indian Market. Photo by Kitty Leaken.

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) has been a leader in promoting Native American art and culture for over a century. Now in its 104th year, the Santa Fe Indian Market (SFIM) is the largest and oldest Native American art market in the world. Every August, more than 1,000 Native artists from over 200 Tribal Nations transform the streets of Santa Fe into a vibrant celebration of creativity, community and culture.

Top: La Fonda on the Plaza, The Mountain Holds Stories, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 in., by Marla Allison (Laguna Pueblo). La Fonda on the Plaza, Washing Away the Past, oil on canvas, by Craig George (Navajo (Diné)). Bottom: Exterior of La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, NM.

La Fonda on the Plaza has long celebrated Santa Fe’s rich artistic heritage through a deep commitment to supporting the arts and commissioning original works from local and regional artists. Throughout the hotel, guests will find an extraordinary collection that reflects the cultures, stories and traditions of the Southwest. By partnering with artists from New Mexico and surrounding communities, La Fonda continues a legacy of honoring creativity while providing a meaningful platform for contemporary voices.

Top left:  Dale Terbush, I Never Knew, acrylic, 12 x 12 in. Dale Terbush, Treasures to Behold, acrylic, 20 x 16 in. Bottom: Dale Terbush, My Heart at Home, acrylic, 12 x 24 in.

In 1991, Terbush felt an overwhelming desire to surround himself with creative people. “So I packed my my bags, my brushes and my paints and left Laguna Beach for Santa Fe,” he says. “My life was forever changed for the positive. The City Different quite literally made magic come true for me. Santa Fe is a feast for the eyes as well as the soul. It allows the solitary to find their solitude and the unconventional to find their eccentricities. And literally allows everybody in between to be who they’ve ever wanted to be.”

From left: John Meister, Agave in Cream, oil, 11 x 14 in. John Meister, Side Eye, oil, 16 x 16 in.

John Meister is known for featuring light and color in his paintings of the Southwest. Living in New Mexico, he appreciates the unique aesthetic of life in all its forms and often gravitates toward a close-up perspective to allow the viewer a detailed study of the distinctive features of nature. His recent series places the subject front and center as a character “onstage” before a colorful graphic backdrop. Collectors often share the same passion for the subjects that he paints and find them vibrant additions to their collections.

Morphy Auctions & Old West Events, Hopi Kachina, 7 x 5 x 18½ in. Estimate: $1,5/3,000. A past Old West & Native American Art Show & Auction in full swing.

The auction will also include a historically important Manhattan Firearms Navy single action used by Jesse James with family provenance along with other Winchester frontier firearms. Saddles, bits, bridles, spurs and chaps will round out the Western arena, including the makers Edward H. Bohlin and Vanco Saddlery.

Morphy Auctions & Old West Events, Long Neck Jar, clay, 9 x 13½ in., by Maria Martinez/Popovi Da (San Ildefonso). Estimate: $15/20,000

Native American pottery will be well represented by works by Maria Martinez/Popovi Da, Russell Sanchez, Tammy Garcia, Calvin Anally, Jr. and Cavan Gonzales. Textiles, Hopi kachina dolls and beadwork will offer interesting options for collectors. As part of the nation’s yearlong 250th anniversary celebration, the sale will have an array of Native American beadwork showcasing the American flag.