A well-known arts destination, Santa Fe is home to innumerable arts and history experiences. Its rich past is preserved in historic sites located throughout and near the city—everywhere you walk there is a fertile blend of history, arts and cultural heritage.
Below are a few options for you to explore with colleagues or on your own. In addition, discover live music, dance and theatre in Santa Fe’s abundant performing arts scene.
New Mexico Museum of Art. Photo by Liz Coughlan/Shutterstock
The New Mexico Museum of Art is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The Museum of Art is one of four state museums in Santa Fe, eight historic sites statewide and the Office of Archaeological Studies that comprise the Museum of New Mexico System. It envisions itself as a catalyst and platform for creativity and the enjoyment of art, working with art and artists to explore the human experience, new ideas and diverse cultures.
Erected in 1610 by order of the Spanish Crown, the Palace of the Governors is the oldest public building in continuous use constructed by European settlers in the continental United States. The Palace of the Governors was first used to exhibit the collections of the Historical Society of New Mexico in 1885. Operating as part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the New Mexico History Museum is now part of the largest state-sponsored museum system in the United States.
The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Community Gallery—through thoughtful and creative programming—offers inspiring exhibitions for the public, educational and professional development for local artists/artisans, and exciting activities for the community. The Community Gallery promotes, sells and exhibits the work of New Mexico artists and artisans, emphasizing Santa Fe through exhibitions, professional training and community involvement in the arts.
An Entreflamenco dancer, courtesy Tourism Santa Fe
El Flamenco offers the best of southern Spain in Santa Fe! Authentic Spanish tapas, a great selection of wine and beer and resident flamenco company Antonio Granjero + Entreflamenco. This restaurant/cabaret is the 2017 Mayor’s Arts Award winner to the City of Santa Fe.
Santa Fe Playhouse has presented theatre by and for the Santa Fe community since 1922, when it was founded by Mary Austin as the Santa Fe Players. The performing arts group has gone through many name changes over the decades, and has evolved from an all-volunteer organization to a professional theatre where actors and technical artists are paid for their creativity. As our city, our country and our world change, the Playhouse offers compelling productions that provoke difficult conversations with compassion, while pushing theatrical forms and opening doors for artists of all backgrounds and identities.
The Tourist, by Janice Ortiz, part of the Capitol Art Collection
The Capitol Art Collection is an easily accessible, free, one-stop shop for contemporary art. It is among the most comprehensive collections of contemporary art in the region, featuring works by artists from Taos to Tucumcari and everywhere in between. The work is on permanent exhibition in the collection or on temporary exhibition in one of the Rotunda shows.
The Governor’s Gallery is an outreach facility of the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Department of Cultural Affairs. The Gallery features several exhibitions each year representing the art and culture of New Mexico. The 2023 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, honoring major contributors to the arts, will be on exhibit during our visit.
Currents New Media is an annual art + technology festival, year-round exhibition/experience space, and nonprofit organization supporting 21st-century art making and innovative creatives. Exhibitions showcase interactive and noninteractive installations, multimedia performances, virtual reality and augmented reality environments, single-channel video, animation, experimental documentary, robotics, wearables and 3-D printing.
The Lensic Performing Arts Center enriches lives by bringing diverse art and people together in the historic Lensic Theater, a cornerstone of downtown Santa Fe since 1931. The Lensic presents and supports local, national and international artists and serves as a center for education, community events and youth events through its accessible and affordable programming.
The Jean Cocteau Cinema began its life back in 1976 by a group of film-loving hippies in the space it currently occupies, who christened it the “Collective Fantasy.” Operating as an art house cinema with eclectic taste, it wasn’t until 1983 that the theater changed its name to the Jean Cocteau Cinema after the famous French filmmaker, artist and poet. After closing in 2006, it was reopened in 2013 by acclaimed fantasy and sci-fi author George RR Martin, and the Jean Cocteau Cinema was once again a vibrant, eclectic movie house. Today it is a mainstay of the Santa Fe community in the Railyard District and hosts artists, singers, comedians, magicians, drag kings and queens, and authors. It aims to create a unique experience by pairing films with curated themed cocktails at its full bar and having customizable charcuterie amidst the expected movie theater concessions.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Explore the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe through the museum’s intentionally curated galleries. Selected works from every era of O’Keeffe’s esteemed career, a collection of personal belongings and a self-guided audio tour combine to tell O’Keeffe’s bold story.
As one of the oldest artist-centered organizations in the American Southwest, the Center for Contemporary Arts draws more than 65,000 visitors annually for independent films, exhibitions, performances and education/public programs.
Alebrije, winged dragon figurine, by Pedro Linares, part of an exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art expands the understanding of folk art and encourages dialogue about traditions, cultural identity, community and aesthetics. The museum is a dynamic, multidimensional learning environment that is an integral part of community life. The Museum of International Folk Art is part of the State of New Mexico’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, one of four museums in the Museum of New Mexico system, is a premier repository of Native art and material culture and tells the stories of the people of the Southwest from prehistory through contemporary art. The museum serves a diverse, multicultural audience through changing exhibitions, public lectures, field trips, artist residencies and other educational programs.
Founded in 1937 by Mary Cabot Wheelwright, who came from Boston, and Hastiin Klah, a Navajo singer and medicine man, the Wheelwright Museum is the oldest independent nonprofit museum in New Mexico. It houses growing, world-renowned collections that document Navajo art and culture from 1850 to the present. It also presents changing exhibitions on traditional and contemporary Navajo and other Native American arts.
The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art houses the extraordinary collection of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, a collection of over 3,700 pieces including historically significant and contemporary works. Its primary focus is New Mexico of the colonial period and the 19th century, with comparative objects from Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Philippines and Goa; Catholic religious imagery from non-Hispanic countries; and objects that may have been imported to New Mexico from eastern states and other countries, especially China. New Mexican Hispanic art from the Revival Period of the 1920s and 1930s and more contemporary art from the post-1965 florescence are also well represented.
SITE Santa Fe
SITE Santa Fe offers artists opportunities to innovate and pursue extraordinary ideas through exhibitions and programs that engage and inspire audiences. Since 1995, SITE Santa Fe has presented more than 119 exhibitions and works by over 800 artists. Annually, SITE Santa Fe presents three to four exhibitions, dozens of unique public programs and a range of highly sought-after programs for young people.
The Coe Center explores and connects through experiencing the world’s Indigenous arts. The Coe Center creates awareness, education and appreciation of Indigenous arts and connects people and art through inclusive hands-on experiential learning, collaboration and partnering.
Meow Wolf is a renowned Santa Fe arts production company that creates immersive, multimedia experiences to transport audiences of all ages into unforgettable realms of storytelling—combination jungle gym, mystery house, children’s museum and hands-on immersive art exhibit. The House of Eternal Return is a permanent, interactive art experience of nonlinear narrative that unfolds through exploration, discovery and 21st-century interactivity. Visitors choose their own path walking, climbing and crawling through a multiverse of more than 70 unique rooms created by a team of more than 500 artists. Check the calendar for weekly events & musical performances throughout the year.
* Indicates a grantee of New Mexico Arts