MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION | SUMMER 2019
Collecting and Protecting A Legacy of Giving
Table of Contents
Dear Members,
LETTER TO MEMBERS
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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TREASURE CHESTS
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MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE AND LABORATORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY
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MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART
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NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF ART
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NEW MEXICO HISTORY MUSEUM
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Cover:
NEW MEXICO HISTORIC SITES
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Alvina Yepa, Jemez Pueblo, Prayer and Meditation Jar, 2018. Clay, volcanic ash temper, slip. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Cat. No. 60290/12. Yepa’s red clay jar is incised with symbols that tell a story of centuries of Puebloan iconography.
OFFICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES
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IN MEMORIAM: JOHN STAFFORD
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CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
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WAYS TO GIVE AND STAFF
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Bottom: A museum member examines ancient valuables, including shells and turquoise for jewelry, from the Center for New Mexico Archaeology collection. Such items often were stored inside pottery vessels from more than 1,500 years ago. Photo © Cheron Bayna.
Our Mission The Museum of New Mexico Foundation supports the Museum of New Mexico system through fund development for exhibitions and education programs, financial management, retail, licensing and advocacy. The Foundation serves the following state cultural institutions: • Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and Laboratory of Anthropology • Museum of International Folk Art • New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors • New Mexico Museum of Art • New Mexico Historic Sites • Office of Archaeological Studies
Member News Contributors Mariann Lovato, Managing Editor Carmella Padilla, Writer and Editor Kate Nelson, Writer Saro Calewarts, Designer and Photographer
Permanent collections are foundational to the Museum of New Mexico system. This vast array of art and artifacts informs our special exhibitions, provides research and scholarship opportunities, and illuminates the stories behind the art, culture and history of New Mexico and of folk art worldwide. Our feature story in this issue of Member News focuses on our museum collections and some of the collectors whose generous donations have helped grow our holdings and keep them current and relevant. As one donor, Caroline Burnett, noted, “It’s really important for people, whether their philanthropy efforts are large or small, to think about how we can each give back to community.” Many of the exhibitions on view at our four state museums in Santa Fe this summer will feature objects from their permanent collections. At the Museum of International Folk Art, for example, some of the 106,000 folk art objects donated by Alexander Girard and his wife, Susan, in 1978 are augmenting the current exhibition Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe, organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. Across Milner Plaza at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, select works of Native art donated by longtime museum volunteer Carol Warren are on display through July. The entire collection consists of over 200 works, including paintings, pottery, jewelry and textiles from some of the Southwest’s most prominent contemporary artists. Similarly, San Ildefonso Pottery: 1600-1930, opening in August, will be drawn primarily from the museum’s extraordinary collection of Native pottery. In downtown Santa Fe at the New Mexico Museum of Art, significant works of art donated to the museum in the last five years are showcased in Bringing Together: Recent Acquisitions. Current exhibitions on 20th century New Mexican sculpture, photographs of Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, and magnificent landscape paintings also draw predominantly on the museum’s permanent collection of over 20,000 works.
“We have been so fortunate to build this treasure trove of cultural material that brings our museum galleries and educational programs to life,” says Foundation President/ CEO Jamie Clements. Photo © Daniel Quat Photography.
The extensive collections and archives at the New Mexico History Museum have also been used to develop the museum’s current roster of special exhibitions, including The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur, The First World War and On Exhibit: Designs that Defined the Museum of New Mexico. Over the last 110 years, we have been so fortunate to build this treasure trove of cultural material that brings our museum galleries and educational programs to life. I hope you will take time this summer to visit our museums and appreciate this wonderful legacy of collecting and donating, which continues to this day. You might even be inspired to become part of this legacy by contributing your own gifts of art. Sincerely,
Jamie Clements President/CEO
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Museum of New Mexico Foundation Board of Trustees 2019–20 J. Scott Hall, Chair Pat Hall, Vice Chair Guy Gronquist, Vice Chair John Rochester, Treasurer Harriet Schreiner, Secretary
Above: Museum of New Mexico Foundation Trustee David Young and his wife, Sheila, generously purchased Prayer and Mediation Jar (see cover image) by Alvina Yepa (Jemez Pueblo) for the pottery collection at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. This contemporary masterwork fills a critical gap in the Survival and Resilience section of Here, Now and Always. Read the full story on page 4. Photo © Saro Calewarts. Opposite: Valerie Verzuh, former curator of individually catalogued collections, inside the compact collections storage at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Photo © Eric Laingel.
Catherine A. Allen Anne Bingaman Cynthia Bolene Frieda Simons Burnes William Butler Julia Catron Sharon Curran-Wescott Christie Davis Sherry Davis Rosalind Doherty George Duncan Kirk Ellis Maria Gale Carlos Garcia Robert Glick Marian Haight Bud Hamilton Steve Harris David Hawkanson Stephen Hochberg Rae Hoffacker Peggy Hubbard Jim Kelly Bruce Larsen Martin Levion Ann Livingston Jim Manning Christine McDermott George Miraben Mark Naylor Dennis A. O’Toole, Ph.D. Dan Perry Michael Pettit Skip Poliner Kathleen Pugh Jerry Richardson Wilson Scanlan Nan Schwanfelder Judy Sherman John Silver Courtney Finch Taylor Bob Vladem Matt Wilson David Young
ADVISORY TRUSTEES Victoria Addison Charmay B. Allred Keith K. Anderson Nancy Bloch Dorothy H. Bracey Lynn Brown Robert L. Clarke Stockton Colt Liz Crews Joan Dayton John Duncan Leroy Garcia Susie Herman Ruth Hogan Barbara Hoover Kent F. Jacobs, M.D, Lawrence Lazarus, M.D. David Matthews Helene Singer Merrin Doris Meyer Beverly Morris Patty Newman Jane O’Toole J. Edd Stepp Suzanne Sugg Nancy Meem Wirth Claire Woodcock Robert Zone, M.D. HONORARY TRUSTEES Lloyd E. Cotsen* Jim Duncan Jr. Anne and John Marion Edwina and Charles Milner Bob Nurock* Keith Roth* J. Paul Taylor Carol Warren Eileen A. Wells TRUSTEES EMERITI John Berl* Thomas B. Catron III Saul Cohen Alan Rolley Marian Silver James Snead *Deceased
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Collection Donors Help Protect Past and Present
Anyone who is lucky enough to be invited past the secured door of any Museum of New Mexico collections vault will be greeted by seemingly sterile rolling racks and unremarkable cabinet rows. Held within them, though, are the stories of New Mexico’s past and present—the art of people from around the globe, their wisdom, whimsy and wonder. Obtained through fundraising campaigns facilitated by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, along with gifts from generous donors, collections form the backbone of exhibitions, deliver important information to researchers, and fulfill a promise to all New Mexicans now and in the generations to come. “It’s remarkable that our state museum collections have been built almost entirely from donations and bequests,” says Foundation President/CEO Jamie Clements. “We rely on the generosity of collectors to add to our holdings to keep them current and relevant.” “Our museums serve as cultural stewards,” adds Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. “We are charged with the preservation and interpretation of art and artifacts, in service to the public. It is an enormous and rewarding challenge to protect and preserve these collections for the people of New Mexico.” The collections, Garcia y Griego continues, dictate each museum’s unique personality. Let’s peek into these treasure chests to see how recent additions—including ancestral pottery, 18th-century bultos, books, maps, photos and a marvel of an altarpiece crafted by a contemporary master—reveal the contours of those personalities.
Pottery with Purpose Jemez Pueblo potter Alvina Yepa incised her red clay prayer and meditation jar with symbols that speak to many Native peoples: the Avanyu water serpent, feathers, dragonflies, turtles, corn. At nearly 12 inches high, it commands attention and draws the viewer into a story of centuries of Puebloan iconography.
Gifts from private donors have long factored into the museum’s holdings of 75,000 items of pottery, jewelry, basketry and more, along with nearly ten million items in the Center for New Mexico Archaeology collection. Altogether, the museum’s collections represent thousands of years of history, from unknown makers of the past to outstanding contemporary artists, like Yepa. “More and more tribes are coming to look at collections from their tribal traditions,” says Della Warrior, the museum’s director. “Besides helping them connect with those pieces, it’s important for us to hear the story of the objects from those people so that we can better inform the public.” As Warrior spoke, workers banged and wrenched on the collection area’s environmental controls. A team effort was required to move about 400 pots out of the construction zone. Such diligent collections care ensures that even the most fragile works of art remain safe for researchers and everyday visitors alike. “What a treasure we have here,” Warrior says. “We’re hoping more people come to the exhibitions and ask to also see the collections. We want to create greater access to them for the public.”
An Artful Offering At six-by-four-by-two feet, Luis Tapia’s Ofrenda stands as a tour de force of an already lauded career. Loaded with 3½ months’ worth of individually carved offerings— tamales, chiles, a lowrider and hand-painted “photos” of his parents’ and grandparents’ weddings—the altar delighted collectors Dennis and Janis Lyon.
Curators for the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture wanted the jar for the renovation of the Here, Now and Always permanent exhibition. But obtaining the 2018 piece (see cover image) required funds the museum didn’t have. Enter Museum of New Mexico Foundation trustee David Young and his wife, Sheila.
Created in 2017 for the Museum of International Folk Art’s inaugural Day of the Dead gala, Noche de Muertos, the piece was the highlight of the evening’s art auction. The Lyons, who participated in the auction from their home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, wished to buy the work to give to a museum, where its impact could be shared for decades to come.
“The Foundation pointed the pot out to us and said the museum wanted it for the Survival and Resilience section of Here, Now and Always,” Young says. “I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits and know how they struggle for money, so we decided to buy it.”
“I asked (Luis), ‘Where would you like that altar to go?’” Janis Lyon recalls. “He told us, ‘MOIFA,’ so that’s what we did. Now even more people can see that piece and be aware of his work and know that the museum thinks enough of him to display his work.”
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Luis Tapia, Ofrenda, 2017. Carved and painted wood, 72 x 48 x 24 in. Museum of International Folk Art, gift of Dennis and Janis Lyon. This colorful Day of the Dead altarpiece features tributes to the artist’s loved ones. Photos © James Hart Photography.
The Lyons, who also have a home in Santa Fe, became aware of Tapia’s work and its ability to speak to people across cultures and generations. Their gift of his altar underscores both a collecting aim of the museum and the importance of museum representation to working artists. “We collect for the benefit of the people of New Mexico,” says Khristaan Villela, the museum’s director. “Our New Mexico collections are less well known, but they represent a large proportion of our permanent collection. The Luis Tapia piece is just a great one to look at.” All told, the museum added nearly 700 items to its vault in 2018, including temple reliefs from Burma, African textiles, Swedish clothing and 167 Hispanic art objects from the estate of a longtime supporter. Since only a portion of the collections can be displayed on site at any one time, the museum, like the other Museum of New Mexico divisions, loans works to other institutions—or shares entire exhibitions. For example, the museum’s exhibition Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico closed in 2017. Thanks to generous funding from Heritage Hotels and Resorts, Flamenco has since been shown in Carlsbad, Silver City and Las Cruces. This summer, it takes the stage in Farmington.
The Sounds of History With three collecting units—its museum, the Palace Photo Archives and the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library—the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors cover a wide swath of material culture. The Segesser Hides, cowboy saddles, wedding dresses and the Larry Frank Collection of santos are just some of the 16,000 artifacts augmented by countless documents, 6,000 maps and about one million photographs. But one of the most precious holdings takes up a comparative smidgen of space while covering a century’s worth of history. Aural historian Jack Loeffler’s recordings of Native and Hispanic musicians, New Mexico politicians, authors like Edward Abbey and Gary Snyder, and soundscapes of Southwestern environments add some two terabytes of digitized information to the collections. These sounds of the state’s diverse lives and landscapes engage museum visitors’ sense of hearing and serenade the permanent exhibition Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now. “In the 1990s, I began considering where the archive should go,” Loeffler says. “The Library of Congress was interested. The Smithsonian was interested. Then,
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collection, which Burnett compiled with her late husband, Bill, represents the genius eyes of Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Paul Strand, Laura Gilpin, Edward Weston and Alfred Stieglitz.
“It’s really important for people to think about how we can each give back to community.” The Burnetts moved to Santa Fe in part because of its art scene. When they began considering an institution to accept their collection, they realized most of the photos
Michelle Gallagher Roberts, deputy director of the New Mexico Museum of Art, inside the museum’s collections storage area, where paintings occupy more than 16,000 square feet of hanging space. The museum’s storage capacity will nearly double when the Vladem Contemporary opens in 2021. Photo © Daniel Quat Photography.
had been created in New Mexico—which quickly narrowed their targets. “Santa Fe is a place I feel very passionate about,” Burnett says. “I love the Museum of Art and I love going there. Being able to make sure that others will be able to have the same enjoyment and learn an appreciation for photography mattered to me. And it’s state-run, so I imagine it’s going to be around for another hundred years.” Already, three of the works have been displayed, on loan, for one of the museum’s centennial exhibitions in 2018. Burnett hopes other collectors will be similarly inspired to give. “It’s really important for people, whether their philanthropy efforts are large or small, to think about how we can each give back to community,” she says.
Left: Aural historian Jack Loeffler has donated his archive of thousands of digital recordings related to New Mexico culture and history to the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors. Photo courtesy Jack Loeffler. Right: Caroline Burnett has gifted a 10-piece photography collection, including works by such celebrated photographers as Laura Gilpin, Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz, to the New Mexico Museum of Art. Photo © Saro Calewarts.
Frances Levine came on as the director of the Palace of the Governors, and when they were working on the new History Museum, she asked me to do the sound for the permanent exhibit. That sort of solidified it for me that the Chávez Library should be the receptacle.”
grow. “I’m still going, I’m still having fun with it,” he says. “It’s a big archive and has so much stuff in it. It’s going to help people learn how to get ‘there’ from here.”
A Photo Finish
To discuss a donation or bequest to the collections of your favorite museum, contact:
Recorded to broadcast standards, the tapes have been painstakingly digitized. But the funding needed to make them available via the internet is lacking.
At the New Mexico Museum of Art, paintings alone fill 16,576 square feet of collections space. That amount, in combination with traditional storage, will nearly double when the Vladem Contemporary opens in 2021.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture: Celeste Guerrero, 505.982.2282 or Celeste@museumfoundation.org Museum of International Folk Art: Steve Cantrell, 505.216.0830 or Steve@museumfoundation.org New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors: Yvonne Montoya, 505.216.1592 or Yvonne@museumfoundation.org New Mexico Museum of Art: Suzette Sherman, 505.216.1186 or Suzette@museumfoundation.org
“The idea is that, ultimately, people will be able to hear their grandparents playing Hispanic folk music, or researchers can really discover the cultural perspectives of so many diverse people,” Loeffler says. “And, for noncommercial use, it would all be free.” Currently, Loeffler’s archive covers his 1,279 recordings made from 1964 through 2005. That total continues to
The Vladem’s collections area will have a specialized climate-controlled room that will extend the life of the museum’s photographic holdings 200 years beyond what its current storage accommodates. Its cool environment will protect a collection of photographs recently gifted to the museum by Caroline Burnett. The 10-piece
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Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and Laboratory of Anthropology Pottery and Place Made by Hand Well before the opening of San Ildefonso, 1600–1930, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, with support from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, organized small tours of working potters’ homes and studios. These included award-winning San Ildefonso potters Erik Fender and Russell Sanchez, co-curators of the exhibition with Bruce Bernstein. Tour groups also visited Barbara and Cavan Gonzales, the great-granddaughter and great-great grandson, respectively, of the legendary potter Maria Martinez. This summer, noted potters from other pueblos and tribes will demonstrate their work from 1 to 4 p.m. in the museum’s Buchsbaum Pottery Gallery. The demonstrations are free for members on the following days:
More than Maria San Ildefonso Potters Then and Now “Before there was Santa Fe and before the idea of an ‘art colony’ was born, there was San Ildefonso, a small village of extraordinarily visionary artists and ceramicists.” So writes Bruce Bernstein, one of the curators for San Ildefonso Pottery: 1600–1930, opening August 11 (Member Preview on August 10) at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, where Bernstein was a former director. He weaves a story that begins long before Museum of New Mexico founder Edgar Lee Hewett persuaded Maria Martinez to re-create archaic forms of her people’s pottery. “San Ildefonso pottery is an art form that is both ancient and contemporary,” Bernstein says. “It’s always present, forever evolving to reflect the historical and cultural circumstances of Pueblo people’s lives. Artisans work in a variety of styles, in response to the changing circumstances of their own lives and the world around them.”
In preparation for the exhibition, Sanchez, Fender and Bernstein combed through the collection, making difficult choices about which pieces best tell the story. One day, Bernstein found a note from 1933 that indicated one of the pots under consideration may have been made by Sanchez’s grandmother. Quickly, he texted Sanchez, who then asked his cultural leaders to help. Through them, Bernstein confirmed a tangible tie between elder and grandson, via clay. Many potters consider their work part of a prayer that brings to life a vessel for ceremony, for sustenance, or for celebration. Earth and water combine under a master’s hand to blossom into beauty undergirded by many meanings. To help visitors grasp those meanings, the
curators are combining collections and archival research with discussions among San Ildefonso community members—all in an effort to tell a deeper story of the pueblo’s art, culture and history. “Pots in the Tewa and San Ildefonso universe are not things, but rather are living beings that continue to strengthen and clarify their identity,” Bernstein says. “Through centuries, San Ildefonso people maintained artistic heritage. Their survival included maintaining a rich ceramic tradition. By the mid-19th century, the village possessed more variety and styles of pottery than other Pueblo villages. Its aesthetics and production are ritualized behavior. As San Ildefonso people say, ‘Our history is recorded in pottery.’”
Support is needed for San Ildefonso Pottery: 1600–1930 through the museum Exhibition Development Fund. For information on how to give, contact Celeste Guerrero at 505.982.2282 or Celeste@museumfoundation.org.
Indeed, Hewett, Martinez and her husband, Julian, managed to breathe new life into San Ildefonso’s pottery tradition. It continues to thrive today in the hands of a vibrant community of pueblo potters, including Bernstein’s co-curators Erik Fender and Russell Sanchez. For his part, Sanchez won a 2017 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of his mastery in clay.
June 10: Jonathan Loretto (Cochiti) July 3: Shelden Nuñez-Velarde (Jicarilla Apache) August 21: Ron Martinez Looking Elk (Isleta/Taos) September 18: Samuel Manymules (Navajo)
“Artisans work in a variety of styles, in response to the changing circumstances of their own lives and the world around them.” The exhibition is a joint project of the museum and the Coe Center for the Arts, with support from the School for Advanced Research and Adobe Gallery. It draws on the museum’s phenomenal collection of San Ildefonso pottery—more than 1,000 jars, bowls and other containers that span a 1,000-year lifeline. Museum director Della Warrior says the exhibition will feature 225 pieces, “most of which have never been seen before. This will be a very educational exhibition.” One of the first lessons is that San Ildefonso pottery is far more diverse than the enduringly popular black-on-black version that emerged with Maria and Julian Martinez in the 1920s. The curators cite the introduction around 1350 of black-on-white biscuit ware, the 1875–1920 revival, and today’s flowering of multicolored, many-shaped works of art.
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Julian and Maria Martinez demonstrating pottery making in the patio of the Palace of the Governors, 1912. Photo by Jesse Nusbaum, Courtesy of the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), Neg. No. 040814.
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Museum of International Folk Art Eye on Design Introducing the Design Council This summer, the Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of New Mexico Foundation inaugurate the Design Council, a new group aimed at exploring the bond between traditional arts and the modernist designs of Alexander Girard, Charles and Ray Eames, Florence Knoll and others. “In doing research for Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe, everywhere we turned, there were connections between folk art and mid-century modern design,” says Khristaan Villela, director of the Folk Art Museum. The retrospective from the Vitra Design Museum in Germany continues through October 27 at the Folk Art Museum, where Girard’s design and collecting legacy looms large.
Friends for Life
Huichol beadwork. We like to say, ‘Go to the International Folk Art Market, buy stuff, then donate it to the flea.’”
Folk Art Support Group Hits Two Milestones
The donations, which are tax-deductible, arrive throughout the year. Volunteers have the process of organizing donations down to a science that barely impacts the museum’s regular operations. Their dedication inspires new and longtime collectors to support the museum.
For 25 years, the Friends of Folk Art, a Museum of New Mexico Foundation member group, have enjoyed special access to museum openings and other events. But the group also logs serious volunteer hours in support of the Museum of International Folk Art. “The Friends of Folk Art donate, literally, thousands of hours of volunteer time. And that’s not hyperbole,” says museum director Khristaan Villela. This year, the group celebrates both its silver anniversary and the 10th year of its impressive Folk Art Flea, a one-day sale of donated folk art that raises more than $50,000 a year for exhibitions and educational programming. Longtime volunteer Jonathan Parks credits fellow Friends’ members Judith Haden and Ginger Smith with the idea for the Folk Art Flea and its abundance of high-quality works “You’ve got textiles, masks, wooden furniture,” Parks says. “Last year, we had a fabulous collection of
The exhibition is the perfect opportunity to launch the Design Council, whose participants will receive exclusive invitations to designinspired events. These include artist and design studio visits, panel discussions with design experts and everyday aficionados, behind-thescenes exhibition tours and more.
“The flea is important to collectors,” Villela says. “They’re always looking for more folk art, but they live in houses that are full of folk art. So, they donate to the flea and then buy from the flea. It’s a great place to trade up to higher quality when you’re ready.” Previously held in May inside the museum, this year’s event takes place on Saturday, June 8, and is moving outdoors under a tent on Milner Plaza. Friends of Folk Art members have the benefit of lining up early, at 9 a.m., for the first hour of the sale before other buyers pour in. “Lots of people buy a Friends of Folk Art membership just so they can be part of that,” Parks says.
The 10th Annual Folk Art Flea WHO: WHO: Friends of Folk Art WHAT: WHAT: 10th Annual Folk Art Flea WHEN: WHEN: Saturday, June 8 9 to 10 a.m.: a.m. Free “early bird” admission Friends of Folk Free “early for bird” admission for Art members Friends of Folk Art members 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free public admission Free public admission WHERE: Museum of International Folk Art Milner Plaza on Museum Hill Camino Lejo, Santa Fe 505.476.1201 INFO: 706 INFO:
505.476.1201
Smart shoppers beeline past the four dozen or so tables laden with goods, heading first to the Collectors’ Corner, where the most rare and unique objects await. “The first three hours, it’s nonstop,” Parks says. “About 2 p.m., it dwindles down, and at 3 p.m., anything that didn’t sell is donated to charity.”
“It’s a great place to trade up to higher quality when you’re ready.” Parks, a former Canyon Road dealer of decorative arts, including folk art from California and the East Coast, began his volunteer work as a Folk Art Museum docent a quarter-century ago. “The museum opened my eyes to other folk art around the world,” he says. Now retired, he delights in putting his muscle toward ensuring that more people appreciate folk art’s global ingenuity.
To learn more about the Design Council, contact Steve Cantrell at 505.216.0830 or email Steve@museumfoundation.org.
Shoppers peruse some of the unique items for sale at a previous Folk Art Flea at the Museum of International Folk Art. Proceeds from the annual event benefit exhibitions and education programs at the museum. This year’s Folk Art Flea is Saturday, June 8, on Milner Plaza. Photo © Steve Cantrell.
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“I was poor when I was younger, and it was hard to get things I wanted in life,” he says. “Now I’m working with an institution that educates children and adults and opens people’s eyes to what folk art is, whether it costs a dollar or a million bucks. It fills my heart. My grandmother taught me to give, and I give!”
To join Friends of Folk Art, contact Kristin Graham at 505.216.1199 or Kristen@museumfoundation.org.
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New Mexico Museum of Art Ready, Set, Create Unleash Your Inner Artist This summer, the New Mexico Museum of Art encourages children and adults to bring their inner artist into the galleries and courtyard. Each of the following programs is free for members. Drop in and Draw Daily, June 1 to September 15 This all-day program provides materials for sketching what you see while exploring the museum. Summer Guided Drawing Thursdays, June 7 to August 15 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. This weekly program features a teaching artist who will offer insights and suggestions on observational drawing techniques. The same class is taught in each Thursday’s 45-minute session, but each week covers a new technique to reward repeat visitors. Smarter Smart-Phone Photography Monday, June 24 and Monday, July 22 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Budding photographers will benefit from two classes covering tips on composing an image, finding tricks within your phone’s camera, and choosing software apps that improve your editing abilities.
Artist Roundelay Alcove Shows Return, Along with New Acquisitions Merry Scully, head of curatorial affairs and curator of contemporary art at the New Mexico Museum of Art, was ably controlling the chaos in her office this spring as she prepared for two new exhibitions: Bringing Together: Recent Acquisitions, on view through January 26, 2020; and Alcoves 2020, opening August 10. She sorted through five years’ worth of awe-inspiring acquisitions (both donations and museum purchases) for Bringing Together. She also vetted artists from around the state who either applied for an alcove spot or landed on her radar during her countless scouting expeditions. “People send information, I go to exhibitions,” Scully says. “I recently went to Roswell, where I made 10 studio visits. I need to go to Las Cruces next, and I’ll probably go to Carrizozo, Magdalena, and up to Taos.” All that before she even decides which artists to feature in the six revolving alcove shows. Each showcases five artists for two months, courtesy of a quick-change bit of behind-the-scenes artistry. “Each show closes on a Sunday, we take them down Monday and Tuesday, install the new ones Wednesday through Friday, and open that evening,” she says. “You can think of them as five one-person shows at a time, one show of 30 artists over the course of the year, or six group shows.” This marks the third installment in the current series of alcove shows, which were inspired by the museum’s early history of inviting local artists to display and even create pieces in its public spaces. Scully held several aims when she revived the program in 2012. She wanted to give exposure to upcoming artists from around the state, introduce visitors to the variety of art being created here, and build camaraderie among the artists and with the public. “When I reinstated these, I wanted them to be convivial, to put everyone on equal ground, whether you’re an established artist or a barista about to start grad school,” she says. She’s gratified to see art sales emerge from the shows, as well as artists gaining gallery representation. “The other thing,” she adds, “is the artists made friends with one another.” Each show begins with the public opening, followed the next morning by a private breakfast for the artists and their friends. Next comes a series of public talks in the alcoves, where the informal atmosphere encourages conversations and builds bonds. Other sorts of bonds between the museum and the public emerged as Scully considered which pieces to include in the recent acquisitions
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Wendy Red Star, Apsáalooke Feminist #1, 2016. Pigment print. Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D., 2016. Photo courtesy New Mexico Museum of Art.
exhibition. She uttered words like “phenomenal” and “fantastic” as she recalled individual pieces.
I’m not always able to respond to every artist who applies for an alcove, but I always look,” she says.
“It’s been something to review everything we’ve acquired over the last five years,” she says. “That’s why we chose the title Bringing Together, because each gift or purchase adds to the overall richness of our collections.”
Given the speed with which the shows introduce contemporary artists, the question of when she might run out of applicants had to be asked. To that, Scully laughed. “Not in New Mexico,” she says.
While wrangling both exhibitions meant dealing with a lot of spinning plates, Scully didn’t mind. “It’s good work. Private support for exhibitions is always needed through the museum’s Exhibition Development Fund. For information about how to give, contact Suzette Sherman at 505.216.1186 or Suzette@museumfoundation.org. museumfoundation.org 13
New Mexico History Museum Palace of the Governors A Hand in History A Summer for Making Once a month, the New Mexico History Museum invites families to enjoy hands-on creative activities rooted in the state’s arts and crafts traditions. “We make all kinds of things— Spanish tiles, lowrider designs, horno bread, art that lights up, music and even magic,” says museum educator Melanie LaBorwit. The events are free for members and open to all ages—although children need to be accompanied by an adult. “We get seniors, families, visitors who are local and from out of town— everyone,” says René Harris, collections and education manager. “Some people love the program so much that they become regulars.” If you want to become a regular, mark your calendar for June 2, July 7 and August 4, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the museum. You’ll be among the first to use the brand new makerspace in the lobby.
TEN-acious What Wowed Us in Our First Years The New Mexico History Museum opened on May 24, 2009, with a bolt of lightning, a loud boom and a storm that threatened to scare away eager visitors whose waiting line snaked up Lincoln Avenue. Clear skies soon arrived, heralding a first peek at exhibitions so new you could still smell the fresh paint. A weekend’s worth of music, ice cream, a fashion show and dance performances spilled onto the Santa Fe Plaza. The long-awaited addition to the Palace of the Governors surpassed the historic landmark in size and added such amenities as a new theater and classroom. The effort was boosted by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s “Shape the Future” campaign, which raised $6.5 million for exhibitions at the new museum and added another $7 million to state and federal funding for the project. In the 10 years since, the combined New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors has welcomed nearly one million visitors. Frances Levine, then director of the History Museum and now president of the Missouri History Museum, remembers it well. “The expansion offered a venue where we could bring out so much more of the collection, where we could have year-round programs for a much larger audience, and where we could serve everyone from toddlers to leisure learners with a range of programs and community collaborations,” she says. Telling New Mexico: Stories from Then and Now, the museum’s core exhibition, illuminated the region’s many layers of history. Today, it
continues to educate people from throughout the world—and has evolved to include sections on the Fred Harvey Company and World War I. The second-floor Herzstein Gallery has hosted a bounty of special exhibitions that have become visitor favorites.
In 10 years, the combined New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors has welcomed nearly one million visitors. For Levine, El Hilo de la Memoria: España y los Estados Unidos (The Thread of Memory: Spain and the United States) was an early highlight that explored the Spanish heritage of North America. For the first time, documents, maps and portraits created in Spanish colonies that pre-dated the United States returned from Spain’s General Archive of the Indies. “Seeing [then Santa Fe Mayor] David Coss examine Pedro de Peralta’s instructions to establish Santa Fe, along with maps of Santa Fe, was a thrill,” Levine recalls. “David has told me that the exhibition made him pursue a Southwest Studies degree after he left the Mayor’s office.” Photography curator Daniel Kosharek has overseen such crowd-pleasers as Poetics of Light: Pinhole Photography; Lowriders, Hoppers and Hot Rods: Car Culture of Northern New Mexico; and Native American Portraits: Points of Inquiry. The pinhole exhibition traveled to the Science and Media Museum in Bradford, England, where another 43,000 people saw it. The lowrider show delighted audiences in Silver City, Las Cruces, Gallup and Clovis. It will be on view this summer at the Albuquerque Sunport. Meanwhile, New Mexico’s role in global history was explored in Fractured Faiths: Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition, and New World Identities; Voices of the
This eye-dazzling automobile was on display during the popular Lowriders, Hoppers and Hot Rods exhibition of northern New Mexico car culture at the New Mexico History Museum in 2016. Photo © Vic Macias.
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Museum members peruse pages of a contemporary handwritten and illuminated Bible in the 2012 New Mexico History Museum exhibition Illuminating the Word: The St. John’s Bible. Photo © Andrew Kastner.
Counterculture in the Southwest; and Illuminating the Word: St. John’s Bible. Other exhibitions celebrated the whimsy of artist Gustave Baumann’s handprinted holiday cards, toys from childhoods’ past, New Mexico’s ranching legacy, and creative interpretations of Shakespeare’s greatest works. Lively lectures, hands-on activities, and quite a few opportunities to dress up like a Harvey Girl, presidio soldier or cowboy have attracted visitors of all ages and places. Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego tips her hat to the museum’s first decade, calling it “a prime place to learn about our past.” “Since its opening, the New Mexico History Museum, Palace of the Governors, Palace Photo Archives and Fray Angélico Chávez History Library have served as keepers of the state’s history,” she continues. “As we celebrate ten years of bringing to life the complex, colorful and legendary stories of the 47th state in the Union, we look forward to a vibrant future.”
Private support is needed to take the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors into its next decade and beyond. To help fund future exhibitions, educational programs and other public programming, contact Yvonne Montoya at 505.216.1592 or Yvonne@museumfoundation.org. museumfoundation.org 15
New Mexico Historic Sites
Office of Archaeological Studies
Explorers Unbound
Have a Passion for the Past?
History Meets High-End TLC
Find a Friend in Archaeology
The Cavalry–style tent was raised while the cots and Ralph Lauren pillows were set. Peter O’Brien, executive chef of Santa Fe’s Anasazi Restaurant, smoked the rock shrimp and grilled the steaks over a fire. Eric Blinman, director of the Office of Archaeological Studies, led hikes through Chaco Culture National Historical Park, explaining its enduring tie to New Mexico’s Puebloan peoples. Whether they’re “glamping” under the stars or enjoying dinner and music, members of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Circles Explorers group forge an experiential understanding of history at its source. “We’re in our test phases to attract younger supporters,” says Cara O’Brien, the Foundation’s director of The Circles and Corporate Partners. “These Explorers are adventurous, passionate about what they give to.” Since forming in 2017, the group has taken trips to various regional points of historical interest, including Chaco and the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project. This year, members are snagging precious spots on a return trip to Chaco, as well as to Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.
The September 14 Jemez Historic Site outing, for example, includes a special hike of the pueblo’s upper mesa, featuring the architectural ruins of a large village that once stood above Jemez. “We have permission from the pueblo to take folks up there,” Moore says. “That’s one of those behind-the-scenes things we try to provide.” So far, 35 households have joined the Explorers have joined the Explorers for a $895 membership fee. “It helps when someone else organizes all the logistics,” says investment adviser Matt Bunkowski, who joined in part because the trips had been on his to-do list since moving to Santa Fe six years ago. “I’ve already blocked out trips on my calendar. I’m not missing them.”
In 1992, R.C. “Doc” Weaver found a way to share his passion for archaeology and the past peoples and landscapes of the Southwest. Weaver and Tim Maxwell founded the Friends of Archaeology, a Museum of New Mexico Foundation member group, to support the Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS). Their goals were to promote interest in archaeology and to raise funds for education and research. Today, this active community of friends consists of a volunteer board of directors and more than 1,200 Foundation members.
Beyond the luxuries, however, is the educational value of the trips, where experts like Moore or Blinman provide a level of insight unavailable from a brochure or website.
“Our daily work is often dry and scientific, and it’s the interest and support of the Friends that allows us to express and share the excitement and passion of archaeology,” says OAS Director Eric Blinman. The group hosts two major fundraisers annually. On June 2, “Chiles and Sherds” took members to Pueblo Shé in the Galisteo Basin for lunch and guided tours. Each November, an entertaining holiday party kicks off the winter season. The board also builds a calendar of site tours and other events highlighting unique destinations and archaeological themes. Subscriptions to these activities cover group costs, including producing New Mexico Archaeology, a newsletter reporting on OAS research and education and Friends’ activities.
“They’re over-the-top awesome about painting a picture,” O’Brien says. “I couldn’t have better captains of the ship.”
Now is the perfect time to join Friends of Archaeology and enjoy these upcoming events: June 20: A strenuous hike and bag-lunch talk with scholars from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Merced del Pueblo de Abiquiu will explore the landscape and history of the Abiquiu area and its blend of Native American and Spanish cultures.
But, O’Brien says, “The biggest push is to give exposure to the New Mexico Historic Sites so people will support them.” Explorers now have the opportunity to join a September 7 tour of Lincoln Historic Site and an exclusive evening at Jemez Historic Site on September 14. New Mexico Historic Sites Director Patrick Moore welcomes the additional exposure. “Special programs like this give Circles members a more direct interaction with site staff interpreters, and more behind-the-scenes and hands-on experiences,” he says. “We show where specific things happened, and how each site relates to the broader narrative of New Mexico history.”
Group membership is free to Foundation members. Their financial support through tax-deductible donations and participation in Friends’ trips, tours, lectures and special events enriches the work of OAS.
Circles Explorers members enjoy food and camaraderie during a luxury glamping experience in 2018. Photo © Gabriella Marks.
Friends of Archaeology, the support group for the Office of Archaeological Studies, on a recent outing to Pueblo Pintado and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo © Bob Florek, courtesy Office of Archaeological Studies.
October 5: A strenuous daylong back country hike on the San Cristobal Ranch will provide access to Pueblo Colorado, one of the eight major Galisteo Basin pueblos, and a series of earlier sites. “Understanding the past,” Blinman says, “enhances the present and prepares us for the future!”
To join Circles Explorers, contact Cara O’Brien at 505.216.0848 or Cara@museumfoundation.org. To support New Mexico Historic Sites, contact Yvonne Montoya at 505.216.1592 or Yvonne@museumfoundation.org.
To join Friends of Archaeology, call 505.216.0829. For details on upcoming events, contact Jennifer Kilbourn at friendsofarchaeologynm@gmail.com.
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In Memoriam John Stafford
artisans,” he said. “What makes our shops unique is the creative output of the entrepreneurs we work with.”
Minding the Shops
Stafford used the shops to promote artists and build relationships in the greater cultural community. He provided the sales support that successfully launched the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. He translated his love of reading to spotlight New Mexico authors, stocking their books and hosting signings. He searched for the best of everything New Mexican.
Last December, John Stafford gave his friend and colleague Sara Birmingham a just-released book about an iconic New York City shop the two loved to visit. Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business tells the story of Fishs Eddy, whose original product lines and unique sense of design are famous in the retail world.
“[We] spent a year travelling to every small community in New Mexico looking for arts and crafts and artists to support,” Birmingham recalls. “We were invited to a séance in Silver City, moved a horse from the middle of the road in Mora so she could give birth to a filly, found the best breakfast burritos in El Rito, and got lost in Farmington. John lived a full life in the world of retail!”
A book about the business of retail. Nothing better could have captured the curiosity, intellect, inspiration and entrepreneurial spirit of Stafford, who died unexpectedly on December 19, shortly after sharing the book with Birmingham. The Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Vice President/ Director of Retail had spent nearly 17 years minding the five stores and two online operations that comprise the Museum Shops. He was 69.
“Most museum shops sell reproductions, but we offer original works by artists and artisans. What makes our shops unique is the creative output of the entrepreneurs we work with.”
“John loved retail, he loved going to the trade shows, he had great insight into what was going on in retail at any time,” says Birmingham, who Stafford hired as the shops’ buyer in 2003. “He was also a voracious reader— reading 110 books last year alone, that’s over two books a week. He was a very quiet person, but very wise.” John Michael Stafford, who was born and raised in Cleveland and graduated from American University in Washington D.C., joined the Foundation in February 2002. A press release lauded his hiring as “the crowning achievement in launching a new era for the five Museum Shops.” His charge was to transform five small, somewhat funky enterprises into professional retail operations reflecting the diversity of the museums and the visitors they represent.
John Stafford, longtime friend and Museum of New Mexico Foundation colleague, led the Museum Shops to new heights during his nearly 17-year tenure. Photo © Andrew Kastner.
With 26 years of experience under his belt—in retail budgeting and strategic planning, home furnishings, gifts, and men’s, women’s and children’s accessories— Stafford had the skills to do just that. He reimagined every aspect of the Museum Shops, from merchandising and marketing to shop design and community outreach.
daily and the customers who buy them. He built the first shops website. Each shop was rebranded to identify its affiliated museum. Old shop spaces were remodeled, redecorated, expanded, and even relocated. There were new shopping bags to boot.
Within five years, Stafford had implemented significant upgrades. He installed a point-of-sale computer merchandising system that tracks over 10,000 items
In a 2008 Member News interview, Stafford described his singular retail niche. “Most museum shops sell reproductions, but we offer original works by artists and
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Stafford’s efforts were felt by those he supported through the shops, and news of his passing generated several posts that praised his professionalism. “I really felt honored he trusted me with his business. He was a true gentleman and scholar,” wrote one associate. Another added, “As a writer and author, I appreciated John’s efforts to honor writers. His work at the museum was extraordinary and his manner was always civil and kind.” Stafford led 30 members of the Foundation’s retail team, including some 20 volunteers. Even as operations expanded, it felt like a small family business. “John was the same person here at work as he was with his family,” says Birmingham.
He was beloved among his colleagues for his friendship, quiet strength, dry humor and gentle personality. His humility belied his many talents outside of retail, from cooking and classical music to Civil War history. “John was a quiet and deep person, a man who did not reveal much about himself. To have been on the receiving end of his warmth and wisdom was an honor and delight,” says Pamela Kelly, the Foundation’s vice president of licensing and brand management. “He loved his family, his home and his life. We all miss him deeply.” Foundation President/CEO Jamie Clements admired Stafford’s keen but calm work style. “In the roller coaster world of retail, John was always a steady hand,” he says. “He was constantly analyzing our sales, always looking for the right mix of merchandise, never missing an opportunity to align product with current exhibitions It was a joy to sit back and watch him work his magic.” During Stafford’s last year, that magic generated the most successful earnings in shops history—$3.3 million in gross sales, an astounding 16.7 percent increase from the previous year. Rather than rest on his laurels, Stafford was figuring how to make $4 million, improving the website, refining product selections and increasing the shops’ social media presence. Today, inside the Foundation’s new retail offices on the Shonnard Campus, a permanent plaque memorializes Stafford. There, Birmingham, who succeeds him as Vice President/Director of Retail, still follows his lead. She says she doesn’t need to reinvent the wheels that moved the shops forward by leaps and bounds under Stafford’s watch. But, because of Stafford, she knows the shops must always evolve with the customer and the museum community in mind. “He was my mentor. He taught me to never say no to any opportunity. He showed us all how to build great gift shops,” she says. “We were connected, together eight hours a day, for 16 years. His presence, his opinion, was so important to all of us. John would want us to move along, but it won’t be the same.“ Stafford is survived by his wife, Pamela, three children, Philip, Colin and Danielle, and five grandchildren.
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Ways to Give
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Support the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s ability to deliver essential services to our 13 partner cultural institutions while offering enjoyable member benefits.
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“Can I just not do everything that occurs to me?” asks Lauren Tresp, the editor and publisher of Santa Fe’s The Magazine.
A Circles membership group whose members explore the art, culture and history of New Mexico through active, adventurous cultural excursions and other unique experiences.
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The Magazine
She laughs because she knows it’s a rhetorical question. And that, the next time opportunity arises to create buzz around contemporary art and culture, she’ll be in the mix. “It’s a hustle,” she continues, “but we’re making so many strides and it’s so much fun.” That’s a good thing for artists and art aficionados alike, who 10 months each year, enjoy the fruits of Tresp’s labors in the form of a free print magazine filled with all things creative, current and community-based—in Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque and beyond. Up to 14,000 readers receive The Magazine’s critical perspectives, storytelling and dialogue-inducing articles in print, while another 12,000, mostly from out of state, explore its arts-and-culture feast online. Still others experience contemporary art exhibitions and
community events at The’s new light-filled gallery and office space on West Alameda. That’s where Tresp presides over a small staff whose only full-time member (besides her sales rep) is herself. That do-it-yourself approach landed Tresp in The’s top job after moving from Chicago to Santa Fe seven years ago. Her background in art history led her to write for Guy Cross, who founded The in 1992, turning it into something of a Santa Fe institution. In 2016, he decided to close shop. Tresp, then 28, stepped in. “I saw so much potential with the magazine to expand,” she says. “The wheels started turning.”
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Three years and a new cover look, new website, and over a dozen freelance writers and photographers later, Tresp has significantly enhanced The’s reach and role in the creative communities she covers, including the Museum of New Mexico system. “The museums are a huge presence in the Santa Fe community,” she says. “It’s tremendous to see all the support rallied around them.”
EXECUTIVE OFFICE Jamie Clements Jamie@museumfoundation.org
DEVELOPMENT
Kristin Graham 505.216.1199 Kristin@museumfoundation.org Elisabeth Loya 505.216.0829 Elisabeth@museumfoundation.org
FINANCE
LICENSING
Carl Condit 505.216.1619 Carl@museumfoundation.org
Pamela Kelly 505.216.0614 Pamela@museumfoundation.org
MEMBERSHIP
Georgine Flores 505.216.1651 Georgine@museumfoundation.org
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Saro Calewarts 505.216.0617 Saro@museumfoundation.org
Patrick Ranker 505.216.1617 Patrick@museumfoundation.org
505.982.2282 Celeste@museumfoundation.org
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OPERATIONS
Steve Cantrell Museum of International Folk Art
505.216.0830 Steve@museumfoundation.org Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Office of Archaeological Studies
“For a hyper-local print publication to succeed, it has to have a communal aspect that makes people feel it’s for them,” she says. “My goal is to create a sense of community and shared dialogue. If I know the community is reading us, I know we have created common ground.”
Yvonne Montoya
New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors New Mexico Historic Sites and Properties
505.216.1592 Yvonne@museumfoundation.org Suzette Sherman PHOTOS ©
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Museum of New Mexico Foundation Staff
Increased accessibility is part of Tresp’s aim, too. This summer, when The swells to 80 pages, readers can expect more content, special inserts, and maps and guides to the arts. In May, she hosted the Museum of International Folk Art’s new Design Council at The’s Alameda art space, and she promises more special events to come.
Lauren Tresp, editor and publisher of The Magazine. Photo courtesy Lauren Tresp.
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In 2017, The Magazine added its support as a Museum of New Mexico Foundation Corporate Partner at the $10,000 level. From exclusive museum openings and trips to business networking parties, Tresp says, “It’s special to have the kind of access” that Corporate Partnership allows.
For information about becoming a Corporate Partner, contact Cara O’Brien at 505.216.0848 or Cara@museumfoundation.org.
Endowment
New Mexico Museum of Art
505.216.1186 Suzette@museumfoundation.org
Cara O’Brien 505.216.0848 Cara@museumfoundation.org Brittny Wood 505.216.0837 Brittny@museumfoundation.org
Sachiko Hunter-Rivers 505.216.1663 Sachiko@museumfoundation.org Marylee McInnes 505.216.1606 Marylee@museumfoundation.org
SHOPS Sara Birmingham 505.216.0725 Sarab@swcp.com
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Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe Now on view through October 27, 2019 Museum of International Folk Art Born out of a strong affinity for folk art and a deep love of the whimsical, the dolls by Alexander Girard are a large family of wooden figures representing human and animal characters. Girard designed them in 1953 for his own use as decorative objects in his Santa Fe home. One of the most influential interior and textile designers of the 20th century, Alexander Girard’s talent was multivalent, ranging from brilliant textiles, to furniture, to toys. Together with Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson, he was one of the leading figures of postwar American design.
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