Founded in 1609, the city of Santa Fe has had a lively art and cultural scene since the very beginning when the earliest Santa Feans settled in the area around 1050 A.D.
Living alongside the Santa Fe River, the ancestors of the Pueblo people had a great impact on where the city and their cultural surroundings are today. These people spent their days weaving baskets and sandals from yucca, making pottery, and blended turquoise and silver to create unique and complex jewelry.
When the railroad arrived to the area in the 1800s, demand for Pueblo art surged. In response to this, they began creating art that was meant for tourists that frequented the city. In the 1900’s many artists, mainly from the Eastern part of the United States began to settle in the Santa Fe area, giving the city a reputation as an interesting and unique place for artists, with many coming to visit the area and deciding to stay.
These artists would continue to put Santa Fe’s art community on the map by opening up a small number of galleries throughout Santa Fe and Taos. Even today, it is believed that those artists are the ones who helped shape Santa Fe and its unique art district into what it currently is.
Fast forward to the present, and Santa Fe has over 200 art spaces and galleries and is also home to unique and respected events such as the annual “International Folk Art Market” and the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market that takes place every August. According to SMU DataAlerts, the National Center for Arts Research has announced that the city ranks fifth out of 900 communities for its level of supply, demand, and government support for the arts.
A visit to their famed one-half mile Canyon Road will bring you to a majority of the Santa Fe art galleries that feature a diverse assortment of exhibits from contemporary and modern to Southwestern and historic Western. Situated alongside boutiques and restaurants, a day trip to Canyon Road has something for everyone to enjoy. The world-renowned street also hosts different events throughout the year including a fan favorite “Art and Wine Stroll”.
Perhaps one of the most popular attractions for art-lovers in Santa Fe is the Georgia O’Keefe museum. Although O’Keefe died in 1986 her paintings of mountains, flowers, and crosses are still closely associated with New Mexico today and she has often been recognized as the “Mother of American modernism”.
Another side to their impressive art scene is the 5 day Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, set to take place on October 13-17, 2021. One of the top annual events to happen in New Mexico, the festival has presented over 500 films since it was founded in 2009. The Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, also known as SFiFF, was named “a young Sundance” by IndieWire Magazine and one of the “Coolest Film Festivals on the Planet” by Moviemaker Magazine. SFiFF is attended by more than 75,000 people each year and screens over 50 feature films and 75 short films over the 5 days. Can’t make it to this event but still want to participate? You’re in luck, as you can watch the screenings virtually from any computer or smartphone.
The combination of traditional Native American style works coupled alongside newer contemporary art makes Santa Fe a truly unique place in the art world. The city hasn’t forgotten the people who originally made it an art mecca it is today, they are evident throughout with many of their works still currently on display in Santa Fe galleries. However, the city has evolved and many of their art galleries exhibit abstract and contemporary artwork as well. The fusion that Santa Fe has between culture, arts, and design is what makes it such a unique and exciting place, especially for art gallery lovers and history buffs alike.
