Encounter Culture

For centuries, New Mexico has been a mecca where many and varied cultures have lived side by side, sharing and celebrating their cultural differences. The result — a lush, refreshing texture of styles and designs on the joyful business of living. In recent history, that has included surviving a global pandemic. So who are we now? What aspects of self do we take with us as we move forward and what do we leave behind? Whether you're cozy at home or venturing out into the world again, we're inviting you to visit us inside the museums and historic sites of New Mexico. This season, we're touring the museums of Santa Fe as host Charlotte Jusinski, our curators, artists, and exhibitors grapple with the question of identity. Visit newmexicoculture.org for more info.

What's Important is the Art: The Legacy of Elaine Horwitch, Southwest Rising with Dr. Julie Sasse

Nov 24, 2021

In a fitting close to Encounter Culture’s inaugural season, host Charlotte Jusinski returns to where it began. The New Mexico Museum of Art’s exhibition Southwest Rising: Contemporary Art and the Legacy of Elaine Horwitch celebrates the woman responsible for launching this region’s contemporary art movement into...

Dressing With Purpose: Norwegian Bunad and Cultural Belonging with Laurann Gilbertson and Carrie Hertz, Museum of International Folk Art

Nov 10, 2021

Traditional clothing can inform, inspire, and connect. Dressing with Purpose: Belonging and Resistance in Scandinavia, which opens at the Museum of International Folk Art in December, examines three Scandinavian folk dress traditions—Swedish folkdräkt, Norwegian bunad, and Sámi gákti. Host Charlotte Jusinski...

A Circle That Begins Anywhere: Here, Now and Always at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture with Tony Chavarria & Lillia McEnaney

Oct 27, 2021

From technological innovations to societal attitudes, a lot has changed in the last twenty years. As evolutionary processes go, the gallery-wide refresh of the celebrated permanent exhibition Here, Now and Always (HNA), which opened at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in 1997, offers exciting opportunities for...

An Underground Love Affair, The Palace Seen and Unseen with Archaeologists Cordelia Snow & Stephen Post

Oct 13, 2021

If Santa Fe held an election to decide the city's official meme, “I rebuilt the Palace of the Governors at my own expense” would surely garner a hefty number of votes. Various governors––Spanish, Mexican, and American––over the last 400 years have uttered versions of that phrase, highlighting their...

Failure and Flow with Glass Artist Robert 'Spooner' Marcus, Clearly Indigenous at Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Sep 29, 2021

Glass isn’t typically the first material that folks associate with Indigenous artwork. And yet, the medium lends itself well to unique cultural interpretations, combining fundamental elements of earth, air, and fire with generational artistry. Native artists have been drawn to glassblowing since the 1970s, utilizing...