John told me about a $20 pass to several Santa Fe museums. I looked it up and it didn’t seem like a sure deal to me. I’d have to tour three museums to get my money’s worth and I’d only have four days to do it. Well, my information was out of date. I learned at my first stop today that there is now a $25 (out of state resident price) New Mexico CulturePass that gives admission to 15 museums throughout the state. I won’t be hitting any more beyond Santa Fe, but if I visit at least three museums here, I’ll have saved $2 and if I hit all four, I’ll have saved $9 (so basically pay for three admissions, get one free).

But the best part is that the pass is good until this day next year. So when (because it is nearly surely a when) I come through NM next year, I can use the pass in Las Cruces and a few other places! I actually didn’t miss anything not having the pass earlier this month; the museums are really scattered. I think ABQ is the only place I passed that had a museum where I could have used the pass and I visited the museum anyway!

Two of the museums for which I could use my pass were located across from each other, so I visited both today. There are other museums in the immediate vicinity (walking distance), but unfortunately they are not included with the pass.

I started my day at the Museum of International Folk Art, recommended by John. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but if you read everything, you could be there all day.

I started in a gallery about pottery from the Southern US, mainly the Carolinas, and got hypnotized by a video of a potter at work. There were lots of really gorgeous pieces and these are just some of my favourites.

Next, there was a small exhibit about the immigrant experience. There was a gut wrenching poem by a teenage girl who came to Santa Fe with her family from Mexico and has experienced discrimination. It finished with, and I am paraphrasing, “You call us wetbacks for coming across the river. What should we call you for coming across an ocean?”

Then came the most important collection, from the Girard family, a collection of toys, textiles, and other memorabilia from around the world (but mostly Mexico) arranged in thoughtful vignettes. This is where you could lose most of a day!

These are just a few things that caught my eye:

I spent about an hour at this museum, but actually went through twice. It was really more of a museum for me to feast my eyes on than to spend a lot of time reading. I’d consider it a must visit if you like quirky objects, textiles, and handicrafts. The gift shop is really interesting to poke through, too, and I found some Mexican blouses for only 40USD that are similar to the one I bought at the Mercado for 19USD… 😀

Next, I checked out the museum café, but there was a long line up and the current exchange rate made it rather pricey (eg. $12 for a hamburger and fries), so I decided to pass. My budget is fine, and I can’t stress that enough, but I have two late invoices that are awaiting payment and so I must remain extremely frugal. And even if I wasn’t experiencing cash flow crunch, I’d rather spend 20CAD on a pretty souvenir, like earrings, or a memory, like visits to museums. So I decided I could wait to eat and headed to the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture.

No photography is allowed in this museum, so I’m going a little by memory. The first gallery is about the history and present day situation of all the Native New Mexican tribes. It’s a really beautiful part of the museum, but full of tight little alcoves where you have to wait for people to read everything before you can do the same. The museum wasn’t crowded today and I still had to wait in line at every single exhibit in this gallery. It got a little tedious.

Next, there was a small gallery with Native pottery. Different techniques from the European tradition, but equally beautiful.

Then, there was my favourite exhibit, art by David Bradley. He paints vibrant pictures that look very cheerful until you examine them more closely and realise that they are scathing commentary on how Natives are treated in the US today.

After, there was a small gallery about Native music, drums, rattles, flutes, and the like. There was another hypnotic film. I love the drumming!

Finally, there was an exhibit about turquoise, where I learned a lot about the mineral/gem and ogled a lot of jewelery made with it, silver, and coral. I was once again really glad that I bought my turquoise earrings in Cerillo!

This was another excellent museum well worth visiting. I like that it presented a balanced view of the Native American experience.

It was snowy and cold when I came out, but I made one final stop at the sculpture garden, which featured statues of strong beautiful women.

Today was museum weather. I hope that the promised warmth tomorrow materializes so I can check out downtown! There is another museum there I’d like to do, in addition to just walking around.