New Mexico Museum of Art

It was an in and out of visit, having just done a heaven on earth two hours private tour at Georgia O'Keeffe museum. The adobe style of building is more interesting, which was completed in 1917, by architect Isaac Rapp. In front of the museum is New Mexico's walk of fame of the artists. Of course I found Georgia O'Keeffe - my most favorite artist!

⸻ The New Mexico Museum of Art Plaza is a true gem! Established in 1917, this charming museum offers a wonderful mix of impressive, inspiring works and more approachable pieces that make art feel welcoming to everyone. I visited on a Community Day and was warmly welcomed with free admission. The reception staff were friendly and informative, setting the tone for a great experience. One highlight of my visit was discovering the work of artist Eugenie Shonnard—absolutely fabulous! Her sculptures, watercolors, oil paintings, and even furniture pieces were beautifully displayed. I also loved that the museum has interactive areas where visitors can create their own art. It’s a thoughtful touch that adds a fun, creative element for both adults and children. Highly recommend a visit—whether you’re an art lover or just curious, this place has something special to offer.

Great small museum, excellent exhibitions, NM artists, just $12, well worth a visit.

We really enjoyed our visit. I think it is worth the cost. Not tons of galleries but enough to be interesting and not overwhelm.

This review is for the museum shop…we didn’t have time for the museum, but I stopped by the shop twice. My favorite gifts for friends come from museum shops and this one is excellent. I found some delightful cashmere scarves. They also carry cards, jewelry, silk scarves, shawls, etc.

Loved my visit, great collection, great exhibition, stunning courtyard and nice little sculpture garden too. $12 and you get into the modern art museum up the road on the same ticket. Nice gift shop as well.

While I have not been able to go inside, the architecture of this place is amazing. I loved the old Spanish colonial style!

Considering this is my new line of work, this place is an amazing place to be present! If you have a chance, come down and check out the museum. They are going to be changing out some of the galleries soon and the new building downtown is almost completed. There are some amazing piece is being put into the Valdem building at this point in time. The new building will be opening on September 23.

This Museum is located in the square in Santa Fe. There is a small fee for this place as it is a museum. It is a small place with an outside plaza located in the middle which is why the place looks big on the outside. I thought the most interesting part of this museum was the beautiful architecture of the building. Not sure I would return as there are many places to visit while in Santa Fe New Mexico.

I frequent the museums when I am visiting with my folks in Santa Fe which is at least three times a year. Fortunately museums are not in short supply here, as I am positive that I've never visited the same museum twice in the last ten years. Each museum is unique, as so many are subjects are available in New Mexico. Santa Fe and Taos are known for their cultural heritage and the corresponding art of the local Indian tribes, Mexican influences and so on. If you can't find a museum in Santa Fe that interests you then you need to get out of the house more. The New Mexico Museum of Art right off of the downtown square has a lot of great blown glass sculptures by the likes of Dale Chihuly and William Morris on display. The collections are well curated and displayed thoughtfully. Taking your time you can expect to spend just under two hours here.it is not a large museum, but it is a pleasant one to visit.

We came here on a Sunday afternoon. We loved all of the exhibits-there is a great bend of art styles here. We even got to hear a live choir sing in the distance, which made our experience all the more special. Whether you prefer sculpture, paintings, or photography (or much more), you will have a feast for the eyes. Don't forget to visit their gift shop!

This a very delightful museum right in the heart of Santa Fe! We took a day trip to Santa Fe and didn't really have time to see all 8 museums in the area, but if you have time get the $30 cultural pass! It's completely worth it especially if you're an out of state visitor. The art inside is very unique and fitting for NM. Outside you have the beautiful red chiles stringed up. They also have an out door sculpture garden which was also beautiful to see. The museum workers were super helpful and nice.

This is a fabulous smaller museum just off the plaza. The galleries are broken up well and the art we saw was very good. The staff was all very friendly with the guards opening doors for us and the museum staff gave a thorough overview of the galleries when we bought our tickets. The main courtyard is so serene and peaceful. This was a favorite of the museums we've been to in Santa Fe.

The New Mexico Museum of Art is a small museum but well laid out, with a beautiful courtyard in the middle marked by a sculptured fountain and frescos on the walls. When my friend and I visited last month, we were captivated by the architecture. The two ladies at the admissions desk were very nice; they had free lockers so we could check our backpacks while we toured the museum. Our favorite exhibit was The Nature of Glass, with many innovative works using the medium. There are two floors of exhibits, plus the courtyard, outdoor sculptures, and a side room laid out like a large church, with beautiful old wooden beams in the ceiling. We enjoyed our visit to the Museum of Art and appreciate the hospitality of all the staff!

Filled with more great art by people from New Mexico, or people who were inspired by/fell in love with New Mexico. This is a much smaller museum than I thought it was going to be, but it still offered some good exhibits. I think my favorite part was the building itself. The courtyard is really nice as well. I fell in love with the Oriental Poppies. They are beautiful and the ones in the courtyard are huge! When you get your ticket, there are only two people at the desk. Only one does tickets, and the other does culture passes. We had quite a line going because of this and I think that both people should be capable of doing both tickets and culture passes. Additionally, I wanted to purchase a museum magnet from the museum shop. It was $4. What a steal, but when I went to purchase it, the gal at the register said I had to spend at least $5 dollars to use my card. I had no cash at the moment. The gal said that her bosses are sticklers about that. So, I left without a magnet. Either make the magnets, and other small items $5 so customers automatically meet that criteria, or change the criteria. They probably won't change either, so have some cash on hand just in case.

Decent little museum to while away a couple hours in a good location . Staff here was helpful and liked the relaxing lil courtyard .

After being somewhat let-down by the Georgia O'Keefe museum, this lovely, comparatively overlooked museum made up for the disappointing start to the day. The building itself is quite pretty, with a lovely Spanish central courtyard and galleries surrounding it on two floors. The galleries themselves had a very nice mix of southwestern (and other) art, both by artists that I had heard of and by many that were were new to me. There were also some outdoor sculptures in the side courtyards, which rounded out the collection. The museum is not huge, but it made for a nice hour diversion during our visit to Santa Fe. I definitely enjoyed it more than the nearby O'Keefe museum and would recommend anyone who wants a good broad taste of the area's art to stop in for a visit. The interesting gift shop is also worth a stop.

While I enjoyed the museum overall, I had an uncomfortable experience at the gift shop. Despite having just one item, the employee insisted on putting my purchase behind the counter even after telling her I was fine, and not approaching other customers in the same way, making me feel singled out. Improved customer service could enhance the overall experience for visitors like myself. I intended to spend more but was dissuaded by the customer service. The museum was great and they have a very nice gift shop which I would have spent a lot more time at if the employee there hadn't immediately acted suspicious of me and insisted putting my things I wanted to buy behind the counter. I would have thought it was because she was trying to be helpful if I had a lot if things in my hand but it was after just picking up one thing and other shoppers were in the store, so I was being singled out. I told her I was okay, she ignored me and insisted by putting her hands out. It was an unpleasant experience. I spent 100 dollars but would have spent a lot more if the customer service wasn't so bad.

A small museum easily walked through in under an hour. The building is gorgeous and my favorite part. Admission was free when I was there as several exhibits were down but you can also use a reciprocal museum card. Friendly staff as well.

Perfect place for a special event! My company hosted a dinner in the courtyard of the museum and it was so memorable. The courtyard is simply beautiful, and Charlene and her team went above and beyond to take care of us and set us up with everything we needed (including a recommendation for a home-run caterer- Walter Burke Catering!) Thank you, Charlene and team! Very special location for an event.

This was a nice museum. It is the first contemporary art museum in America. It opened in 1917 in a beautiful building. We enjoyed the exhibit of the religious male group of penitents who helped their communities before there were more Catholic priests. The death carts were perfect for Halloween. We wish there were many more of their collection on display. Their inner courtyard is spectacular. They have an information book of the plants, flowers, art, sculptures, and patrons. There are murals of native Americans doing normal daily things. The St. Francis of Assisi auditorium/chapel had several murals of his life. There are two sculpture gardens and displays of local artists that weren't as interesting as their permanent collection pieces or inner courtyard. Their gift shop is one of the best. They have framed prints, note cards, jewelry, leather purses, silk and cashmere scarves, vases, glassware, art books, music, etc.

A wonderful accident of a visit! We initially wanted to go to the Museum of History but decided to stick around here anyways, and I'm glad we did! The museum had so much to see! Lots of beautiful colorful paintings, elegant sculptures, and some artifacts too! I felt like we ended up spending more time here than we did at the history museum. The staff were also so nice here!

The gift store is a fun place to wander. Jewelry, handbags, masks, artist related postcards, books and memorabilia for sale. Nice store associate was very helpful and friendly. Buy some art posters or simply enjoy their wares for sale.

Loved it! It's not a huge museum but we really enjoyed the selection of art that they have. They also have a gorgeous patio.

Nice museum to go to if you have a lot of time. $12 is a bit much for out of state visitors since the museum is pretty small with two floors.

Although this is not my favorite museum in Santa Fe (partial to Georgia O'Keeffe and Folk Art), it's still a lovely way to spend an hour or so. It's a fairly small museum which is good -- I like manageable collections. The entrance fee is reasonable -- $12. In addition to the art inside (two floors), there are two outdoor sculpture gardens to check out. Friendly staff. Small gift shop however they had some really cute items (purses, jewelry, scarves, books, etc).

What is art if not to be thought provoking? The display here on our visit certainly was that. I'd never heard of "Desert Transcendentalism", as put together by the Phoenix Art Museum for this exhibit. "A believer in numerology, astrology, and faith healing, Agnes Pelton's abstract compositions propelled her into an esoteric world epitomized by the Transcendental Painting Group (1938-1942)" the website states. From our holiday visit it appears that this museum is very family friendly (big puppet show going on) and community involved. Very casual. Ongoing workshops for everyone, hands-on for the kids, rotating exhibits. The patio is a nice place to sit, contemplate. Check it out.

The attendant was very friendly and the architecture of the building itself is pretty interesting. It wasn't too big but I felt it had a lot of interesting pieces. The only think I didn't really like was that the security guards hovered a little too much for me to feel like I could just chill and journal for a while in front of certain paintings like I like to do in museums. That being said I understand why they have too. The best part for me was this section where the paintings are group according to different groups/ generations of New Mexico painters. I would recommend it for that portion alone (especially if you already have the cultural pass).

I haven't visited the museum but the St. Francis Auditorium is gorgeous and great accoustics. Friends have raved about concerts here. The building is gorgeous and I would love to see the rest of the museum.

Only visited once, but I remember the sculptor garden fondly, especially on a clear day. Can NM have any bluer skies? I was very impressed with their permanent collection. When I was there, I was introduced to Judy Chicago's art from a special exhibit. Am a fan.

Liz in the museum gift shop is a hidden gem. So knowledgeable and fun to chat with. My husband and I spent an hour in there today. Super nice lady - we'd come back just yo see Liz!

The New Mexico Museum of Art is a nicely-sized and high-quality art museum featuring local artists, cultures, and artistic traditions. The museum is an excellent way to appreciate the region. One of the main wings showcases paintings from New Mexican painters and artistic groups from the past 100 years. Many of the paintings highlight the landscape and the native people. Similarly, the few outdoor sculpture gardens also help bring to life the customs and traditions of the native Pueblo peoples. The attached chapel features many religious paintings and motifs which come from New Mexico's catholic and Spanish past. Lastly, the upstairs gallery on nighttime paintings is a bit less focused on the region, in case you want to enjoy some art on a different topic. At $12, it's a bit lower value vs. some of my favorite (and much larger) art museums in other cities. But it's still a fun activity and worth the admission, in my opinion. Also, if you're planning to visit multiple state-sponsored museums in New Mexico (such as the New Mexico History Museum next door), consider getting the Culture Pass for $30 - if you visit 3 or more museums, it pays for itself. Enjoy the visit, and I hope you gain a greater appreciation of the state and its history!

The greeter (the African American woman with the beautiful hair), was sooooo kind and friendly. So accommodating. The museum itself is very limited, and has a lot of sculptures if that's what you're in to. It also has a lot of Will Shuster's artwork if one is interested in him. Overall, the exhibits don't really stand out, but have their own beauty for those who are interested in social justice artwork. They had a great exhibit called Breath Taking for that reason. It was a nice exhibit since I had just undergone a breathing workshop the week prior, and have an appreciation for breath. The gift shop didn't have what I was looking for (coffee mugs and tree ornaments) but does have postcards, and beautiful jewelry to name a few items.

A nice museum their focus is on contemporary Art as of October, not my cup of tea I'm more of a classic Western Art guy. you might have to go to some of the galleries to get that kind of works of art. I wish they would just have a one section on Western Art that is not contemporary abstract, instead of the whole museum being based on contemporary abstract. I imagine they have quite quite a collection of classical Western Art in their storage. They did had a wonderful courtyard area that had lots of what I would call more classic Western Art ...murals just wonderful panels made by well-known New Mexican artists.

This museum adds to my southwest curiosity. From visiting various parts of the country, I honestly think that where you grow up directly influences the person you become. In New Mexico with the colors(more on the museum walls later), the heat, the wide open spaces, the blue skies, the brown tint to everything, the red and green chile, and everything else in between... it's a type of psychology that I wish could be measured. I feel like this museum is a must. It's smaller than most art museums. There aren't any of your usual famous painters here. This museum seems to be all about local artists and New Mexico terrain. I was honestly surprised that it wasn't busy on the day we went. We were on a timeline and the choice was between this museum and the O'Keefe Museum. We wanted variety and this museum gave us that. This museum is great about showing the state's history through art. Paintings. Exhibits. Sculpture garden. I enjoyed this museum more than I thought I would. I'm already months removed and this museum is one of the many highlights of my trip. It's definitely one of my favorite destinations that we visited in Santa Fe. The walls are bright which I loved. Most art museums are plain with white and black walls. Not this museum! Each room is a bright southwestern color. Orange. Yellow. Bright Blues. I loved it! It added to the museum and southwestern experience! Most of the art is always there but they do have special exhibits. One of the exhibits during my visit was an exhibit that played with light and photography. I also enjoyed the interactive exhibits. There were boards everywhere that asked visitors a question. From there, you could fill out a card and post it to the board. I wonder how long they keep the answers up and what they do with them once they take them down. SAVINGS ALERT! SAVINGS ALERT! Buy the culture pass. It's $30 and it's good for a year! The culture pass is good for many museums throughout Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and other parts of New Mexico! With the admission here being $12(April 2017), it's a steal if you plan on visiting a lot of museums while in New Mexico!

Our original intention was to visit the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. But after thinking about it, and finding out NMMoA was already open, instead of having to walk further AND wait another hour to do something, AND it cost less (by $1 but still....), we decided to spend our morning at the New Mexico Museum of Art (also...we assumed there would also be more variety at than at the O'Keefe Museum). Ticket sales went a little slow, but they had literally just opened for the day. So while we waited our turn, a staff member gave us a rundown of the current exhibits, as well as the lowdown on the Culture Pass (NM residents...get ON this!! 100% worth the money even if you only go to 2 of the 16 places!) I have to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit here! It isn't a huge museum but it packs a punch. After paying admittance, you walk in to the courtyard area. It is surrounded by murals and it just a lovely outdoor space. It is lovelier than I am making it sound, I promise. You enter at the other side of the courtyard to get to the current exhibits. We started to the left, where down the hall was "Be With Me" (a small exhibition of big paintings) which I quite enjoyed, and "Conversations in Painting" of contemporary works (one of my favorite styles). There is also a small sculpture garden outside. They have small, fold-up chairs should you need/want to sit while taking in the art. On the second floor, a Cady Wells exhibit was set up. Turns out...that is now *also* an artist I quite like. Next to that was the "Light Tight" exhibit. We went back to the first floor after this for "Imagining New Mexico," with pieces from the permanent collection. Overall, a wonderfully varied display of art and styles! Definitely something for everyone! The highlights of the museum: - the building itself is not your traditional museum building. It has Southwest character which adds to the exhibition displays. - BOLD COLORS!! As in...the walls displaying the art. I made note to my fella that this was the only museum I had been to that had colored walls backing the works. And not only colored walls...but RED and TEAL and ORANGE. I loved it! - It is interactive! Don't pass it up, play along! If you are in Santa Fe and wanting to visit one of the many, many museums there, I absolutely recommend this one!

Nice history of Indian art in the region. Beautiful grounds. Nice gift shop with good selection of local handcrafted gifts. Would be better to explain best way to see exhibits rather than just having people roaming about

Nice size museum with both indoor and outdoor art. Native American themed art mostly but not all art is done by Native Americans. Two floors with two outside courtyards took us about an hour to see. $12/adult or $30/per person for a pass to several museums in 12 months.

Small museum with an okay collection. There was construction going on in a few places - the courtyard, upstairs - when I was there, but this was not exactly reflected in the price of admission nor were any apologies made for the inconvenience. It's also lame not to offer a student discount.

Two worthwhile bits of info to share: 1) Sole Mates: Cowboy Boots and Art, through October 17, is a fun exhibit showcasing a variety of cowboy boots as significant symbols of Western life. 2) The museum has free Friday evening programs featuring a movie screening and free popcorn (although I think this past Friday might have been the last one).

The New Mexico Museum of Art is celebrating it's 100th birthday. This is our favorite building in Santa Fe and a wonderful museum. It's worth a visit just to see the building. There are rotating exhibits throughout the year. They have a beautiful auditorium for local talks, concerts and more. If you enjoy museums and frequently travel to New Mexico I would strongly suggest becoming a member of the New Mexico Museum Foundation. It's a great deal with unlimited access to all the state's museums.

Probably the best part of the museum is the historical building itself and the courtyard. They had some beautiful murals on the walls, lots of flowers, and an awesome sculpture in the dead center. It seems like the type of place you could just sit and relax and meditate for hours. The rest of the museum I didn't care for too much. The exhibits were a bit disjointed and there was no flow to the place. If you are a local, it is still worth checking out... it seems like they change things up pretty frequently. As a tourist, there are so many galleries out on the street with incredible art that you can wander in and out of for free... I don't really see why you'd come here.

Small gift shop at the museum. Has some interesting stuff though I didn't find anything that I wanted to buy. Staff is attentive.

Beautiful collections with nice seating area for you to really take your time to admire the works. Friendly staff who offers free guide. The court yard was decorated with red chilies. I would love to visit again.

Enjoyed the gardens and artwork. The interior garden is tranquil and it was the best day for a visit to watch the sculpture fountain and enjoy the birds, etc. $7 for NM resident, not bad!

Another beautiful art museum not to be missed in Santa Fe! Lovely art work and connection to New Mexican history.

I love museums and this one, while not large, was incredible for showing the state's history through gorgeous art. The garden you see as you step through the large, rugged wooden doors is breathtaking. It was in full bloom while I was there and the stone waterfall in the center just brought it together. It was so peaceful. I'm in love with the colors of New Mexico and you certainly see that the early artists recognized that and immortalized them on canvas. I loved the brilliant reds and oranges that seem to flow throughout the museum. It was bright and lovely museum. I really enjoyed the larger paintings. Just imagining what went into the process of painting these beautiful images was mind boggling. The work here is astounding. There is a very informative walking tour that I passed up in order to see the museum at my own pace, but I did hear some of it and it's truly interesting and well thought out. The people here are beyond kind. My reception was warm wherever I was. I can't wait until I have more time to come back and explore this more.

One of the highlights of my weekend in Santa Fe. I really enjoyed the art in this museum. The art is very historical and the pieces are well organized. It's not overwhelming, to where there is too much to look at. This is laid out orderly and not over-done. The sculpture garden was amazing. I visited this place multiple times within the same day - which is nice with the day pass.

Being right off the plaza, makes this "must see" museum an easy to get to museum! We were there just as an amazing Agnes Pelton exhibit was winding down (on it's way to the Whitney NY peeps). The murals in the atria are so beautiful. Take your time and enjoy. Lots of good stuff to see here.

Come here for the free Friday evenings. I love the jewelry in the museum shop. The lady who works there is really helpful and I always come out with gifts (for myself... cough cough).

Not huge, but lots of stuff to see. Good way to spend atlas an hour.

While there were some beautiful paintings and photographs to be seen, I was pretty underwhelmed by the volume of art -- or lack thereof, to be more precise. I worked my way through the museum at a modest pace and saw every single piece in 25 minutes. That just doesn't seem to be worth $9 to me.

Not the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of art. But the price is the same. Not disappointing but not great either. Probably the best part of the museum is the historical building itself and the courtyard.

Impressive collection spanning various art periods. We greatly enjoyed the Judy Chicago exhibit there at the time. Abode mission style interior and exterior with inner courtyard. Historic building it looks like. Self-guided, two stories, sort of haphazard movement through the museum space without clear focus. Probably 15 different gallery spaces ranging from contemporary New Mexico art to native American. Would recommend the George O'Keefe museum over this one, though.

Lovely museum with friendly and helpful staff. Well curated. Enjoyed the guitar exhibit, Shakespeare's First Folio exhibit, and the Modernism exhibit as well. Recommended.

After an afternoon at this museum, I felt like I had a real grasp of how New Mexican history has shaped the art here. I have been to many museums and I cannot remember seeing such a well curated exhibit. Moreover, some of the art is just beautiful. Do not miss this place if you are in Santa Fe.

Great little museum with a versatile selection. Yay for free Fridays! Boo for no photography allowed. Yay for thought provoking selection! Boo for slightly small size for $9 (plan to spend about an hour). I'm very glad that we went and would recommend this museum for any trip to Santa Fe.