Museum of Spanish Colonial Art

"We want to open the doors to what we think is the heart and soul of New Mexico," says Stuart Ashman, Executive Director of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, the first museum to be devoted exclusively to the artistic expressions of the first settlers in the United States. American history focuses on events on the East Coast, but in fact, Juan de Onate established the first settlement in what is now the United States in 1599, and Santa Fe was established in 1608. The settlers were "a little peninsula coming from the south, more closely connected to Spain than Mexico," Ashman says.

The art of those early Spanish settlers, primarily expressed in the form of devotional art and utilitarian objects, has been mostly unknown outside of a group of dedicated collectors - until now. On July 21, 2002, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts opens in Santa Fe, and the art of our earliest pioneers will at last have a showcase.

New Mexico influenced and changed the traditional Spanish art forms by limitation, Ashman says. Locally-available metals replaced traditional materials such as silver, and a lack of trained artists sometimes lends a folk art interpretation to traditional Spanish forms. The resulting objects have a unique place among the larger context of Spanish Colonial art.

The museum's oldest New Mexico-made objects date from the late seventeenth century, and items in the museum's collection range from elegant, gold-covered angels to primitive painted wooden figures and include paintings on animal hides, textiles and furniture. The intricate work of a gold filigree necklace contrasts with a simply-formed pine cabinet. Tiny wisps of straw form golden images on black wooden backgrounds. Images of saints range from elegant classically-styled oil paintings to crude handmade figures. All are united by their connection to Spain's colonists.

The museum is located on Santa Fe's Museum Hill. Permanent exhibits at the museum include

• Conexiones (Connections), featuring some 500 of the museum's finest works.

• Un Mundo del Arte (A World of Art), works from the greater Spanish world.

• Hecho con Fuego (Made with Fire), a collection of ironwork, tin work and pottery.

• Tesoros (Treasures), personal objects such as hair combs and jewelry.

• La Casa Delgado, an 1815 period room based on the estate inventory of Captain Manuel Delgado.

• Visiones (Visions), a gallery for contemporary works in the traditional styles.

• Futuro (The Future), an exhibit of work by today's youth.

• Cambios (Changes), hosting temporary exhibits organized around themes in Spanish colonial art such as representations of an individual saint.

• Obras Nuevas (New Works), a showcase for recent acquisitions.

A Mexican colonial house built in Mexico around 1780, donated by the Denver Art Museum, stands on the grounds.

The museum building is also historically significant. Designed in 1930 by architect John Gaw Meem, a leading figure in developing New Mexico's Spanish Colonial/Pueblo Revival architecture, the house was originally commissioned by John D. Rockefeller to be the home of the director of a nearby museum. The house is the only Meem structure in Santa Fe that retains its original integrity. In 1998, an anonymous patron donated the house to be the Spanish Colonial Arts Society's home. A $7 million renovation has turned the home into a museum-quality display space and added a state-of-the-art collection storage facility.