New Mexico Museum of Art launches neighborhood exhibition at Santa Fe Southside Library

August 3rd, 2017

As part of its ongoing effort to include the whole of its home city in its activities, the New Mexico Museum of Art has installed a small display of historical items relating to youth art from its archives at the Santa Fe Public Library Southside Branch, located at 6599 Jaguar Drive. The items will be on display at the library through Oct. 31, and the accompanying signage is in both Spanish and English.

The seven items in the display are focused on youth art and events featured over the years, including an article on a 1919 exhibition at the museum by students from the Santa Fe Indian School, a catalog from a 1931 exhibition of art by boys at a New York reform school, a 1952 clipping from the Santa Fe New Mexican about an exchange of art between Santa Fe students and students in Hiroshima, Japan and an accompanying exhibition, as well as a catalog from a 1961 exhibition featuring art by students from New Mexico’s native pueblos.

The library display comes just weeks after the announcement by the museum of a team of architects being selected for the creation of a contemporary art annex in the booming Santa Fe Railyard district. The conversion of the former Halpin State Records Center into a contemporary art space is expected to be completed and open to the public by 2020.

“Like our project at the Railyard, something even as relatively small as this display at the Southside Library signifies, I hope, this museum’s commitment to not be ‘your grandmother’s art museum,’ but rather, that this 100- year-old institution is a living, breathing community resource available to everyone,” Kershaw added, also saying that the museum’s upcoming centennial commemorations will provide many more opportunities for all of Santa Fe to connect with the museum and its history.