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Taos, New Mexico

Art Is the Heart of It

By Jerome Richard

The first artists in Taos, New Mexico were the pueblo-dwelling Tiwa Indians who were making elegant pottery for hundreds of years before Euro-Americans arrived. The town’s modern reputation as an artist colony, however, can be traced to 1896 and a broken carriage wheel. In that year, Ernest L. Blumenschein and Bert G. Phillips, two young American artists, were touring the Southwest to do illustrations for McClure’s Magazine. They were in northern New Mexico when their surrey got caught in a deep rut and one of the wheels broke. The nearest blacksmith was in Taos, twenty miles away. Blumenschein lost a coin toss and set off with the broken wheel.

Phillips joined Blumenschein in Taos as soon as the carriage was fixed, and never left. Blumenschein only stayed a few months, but returned frequently. Both of them told their artists friends about the beauty of the Taos setting—a high plateau surrounded by mountains—and many came. In July, 1915 Blumenschein, Phillips, and four others founded the Taos Society of Artists which promoted traveling exhibitions to major American cities. Blumenschein and his artist wife settled there permanently in 1919.

Artists, including Georgia O’Keefe, have been coming to Taos ever since, followed by art collectors. By one count there are 150 galleries in this town of 6,000 people. It depends, however, on what you mean by a gallery. Some are essentially souvenir shops with some pictures; some are extensions of an artist’s studio; and some are serious galleries bearing the works of recognized artists. Besides paintings, there are galleries devoted to sculpture, photography, pottery and fiber arts. There is no particular Taos school now: you can find works of every imaginable kind, including Native American, representational, and abstract.

It is the setting, as well as the company of other artists, that is the attraction. The town sits on a high plain, 7,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo mountains, rising to 13,000 feet Wheeler Peak, the highest crest in New Mexico. This setting provides clear air that accentuates the pastel colors of the countryside and adobe buildings. It also provides opportunity for skiing, white water rafting, golf, and other outdoor activities, but Taos thrives on art.

There are also five art museums in town, most housed in the former homes of Taos artists or art patrons. One is the 1797 structure the Blumenscheins bought when they settled in Taos. Maintained more or less as the Blumenscheins left it, it give you some idea of life in Taos in the 1920s. Featured are the works of both Blumenscheins as well as some of the other members of the Taos Society of Artists.

Close by the Blumenschein Museum is the Harwood Museum of Art. Operated by the University of New Mexico, the Harwood exhibits the full range of Taos art, but specializes in the modern art that developed on the east coast after World War II. Dennis Hopper, who shot some of Easy Rider in Taos and lived there for several years afterwards, also was a catalyst for the arrival of artists from Los Angeles.

Called a “living old master” and the Michelangelo of his time, Nicolai Fechin was born in Russia in 1881 and moved to America in 1923. He designed and built his own house in Taos in 1928, living and working there for the next six years. The house and its adjoining studio are now on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of his stunning works, all portraits, are exhibited there. The Fechin Inn is adjacent.

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The newest of the five art museums in Taos is the Van Vechten-Lineberry. Edwin C. Lineberry built it in 1994 as a memorial to his late wife, artist Duane Van Vechten. In addition to her work, the modern building contains paintings by both contemporary and earlier Taos artists. This is also the site of the annual Taos National Exhibition of American Watercolor, a juried show representing artists from all over the United States. The show runs from about mid-May to late August.

Just outside town is the Millicent Rogers Museum. This striking structure pays homage to the taste of a nationally recognized patron of the arts who lived in Taos from 1947 to 1953. The core of the exhibition is her collection of Southwest Native American and Hispanic art, including jewelry and pottery. The collection has been continuously supplemented with contemporary native works.

Art is so central to Taos that it offers a annual, month-long Spring Arts Celebration in May with special exhibitions as well as dramatic and musical performances. Yet, art is not everything, even in Taos. The town’s colorful history includes Kit Carson who spent some time there in 1826, and then returned in 1843 with his new bride. The home he purchased still stands and is part of the Kit Carson Museum.

Other history museums include La Hacienda de los Martinez, a massive, dull-looking adobe fortress that was the home of a prominent early 19^th century trader and the terminus of the Camino Real between New Mexico and Mexico City. Also of some interest is the small museum in what was the house of Charles Bent and his family. Bent was the first U.S. governor of New Mexico and was killed by local Hispanics and Pueblo Indians. It is fascinating to hear about this at the museum and compare it to the version told at the Pueblo Indian Reservation just outside town.

The Taos Pueblo is an adobe compound inhabited by the local Tiwa Indians for over 900 years. You can tour the pueblo and purchase authentic Indian goods, including pottery, jewelry, and homemade breads. The Pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is a full range of inns, motels, and B&Bs in Taos. I particularly enjoyed the Sagebrush Inn. It’s a fully modernized, multi-structured adobe style inn with a variety of accommodations, most including a full breakfast. The rooms feature hand-carved furniture and tiled baths. There are also two indoor hot tubs and an outdoor pool. The Sagebrush Inn has its own collection of paintings, Indian rugs, and artifacts, and it is the site of an Art Intensive Workshop during the Spring Arts Celebration.

Taos Visitor Information: Phone l-800-732-TAOS, or visit www.taosguide.com.

A $20 ticket is good for admission to all seven museums (5 art, 2 historical) and is transferable and good for one year from date of purchase. Individual admissions are also available. www.TaosMuseums.org.

Taos Pueblo Tourism: P.O. Box 1846, Taos, NM 87571. Phone: (505) 758-1028. Website: www.taospueblo.com. Admission: $10 adults (includes guided tour). Less for seniors and children. Photography permission: $10 per camera; $20 for movie or video cameras.

Sagebrush Inn & Conference Center, 1508 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, P.O. Box 557, Taos, NM 87571. Reservations: 1-800-428-3626. Website: http://sagebrushinn.com.

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