An Artist Who Put His Stamp on the Southwest—and Vice Versa
After Ed Mell’s passing, his Phoenix studio tells the story of a low-key artist whose Southwest images reached the nation on a postage stamp and beyond.
January 29, 2026
Articles
Guided by Pueblo Artists, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Unclenches from Foundational Myth
Tewa artists and scholars offer a challenge—along with tea, letters, and a remarkable map—to an institution whose namesake claimed their ancestral lands.
January 27, 2026
In Cedar City, Contemporary Art Finds a Place among Indigenous and LDS Histories
Contemporary art is gaining ground in Cedar City, Utah. Inside the former Mormon frontier town, ten years after the founding of its flagship art museum.
January 22, 2026
An Artist Who Recasts Care as Ceremony, from Kitchen to Nail Salon
Tucson-based artist Anh-Thuy Nguyen declares "rice is mother" in her current solo exhibition. At her studio, a visit begins with a meal.
January 20, 2026
Unpacking the Uneasy Cultural Hybridity of Paula Castillo’s Denver Monoliths
In Paula Castillo's three new public artworks across downtown Denver, cultural fusion is an optimistic and ideologically risky proposition.
January 15, 2026
Inside Southwest ContemporaryAt Large
Conviction and Grit: Lauren Tresp Reflects on 10 Years of Arts Publishing
Southwest Contemporary founder Lauren Tresp reflects on a ten-year entrepreneurship journey, from taking over the legacy of Santa Fe's The Magazine to establishing the leading contemporary arts publication covering the greater American Southwest.
January 13, 2026
Sprung from Suburbia, Summer Raine Young Seeks Inherent Queerness of a Desert City
In cyanotypes and soft sculptures, genderfluid artist maps queer elements of Phoenix—from dilapidated signs to their own body.
January 08, 2026
Southwest Art News: January 2026
Roswell Museum's one-year update after major flood, three international biennials tap Southwest creatives, and more top Southwest art news for January 2026.
January 06, 2026
Inside Southwest ContemporarySouthwest
Our Year in Review—And the Top 10 Southwest Contemporary Stories of 2025
Southwest Contemporary reflects on 2025: 181 articles, 125+ artists featured, and 330,000 readers reached. As AI threatens journalism and the arts, discover why reader support matters more than ever.
December 23, 2025
At Home in the High Desert: 2026 Exhibitions at Hecho a Mano
The Santa Fe gallery’s 2026 lineup celebrates art at the intersection of imagination, innovation and tradition.
December 23, 2025
Why Write About Art at the End of the World?
At the unofficial wake of a legendary art magazine, a SWC editor weighs the real-world purpose of arts journalism.
December 18, 2025
Kimball Art Center Invites Park City to “Return to Wonder” this Winter
Returning to Wonder opens January 16, 2026, at Kimball Art Center featuring Pipilotti Rist, Josiah McElheny, Katie Paterson, and more. Experience world-class contemporary art at Park City's premier cultural destination.
December 16, 2025
Editor’s Picks: Southwest Contemporary‘s Winter 2025-26 Art Guide
The Southwest art world doesn't hibernate. SWC editorial director Jordan Eddy selects thirty-five exhibitions—and three hot trends—for the cold season.
December 16, 2025
Books + LiteraryInside Southwest Contemporary
Our Favorite Books (and One Apocalyptic Podcast) of 2025
Desperate times call for exceptional reads. Pick up an ode to "bad" writing, a novel set in the West Bank, and more 2025 book picks by the Southwest Contemporary team.
December 15, 2025
Cabin Fever? Apply to These CDMX Residencies and Escape Your Studio
If you're feeling cooped up, Mexico City delivers intense cultural saturation. Discover residencies that drop artists and curators straight into the action.
December 11, 2025
Will the Long-Awaited Las Vegas Museum of Art Serve Locals or Tourists? Here’s a Clue
A forthcoming Las Vegas museum may be linked to LACMA, but its preemptive show Family Album threads the needle between national and local dialogues.
December 09, 2025
In Truths Be Told, 15 Artists Prove Tradition is the Future of Resistance
Fifteen contemporary artists reimagine traditional art forms to address social justice, colonialism, and climate change at Museum of International Folk Art.
December 09, 2025
Southwest Art Museum Shatters Its Permanent Display for a Grassroots Rebuild
In Colorado Springs, an art center's landmark reinstallation of its collection reconsiders the Southwest—breaking the old shape of regionalism in art history.
December 04, 2025
Tamarind’s Collectors Club: Four Decades of Supporting Collaborative Printmaking
Tamarind's printmaking programs are supported by annual memberships. Collectors Club members receive an exclusive lithograph, 20% discount on editions, and early access to new editions.
December 03, 2025
Southwest Art News: December 2025
Utah-born artist Alma Allen tapped for Venice Biennale, Colorado artist Danielle SeeWalker headed to the West Bank, and more top Southwest art news headlines for December 2025.
December 02, 2025
On the Edge Explores “California Cool” Through the Collection of Joan and Jack Quinn
Discover works by Basquiat, Warhol, Mapplethorpe, and Hockney that defined California's anti-conformist creative spirit, on view at the Tucson Museum of Art December 13, 2025–May 10, 2026.
December 02, 2025
Abstraction, Accumulation, and Activism: Three Artists Confront the Dangers of Extraction
In Shifting Topographies, three artists’ varied approaches find common ground in exposing the deadly threat of extractive industries.
November 26, 2025
Southwest Museum Shop Gift Guide: Don’t Just Shop Local—Support Artists
Your 2025 holiday guide to affordable gifts by local artists at Southwest museum stores, in person and online. Shop Black Friday, Museum Store Sunday, and beyond.
November 25, 2025
Bless Me, Cecilia: What Happens When a Star Curator Arrives in Santa Fe?
Cecilia Alemani rolled out an exhibition like no other in Santa Fe—its visionary weirdness will hit everyone a bit different.
November 20, 2025
Master the Art of Lithography: New Workshops at Tamarind Institute
Tamarind Institute introduces nine specialized lithography workshops in 2026-27, from one-week intensives to four-week immersions covering stone and aluminum plate techniques, collaboration, teaching strategies, and more.
November 19, 2025
Formulas or Feelings: Artists Tackle The Tough Question of How To Price Their Art
From pure intuition to a pricing calculator, artists and gallerists across the Southwest reveal how they actually put numbers on their work.
November 18, 2025
Studio light | space: Where Contemporary Art Breathes in Tucson’s Historic Barrio Viejo
Founded by artist Beverly Fisher in an 1850s adobe home, Studio light | space is Tucson's intimate gallery for contemporary art that rewards sustained presence. Featuring nationally recognized artists in thoughtful, light-filled exhibitions.
November 18, 2025
Colorado Artist Residencies: Mountains to Metropolis
From the High Plains to the Four Corners region, Colorado’s artist residencies are as rangy as its landscape. Find out which one is right for your practice.
November 13, 2025
Plot Thickens in Colorado Censorship Row as Artist—and Her Subjects—Speak Out
A Denver museum’s alleged act of censorship is stirring national debate, as stakeholders clash over who gets to tell the story—and who gets heard.
November 11, 2025
World-Renowned Curators Headline SITE Santa Fe’s 2025 Curator Talk Series
Meet the curators behind the most innovative contemporary art exhibitions within the last five years. SITE Santa Fe hosts Ekow Eshun, Miranda Lash, Sara Raza, and Diana Campbell, November 2025-January 2026.
November 10, 2025
