From the Editors: Southwest Contemporary Vol. 14 — Alien
Aliens invaded the culture again this year. Southwest writers and contemporary artists had already made compassionate contact.
September 04, 2026
Natalie Hegert
Field ReportTexasVol. 14 Alien
Field Report: Lubbock
Located on the high plains of West Texas, Lubbock is a creative hotbed in the middle of the cotton fields, with a vibrant art scene that draws big crowds to downtown and devotees to the fringes.
September 04, 2026
Editor’s Picks: Southwest Contemporary’s Summer 2026 Exhibition Guide
As the nation marks 250 years this July, SWC arts editor Natalie Hegert picks thirty-two exhibitions that offer an antidote to the flag-waving displays of patriotism.
June 29, 2026
Southwest Contemporary Denounces ArtReview USA, an AI Slop Machine Victimizing Creatives
A shadowy outlet is scavenging content from reputable art publications. It's a striking example of an AI-driven scam targeting artists.
June 22, 2026
From the Editor2026 New Mexico Field Guide
From the Editors: New Mexico Field Guide 2026-27
This edition of the New Mexico Field Guide is an invitation to take in a dynamic year of New Mexico arts programming—and then experience it in motion.
May 22, 2026
Feature2026 New Mexico Field GuideNew Mexico
Meow Wolf Opened the House of Eternal Return 10 Years Ago, and Has Been Expanding Ever Since
Meow Wolf’s first interactive installation celebrates its tenth anniversary, marking an era of staggering growth and expansion, with even more to come.
May 22, 2026
Editor’s Picks: Southwest Contemporary’s Spring 2026 Exhibition Guide
Looking for a spiritual awakening this spring? Arts editor Natalie Hegert traces a visionary and esoteric throughline among thirty-seven of this season’s top exhibitions.
March 27, 2026
From the EditorVol. 13 The Road
From the Editors: Southwest Contemporary Vol. 13 — The Road
Southwest Contemporary: The Road reconstitutes even the busiest Southwest arteries as byways that tether far-flung places and people.
March 20, 2026
Arrows on the Quanah Parker Trail
The “largest art installation in the world” covers the land in Texas once shared by bison, Comanche, and their horses. As a memorial, it represents but does little to repair.
March 20, 2026
Inside Southwest ContemporarySouthwestThe Road
Ghost Roads: How AI Almost Infiltrated the Editorial Process at Southwest Contemporary
Our call for pitches for “The Road” was regurgitated back to us by AI writers around the world. We almost fell for one of them.
March 17, 2026
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
From the EditorVol. 12 Obsession
From the Editor: Southwest Contemporary Vol. 12 — OBSESSION
Southwest Contemporary: OBSESSION foregrounds artistic fixations, revealing the loops, patterns, and intensities that define the Southwest’s cultural landscape.
September 08, 2025
All Vibes Must Die: Industry and Virality in the Lisa Frank Warehouse
Lisa Frank, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, offers up a rainbow-bedazzled mirror to the emptiness of the American dream.
September 05, 2025
PhotographyTexasVol. 12 Obsession
Phoebe Shuman-Goodier Transfigures Trash into Tender Monuments of Care and Possibility
Phoebe Shuman-Goodier’s photography marks her sculptural collaborations with her father, and a shared obsession with transforming a junkyard into art.
September 05, 2025
Counterculture Summer: Southwest Contemporary’s Summer 2025 Art Guide
Don’t sit it out. These sixteen explosive exhibitions across the Southwest will keep the fire lit for your summer of resistance.
June 18, 2025
Travel2025 New Mexico Field Guide
Unique New Mexico: Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts
The Spencer Theater, with its soaring form echoing the surrounding mountains, exemplifies Antoine Predock’s design philosophy.
May 23, 2025
An Artist Who Wrangles Cattle, Pours Iron, and Pulls Prints
Artist Jack Craft operates a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle while producing minimalist sculptures and experimental prints.
April 17, 2025
Amid Long-Term Closure, Flood-Stricken Roswell Museum Extends into the Community
While the Roswell Museum’s doors remain closed following the disastrous flood last year, support comes from the local community and statewide arts organizations.
April 08, 2025
From the EditorVol. 11 The Hyperlocal
From the Editors: Southwest Contemporary Vol. 11 — The Hyperlocal
Discover how Southwest Contemporary: The Hyperlocal explores art that connects immediate environments to global concerns—from borderland communities to regional myths and climate concerns.
March 07, 2025
ArtistsTexasVol. 11 The Hyperlocal
The Hyperlocal: Cindee Klement
Houston-based artist Cindee Klement depicts otherwise invisible systems and their interconnections to encourage local ecological recovery in the Energy Capital of the World.
March 07, 2025
ArtistsNew MexicoVol. 11 The Hyperlocal
The Hyperlocal: Jess Lanham
Since the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fires, Jess Lanham has been creating work about the stark changes in her hometown of Las Vegas, New Mexico, using fragments and wildfire ash.
March 07, 2025
In a Slash-and-Burn Era for Federal Funding, Here’s How Texas Arts Advocates Angle for State Support
Over 200 arts leaders descend on Austin's Capitol to dispense Texas charm—and return-on-investment pitches—for state funding at Texas Arts Advocacy Day.
February 20, 2025
“The Doors Were Breaking, Things Were Moving”: Inside the Roswell Museum After Disastrous 500-Year Flood
Museum insiders offer firsthand accounts of the flash flood that breached Roswell Museum in October—and an update on the uphill battle for remediation.
December 19, 2024
Study Up: Here is Southwest Contemporary’s Fall 2024 Art Guide
Don’t miss these essential art exhibitions across the Southwest for fall 2024, featuring major surveys, immersive installations, and artistic dialogues.
October 02, 2024
Turning up the Heat: Inside the Controversy Sparked by Drag, Censorship, and Public Funding in a West Texas City
When the Lubbock City Council defunded a popular art event for promoting the “LGBT Agenda,” confirming fears of repressive drag bans in Texas, the art community got fired up.
September 20, 2024
FeatureSouthwestVol. 10 Radical Futures
Radical Architecture, Radical Imagination: How Will We Live in a Hotter, More Arid Future?
Science fiction authors have provided many visions of dystopian futures in the Southwest. Can architects help avert such disastrous outcomes?
September 06, 2024
Field Report2024 New Mexico Field GuideNew MexicoTravel
Field Report: Roswell, New Mexico
"Come for the aliens, stay for the art!" sums up the compelling reasons to visit Roswell, New Mexico—a mecca for UFO culture and contemporary art.
May 24, 2024
SITE Santa Fe Young CuratorsNew Mexico
SITE Santa Fe’s Young Curators Work with Southwest Contemporary to Offer Their Critical Perspectives on Art
Southwest Contemporary teamed up with SITE Santa Fe to produce a series of articles written by high school students taking part in their 2023-24 Young Curators program.
March 27, 2024
Belonging: Contemporary Native Ceramics from the Southern Plains Speaks to Both Ancestors and Future Generations
Belonging: Contemporary Native Ceramics from the Southern Plains brings together works by seven artists that range from ceramic vessels to monumental sculptures to installations that radiate outward in space.
March 19, 2024
ArtistsTexasVol. 9 Living Histories
Andrew Ina: Living Histories
Andrew Ina's multi-media artwork delves into diasporic memory and displacement, using his family's photographs documenting their lives in Lebanon and the United States.
March 01, 2024
