After six months of government-mandated lockdown, museums across New Mexico are reopening. Here’s what you need to know.
**Updated October 5, 2020**
516 Arts
Reopening: open as of October 3, 2020.
Tues-Sat, 12-5 pm.
Need-to-know: Visits are by appointment only.
On view: Feminisms
September 26, 2020-January 2, 2021
Featuring artists of various cultures whose creative possibilities use the theme of feminism in its most expansive meaning and accompanied by a series of online public programs.
Albuquerque Museum
Reopening: open as of September 22, 2020.
Tues-Sun, 9 am-5 pm.
Need-to-know: All visitors, including children and museum members, must secure a timed ticket prior to their visit. Tickets must be reserved online and will not be sold at the museum. Reserve a ticket here. Open at 25% capacity. Safety measures will include limited capacity with physical distancing, engineering controls, administrative controls, stringent cleaning protocols, and face masks required for staff and visitors.
On view: Selections from Trinity
While the related online exhibition Trinity: Reflections on the Bomb features an expansive range of more than 100 works of art and artifacts from artists nation-wide, Selections from Trinity is an installation of 17 works of art that directly hone in on the event of the explosion and the physical bomb itself.
Opening October 3: 30 Americans
30 Americans showcases many of the most important contemporary artists from across the United States. Created from the 1970s to the present, the artworks are aesthetically and thematically diverse. This provocative exhibition explores how artists shed light on issues of racial, sexual, and historical identity.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Reopening: open as of September 25, 2020.
Thurs–Mon, 10 am–4 pm.
Need-to-know: The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum follows New Mexico’s COVID-safe practices and CDC guidelines. Masks are mandatory for staff and visitors ages 2 and older. Timed tickets are required for entry to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Limited tickets are available. Tickets are available two weeks prior to visitation date. Reserve your tickets online in advance of your arrival. Tickets cannot be purchased on-site. Parties are limited to four tickets per purchase.
NMSU Art Museum
Reopening: open as of September 19, 2020.
Need-to-know: The museum will run on a timed entry system, allowing up to ten people to enter in 30-minute time blocks. This system will welcome visitors on a first come, first served basis. Guests can reserve a spot in advance from the art museum website. Museum staff will be following strict cleaning procedures to ensure the safety of all visitors.
On view: Labor: Motherhood & Art in 2020
This exhibition, co-curated by museum director Marisa Sage and artist Laurel Nakadate, aims to expand and enrich the compelling conversations regarding motherhood in today’s socio-political climate. Extended until December 6, 2020.
SITE Santa Fe
Reopening: open as of September 11, 2020.
Need-to-know: SITE is offering free admission to Displaced, their current exhibition. Reservations are required for timed entry and can be made online. SITE will be collecting contact tracing information from each visitor. A one-way path throughout the museum guides the direction of visitors, limiting clusters or traffic.
On view: Displaced: Contemporary Artists Confront the Global Refugee Crisis
Initially scheduled to open in March, Displaced is an exhibition focusing on human migrations and displacements of the past, present, and future. Through works created in a range of media, artists from around the globe foreground forgotten histories, ask us to bear witness to the highest levels of human displacement on record, and imagine futures where migration is essential for survival.
Harwood Museum of Art
Reopening: open as of October 1, 2020
Need-to-know: The museum is operating at 10% of capacity, allowing a maximum of 30 guests at one time. No docent tours are offered at this time, and groups can be no more than 5 people. At this time guests are not required to reserve a space online. A voluntary online guest log is available to support contact tracing. All high-touch surfaces and restrooms are cleaned frequently, and all staff require daily COVID-19 screenings before entering the building.
On view: Contemporary Art/Taos 2020
A juried exhibition to bring to light the unknown (and known) talent of artists living and working in Northern New Mexico or with deep roots in the region.
Las Santeras: Images of Faith and Folklore
Initially scheduled as the Harwood’s summer exhibition, Las Santeras explores the influence of female artists working with the cultural devotional arts of New Mexico and Colorado. Steeped in history and tradition, these women have paved their own paths in an artform that for decades has been largely dominated by male artists.
The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)
Reopening: open as of September 16, 2020.
Need-to-know: MoCNA is opening at 25% capacity (maximum 40 individuals at any given time), with timed entry tickets. No docent-led group tours or school tours are available at the moment.
On view: Tom Jones: Strong Unrelenting Spirits
Strong Unrelenting Spirits features new works from Tom Jones’ series of portraits that are rooted in his Ho-Chunk identity. On view through March 28, 2021.
Tamara Ann Burgh and Luanne Redeye: FRAMED
FRAMED investigates issues of self-representation and identity and examines the “American Experience” from a Native perspective through mixed media works. On view through Sun, January 24, 2021.
New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Museums and Historic Sites
Reopening: open as of September 24, 2020.
Need-to-know: The eight museums and seven historic sites overseen by the NM Department of Cultural Affairs have varying open times and safety regulations. Operations are resuming at 25% of normal capacity. Access to some areas will be limited or remain closed in compliance with public health directives, including theaters, classrooms, libraries, collections storage, and picnic/snack areas.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Reopening: open as of September 1, 2020.
Need to Know: New museum hours are 10 am-4 pm Tuesday-Saturday. Entry is timed, guests can reserve a spot online here. Face coverings required by all guests. Visitors are required to provide general information in the event that contact tracing is requested by the State. Contact tracing information is required to enter.
On view: From Converse to Native Canvas
Case Trading Post Lobby (Lower Level)
Mass-produced sneakers (especially Converse) have been a medium for Native American artists for well over half a century. The three pairs currently on display in the Case Trading Post lobby, demonstrate the longevity and diversity in turning an everyday item such as commercial footwear into a personal treasure and work of art.
