Beloved Denver art maven Devon Dikeou dies, Salt Lake City museum confirms demolition for new sports complex, and more top Southwest art news for November 2026.
News:
Denver-Based Art Maven Devon Dikeou Passes Away at 63:
Devon Dikeou, the Denver-based artist, curator, patron, and collector, died in September of natural causes. She was sixty-three. Dikeou is remembered as “a generous person with expansive taste and practices”—such as founding zingmagazine and making genre-bending conceptual art. Her work is on view in Colorado Currents at MCA Denver through November 15.
Weather-Related Incident Causes Tragic Death at Taliesin West in Arizona:
Rogério Renato Mateucci, a visitor at Taliesen West in Scottsdale, was killed on October 21 after strong winds tore roofing material loose from the desert home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation closed the site for a week to complete an investigation and safety inspection. Upon incorporating “Weather Station technology” into their safety practices, Taliesen West reopened to the public.
Salt Lake City’s UMOCA Confirms Demolition of Building for Sports Complex:
Smith Entertainment Group, which is spearheading the controversial makeover of the Salt Lake City arts district into a “downtown sports district,” released new renderings for the project. The plan includes the demolition and relocation of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, which shared plans for uninterrupted programming in a virtual presentation. “While we have dear feelings toward our existing building,” UMOCA executive director Laura Allred Hurtado said, “we have been buried underground, making our programming and even our institution really invisible.”
Also:
- Phoenix Symphony announced musician layoffs and the suspension of its 2026-27 season after November 1, citing operating deficits and accumulating financial obligations.
- The Other Art Fair is coming to Phoenix for the first time this month, with independent artists, DJs, and immersive art experiences in the Warehouse District.
- Western National Parks announced that Chiricahua National Park, on the Chiricahua Apache ancestral homelands, has been named the 64th National Park and Arizona’s fourth National Park. Archeological sites in the park include Chiricahua Apache wikiup rings from seasonal Apache encampments, and the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument built by the Hohokam people.
- Native arts nonprofit Indigenous AF opened Wai Gallery in the Las Vegas Arts District, which will exhibit Indigenous art made in the ancestral Nuwuvi homelands of the Las Vegas Valley.
- New Mexico’s Pojoaque Pueblo celebrated the homecoming of ancestral pottery that had been held in outside collections for 120 years. The pottery was repatriated from UC Berkeley and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Poeh Cultural Center opened an exhibition that honors the pieces and their connections to the Pojoaque people.
- New Mexico’s Zuni Pueblo received federal funding to support repairs to public and private infrastructure in October. Severe storms and flooding in July had damaged ceremonial trails and culturally significant locations.
- Albuquerque Museum Foundation broke ground for their education center, which aims to host up to 25,000 students each year with learning opportunities and community connection.
- Art As Teacher Foundation introduced themselves as a new institution that will “promote contemporary art of every discipline in Taos.” Among their board members is Taos-based artist Larry Bell.
- OmniHum Gallery in Taos, which has worked to make artwork affordable and accessible to the public, announced what they hope will be a temporary closure of their physical space. They will sell work online in the meantime.
- On the two-year anniversary of flooding that devastated Roswell, New Mexico, the Roswell Museum & Art Center reflected on its recovery and conservation efforts, sharing optimism about reopening its doors in the future.
- Print Santa Fe announced the return of their art fair following a four-year hiatus, slated for April 30-May 2, 2027.
- King Galleries of Santa Fe and Scottsdale celebrated thirty years of promoting Native art and pottery.
- The Santa Fe International Literary Festival announced the lineup for its spring 2027 event, including Joyce Carol Oates, Min Jin Lee, Patti Smith, and Stephen Graham Jones.
- Los Angeles–based artist Rabi‘s controversial piece WE BUY SOULS! was stolen, in its entirety, from a billboard in Marfa.
- Jordan Roth, president of Contemporary Art Dealers in Dallas, launched Texaesthetic, an informational resource project that aims to document the Texas arts scene.
- Untitled Art, Houston officially opened its second edition in early October, with ninety-eight galleries participating from twenty countries.
- Marfa Invitational founder Michael Phelan announced the first Santa Fe Invitational. Slated for April 2027, the event includes an art fair, exhibitions, performances, and a summit featuring renowned artists.
- Texas Highways posthumously released Benjamin Alire Saenz’s final essay, a celebration of his home city of El Paso. The poet, novelist, and children’s book author was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Grants, Awards, and Acquisitions:
Albuquerque’s University of New Mexico Art Museum Awarded $55K NEA Grant:
The $55,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts will support UNM Art Museum’s 2027 exhibition Double Planet: Reflections on the Moon. Slated for January 2027, the show explores the moon’s influence on art and science with objects from the fine art, cartography, and natural history collections at UNM.
Also:
- Denver’s Redline Contemporary Arts Center announced their 2026-28 Resident Artist Cohort, which includes Johnny Draco.
- University of New Mexico MFA painting student Hanna Brody received the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant, awarded to emerging representational artists worldwide.
- Austin’s Frick Arts Foundation publicized their third year of granting $1,250 awards to unsuspecting, “unseen” early-career artists in Austin. Awardees include Chantal Lesley and Hannah Spector.
- Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth debuted seven new acquisitions, including work by Judy Chicago, Charlotte Posenenske, and Ilava Savdie.
- Artist Matthew Mazzotta was commissioned by The Salt Lake City Arts Council for a thirty-foot sculptural piece at Glendale Park on the Westside, with an anticipated park opening of 2029.
Leadership Changes and Appointments:
IAIA Names Mary Deleary Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts:
Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts announced Mary Deleary (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation) as the new director of IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. The IAIA alum and doctoral scholar was previously the director of the IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts. Her research centers on Anishinaabe practices dedicated to staying connected to ancestral belongings that are held within museums and archives. The move follows the June 2026 retirement of longtime director Patsy Phillips.
Albuquerque Museum Announces Merry Scully as Curator of Art:
Former New Mexico Museum of Art curator Merry Scully will lead the curatorial team at Albuquerque Museum, joining assistant curator William Gassaway. Scully most recently served as director of the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art at California State University, San Bernardino, after more than a decade in curatorial roles at NMMA in Santa Fe.
Also:
- MOCA Tucson abruptly announced the departure of Gabriela Rangel from her position as executive director, which she has held since late summer 2025. Curator Alexis Wilkinson wrote in an email to Southwest Contemporary, “Ms. Rangel Mantilla has concluded her service as Executive Director. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her continued success.”
