New contemporary art centers in Dallas and Santa Fe, and more Southwest art news headlines for October 2024.
News
Santa Fe photography nonprofit Center to open contemporary photography venue in December:
Amid its thirtieth anniversary celebration, Santa Fe-based photography nonprofit Center has announced plans to unveil a new venue for photographic exhibitions and educational programming in Santa Fe. The new Pacheco Street space will open to the public in December, offering a gallery, lectures and classes, and a media library. The space’s opening is planned for a month after Center’s signature annual event, the Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium. “Our new venue is the realization of a longtime vision of offering ongoing programs that serve the Santa Fe community and our global audience,” stated executive director Laura Wzorek Pressley in a press release.
UT Dallas unveils new Crow Museum of Asian Art location, signaling the rise of a new cultural district:
On September 24, University of Texas at Dallas leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a second location of the Crow Museum of Asian Art. The 57,000-square-foot building—designed by California architecture firm Morphosis with a price tag of $63.5 million—is the first of multiple cultural buildings to open as part of UT Dallas’s twelve-acre cultural district, the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum. Officials also broke ground on a performance hall and music building. The new facility showcases an array of innovative Asian art exhibitions, including an inaugural display of its permanent collection, Ancient Echoes, Modern Voices: The Crow Collection Goes Beyond. The Crow’s senior director Amy Lewis Hofland told the Dallas Morning News that the institution has “‘always looked north,’ because of the Asian enclaves in the suburbs” surrounding its new location in Richardson, Texas, which is seventeen miles from the museum’s original location in downtown Dallas.
Phoenix Art Museum announces partial acquisition of Indigenous art collective’s border-bisecting installation:
The Phoenix Art Museum has added elements of Repellent Fence/Valla Repellente (2015), a land-art installation by interdisciplinary art collective Postcommodity, to its permanent collection. The large-scale installation is the fortieth work acquired by the museum with funds provided by its Men’s Arts Council. Repellent Fence was a two-mile-long installation that utilized a string of twenty-six balloons to bisect the U.S./Mexico border. Postcommodity artists Raven Chacon (Diné), Cristóbal Martinez (Genizaro, Pueblo, Manito, and Chicano), and Kade Twist (Cherokee) collaborated with stakeholders on both sides of the border to realize the installation and bring attention to the region’s longstanding immigration crisis. The acquisition comprises two ten-foot-diameter balloons, one video of an installed balloon, and one photograph.
Grants and Awards
Southwest arts organizations receive NEA funding to expand arts access and empower underserved communities:
The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded significant funding to several Southwest arts organizations through its ArtsHERE pilot program, aimed at expanding access to the arts for underserved communities. Notable recipients include AfroMundo and Working Classroom in New Mexico, which will enhance civic engagement and support for BIPOC artists. In Colorado, KUTE (KSUT) will expand creative media training and cultural programs for the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribes, while Phamaly Theatre Company will facilitate inclusive performances for individuals with disabilities across multiple cities. Organizations in Texas and Utah also received funding, with grant amounts ranging from $65,000 to $130,000, totaling $12.356 million for the federal initiative.
Santa Fe Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts to honor Lucy Lippard, Hernan Gomez Chavez:
On October 2, the Santa Fe Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts will honor notable figures in the city’s arts scene, including acclaimed art writer Lucy Lippard and Hernan Gomez Chavez, leader of the Pete’s Place art program for artists who have experienced homelessness. The awards celebrate outstanding contributions across six categories, recognizing artists, educators, and organizations that inspire and engage the community. Other notable recipients include the Santa Fe Youth Poet Laureate Program and Exodus Ensemble. Seating for the awards program at SITE Santa Fe, which is free and open to the public, is currently full.
Leadership Changes and Appointments
Danyelle Means appointed executive director of Santa Fe’s Museum of Indian Arts and Culture:
Danyelle Means (Oglala Lakota) has been named executive director of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after serving as interim director for eight months. With a background in leadership roles at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, and Center for Contemporary Art Santa Fe, Means is committed to celebrating Native voices and fostering deeper connections with New Mexico’s rich cultural heritage.
University of Arizona Fine Arts dean will step down in 2025 to focus on Islamic art research:
Andy Schulz, dean of the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts and vice president for the arts, has announced he will step down from his administrative roles when his contract ends on June 30, 2025. During a planned administrative leave in 2025–26, Schulz aims to complete research on the legacy of Islamic art in Spain before returning to teach art history.
Laurel Cannon Alder appointed deputy director of Salt Lake City Arts Council:
The Salt Lake City Arts Council has named Laurel Cannon Alder as its new deputy director. Alder brings over thirty years of experience in the arts and nonprofit sectors, having previously served as grants manager for the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, where she oversaw a multimillion-dollar budget supporting arts initiatives across Utah.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth announces new education team and program manager:
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has announced several key staff appointments, including Tiffany Wolf Smith as curator of education. Smith, previously assistant curator of education, will lead the department’s initiatives, while Fernando Alvarez, Sarah Theurer Hunt, and Maria Barrientos take on new roles as assistant curators and docent coordinator, respectively. Karla Barthelmy-Hippolyte is the new auditorium program manager, overseeing film, music, and performance programs.
