Common Ground: Art of New Mexico
A bold reinstallation of Albuquerque Museum’s permanent collection
Albuquerque Museum
Albuquerque, New Mexico
www.albuquerquemuseum.org
When Curator of Art Andrew Connors, Curator of Exhibits Tom Antreasian, Curator of Education Elizabeth Becker, and Curator of Collections Steve Petit, talked about reinstalling the Museum’s showcase for its permanent collection, Common Ground, they made a decision: Let’s not just rearrange the pictures.
From deep in the Museum’s vault, the team developed an exhibition about juxtaposition, challenge and diversity. Although the Museum began collecting New Mexico art decades later than other major art museums in the state, its collection is perhaps more diverse, moving beyond vast landscapes and mesas, turquoise jewelry and traditional Native American or Hispanic art, Connors says. The Museum’s mandate has always been to celebrate all cultures and aesthetic traditions, allowing the Museum to tell the history of New Mexican art as it is lived, with many cultures co-existing as neighbors.
Credit:
Edward Gonzales,
Patrocino Barela (after Prather),
wood carver of Taos, ca. 1990
