New Mexico Museum of Art Vladem Contemporary opens in Santa Fe

Santa Fe is well known for its rich blend of history, arts and cultural heritage, boasting over 200 art galleries, more than a dozen museums and several historical sites. The city offers a vibrant scene for both visitors and locals to enjoy and appreciate. 

When it comes to museums, there’s a new kid on the block, adding to the bounty of Santa Fe’s cultural offerings. New Mexico Museum of Art Vladem Contemporary recently opened its doors to the public, showcasing cutting-edge art from the collection of New Mexico Museum of Art.

The museum comprises an 18,000 square-foot addition that bridges over an existing 20,000 square-foot 1930s warehouse within the city’s Railyard District. Seen as both a “vessel” for art, as well as a “connector” for the community, the building seeks to offer a gathering space and place of celebration and cultural exchange for all to use. 

Jai Nopek by Virgil Ortiz, courtesy photo

Mirrors of Light by Nancy Holt, courtesy image

Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama

The Vladem Contemporary was made possible with a generous lead gift by philanthropists Ellen and Robert Vladem, who are well known in Santa Fe for their support of The Santa Fe Opera, Food Depot and Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, among other organizations. The couple donated $4 million in 2018 for naming rights, which led to a public/private fundraising initiative that brought in more than $16 million.

When visitors enter the museum, they will encounter a space dedicated to the historic roots of the building, including an interactive kiosk that displays the evolution of the building along with salvaged floorboards that were transformed into wall beams. The structure actually began as a warehouse back in 1936, which once stored the wares of the Ilfeld Mercantile Company. Later, it became the Joseph F. Halpin New Mexico State Records Center and Archives before ultimately being reincarnated as the Vladem Contemporary. 

“Shadow and Light” is the museum’s inaugural exhibition, running through April 28, 2024. The focus is on the dramatic Southwestern light and how contemporary artists us light and shadow as both physical media and conceptual ideas. Works by Virgil Ortiz, Erika Wanenmacher, Angela Ellsworth, Judy Chicago, Agnes Martin, Ron Cooper and others are featured in this fascinating exhibit. Most of these artists either live here, studied here or have/had a presence in New Mexico, as well as outside the state. 

The next exhibition will be “Off Center: New Mexico Art, 1970-2000,” which is slated to open June 8, 2024. The depth and breadth of New Mexico art at the end of the 20th century will take centerstage in this exhibition. 

As Above So Below by Ellsworth Chiaroveggente, courtesy photo

Translucere1 by August Muth, courtesy photo

Near the northern entrance of the museum is the Window Box Project, a changing installation of new commissions by emerging New Mexican artists. It serves as a way for people to experience museum-quality artwork without having to enter the museum. In this manner, anyone and everyone will have 24/7 access to art, as the works will always be on display. And the hope is that it will serve as an invitation to further explore the museum. 

Vladem Contemporary will also feature an artist-in-residence program to invite contemporary artists to work and create art in a dedicated studio space. The first artist is Oswaldo Maciá, who has created a sound sculpture based in natural audio of migrating animals and insects for the building’s exterior.

Additionally, under commission is artist Leo Villareal, who will be making a digital light installation entitled “Astral Array,” on the underside of the breezeway, connecting the museum store with the south entrance to the museum. Villareal has earned international recognition for his major installations in London on the bridges of the River Thames, as well as on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. 

For those interested in virtual reality experiences, New Mexico Museum of Art has entered into an agreement with artist Judy Chicago to create an animated augmented reality experience surrounding her body of work, collectively known as “Kitty City.”  Chicago began memorializing her former pet cats as ceramic sculptures back in 2005, all of which have been promised to the museum through bequest. The New Mexico Museum of Art will use the pieces as models for animated cats that will inhabit the halls of Vladem Contemporary through an augmented reality application. 

The museum’s education center is of special note. A 2,300 square-foot space is set to offer a wide range of educational programming to increase outreach and engage more with the local community. Teaching artists will be hired to share their expertise and skills, offering hands-on activities for school tours, monthly family art-making sessions and workshops.

Vladem Contemporary Museum, courtesy photo