Museum right on the Plaza (the main drag in town, this is not including the Vladem contemporary…read moremuseum). Has a lot to offer, but not so large that it's intimidating or overwhelming. When I visited, they were featuring "roadside attractions," focusing on Route 66 and all the kitsch and neon found along the "mother road." They also had some abstract art called "Visions of America from New Mexico." Like many museums I've visited in the Southwest and west, they had a "selections from the 20th century collection," which focused on cowboys, Mexican and southwestern motifs, and livestock. Along similar lines, they had a room on Paul Burlin, "An American Modernist in the Southwest." I've included photos of some of his beautiful, colorful work. They had a great pottery exhibit. It wasn't just any type of pottery. A lot of it had modern design (like one pot had Osama bin Laden on the side and George Bush on the other, to capture the feeling of 9/11). They also had "visions of America from New Mexico," which is a contemporary/modernist exhibit. I can't remember my cost, but I feel like it was around 12 bucks or so and was good for this museum as well as the contemporary museum. Also nice and cool inside on a hot day!

It was an in and out of visit, having just done a heaven on earth two hours private tour at Georgia…read moreO'Keeffe museum. The adobe style of building is more interesting, which was completed in 1917, by architect Isaac Rapp. In front of the museum is New Mexico's walk of fame of the artists. Of course I found Georgia O'Keeffe - my most favorite artist!

IAIA Museum is a very nice curated museum honoring and sharing the history of various Native…read moreAmerican tribes and indigenous cultures from other parts of the country. I enjoyed my visit and the museum store. I did purchase cards from the museum store. I overall enjoyed my time.

My friend and I found the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts while exploring downtown Santa Fe…read moreand decided to stop in for a visit. Fortunately for us, the museum was running a free admission Friday! Because of this, the museum was very busy, especially with a large group of students roaming around. The museum has two floors with several galleries to explore. On the first floor, I was captivated by the murals and hanging panels portraying the seasons and migration of tribes and herds. A separate downstairs gallery featured modern art pieces, and there was one particularly sobering piece on sexual abuse perpetuated by the Catholic Church. These pieces were quite heavy as you could feel the grief expressed by the artists. Upstairs felt different, showcasing Native pride through their regalia, bolos, and handmade jewelry. The upstairs galleries felt more celebratory of Native culture, drawing attention to their accomplishments and craftsmanship. Overall, the museum offers an eye-opening experience, and I left with a greater appreciation for Native art, culture, and collective lived experience.

I really enjoy this museum. I have enjoyed it much more than the native American Museum and watched…read morein DC if you are in Santa Fe don't miss it

It's a nice place. I did like the folk art museum more though. Bothered buildings are very nice.read more

Gayle and I recently retuned to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, of which she is one of Gayle's favorite…read moreartists. The only thing missing was a tour of her house up at Ghost Ranch, of which we'll resolve next year. We took the audio tour which helped explain things well, but bogged down a bit in the early middle. My interested picked up once she moved to New Mexico (from New York), and accelerated with the The "Tewa Nangeh/Tewa Country," Exhibit. This exhibition placed O'Keeffe's art in dialogue with the works of twelve contemporary Tewa artists to explore themes of sacred space, land ownership, and identity. I was particular enamored with "Tewa Tales of Suspense", an ongoing series of ceramic tiles and prints created by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Jason Garcia (Okuu Pín). He reimagines Native history and modern Pueblo life through the vibrant, action-packed visual style of classic Marvel comic book covers.

A very small, expensive museum that with a limited collection that disrespects its namesake. I…read morecannot recommend this museum. Many of O'Keefe's most well-known works were bought up by bigger museums (Met, Art Institute of Chicago, etc), and so this museum mainly has smaller pieces and studies. The curation is a bit thin, loosely chronological with some decent historical commentary, but not much placement within the broader artistic traditions within she worked. Several of her stronger pieces were stuck in weird crannies, like the side of a room showing a movie about her life, or in odd places where viewing them is blocked by installations in the center of the room. On the day we went, a show showcasing local artists' responses to her work dominated 1/3 of the exhibition space, with several of her works unceremoniously sprinkled among the local works. One of her most important late works, portraying a pelvic bone, was positioned along a passageway, while a work by a local artist riffing on the work was positioned front and center.

This was my first visit to the museum. I learned that it is a private institution, so the annual…read morepasses for other museums are not accepted here. They have some interesting permanent exhibits, and the staff is friendly and helpful. Additionally, they offer volunteer docents at certain times.

The first museum on the hill and it was a private one, very small with a few interesting…read moreinstallations, but one closed off and lots & lots of Native American sterling jewelry. Was told that was a permanent collection. So not really into that too much since there are plenty of places to see this. The gift shop located downstairs was staffed by not 1, not 2, but 3 women who were looking through the cases for personal dream purposes and asked us if we'd like to buy a bracelet for $39k??!! Very weird vibes. I'd skip this museum and head up to the four epic museums located together!! I think we didn't know any better and with limited time the whole thing was a BIG let down and $10 per person. PS when asked if there was a senior discount the lady said curtly no, seriously look everyone is a senior! Seriously skip it!

I've reviewed two other Meow Wolf venues: Convergence Station in Denver and the location in…read moreGrapevine, Texas. I made a special trip to Santa Fe from Denver just to get a gander at this one. This is the original. As I said in a separate review, Denver's convergence station is the largest at 90K square feet. But it felt more sprawling and convoluted than the smaller Texas and NM venues. I haven't seen the supermarket themed Vegas venue. This is smaller than Denver, but more coherent. Still a lot to touch and do and see. Weird things to connect. And again, if you've seen other Meow Wolfs, you'll understand all others better. In true Meow Wolf style, brilliant, bright, jubilant art that you can lay your hands all over. Stair cases to climb. Tunnels to crawl through. Someone else compared it to a colorful real life board game, and that tracks. It was busy, but not uncomfortably crowded. Like Denver, you can grab a drink at the bar and sip booze as you stroll. There are puzzles to solve here (I confess, I didn't have the fortitude or patience, but you can spend all day here solving riddles). You can go again and again and find new things every time. I am positive I am not even close to scratching the surface of any of the Meow Wolf experiences. If you want a bit more of an idea of how things work, Meow Wolf has an instagram!

This place was cool with the artist exhibits but we found the performers and performance to be a…read morebit spiritually dark. I think we would have enjoyed it more without it but they were a bit creepy. It definitely looks cooler only but it's a fun option for something to do in Santa Fe when it's hot. I don't think it was worth $90 because we only stayed an hour due to weird & dark vibes.

The finest modern art museum/gallery in Santa Fe, and one of the best in the world…read more With no permanent collection, SITE is all about cutting-edge exhibitions and retrospectives. The curation here is spectacular, each show having something unique to say that you might never find in another museum. Their thoughtful and dramatic large scale installations aren't something you can see in other galleries. Every time I come in inspired (the "muse" in "museum") delighted and moved. It's a MUST-SEE for art lovers and curious minds of all kinds. Free admission ($10 donation requested -- and always well worth it). GO. SEE.

We can only base this review on the building itself. The architecture of the building is stunning…read more The building is located in the Railyard Arts District. Unfortunately it was closed the day we wanted to visit. A nice staff person was exiting and told us to return for contemporary artworks. Admission is free. The outside wall is decorated with murals. We will try to catch it on our next visit. Metered street and lot parking.

This is a lovely gallery with attentive, knowledgeable staff. We popped in during CAKE, an…read moreexhibition of paintings by Lee Price on display in spring 2025. We stayed about half an hour. Everything's well-lit and thoughtfully displayed. EVOKE is one of several galleries in the Railway district, and one of my two favorites. You can breeze through in just a few minutes if you're not a big fan of the current show, or take up to half an hour or so to really soak it in.

A smaller gallery space with sculptures and paintings. Staff are on hand to answer questions…read more Metered and street parking.