Acoma clay figure holding a painted pot, wearing bead earrings and a geometric skirt; exhibition title "I Am Clay."
Opening June 7 at the Museum of International Folk Art: I Am Clay: Acoma Life in Figures, the first exhibition devoted exclusively to the figurative pottery of Acoma Pueblo. Community-curated. 120+ works. A story told from within.
#IAmClay #AcomaPueblo #IndigenousArt #MOIFA
Museum Hill Libraries Open House — Fri April 24, 2–4 PM. Tours and exhibits at NMHA, MIAC and Bartlett Library. QR/link.
Museum Hill Libraries Open House
Friday, April 24th from 2-4 pm.
Find more books in interest and learn all about the SALSA library consortium: https://nmstatelibrary.org/salsa/
#NationalLibraryWeek
Two men working on a wooden plank—one hammers a nail while the other holds it and smiles.
Partially built wooden coffin stands inside a busy open-air workshop with workers and tools.
In 2019, curator Mark Sloan visited the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop in Ghana, where Eric Adjetey Anang & his father shaped wooden airplanes, fish & cocoa pods. This was not craft alone, but a living language of spirit & honor. The Art Underground: Fantasy Coffins of Ghana opens at MOIFA July 2026.
Three dancers in woven and grass skirts on stage; a child with feather headdress holds a conch, adults play percussion.
Don't miss your chance to experience Sandroing: Tracing Kastom in Vanuatu at MOIFA. Closing celebration, Sunday, April 19, 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Traditional dance, sandroing demonstrations, and cultural sharing. Included with admission. RSVP at https://my.nmculture.org/48095/55163 #Sandroing #Vanuatu
Plastic-draped gallery: red ladder, pink panel with textile and a dense hanging sculpture of colorful figures.
A reminder that the Girard Wing is temporarily closed for roof repair through May 2026. The collection is protected while work is underway, and admission is free during the closure. #MOIFA #SantaFe #FreeAdmission
Child drawing swirling patterns in a sand-filled interactive museum table while two adults watch.
The closing celebration for Sandroing: Tracing Kastom in Vanuatu is this Sunday, April 19, 1:00 to 4:00 PM at MOIFA. Traditional dance, sandroing demonstrations, and cultural sharing. Included with admission. RSVP at https://my.nmculture.org/48095/55163 #Vanuatu #FolkArt
📸 Cousineau Studios
Vibrant Mexican alebrije: winged, multicolored cat-dragon with raised clawed hands, sharp fangs, and a pink belly.
Colorful ram alebrije with green scaled head, curling horn, red wings, whiskers and long pink tongue, standing on two legs.
Colorful Mexican alebrije: horned rooster-like creature with shaggy multicolored mane, red tongue, feathered tail.
The Museum of International Folk Art presents 'Alebrijes: A Linares Family Tradition,' a bilingual traveling exhibition celebrating three generations of Linares Family artistry. Premiering May 5, 2026 at the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque.
📸 Addison Doty
Three Georgia O'Keeffe paintings in the Museum of International Folk Art's collection are now on Access O’Keeffe, the digital catalogue of the 2,200+ known O’Keeffe artworks, managed and published by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
https://access-ok.okeeffemuseum.org/actor/1985/
Twelve small painted ceramic dog figurines in assorted colors, posed sitting and lying together on a plain gray background.
Happy #NationalPetDay!
ℹ️Animal Figures, Toys, Artist not recorded, CA 1960, Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, North America.
Museum of International Folk Art, Gift of the Girard Foundation Collection, A.1979.5.646X.
(not on view)
The Neutrogena Wing, Bartlett Wing, Hispanic Heritage Wing + the Mark Naylor and Dale Gunn Gallery of Conscience remain open featuring "Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions,” “Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia,” and “Sandroing: Tracing Kastom in Vanuatu.
Free admission Apr 9–May 2026 during gallery closures; two stylized wooden figures from the Multiple Visions exhibit.
The Girard Wing will be temporarily closed now through May 2026 for critical roof repair. The Bartlett Gallery and Lloyd’s Treasure Chest are also currently closed due to regular gallery changeover. In appreciation of your patience, admission to the museum is free during these closures.
Free Family Mornings at MOIFA this Sunday. Artist Gasali Adeyemo leads an Earth Day storytelling and indigo dyeing workshop. Take home a handkerchief you made yourself. April 12, 11am to noon. ASL provided. #FolkArt #SantaFe #EarthDay
Museum gallery under renovation with long lit display cases wrapped in plastic and red scaffolding to the ceiling.
The Girard Wing will be closed to the public from April 6, 2026 to May 2026 as we complete important roof maintenance. Behind the scenes, protective measures are going up to keep the collection safe—huge thanks to LEVEL Fine Art Services for their help installing the gallery’s protective sheeting.
Group of painted clay angels with braided hair, long dresses and handheld bouquets, each in a different bright color.
Colorful clay figurines of many women gathered at a bustling market beneath multicolored umbrellas
We honor the memory of Josefina Aguilar Alcántara (1945–2026), Oaxacan folk artist and matriarch of a legendary family of artisans. Her clay figurines are in our permanent collection. A remarkable life and legacy. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/arts/josefina...
#FolkArt #Oaxaca
Woman at a lectern presenting beside a screen showing "ART Rotterdam 2026" slide about commissioning contemporary art.
Speaker at a lectern with laptop and a conference slide reading "ART 2026" on screen; a smiling attendee in the foreground.
MOIFA Deputy Director and Curator Dr. Laura Mueller lectured at Art Rotterdam on "Amidst Cries from the Rubble: Art of Loss and Resilience," examining the role museums play in documenting cultural preservation during conflict.
#MuseumMonday #FolkArt #SantaFe #Ukraine
Decorative yellow cross with rows of round cream bulbs and a central turquoise scalloped band with small red floral accents.
Egg Carton Cross, Caroline Pecos, Pueblo of Cochiti, c. 1973, Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, United States, North America
Museum of International Folk Art, gift of Caroline Pecos, A.1976.4.1
(not on view)
#folkart #objectoftheday #newmexico
I Am Clay: Acoma Life in Figures — four Acoma Pueblo clay figurines; exhibition June 7–Nov 30.
Pasatiempo takes a look ahead at upcoming exhibitions including two here at MOIFA: "I Am Clay" and "The Art Underground" www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/a-look-ahead-...
The exhibition closes today. "Wired: Contemporary Zulu Telephone Wire Baskets," the companion catalogue and first book to document wire weaving in African art, is available in the Museum Shop. Members save 10%. shopmuseum.org/products/wired-contempor...
Woman leaning to inspect woven baskets displayed in a glass case at a museum; other visitors blurred in background.
Closing this Sunday: "iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa" at the Museum of International Folk Art. The first exhibition of its kind in North America closes March 29. Don't wait. #FolkArt #SouthAfrica #SantaFe
📸 Eric Cousineau
Colorful painting of diverse people holding hands above a giant pen and trains, with doves and a panda on a train.
Santa Fe Sister Cities' 2026 Young Artists and Authors Showcase is open to students ages 12–18. Submit art, writing, poetry, photography, or original music on the theme "Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow." No entry fee. Deadline: April 1, 2026. https://sistercities.org/what-we-do/programs/yaas
Woman in fuchsia dress drawing intricate white sand design on a black tray, with woven mats and carved wooden panels behind.
SAVE THE DATE: 4/19/26 1–4 pm. Celebrate the closing of "Sandroing: Tracing Kastom in Vanuatu" w/dance performances, sandroing demos and cultural sharing with the artists and culture bearers who made this exhibition possible. ASL interpretation provided. RSVP: https://my.nmculture.org/48095/55163
Heritage arts continue to flourish in NM. Many are helped along by the unique bonds of an enduring folk arts apprenticeship program. New Mexico Mag visited with a few of these artist pairs:
Looking for a creative escape? Join us on March 22, 11 AM - 2 PM at MOIFA's Hands-on Studio! Decorate Watercolor Resist Eggs with our awesome docents!
#MOIFA #CreativeDay #ArtFun
Stylized brown tree with red berries surrounded by several blue, crowned birds and chicks with patterned bodies.
Happy Spring Equinox!
📸 "The Mother Clodhopper Takes Her Chicks to the First Spring Berries of the Dimsum Tree" / Marcia Muth (American, 1919 - 2014) / 2000s / Santa Fe, NM, USA /Museum of International Folk Art, gift of Jody Ellis, A.2017.4.3
FOLKTALES book cover by Richard M. Dorson: bearded Viking giant with sun-topped mace surrounded by folkloric characters.
Title page "A Harvest of World Folk Tales" showing a robed storyteller on a cloud with small folk‑themed drawings.
Happy World Folktales & Fables Week! At the Museum of International Folk Art we love folktales from around the world. Here are two of our many titles in the Bartlett Library. One fabulous fable we recently read was a Georgian tale titled 'the Witty Answer.' Tell us your favorite folktale?
Dark indigo robe embroidered in gold and teal with intricate mythical animals, floral motifs and red/green tassels.
Studio setup photographing an embroidered blue and gold ceremonial robe laid flat on a white board, camera on tripod visible.
Long embroidered robe laid flat on white board, blue and gold dragon and floral motifs with red and green tassels.
Photographer on a step ladder photographing a blue embroidered robe laid on a white board under studio softbox lights.
Indigo-dyed Miao jacket from China features vibrant silk embroidery with poxian xiu technique. Animals and playful figures highlight Shidong Miao's storytelling. 📷🧵 Documenting for the Museum’s collection.
Gift of Niña Sidley A.2025.30.41
#MuseumMonday #TextileArt
Toilet paper roll on blue pedestal with gold spiked halo and plaque reading "La Sagrada Papel."
Looking back at the start of #COVID: Arthur López reimagined the New Mexican santero tradition as pandemic commentary with La Sagrada Papel (The Holy Paper). Part folk art, part social satire, it's now in MOIFA's permanent collection.
#FolkArt #NewMexico
Yesterday, Shoshi Watanabe and Thomas Tenorio joined us at MOIFA for a live demo exploring what connects us across cultures and what makes each tradition singular. Thank you to co-hosts Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and partners Japan Foundation Los Angeles.
Hands painting a white egg orange with watercolors beside a palette; green banner promotes a Make & Take museum craft event.
This Sunday at MOIFA, make your own Watercolor Resist Eggs (Pysanky) in the Hands-on Studio. March 15, 11am to 2pm. Free with admission, always free for kids and members.
#FolkArt #SantaFe #MakeandTake
Oval micromosaic pendant showing two birds on a branch, framed by tiny pearls and a gold chain against a black background.
Gold oval pendant with micro-mosaic of two birds inside a red oval, framed by small pearls and a braided gold chain.
Gold chain necklace with oval enamel bird miniatures, each framed by pearls, linked by double chains.
#MuseumMonday: This 18th-century Italian micro-mosaic jewelry set is built from hundreds of near-microscopic glass fragments, placed individually by hand. Gift from museum founder Florence Dibell Bartlett. moifa.org/blog/2026/03/06/object-h...
