Santa Fe! Part Four: The Magnificent International Museum of Folk Art

This incredible "telephone wire art" comes from Africa...and yes, it is REALLY true that it is entirely constructed from multi-colored telephone wire! Hard to believe, considering the intricacy... I cannot begin to fathom the hours and hours of work this piece entailed! And there were many more like it, made by many different African artists. This was my favorite display in the museum. 

                         

My favorite excursion in Santa Fe was to this fabulous museum, where folk art was represented from around the world.  This is what it says on their website: 

"The museum's holdings represent diverse cultures and constitute the largest collection of international folk art in the world. The core collection, donated by museum founder Florence Dibell Bartlett, from 34 countries has grown to over 130,000 objects from more than 100 countries".

There is really nothing more that needs to be said, apart from the fact that I spent an utterly delightful morning at the museum, and definitely want to return at some point! Humor me:  there are a lot of photos because it was too hard to select for just a few... hope you enjoy looking at them all, and I am sorry that I no longer remember what countries many of them came from. 



Looking toward the lovely hills from outside the museum... it was indeed a gorgeous day in the Santa Fe mountains! 


This photo is of a miniature "theater set" --one of several such pieces--from one to two hundred years old, collected from all over Europe. They were incredibly detailed and magnificent! 


Since none of this series of "miniatures" are captioned, see if you can guess what countries the various ones (a huge collection, taking up a very large room) might have come from!











\
















The next two are of "prison art", all created by New Mexico inmates. VERY clever and innovative, as you can imagine the limitation of supplies. 

Seems hard to fathom, but these magnificent pineapples are contructed entirely of colored paper! 


My favorite, after the pineapples! Made entirely of wood, this miniature piano has the most minute--and perfect!--detail. 


You couldn't have a complete folk art museum without the beautiful--and whacky!--Mexican art, which is near and dear to me, after my extended time living as an expat in Mexico. The first piece of course represents "Dia de Los Muertos", or "Day of the Dead".  The second--the very beloved alebrije-- is a mythical creature made from paper mache. (You could see photos of a lot of them if you read my blogs from Oaxaca!) 





The last three below are more of the African telephone wire art... so spectacular! 







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Albuquerque: Sweet City in the "Land of Enchantment!" Part One (January 31st to February 11th)

Image
 Arriving in town around noonish, I made my way to my first house and pet sitting gig here in Albuquerque (or, simply "ABQ" as it is often written...no surprise there!). I obtained this "job" through a platform called "Trusted House Sitters"-- a site that enables the traveler to find places to stay around the world, in exchange for taking care of the house and whatever pets reside there. Although I am a professional pet sitter and accustomed to being paid, it seems a fair trade when traveling, since I no longer have a "permanent" location for which to advertise/promote my service. The fees I had to pay to become a member were well worth it: if I had to find Airbnbs to stay in (anywhere in the U.S.), I would have to spend hundreds of dollars per month. In short, I am MOST grateful for this brilliant arrangement! Both of these rescue dogs are the canine children of Marie, a most lovely and generous woman who lives in the sweet, clean and well-organ...
Read more

The Nomadic Journey Begins! Death Valley National Park, CA. (January 18th -- 22nd)

Image
  Not realizing it was a holiday weekend, I was somewhat dismayed to see 'my' beloved sand dunes crawling with people... oh well, the scenery that greeted my eyes upon arriving in Death Valley was still quite lovely.   My new nomadic journey officially began on Saturday, January 18th. I left Sacramento with my Kia Niro Hybrid stuffed to the gills with everything I figured I would be needing for months on the road: Clothes, food, camping gear, cooking gear, my cushy mattress for sleeping in the car, a basic "pantry" of food, cold stuff in a small cooler, toiletries. In short, more than I would take for international travels-- I have the "luxury" of a car, after all!-- but still living as a minimalist.  AND... it is STILL too much!  Early morning fog in Sacramento as I prepare to depart in Dharmini, Saturday the 18th Yep, pretty stuffed, my little Kia Niro! A semblance of organization is essential for the nomad!  The biggest challenge I have faced so far is m...
Read more

Tijares -- Sandia Mountains above ABQ-- Dog Sitting for "The Beast"! (And Other Critters) March 14th - 28th

Image
 One of the most amazing Rover jobs I have had to date was the two-week gig I spent caring for this "beast"-- a pit bull by the name of "Moto Moto"-- in the Sandia mountains. Although totally different terrain, and having a very remote feel, this small community of Tijares is only a 25 minute drive up the mountain from Albuquerque. Furthermore, the drive is fairly scenic, and follows the historic route 66 (Although, sadly, a major interstate--route 40-- now usurps the quaint 66.) The beauty and charm of the pine forest and mountains is in stark contrast with the dry, brownish aspect of ABQ itself, and was a wonderful change of scenery for me. It is at 6300 feet, and as such, does get a modicum of snow in winter-- hence, the delightful, light snow fall I was graced with during my first couple of days up there.  As for Moto Moto (so named by the teenage son after the hippo character in the anime movie Madagascar), he was a force to be reckoned with! Only two years old...
Read more