Common Ground: Art in New Mexico
Common Ground: Art in New Mexico
Since the arrival of humans more than 13,000 years ago, New Mexico has been a center for artistic production and creativity. Few places in the United States can celebrate such a significant and continuous history of artmaking, from prehistory to the ingenuity of the current moment. Art in New Mexico is characterized by the celebration of tradition, innovation within heritage, and groundbreaking developments of new forms and ideas. People of diverse cultures have lived together and influenced each other throughout the centuries.
Many museums often make sense of this diversity by dividing cultures into more clearly identified groups. However, humans do not always live in easily defined communities. This is especially true in New Mexico. The broad range of the Albuquerque Museum’s permanent collection reflects New Mexican creativity in its many forms.
“Common Ground” presents multiple perspectives and voices exploring the lived experiences, cultures, histories, and art in this region. Artworks are grouped by several guiding questions bringing artists and the diverse ideas, peoples, and places represented into dialogue. These works of art illustrate that as humans, we have more in common with each other than we have differences that divide us. Acknowledging the sometimes violent and complex history of our region, the museum strives to tell the stories that impact how each of us reacts to and experiences the world around us.
New Acquisitions
Albuquerque Museum announces the acquisition of Richard Diebenkorn’s painting “Untitled (Albuquerque),“ 1952, currently on view in “Common Ground.” Recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Richard Diebenkorn completed an MFA degree at the UNM (1952). He lived and worked in Albuquerque from 1950-1952 and described how the deep colors of the landscape, spectacular mountains, and vast blue skies of New Mexico deeply impacted his abstract works. The breakthrough he experienced in New Mexico shaped some of his most important later works.
Made possible by the Diebenkorn Foundation and the Frederick Hammersley Fund for the Arts at the Albuquerque Community Foundation, the Diebenkorn acquisition follows a series of important works recently added to Albuquerque Museum’s collection including prints, photographs, and installations by artists Delilah Montoya, Nicola López, Ron Rael, Paula Wilson, Raven Chacon, Joanna Keane Lopez, and Yoshiko Shimano.
Raven Chacon's sound installation and score is on view in “Broken Boxes: Art, Action and Dialogue.” Ron Rael's “Pink Teeter Totter” that was installed on the U.S. Mexico border wall and Yoshiko Shimano's print installation are on view in “Common Ground.” Joanna Keane Lopez's adobe works will be included in “Abstracting Nature,” opening in June of 2025. Along with these acquisitions, the Museum holds one of the most important collections of Delilah Montoya's works which will be featured in a major exhibition of her installations, prints, and photography, opening in January of 2026.
Images:
Richard Diebenkorn, “Untitled (Albuquerque),” 1952, oil on canvas
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Flathead Salish), “The Court House Steps,” 1986, oil on canvas