© 2017, Contemporary Narrative Weavings by Bonnie Clark / Dakini Dreams, Adobe #1, Magic in the Desert: Santa Fe Reflections
In the early 1900s, Taos, NM had become an important outpost of American art. Scores of East coast painters traveled there each summer and their paintings, seen in traveling exhibitions, introduced the nation to the indigenous cultures and landscape of the southwest.
Santa Fe’s leaders watched in dismay as wealthy visitors passed through their dusty streets on their way north to Taos. The city had to develop its own mystique in order to capture its share of tourists. So, the city imposed a building code requiring all new structures be designed in the Pueblo Revival Style, incorporating the Indian pueblos’ use of vigas and sunbaked adobe. Soon Santa Fe started drawing its own "cultural tourists". And once those tourists discovered the mystery and allure of Santa Fe, they never stopped coming.
For almost a century, Santa Fe has been the center for the American visual arts. It’s home to the nation's third largest art market, and there are more than 200 art galleries dealing in every genre… Native American (historic pieces, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, weavings, jewelry), western art, contemporary abstract, realism, landscapes, and folk art, just to name a few. It’s also home to a community of hundreds of serious artists who are dedicated to their work. Artists drawn to the area because of the landscapes, the architecture, and the culture. And the light. You’ll never forget the light once you’ve experienced it.