Santa Fe is a small city with around 90,000 people. It’s also one of the oldest cities in the United States, with a rich indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican heritage. Throughout its history, this rugged high-desert city has inspired and attracted local and international artists to its old streets. From the multicolored sunsets to the desert blooms, colonial facades, and clouds of burning mesquite and ponderosa pine, there are infinite inspirations for artists to draw from.
Visiting Santa Fe: The Art Capital of the West
Santa Fe boasts over 200 art galleries and almost two dozen world-class museums. Recognizing its unique contributions to art and culture, UNESCO named it the first Creative City in the United States. Magazines like Travel & Leisure and USA Today ranked the city amongst the world’s top destinations for art lovers. And as soon as you arrive, it’s easy to see why.
Entire city blocks dedicated to art are radiating out from the Palace of Governors and Santa Fe Plaza. Every day artists set up along the 17th century walkways to sell everything from Native American artisanal crafts to painstakingly detailed portraits. No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it here.
Standing kitty-corner to the historic Palace of Governors is the celebrated New Mexico Museum of Art. This popular museum sits inside a renovated Puebloan building. The museum’s galleries feature a continuum…
