Santa Fe: A Truly Artistic Destination

The name Meow Wolf might strike you as odd (in the best way possible, of course), but wait til you get inside. In 2008, a group of more than 100 artists across different disciplines came together to collaborate on the creation of this psychedelic funhouse aimed at storytelling through an immersive, multimedia experience. With architects, sculptors, writers, painters, etc. all working on the project, their first permanent exhibit, the House of Eternal Return, opened in March 2016. Visitors work their way through a mystery involving a Victorian house, secret passageways, a number of different rooms, interactive light, musical objects and more. Can you solve it?

Simply put, the Jackalope is a home and gardening shop. Pretty ordinary, right? Well it's not as ordinary as it sounds! Darby McQuade founded the store in 1976 as a way to share his experiences as a globetrotter, and since then it has become "the spot" in Santa Fe for purchasing garden necessities and authentic home decor from places such as Mexico, India, Thailand, Bali, Africa, China and Egypt. Among the collection of items for sale, you will find international folk art, pottery sculpted from clay that's from a specific world region, handmade furniture and much more. The popular gallery and shop combo attracts more than 900,000 visitors annually. When you stop by make sure you take a picture with the iconic Jackalope statue outside!

Folk art is often associated with textiles, costumes, ceramics, wood carvings, etc. but what makes it unusual and authentic? The Museum of International Folk Art can answer this question in more depth here, but at the heart of what defines each piece is the community it came from. Founded in 1953, the Museum has grown tremendously since then, exhibiting more than 130,000 examples of international folk and traditional arts dispersed among 5 different galleries: the Hispanic Heritage Wing and Contemporary Hispanic Gallery, the Girard Wing, the Neutrogena Wing, and the Gallery of Conscience. The Gerard Wing's long-term exhibition Multiple Visions: A Common Bond is an unofficial fan fave for its unorthodox showroom, featuring various art pieces that are hanging from the ceiling at different heights and bold areas of color used to define sections of the exhibit.

Dating back to the 1st century BC, glassblowing is not a new art form. However, contemporary artists have developed their own styles and techniques to differentiate their pieces among the rest. Liquid Light Glass is a glass gallery and studio owned by award-winning glass artist Elodie Holmes. While the team at the studio is made up of passionate glass blowing enthusiasts, the gallery also features international guest artists. The studio also invites visitors to witness glassblowing in action and even offers classes. For more information, click here.