Old Taos
A fascinating slice of visual history from the Taos County photo archive
By Rick Romancito
Community has from the beginning been the driving force when it came to settling the region known as Taos Valley. With the Pueblo Peak and a southern spur of the Rocky Mountains holding forth over the occasional hustle and bustle, punctuated by an unmatched serenity, Taos has become a natural gathering place for creatives, adventurers, outlaws, farmers, ranchers and even celebrities from time to time.
Harwood at 100
The beloved Harwood Museum of Art celebrates one century in Taos
By Dena Miller
John Dunn
The man and his legacy
By Cindy Brown
The life of Long John Dunn is a study in contrasts and a portrait of resilience.
Dunn was imprisoned in Texas, yet escaped and became known as the King of Taos. He admitted to his own sleight of hand in gambling, but also was a respected member of the Taos community. He arrived in Taos with nothing, but through sheer determination and a bit of luck, went on to own four saloons, a gambling hall, a hotel, two bridges, a livery stable and to control most of the transportation in and out of Taos for close to 30 years. In Max Evan’s 1959 biography of Dunn, “Long John Dunn of Taos: from Texas Outlaw to New Mexico hero,” Evans says, “He lived in his ninety or more years one of the most incredible lives of any of the old-time westerners.”
Dunn almost starved and escaped being killed many times, yet he survived to be 94 years old. What accounts for the near-miraculous life and luck of John Dunn or as he was known in Taos — Juan Largo?
Great Galleries
Not-to-be-missed art galleries representing some of the best artists in El Norté
By Dena Miller & Photos by Sam Joseph
There are two types of people who visit Taos: those who come for the immersion in a culturally rich art colony and those who come for its many other notable attractions. If you fall into the latter camp, then allow this to serve as your road map for unlocking some of the art treasures to be found, for there are many.
Keeper of the flame
Millicent Rogers Museum preserves Taos history and culture
By Rick Romancito
The origins of the Southwest’s most storied cultural institutions are often as interesting as the objects preserved within…
Museum Magic
Historical homes, exquisite fine art, regional jewelry and much more
By Jocelyne Kizziar & Photos by Sam Joseph
This winter, step out of the cold and into the hearth of Taos Art and Culture. Several museums in town masterfully act as storytellers for one of the most culturally rich places in all of America and continue to shine a light on its future.
The Left Bank of the Rio Grande
Imagine your art classroom has walls of sheer, soaring red rock cliffs and a ceiling of blindingly blue Southwestern sky dotted with cottony clouds.
By dena miller
Rugs, Riches and Ray Trotter
Off the well-beaten path of popular Taos center sites, Ranchos de Taos is a must-see for visitors and locals alike.
by Jocelyne Kizziar
Gallery Boomtown
Like everywhere, Taos felt the impacts of the pandemic, but this spunky mountain town took the lemons handed to it and made a pitcher of the proverbial lemonade.
By dena miller
Couse-Sharp Historic Site
One piece of art to see
by Davison Packard Koenig, executive director and curator
Harwood Museum of Art
One piece of art to see
by Juniper Leherissey, executive director
Taos Historic Museums
One piece of art to see
By Rob Nightingale, vice president of Taos Historic Museums
Millicent Rogers Museum
One piece of art to see
by Greta Brunschwyler, executive director of Millicent Rogers Museum
Gaze ‘Through the Eyes of Fechin’
The home of a renaissance man
By Tamra Testerman
After an invigorating morning on the slopes of the Taos Ski Valley, or a high alpine hike, the day may call for some indoor culture, and good local food conveniently close to your destination. Taos is home to many galleries, museums and historic sites, all within an easy drive from the center of town.
A favorite for visitors from around the world is Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, 227 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte. The Fechin House, built by Russian artist Nicolai Fechin (1881-1955) is said to be his love for his family made manifest in art. The 4,000 square-foot, asymmetrical adobe Pueblo and Mission Revival house, with 24-inch walls, is a breathtaking example of Southwest architecture and is an epochal landmark in the architectural landscape of Taos. Fechin’s mastery of metalwork, sculpture, wood carving, painting and drawing is never more clear than in the house that Fechin built.
The current exhibition, “Through the Eyes of Fechin” features paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs from private collections not exhibited before in the same space.
TJ Mabrey
The City of Albuquerque acquires Taos artist TJ Mabrey sculpture for the Public Art Collection
The story behind TJ Mabrey’s sculpture, “Three Sisters,” is complicated. It’s related to agriculture; and it speaks to survival from agriculture – for both the human race and our home, the Earth. Continue reading “TJ Mabrey”
Crown Jewels
Taos museums survive and thrive in 2021
By Dena Miller
Notable exhibitions and big dreams are in the works for Taos museums: Couse-Sharp Historic Site; Harwood Museum of Art; Millicent Rogers Museum; Taos Art Museum at Fechin House; and Taos Historic Museums. Continue reading “Crown Jewels”
A Call to Passion
While Taos has been welcoming a wave of new home owners, the art community has likewise opened its arms to four new galleries in town.
by dena miller
Toby Putnam – via Montana – opened his gallery LUN + ojo (111 Paseo del Pueblo Norte) in December 2020, and now, he’s “doing exactly what I want to do.” Under the watchful eyes of a taxidermy bison head (“Hunted by bow and arrow 40 years ago”), Putnam and his canine buddy, Buck, welcome you to what he affectionately refers to as “curated chaos.”
Arts Alive
Angel Fire art and businesses are back
By Jacqui Binford-Bell
Arts in Angel Fire and the Moreno Valley may not be as easy to find now as they once were. There used to be two galleries: The Rupp Gallery and Arts Space Gallery. But as respective owners Carol Rupp and Katherine McDermott discovered, you can either create art or sell it.
Elusive Time
The journey to Taos for artists Lucy and Dirk Herrman always seemed to them a foregone conclusion.
By Dena Miller
“It was just an intuitive thing, that somehow I just knew we would live in New Mexico,” Lucy said, and Dirk concurred. “We moved a lot but on our first visit here we knew this was going to be ‘home.’ It was an immediate, powerful draw.”
