NEW MEXICO, DAY 5: STATE CAPITOL IN SANTA FE

 June 29, 2021

The New Mexico Capitol Building in Santa Fe is the only round capitol in the United States and is sometimes called "The Roundhouse." I love that New Mexico paid this tribute to its local culture instead of mimicking the traditional US Capitol style, as so many states do (although previous iterations of the New Mexico Capitol, most notably the 1900 version, were much more traditional).

This building, dedicated in 1966, is supposed to resemble the Zia sun symbol when viewed from above. The Zia is the symbol on the New Mexico flag, a symbol we saw reproduced all over New Mexico.

As the symbol implies, the Capitol has four similar entrances, differentiated by the sculptures in front of each one. Each entrance is topped by a stone carving of the State Seal of New Mexico.

Door handles are not my usual blog fodder, but check out these turquoise inlay handles.

The rotunda is 49 feet in diameter and 60 feet high. The skylight uses the design of an Indian basket, and the blue- and coral-colored glass represent the sky and earth.

The Rotunda floor is New Mexico travertine marble inlaid with a turquoise and brass mosaic of the Great Seal of New Mexico within the Zia design.

Wooden beams called vigas are a traditional feature of New Mexico adobe architecture. They typically project through the outside wall. A more modern version of the beams is included in some of the hallways.

The New Mexico House Chambers:

Entrance to the Senate Chambers, which look just like the House Chambers. Note the framed art on the back wall.

In 1991, the New Mexico Legislature created the Capitol Art Foundation, whose purpose was to acquire art created by artists who live and work and New Mexico for public exhibition in the State Capitol. While most of the collection is owned by the state and is on permanent display, the 4th floor has exhibit space that rotates paintings several times a year. The very first exhibition featured paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, New Mexico's most famous artist.

This may be my favorite state capitol building. It felt more like an art museum than a government building, and I applaud the New Mexico state government for their support of the arts. some of the four floors of the building (three above ground and one below) have at least concentric circles of hallways, and no space is left unadorned.

I had a hard time coming up with a favorites list. What I am posting here is just a fraction of what we saw.

Tomb Steel (n.d.) by Bob Haozous

Liberty, Religion and Communications (n.d.) by Ruben E. Gonzales

Under the Portal of Santa Fe (1992) by Elias Rivera

As I've mentioned before, I've come to love the iconography of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. Here is my first sighting in the Capitol.

All One People (1991) by Pola Lopez

And speaking of my obsessions, here is Frida! I would not count this as one of my favorite depictions of her, however.

Frida and Riwka [the artist's grandmother] (1992) by Alexandria Levin

Multicultural Harvest (1991) by Gilberto Guzman

Dialogue (2003) by Shelley Buonaiuto

Ristras II [an arrangement of drying chile pepper pods] (n.d.) by Marnie Johnson

One of my favorites. Did you notice the cat? I didn't see it until I looked for it after reading the title.

The Cat Who Came to Dinner (1996) by Suzy Shipp

This is another of my favorites, and I wish I could have gotten a glare-free photo. My one complaint regarding the art is that every piece had glass or plexiglass over it, I'm sure to protect it from touching fingers since there are not enough guards to keep an eye on everyone.

Old Santa Fe Trail (1998) by Polly Jackson

I recognize the Chicano/a low-rider/death trope from our visit to the Harwood Museum in Taos. This is My Lowrider Heaven (1993) by Anita Rodriguez. (Close-up of lowrider on right)

Hawks (1979) by Evelyn Rosenberg

I interrupt my stream of paintings to highlight another wonderful feature of the NM Capitol: The seating areas.  There are niches on each floor that contain seating areas that are themselves pieces of art. Each piece is handmade and identified by its artist/maker. (Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of their name cards.)

With few exceptions, the pieces are meant to be used.

Additional artworks are hung behind them, as if the space is someone's home.

Yeah, I love the New Mexico Capitol.

This is the most mysterious (at least to me) painting in the museum.  As far as I know, Paul Gauguin did not visit New Mexico. However, this painting does seem to mimic Gauguin's style, inserting the classic New Mexico landscape and death imagery.

Buenas Tardes Señor Gauguin (1997) by Larry Ogan

I love this tribute to the 54,500 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members who worked in New Mexico and helped create an infrastructure of roads, trails, parks, wildlife refuges, dams, buildings, and other public spaces. The CCC is an organization I wish our government would revive.

My favorite photograph.

La Comanchera, Laura Aguilera, Talpa, NM (1995)
Photograph by Miguel Gandert

Another of my favorites, an untitled work created by Paula Rodriguez in 1992 from painted pine and inlaid straw. (Note: The artist, who lived from 1915-2008, was the mother of seven children.)

Here is another religious work that feels very Southwestern. Both this work and the one above have disclaimers on the signs next to them that says they are "a reflection of one facet of New Mexico's unique history and heritage. [They do] not represent an endorsement of any religious group by the state of New Mexico nor [are they] intended to promote or advocate a religious point of view." Wow. It is sad to me that this has to be said.

Refredo/Altar Screen (1991) by Ramon Jose Lopez
Top panels show scenes from the life of Christ, and bottom panels are saints.

Hoshonzeh [Navajo for "Harmonious Way"] (1992) by Douglas Johnson

This painting (much marred by the reflection of a ceiling light on the woman on the left) is painted by one of New Mexico's most famous artists, who is sometimes referred to as "the Picasso of American Indian artists."

Golden Harvest (1998) by R. C. Gorman

Buffalo (1992) by Holly Hughes might be my favorite work in the museum. The artist crafted the life-sized head from a wide variety of material, including newspapers, magazines, magnetic tape, film, paintbrushes, wire, quilting applique, and plastic spoons, to name a few.

Where does the plastic spoon come in? It is the cornea of the beast's eye.

My World Is Not Flat (2011) by Margarete Bagshaw

Mexican crucifix (c. 1800-1850) by an unknown artist

Hey, there is the Virgin of Guadalupe again, second from right!

Santos de Nuevo Mexico (1995-6) by Charlie Carillo
L to R: The Franciscans, builders of the first missions; La Conquistadora, the image of Mary brought by the Spaniards; San Ysidro, patron saint of farmers and laborers; Our Lady of Guadalupe; St. Joseph

Canyon Segundo (1991) by Donald Anderson

A common sight in New Mexico:

Roadside Market, Velarde, New Mexico (n.d.) photograph by Cindy Ewing

My third sighting of the Virgin of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe (1994) by Gilbert J. Montoya, Jr.

Not the most attractive version of Mary I have seen, but I love the overall effect, including the scattered roses at Mary's feet.

Chinese artist Ou Mie Shu came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1960 and moved to New Mexico in 1966, where he became friends with Georgia O'Keeffe.

Big Corns, Small Corns (c. 1970s)

Here is another interesting intersection. The photograph below was taken when Janis Joplin was in New Mexico to film a cigar commercial. While there, she was befriended by Tommy Masters, a hippie in Northern New Mexico's commune scene who eventually became Bob Dylan's tour bus driver.

Janis Joplin and Tommy Masters (1970), photograph by Lisa Law

Los Conquistadores (n.d.) by Ralph Leon

Here's another of my favorites, maybe because we own a painted ostrich egg, but ours was purchased in Madaba, Jordan.

Back outside, I thought the sculpture Sun/Moon Shaman (2010) by Douglas Coffin, which was standing in a place of honor just outside the door, looked very familiar. (The guy in the tan shirt looks pretty familiar too.) Sure enough, there is a similar one by the same artist entitled Snake Dance Moon that we had seen when we visited Abiquiu. I never forget a king snake.