Bienvenidos!

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society was founded in Santa Fe in 1925 by writer Mary Austin and artist/writer Frank G. Applegate. Its purpose was to preserve and perpetuate the Hispano art forms that have been produced in New Mexico and southern Colorado since the region was colonized by Spain in 1598.

More than seventy-five years later, its mission has been accomplished and expanded. Through the preservation and exhibition of its Spanish Colonial art collections at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, sponsorship of the semi-annual "Spanish Market" exhibitions and a range of outreach programs, the Society is now a leader in the public education of traditional Spanish Colonial art and culture.

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society collections were initiated in 1928. Today with 3,000 objects, the collections are the most comprehensive compilation of Spanish Colonial art of their kind. Dating from the Middle Ages to the New Millennium, the collections span centuries in art, place and time. Among the various media featured are santos (painted and sculpted images of saints,) textiles, tinwork, silverwork, goldwork, ironwork, straw appliqué, ceramics, furniture, books and more. A host of comparative objects from Spain and Latin America as well as Asia, Bulgaria, France and other worldly locales further illustrate the faraway influences that converged during the colonial era to inspire artists and art forms. All combined, the collections represent the artistic history and ongoing evolution of Hispano culture in New Mexico while firmly establishing its important place within the global arts landscape.

The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art is housed in a building that is part of the legacy of the acclaimed late architect John Gaw Meem. The building is a classic example of the "Spanish Colonial" or "Pueblo Revival" architectural style that Meem pioneered in New Mexico in the early-twentieth century. It also reflects Meem's personal interest in the region's Hispano culture and his longtime involvement with the Spanish Colonial Arts Society.

For further information, please contact:
Spanish Colonial Arts Society
P.O. Box 5378
Santa Fe, NM 87502-5378
Phone: (505) 982-2226 or Fax: (505) 982-4585
Website: www.spanishcolonial.org
Contact us by email

The Winter Spanish Market is funded in part by New Mexico Arts, the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission, and the 1% Lodgers Tax.