Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe is actually the state capitol of New Mexico, but has an old town area full of art galleries, shops and historical buildings. This part of town has lots of little streets in a compact area, so the only way to explore is to park and walk around. The buildings here have that southwestern feel, and the old town area is dominated by an old Spanish mission and a government building. We wandered around and found the central park, where there were a few street musicians and craft booths. There was a big square with street peddlers, many of them Native Americans selling silver and turquoise jewelry. We found the historic building in the center of the old town that had been the seat of government for the Mexicans and later the Americans. It was already closing time, so we looked at the displays its the lobby and then continued walking.
This old town area was pretty quiet, and we wondered why many stores and art galleries were closed. Only two or three of the restaurants were open. Then we realized it was Easter Sunday, so the only folks walking around were tourists like us. We found a small restaurant that was serving Easter Sunday dinner, so we had a couple of beers at the bar. The bartender was actually the manager or owner, and did not seem to want to be working that day. We tried to strike up a conversation with her to get more information about the area, but she was more intent on closing up and going home.
The next morning we headed back to town, and parked in a municipal parking lot. We hoped that the museums would be open, and we found the Institute for Native American Arts. The admission was seven dollars per person, and when we stepped up to pay, the cashier asked where we were from. I said we were from Hawaii, and he asked if I was a Hawaiian. I said yes, "kanaka maoli" (literal translation is real person). The cashier said our admission would be waived, and I thanked him and said we would like to pay for Howard, as he is not a Hawaiian. But he insisted that it was something they did for all native persons and because we were together, the admission was waived for both of us. Is there a place in Hawaii that does that?
The Institute is not a museum of cultural and historical artifacts. Instead, it is a place for contemporary Native American artists and students to study, and it is a gallery for their work. There were drawings done by teens from a artists’ seminar. There was a display of graphic art done on skate boards. There were also a small courtyard with several impressive sculptures by a famous Native American, George Houser.
Before leaving we made a comment (of thanks and admiration) in their guest book, and left some cash in their donation box.
We did not have time to go to any other museums in Santa Fe, but we were satisfied that we had seen something out of the ordinary.