Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Santa Fe)

John Phelan

John Phelan

Located in Santa Fe, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, also known as the Lab of Anthropology, is the premier spot in the state to get the most comprehensive introduction to the complex and diverse world of local Native American cultures. This Native American cultural hotspot was created in 1927 by the talented John Gaw Meem, popular Pueblo Revival Architecture specialist. Inside you will find over 70,000 native American artifacts, the entire center holding several different interactive exhibits and galleries. This museum is one out of four that make up the Museums of New Mexico System, making it a top repository of native art and material culture statewide.

Your group will learn all about the people of the southwest by means of prehistoric through contemporary art. The museum ‘serves a diverse, multicultural audience through exhibits, public lectures, field trips, artist residencies, and other educational programs’, the wide variety of services offered to attract over 65,000 guests a year. The museum aids in serving local Indian communities whose contemporary and ancestral cultures are still represented here as well.

Before you leave, make your way to the Museum Hill Cafe, a casual and sophisticated dining spot in which you can enjoy local art and music. There is also the Colleen Cloney Duncan Museum Shop, with unique local wares such as ceramics and sculpture for sale.