New Mexico Museum of Art Expands with Vladem Contemporary

Ever since the New Mexico Museum of Art opened in 1917, the contemporary art museum has been housed in a Pueblo Revival-style building in Santa Fe Plaza. Now, more than a century after its opening, it’s keeping up with its commitment to modern arts and culture by expanding with a second building called Vladem Contemporary in the burgeoning Railyard district of the city. The new space will hold its grand opening on September 23.

Museum’s Commitment to Contemporary Art

“Our 1917 Plaza building is wonderful but not the best venue for displaying the art of our time, and it lacked the necessary space for our growing collection and educational outreach,” Mark White, the museum’s executive director, stated. “The Vladem Contemporary will allow us to exhibit cutting-edge contemporary art, provide a permanent space for education, and expand our storage.”

Inaugural Exhibition: Shadow and Light

The secondary location will add 9,969 square feet of exhibition space and 2,307 square feet of programmatic space to the Van Mabee Education Center, providing ample opportunity for contemporary artists. Additionally, there’s another 4,100 square feet for storing pieces, as the museum’s collection has expanded to more than 20,000 pieces over the last century.

The new building will open with an inaugural exhibition entitled “Shadow and Light,” which will spotlight the famous natural light in the state, running through April 28, 2024.

“The Vladem Contemporary will focus exclusively on the art of our time,” White explained. The museum will constantly experiment with various programming types, including a sound sculpture from olfactory-acoustic artist Oswlado Macia and an augmented reality exhibit featuring Judy Chicago’s series “Kitty City.” They will also showcase a Window Box Project with installations from underrecognized New Mexico artists and a digital window to feature videos and short films.

Adaptive Reuse of Historical Building

One of White’s favorite parts of the new building is a permanent installation, Leo Villareal’s “Astral Array.” Set in a breezeway and operational 24 hours a day, “the work is composed of hundreds of LEDs that create a variety of patterns suggestive of cloud formations, celestial fields, and microscopic forms,” he described.

The building itself is also a piece of local history and has turned into a shining example of adaptive reuse. When philanthropists Robert and Ellen Vladem made the lead gift of $4 million in 2017, it kicked off the $20.2 million partnership for the project. Architectural firms DNCA and StudioGP were tasked with creating an “innovative structure that adapted an existing building as a showplace for the art of our time,” according to the museum’s site.

The team focused on a warehouse that had been commissioned in 1936 and closed operations in 1959. It later became the State Records Center and Archives in 1960. This historical building was then adapted into the exhibition space, including the addition of a bridge-like second floor that spans the original structure.

Vladem Contemporary also aims to become a prime destination for The Railyard, which White describes as “one of the most exciting districts in Santa Fe” featuring restaurants, shops, galleries, and various museums. “With SITE Santa Fe on one end, the Vladem Contemporary on the other, and numerous contemporary galleries in between, the Railyard is a major destination for contemporary art and culture,” he asserted.