In a manner of days, and with the help of a friend who made an introduction, I proposed to the then Executive Director of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation–a nonprofit created to support the four state run institutions–the idea of creating a licensing program utilizing the collections of the four institutions. After several years working in San Francisco developing product for the likes of Pottery Barn, Cost Plus, William Sonoma and others, I knew how hungry designers were for sources of inspiration. The four Santa Fe based museums–Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC), Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA), New Mexico History Museum NMHM), and the New Mexico Museum of Art (NMMA)–were full of unusual and stunning material that represented the unique place in which I was raised. and I also knew the collections were extraordinary.
It took two years for my proposal to develop into an funded position, and only then could I apply for the opportunity to start the program. What took so long you might ask? The four museums are state institutions; and as such, the state owns the material held by them. The process for realizing my dream required an agreement be created and approved by the attorney general for the state. The final agreement appointed the Museum of New Mexico Foundation to act as the licensing agent for the four state museums and described in detail the manner in which the licensing and product approval process would evolve.
Collections
A word about the nature of the collections of these four museums. They were not created at the same time, but instead were born out of circumstance, vision, history, opportunity and generosity. New Mexico has a rather distinct and unusual history. Since roughly 800 A.D. it has been home to a large Native population – Pueblo, Apache, Hopi and Navajo–collectively known as Indians of the Southwest. From 1610-1823, New Mexico, and the land including the states of Arizona, California and Texas, was a colony of Spain, with Santa Fe as the colonial capital. For another 23 years, the region was part of Mexico; and in 1848, at the end of the Mexican American war, “New Mexico” became a U.S. territory. Not until 1912 did it join the union as the 47th state.
Throughout these 400-plus years, the state and its colonial capital Santa Fe was at a crossroads of culture and international commerce. During the colonial period, European and Asian goods were transported on ships traveling from Spain and the Philippines to Mexico City, where they were off loaded, repacked onto oxen carts and transported 1500-miles up the Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe. In 1821, with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail, goods from the Eastern U.S. were delivered to the city that was the trail’s terminus. In 1871 the railroad arrived, allowing for a further opening up of the American West. The trains delivered not just the first American manufactured goods, but also a new population of artists, traders, and businesspeople looking to create a life in the Southwest.
The Museum collections reflect this long and varied international history. They also reflect the passions, talents, and generosity of its residents: artists, anthropologists, scientists, traders, adventurers, and entrepreneurs. Unlike big European museums, where more often than not the collections represent the colonial ambitions of the given country, New Mexico’s museum collections reflect the state’s history and its residents’ genuine appreciation for the cultural traditions of the region and the world’s artisans. Of particular note: as the collections are owned by the state citizens of the state, Native artists and scholars are allowed access to the material.
West of the Mississippi, there is no museum system with the depth and breadth of collections as those held by the four museums that comprise the Museum of New Mexico. Truly these collections are exemplary and internationally renowned. And, it has been an honor and privilege to work with these collections and the people that are its stewards.
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