Art Excursions

Fiesta de Santa Fe Art and Culture Tour

September 9-13, 2009

This tour features Taos Pueblo; the village of Chimayó; The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum; an afternoon at Santa Fe's "Museum Hill" featuring The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; The New Mexico Museum of Art; a special exhibition of American Impressionist works on loan from the Phillips Collection; a walking tour of the historic Old Town; the 298th annual celebration of Fiesta de Santa Fe; an optional excursion to the O'Keeffe Home and Studio in Abiquiu, N.M.; and more.

Please see below for tour highlights, features, pricing and reservation info.

Ranchito - Cuyamungue by Carlos Vierra, c. 1928

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Perfect timing: Fiesta de Santa Fe

Art Excursions has developed a tour of Santa Fe in recognition of its importance in the history of American art. Situated between the surrounding Jémez and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges, Santa Fe's stark and dramatic scenery and its striking Southwestern light have made it a magnet for artists and photographers over more than a century. We have crafted a tour that includes important museums and examples of local architecture both in Santa Fe and in Taos.

Nearing its 400th "birthday," Santa Fe is the oldest historic capital in the United States and the country's second oldest city. By 1610, it was established as the capital of the Spanish "Kingdom of New Mexico" and officially named "La Villa Real de Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis" (the Royal City of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi).

Because we wanted our tour to foster an awareness of Santa Fe's history and its unique culture (as well as its artistic treasures), we have timed our tour to coincide with an important local multi-day celebration called Fiesta de Santa Fe. This annual festival has been celebrated in the streets of Old Santa Fe every autumn for 297 years.

The story behind the Fiesta de Santa Fe is as follows: In 1680 after an Indian revolt, Spanish colonists were forced to leave Santa Fe behind in flames and flee to modern day Juarez, Mexico. They rescued from their burning church a 29-inch wood sculpture of Mary, "La Conquistadora" -- the conqueror of hearts, originally brought to Santa Fe in 1625.

Twelve years later, Don Diego De Vargas (appointed by his king) joined the exiles and organized a campaign to resettle Santa Fe. He accomplished his mission "without bloodshed" on September 4, 1692. Credited for aiding the efforts of the colonists, "La Conquistadora" was returned to Santa Fe. Today, "La Conquistadora" is among the most venerated Marian figures in the world.

During the festival, the Santa Fe Historic Plaza is filled with arts & crafts and food booths, and mariachis play throughout the city. Fiesta de Santa Fe concludes with a mass at St. Francis Cathedral followed by a candlelight procession. Other events include two parades plus a reenactment of Don Diego de Vargas' return to the city.

 

A private guided walking tour of the Santa Fe Historic Plaza and Old Town

Orient yourself to the historic capital's Old Town on a private walking tour led by a local guide. In a discussion of Santa Fe culture, history and architecture, our guide will highlight the Historic Plaza and structures such as Loretto Chapel, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, and the Palace of the Governors (pictured above). Built by the Spanish as a government building in 1610, the Palace remains the nation's oldest continuously occupied public building. American Indian artists sell their wares under its historic portal as part of the Native American Vendors Program.

 

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Bear Lake (Desert Abstraction) by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1931

Georgia O'Keeffe was only one of thousands of painters, sculptors, photographers, poets, writers and composers drawn to Santa Fe. But she is likely the most famous artist associated with the region. Still misunderstood and misinterpreted even in the 21st century, O'Keeffe's work was crucial to the history of modernism in American painting. Fans of O'Keeffe consider a visit to Santa Fe a pilgrimage of sorts. But after seeing her work within the context of the Southwest, nearly everyone can expect to come away with a new perspective on the incredible array of subjects she painted, drew and sculpted over her long career.

This museum houses a full range of O'Keeffe's art (1,150 works) from her daring and innovative abstractions of the 1910s and 1920s to her elegant investigations of various subject matter, such as architecture, landscapes, flowers, rocks and bones. Many of the works in the collection were formerly in the artist's personal collection of her own work amassed either by deliberately withholding works from sale or by purchasing back from collectors certain works she found essential to various periods within her long career.

During our visit, the museum will feature the special exhibition Georgia O'Keeffe: Beyond Our Shores. This exhibit features a selection of seldom seen O'Keeffe works that were inspired by her travels to Bermuda, Hawaii (before it became part of the United States), Peru, and Asia. These works have never before been exhibited together, and among them is a recent gift to the Museum of White Bird of Paradise (1939). O'Keeffe completed this work in Hawaii as a guest of the Dole Pineapple Company that had commissioned her to make paintings for its advertising campaigns.

A selection of works from the permanent collection will be on display throughout the rest of the Museum.

 

The New Mexico Museum of Art

Blue River by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1935 / Cui Bono? by Gerald Cassidy, 1911

Opened in 1917 in an adobe-revival building, The New Mexico Museum of Art (formerly the Museum of Fine Arts) displays an extensive permanent collection of contemporary and traditional American art including Santa Fe and Taos artists from the 19th century to the present.

The museum will feature a number of special exhibitions during our visit including:

 

Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The Pueblo is made entirely of adobe (earth mixed with water and straw then either poured into forms or made into sun-dried bricks). The Pueblo's multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years. Approximately 150 people live within the Pueblo full time. Other families owning homes in the North or South buildings live in summer homes near their fields, and in more modern homes outside the old walls but still within Pueblo land. We have arranged for our group a private guided tour of The Pueblo provided by a resident Taos Indian.

After our tour you will have free time to explore The Pueblo on your own. For those interested in Taos Indian traditional handmade arts and crafts, there are shops located within The Pueblo that sell paintings, sculptures, mica-flecked pottery, silver jewelry, moccasins, boots and drums.

 

A visit to the village of Chimayó and a guided tour of El Santuario de Chimayó

Settled in 1598, the small village of Chimayó features winding dirt roads leading past Adobe homes. During the time of our visit, the village will be decorated with garlands of red chili peppers drying in the sun as well as by the golden foliage of cottonwood trees.

Many people come to Chimayó to visit El Santuario de Nuestro Señor de Esquipulas (the Shrine of Our Lord of Esquipulas), better known simply as "El Santuario de Chimayó." A National Historic Landmark, the church has five beautiful reredos (panels of sacred paintings) -- one behind the main altar and two on each side of the nave. Ascribed with miraculous powers of healing, this church has attracted thousands of pilgrims since it opened in 1816. Most pilgrims come to place their hands in raw earth located in an anteroom beside the altar. This earth is legendary for its healing powers.

 

Museum Hill

Santa Fe's Museum Hill is a campus environment featuring four separate museum venues. We have arranged a private guided tour of one of these museums, The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. If you wish, you can explore other museum collections on your own. The four Museum Hill venues are:

 

Saint Francis Church in Rancho de Taos

Saint Francis Church, Rancho de Taos, New Mexico by Ansel Adams, c. 1929 / photo by Art Excursions of front of church

En route to Taos, we will make a stop at the 1815 Saint Francis of Assisi Church in the village of Rancho de Taos. This is possibly the most painted, drawn and photographed church in the United States. Ansel Adams gives us one explanation in his book Examples: The Making of Forty Photographs: "It is the rear elevation that defines this building as one of the great architectural monuments of America. It had been interpreted by numerous painters and photographers, and I could not resist the challenge. The building is not really large, but it appears immense. The forms are fully functional, the massive rear buttress and the secondary buttress to the left are organically related to the basic masses of adobe, and all together seem an outcropping of the earth rather than merely an object constructed on it."

 

Optional Excursion: Tour the Georgia O'Keeffe Home and Studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico

Pedernal with Red Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1936 / photo by Art Excursions of Abiquiu, New Mexico

In 1945, Georgia O'Keeffe purchased a 5,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial-era compound in ruins. Upon the conclusion of a four-year restoration project, she left New York and made New Mexico her permanent home. O'Keeffe spent the majority of her New Mexico years at this Abiquiu house (her primary residence) or at her house on Ghost Ranch (not open to the public).

O'Keeffe's home and studio in Abiquiu is today one of the most important artistic sites in the southwestern United States. A tour of the home and studio, their immediate surroundings, and the views they command of the magnificent landscape that inspired many of O'Keeffe's best-known paintings all combine to provide insight into the vision and process of a major figure in 20th century American art.

This four hour optional excursion includes transportation along the beautiful terrain between Santa Fe and Abiquiu (an area known for its colorful rock formations and other scenic features); lunch at the Abiquiu Inn; a guided tour of O'Keeffe's Home and Studio; and pre-tour commentary by art historian and tour leader Jeff Mishur.

The cost for this optional excursion is $139. Participation is limited to 18 people. We will need a minimum of 8 people participating in order to provide the excursion. If you wish to sign up for it, please note your request on the tour application (see below).

 

Accommodations at the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Art Excursions understands that our choice of accommodations contributes to the overall experience of the boutique tours we design and lead. Consequently, our clients have come to expect a high standard of hotel as well as a location that is ideal for walking to shops, galleries, museums, restaurants, theaters and concert venues.

In Santa Fe, we have selected the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza -- a property that preserves many of the architectural elements of its former identity, the Ortiz Hacienda, home of one of the city's first families. Traces of this historic structure -- including some of the original adobe walls -- combine perfectly with modern conveniences. A recent $1.5 million renovation has restored the ambiance that existed over 375 years ago, when the Ortiz Hacienda occupied the entire city block. Guest rooms feature color palettes inspired by New Mexico sunsets, hillside plant-life, and morning sky tones as well as flat-screen TVs, ergonomic chairs, and a modern work desk. Excellent service and award-winning cuisine reflect a time-honored tradition of Southwestern culture and hospitality.

As its name implies, the hotel is located just two blocks from the famous Santa Fe Historic Plaza. As it has been for nearly four centuries, the plaza is today a vital center of commerce, culture, festivals and history. Within an easy stroll you'll find the city's unique collection of winding streets; nearly 100 different galleries displaying works in diverse media; extraordinary restaurants unique in flavor and ambience; and musical venues that feature classical, Spanish guitar, flamenco, blues, jazz, and more.

 

AN IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING FLIGHTS

As of early April, we have been noticing outstanding fares on American Airlines for September travel to Albuquerque (non stop) and to Santa Fe (via Dallas). You may purchase your flights as soon as we provide you with a tour confirmation letter. We send out these letters via email or U.S.P.S. mail just as soon as we have sufficient participation to "green light" the trip.

 

TOUR ITINERARY

Wednesday, September 9

Thursday, September 10

Friday, September 11

Saturday, September 12

Sunday, September 13

 

EARLY BOOKING BONUS - an $80 value

If we receive your tour deposit and application by May 15, 2009, you will receive complimentary vouchers for daily breakfast served in the hotel restaurant.

 

TOUR INCLUDES

TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE

 

TOUR RESERVATIONS - Use the link at the end of this tour page to sign up

Group size is limited. Reservations accepted first-come, first-served. As this tour has been an extremely popular request, we expect a sell out. For more details please email artexcursions@yahoo.com or call 630/671-9745.

 

TOUR PRICING:

$1,375 per person based on double occupancy / $325 single supplement

$139 for optional excursion to O'Keeffe Home and Studio (see details on optional excursion above)

Traveling as a single?

Our boutique tours are ideal for single travelers, singles traveling together, or couples. We typically have a mix of these types of travelers. If you wish to know why we charge a single supplement or have any other questions, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions link below or email us. We do not automatically match up singles. However, if you are traveling as a single and wish to be matched with a roommate, please note your request on your tour application. If another interested party contacts us with the same request, we will put both parties in touch with each other to facilitate an introduction. Then both parties will need to notify us of their intent to go forward with sharing accommodations. If you make a request on your tour application to be matched with another single, we would appreciate knowing whether your participation in the trip is contingent on being matched with another individual OR whether you are willing to pay the single supplement in the event a roommate does not become available.

 

TO SIGN UP - CLICK HERE

FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - CLICK HERE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, OR TO BE ADDED TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER LIST E-MAIL artexcursions@yahoo.com.

 

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Art Excursions, Inc., P.O. Box 92, Riverside, IL 60546 - 630/671-9745