MUSEUM OF SPANISH COLONIAL ART

750 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-982-2226 spanishcolonial.org

Tracking commerce and creativity

Trails, Rails, and Highways: How Trade Transformed the Art of Spanish New Mexico shows how historic avenues of commerce fueled the exchange of goods and the impact of outside influences. Visitors time-travel on a onedirectional path through the exhibit’s rooms, moving from prehistoric to present times. The exhibit showcases art and objects of each geographic route and historic period: Native trails, the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail, railroad byways and Route 66 highways. Also noted is the societal and economic impact of new pathways. Touted as the Mother Road, Route 66 brought unprecedented numbers of tourists to New Mexico in the 1920s, helping many residents through the Great Depression. Moneymaking enterprises included the establishment of art markets, among them today’s Spanish Market, which opened in 1926. The final room of the exhibit shows works by contemporary artists who cherish but also challenge traditions. Whether inspired locally, influenced from afar or uniquely blended, their works ensure that Santa Fe retains its special place on the pathways of creativity. The exhibit is in place until Aug. 2022.