New Mexico Museum of Art - Alternative Spaces

On display Feb 20, 2009 - May 03, 2009

Alternative Spaces is a (mostly) galleryless exhibition that presents contemporary installations in dialogue with the museum's historic architecture. Eight New Mexico artists created works in the museum's architectural nooks and crannies and public spaces not typically used for the display of artwork, including St. Francis Auditorium, the lobby and its fireplace, stairwells, and the façade.

Since 1917, when the Pueblo Revival building was constructed as the state art museum, it has been celebrated as an architectural landmark. One aim of installation art is to dissolve the barrier between viewer and art, and Alternative Spaces invites contemporary artists to transform the visitor's experience of the museum's architectural features through the dynamic and unexpected juxtaposition of past and present. The eight artists whose installations integrate with these spaces are Cathy Aten, Ligia Bouton, Madelin Coit, Angela Elmendorf, Joanne Lefrak, John Tinker, Jared Antonio-Justo Trujillo, and Colin Zaug. Three additional works by Christy Hengst, Tim Jag, and Charles Simonds expand the show.