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Folk Art Museum
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14 reviews for Folk Art Museum
Mecca for folk art fans. The rotating exhibits are excellent and unique. The permanent collection is extensive and very interesting. I always find something great at the gift shop on every visit. (Disclaimer: I'm an avid collector of Day of the Dead folk art, so naturally this is the place for me.)
What's more, MFA is located in an excellent facility, perched on Museum Hill in Santa Fe. For me, I can't think of a better place to view art. The courtyard between the museums is a destination in itself.
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I like folk art, so when I visited my friend in Santa Fe last week I made a point of checking out this museum. Right now they have the Wayang Kulit (Indonesian shadow puppets) exhibit, which is awesome. You can even play the instruments and make your own puppet. An activity that is really supposed to be for children, but don't let that stop you. I didn't.
I think the most fascinating thing at this museum is the Girard Wing. It is made up of thousands of pieces collected by Alexander and Susan Girard. Alexander Girard also took four years to meticulously put each piece in place, but still couldn't fit his entire collection. It's kind of nuts. Alexander Girard's compulsive collecting of folk art is as fascinating as the collection itself.
http://www.moifa.org/e...
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The Museum of International Folk Art is a fascinating,must-see destination in the Land of Enchantment. When I first went,there was a special exhibition about Tibetans living in New Mexico. There was a beautiful sand mandala, and a panorama of the Sangre de Cristos and the Himalayas.
The Folk Art Museum has spectacular, eclectic collections. It's quite mindblowing. It's rather far from downtown, but it's a spectacular location. When you're in the City Different, this is the Museum Different!
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I had read such great things about the Museum of International Folk Art that I was quite let down after my visit. Maybe it was because part of the museum was closed. Maybe it was because I was with someone who didn't really want to be there. Or maybe it's because I wasn't into this type of folk art as much as I thought I was.
To quote my husband, "It was a museum of dolls."
Ok, so there were many handmade dolls and other figurines but there was more than that.
The artwork is numbered and gallery guide booklets list the origin and date. You can turn it into a game by trying to guess which country the pieces are from.
We listened in on a docent lead tour and that was probably the way to go.
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This is one of the neatest museums I've ever seen. My Mom kept saying "Were going to the Folk Art Museum" tomorrow and my eyes kept rolling in the back of my head. But my sister, the artist, also kept reassuring me by simply repeating, "The Folk Art Museum is cool." Boy, was she right.
So, interior designer/architect Alexander Girard who designed textiles, graphics, furniture and interiors for Herman Miller, John Deere and Braniff created the permanent exhibit "Multiple Visions: A Common Bond" that's so cool. It displays more than 10,000 international folk art pieces that he and his wife, Susan, collected throughout their lives. It took him five years to design the exhibit. It's hard to describe but basically he took the thousands of toys, dolls, sets and tapestries and created whimsical scenes depicting settings from around the world. Hundreds of dioramas that are extremely detailed and amazingly colorful, unique and interesting.
If you are in Sante Fe make sure and stop by this museum. The brief tour is helpful and be sure and pick up a guide because there are no descriptions of the art and scenes on the walls. Plus, they've got two cool gift shops!
"Toys represent a microcosm of man's world and dreams.They exhibit fantasy, imagination, humor and love. They are an invaluable record and expression of mans ingenious unsophisticated imagination."
-Alexander Girard
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Four words sum up the Girard exhibit: serial killer acid trip.
This must be seen to be believed. No postcard or book can do it justice. It's like outsider art from a wealthy interior designer. Hundreds of dolls from around the world, arranged in technicolor tableaus. We didn't even make it downstairs to see the rest of the 100,000+ item collection because our retinas were burning.
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I could literally stay here all day. What an amazing collection. The show on the history of chairs was beautifully displayed.
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We had the best time in the Santa Fe Folk Art Museum. It has all of these miniatures set up in elaborate detail. You look over many different cultural farmers markets, county fairs, and household scenes. It is difficult to describe to do it justice but if you find yourself in Santa Fe, give it a looksey. You won't be disappointed.
The picture is some cool pez dispensers and cut out lowriders by Steve White in the Folk Art Museum's Gift Shop.
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I love folk art, it covers my walls and oozes from every crevice. The current exhibits include a beautiful collection of chairs, even one made of bottle caps and hand carved wooden trunks. My favorites were the toys and dioramas. I was enthralled with all the intricate displays and wonderful toys. I coveted them. The gift shops are full of wonderful treasures. Chris, in a rare surge of sweetness bought me a pig and jackal mask. I was like a kid in a candy store.
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This is a must see on your way through Santa Fe. They have everything that has anything to do with folk art. Be prepared to spend four hours there, at least.
My mother dragged me here when I was little, insisting that I would enjoy it. She was right.
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This was a great museum. I got dragged here but ended up really enjoying it.
This is actually the Museum of International Folk Art - one of the four major museums that comprise the Museum of New Mexico complex. It shares a parking lot with the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture / Laboratory of Anthropology. Both are worth far more time than just a cursory visit. The "Folk Art" museum has exhibits from around the world. If you live in Santa Fe, they have a volunteer program where you can become a docent or work with the collections - of course, you have to have plenty of time for training, but it is all worth it if you are really into understanding what, why & how collections are made & curated. The "Folk Art" museum is like an upscale, expanded & labeled version of Jackalope Imports. Of course, you need a PhD to really understand the importance and significance of these remarkable collections - - or do you?
the best museum i have ever visited! interesting, thought-provoking and fun. it is everything a museum should be. do not miss the girard foundation collection, it is awe-inspiring.
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