Looking for an Artful Getaway?

Check out: Taos Spring Arts: Celebrating Art, Culture and Music

The Town of Taos, New Mexico has announced Taos Spring Arts: Celebrating Art, Culture and Music, a town-wide effort to promote the arts with museum exhibitions, art shows, film and music festivals, and more. Taos Spring Arts begins in April and runs through early June.

The kickoff for the two-month long showcase begins with the hanging of new Taos is Art lamppost banners, featuring artworks by 84 local Taos artists, on Sunday, April 1, followed by a reception for the artists on Friday, April 6 at Taos Town Hall.

Taos, most notably known for the Taos Pueblo, is less than two hours flight from Dallas. The historic town is considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.

However, Taos has been home to numerous artists, including the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Eanger Irving Couse House and Studio—Joseph Henry Sharp Studios, the Nicolai Fechin House, the Leon Gaspard House, and the Ernest Martin Hennings House. The town also contains upwards of 80 galleries and many museums. 

Through May 13, the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos features Work by Women to which the Harwood director Richard Tobin describes as “a complex narrative shaped over centuries by the confluence of Native American, Hispano and Anglo cultures against the towering landscape of Taos.” The exhibition highlights work from Catherine Critcher, Erin Currier, Zoë Zimmerman, and many others. 

While in Taos throughout the spring you may spot the MMoAA, the Moblie Museum of American Artifacts presented by The Paseo Project, a local art collective that will host two pop-up events this spring as part of Taos Spring Arts. The other pop-up presented on April 8 by the Paseo Project is Pecha Kucha. The term “Pecha Kucha” is Japanese, and refers to the sound of “chit chat.” Pecha Kucha gives presenters an opportunity to showcase and present 20 images of their work, with images changing every 20 seconds all under the topic of water. 

The anticipated Taos Environmental Film Festival begins April 18 and extends through April 22. The final day of the festival coincides with Earth Day and promises to promote young and emerging filmmakers. On May 17, Taos holds it’s Dennis Hopper Day which celebrates the life and career of the icon of Counter-Culture. Hopper championed the arts in New Mexico and\ inspired other fellow artists and filmmakers to do the same. 

From May 18–20 the town throws the Lilac Festival, where festival-goers are given the opportunity to meet and mingle with more than 40 talented artisans and craftspeople as they display work ranging from ceramics, fiber, wood, leather and metalwork to jewelry and art pieces in Kit Carson Park. The lilacs in contrast to the earth-colored landscape are simply remarkable. 

Taos Spring Arts concludes with Music on the Mothership June 1–3. The annual 3-day boutique festival takes place on the grounds of Taos Mesa Brewing and Hotel Luna Mystica in Taos, New Mexico and offers a weekend on the breathtaking high mesa, surrounded by unobstructed views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The festival sits at the gateway to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, which lends festivalgoers to endless outdoor adventures including hikes, river hot springs, and bike trails.

“Taos Spring Arts is really about celebrating the artistic and creative spirit that has drawn both artists and visitors to Taos for years,” said Karina Armijo, Director of Marketing and Tourism for the Taos of Taos. “We are lucky to have a strong community of organizations that support arts and culture,” she said.”

If you’re looking for a vacation surrounded by art, artist, artisans, musicians, blooming landscapes, and incredible history-look no further than Taos. The town shows remarkable support for the arts and it shows with their intensive line-up of events through June. “We are very excited to show visitors what the arts in Taos are all about and welcome them to join us during this beautiful time of year. 

For more information on Taos Spring Arts, including special room rates and a schedule of events, visit taos.org/taosspringarts.

 

Calendar of Events: 

April: Pop Ups, Film Festivals and Art Walks

Event	Date and Time	Location	Cost
12 x 12” by 45 Artists	March 24 – April 14	David Anthony Fine Art	Free
Paseo Pop-Up – Mobile Museum of American Artifacts	March 30 – April 30	Various	Free
Taos First Fridays	Friday, April 6 until 8 PM	Taos Historic District	Free
First Saturday Gallery Art Walk	Saturday, April 7, 3 PM – 7 PM	Taos Historic District	Free
Pecha Kucha: Water is Community	Sunday, April 8, 7 PM – 9:30 PM	Taos Community Auditorium	$10
Taos Chamber Music Group Presents: Play it Forward	Saturday, April 14, 5:30 PM Sunday, April 15, 5:30 PM	Arthur Bell Auditorium at the Harwood Museum of Art	$25
Taos Environmental Film Festival / Earth Day	Wednesday, April 18 – Sunday, April 22	TBA	TBA
SOMOS and Taos Jazz Bebop Society Present: John Rangel	Friday, April 20, 7:30 PM	The Harwood Museum of Art	$25
Taos Art Insurgency: The New Protagonists	Saturday, April 21 – Saturday, May 12	Wilder Nightingale Fine Art	Free

May: Culture, Flowers and Celebrating Loved Ones

Event	Date and Time	Location	Cost
Contemporary Ceramics: Informed by Tradition	Tuesday, May 1 – Thursday, May 31	Wilder Nightingale Fine Art	Free
Santa Cruz Feast Day and Dances	Thursday, May 3	Taos Pueblo
Taos First Fridays	Friday, May 4 until 8 PM	Taos Historic District	Free
First Saturday Gallery Art Walk	Saturday, May 5, 3 PM – 7 PM	Taos Historic District	Free
Mother’s Day Music Festival	Friday, May 11 – Sunday, May 13	Kit Carson Park	Free
Dennis Hopper Day	Thursday, May 17	Various	Free
Taos Lilac Festival	Friday, May 18 – Sunday, May 20	Taos Historic District	Free
Taos Chamber Music Group Presents: Cello Chicks	Saturday, May 26, 5:30 PM Sunday, May 27, 5:30 PM	Arthur Bell Auditorium at the Harwood Museum of Art	$25

June: All About the Music

Event	Date and Time	Location	Cost
Music on the Mothership	Friday, June 1 – Sunday, June 3	Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership	Prices Vary