Can you imagine a museum dedicated entirely to contemporary Native art? The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) stands right here in the heart of Santa Fe. It’s the only museum of its kind in the entire country. MoCNA houses a remarkable collection, telling the story of Native art from 1962 to the present day. It’s a vital hub, fostering scholarship and sparking conversations about this important art form.
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts started as a student honors program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). Donations from artists and collectors helped the collection grow. This led to the museum’s establishment in 1972. Initially, exhibits were held in borrowed spaces at the Santa Fe Indian School. Most of the collection remained in storage until 1990. That’s when IAIA acquired the Federal Building in Santa Fe.
This Pueblo Revival-style building, constructed in 1922, underwent a significant transformation. Architects meticulously restored its exterior and revamped the interior. They created galleries to showcase the growing National Collection of Contemporary Native Art. The building also housed intimate transitional galleries and classrooms for museum studies. IAIA then moved the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts to its current downtown location in 1992. The space was again renovated in 2004. It reopened in 2005 as a vibrant center for exhibitions, programs, and dialogues.
For many years, the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts had limited exhibition space. Only the ground floor, a mere 4,000 square feet, displayed art. The second floor housed offices and collection storage. This changed in 2010. The permanent collection moved to a new 7,000 square-foot facility on the IAIA campus. This freed up an additional 3,600 square feet for exhibitions and programs at the downtown location. The new storage facility, part of the science and technology building on the IAIA campus, promotes best practices in collections care. It also includes conservation labs where students, faculty, and visiting scholars gain hands-on experience. They work alongside professionals, learning to preserve this incredible collection. The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts continues to evolve. It remains a vital force in presenting and preserving contemporary Native art for the world to appreciate.