NMDCA News:
SANTA FE — “The Southwest has many surprises in store for the artist in search of inspirational material. If you can visualize this section of the map as a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat, it will produce almost any kind of subject matter you might ask for,” artist Gustave Baumann said at a talk given for the American Association of University Women in Santa Fe, in January of 1954.
In honor of the life and legacy of Baumann, the New Mexico Museum of Art and New Mexico History Museum co-present “Baumannia,” a series of programs and special events inspired by the Museum of Art’s retrospective exhibition, “Gustave Baumann: The Artist’s Environment,” which is organized in four parts. A full listing of Baumannia programs can be found online at nmculture.org/gustave-baumann.
“Gustave Baumann’s art is a love letter to New Mexico—its landscapes, cultures, and people,” said Laura J. Mueller, PhD, Interim Executive Director at New Mexico Museum of Art. “On this special occasion, we invite the community to see our home through his eyes, share in the whimsy of his craft, and celebrate the beauty and diversity that continue to inspire us.”
“Baumannia” encompasses multiple events starting with Baumann Community Day at the Museum of Art from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 16. This free day held at the museum’s Plaza location will include a Create Station with hands-on projects, an open house of the archives, and guided tours. From 11 a.m.–12 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27, the Museum of Art will host exhibition curator and former director of the Palace Press at the New Mexico History Museum, Thomas Leech, for a talk and presentation about Baumann’s life and work.
From 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, both museums will host Baumannia Community Day at their Santa Fe Plaza campuses. The event will include hands-on activities, a marionette puppet presentation, a book talk with Thomas Leech and Carmella Padilla for their new book, “Printing the Spirit: Gustave Baumann’s Santos,” a documentary screening, and tours and printing activities at the Palace Press, which is home to Baumann’s re-created studio including his press, watermarked papers, hand tools, and the pigments he used to make the ink for his color-saturated woodcut scenes.
“This is a great opportunity for people of all ages to expand their views of New Mexico history, have some serious fun, and indulge their curiosity,” Billy G. Garrett said, Executive Director at New Mexico History Museum.
Gustave Baumann first came to New Mexico in 1918 and has since become one of the most beloved artists and cultural figures in Santa Fe. Best known for his enchanting woodblock prints, he was a prodigious artist and creative who left behind an enormous legacy that included painting, sculpture, drawing, marionettes, and furniture.
To learn more about the exhibition “Gustave Baumann: The Artist’s Environment,” visit www.nmartmuseum.org/exhitions/gustave-baumman-the-artists-environment/.
To find out more about the Gustave Baumann Studio at the Place Press visit nmhistorymuseum.org/programs/the-palace-press/baumann-studio.html.
The History Museum also maintains a robust digitized collection of photos, documents, and audio from the Ann Baumann Trust which can be viewed online at archives.newmexicoculture.org/gustave-baumann-collection.