Nicolasa Chávez

MOIFA News:

SANTA FE — The Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) is thrilled to announce the return of Nicolasa Chávez as the new Curator of Latin American & Nuevomexicano Collections. Nicolasa, a respected historian, curator, and performance artist, brings a wealth of experience and passion to this pivotal role.

She previously served as MOIFA’s Curator of Nuevomexicano Collections for fourteen years before stepping into the role of Deputy State Historian of New Mexico, a position she held for nearly four years. 

Throughout her career, Nicolasa has made invaluable contributions to both the museum and the state’s cultural landscape. Her past exhibitions at MOIFA include New World Cuisine: The Histories of Chocolate, Mate y Más, The Red that Colored the World, Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico, and Música Buena: Hispano Folk Music of New Mexico. In addition, Nicolasa was an invited guest curator at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, where she curated Possibility of the Crafts: The Third Triennial of Kogei, showcasing New Mexico’s traditional arts on a global stage. 

A prolific writer, Nicolasa contributed to the publication A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World (Skira Rizzoli Press), authored The Spirit of Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico (Museum of New Mexico Press), and penned A Century of Masters: The NEA National Heritage Fellows of New Mexico (LPD Press), which won a New Mexico Book Award. 

As a fourteenth-generation New Mexican, Nicolasa’s work is rooted in the diverse multicultural heritage of New Mexico, with a special focus on the historical connections between New Mexico and the Spanish-speaking world. Her expertise extends to the rich traditions of Flamenco, Spanish Dance, and Argentine Tango, with numerous performances and lecture-demonstrations to her credit.

“We are excited to welcome Nicolasa back to the MOIFA team,” said Charlie Lockwood, Executive Director of MOIFA. “Her deep knowledge of New Mexico’s cultural heritage, combined with her outstanding curatorial and academic work, makes her the perfect fit to develop and showcase MOIFA’s Latin American & Nuevomexicano Collections and related exhibitions.” 

Please join us in congratulating Nicolasa Chávez on her return to MOIFA as we look forward to the future of the museum’s collections under her expert guidance.

About the Museum of International Folk Art   

The Museum of International Folk Art is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the International Folk Art Foundation and Museum of New Mexico Foundation. The mission of The Museum of International Folk Art is to shape a humane world by connecting people through creative expression and artistic traditions. The museum holds the largest collection of international folk art in the world, numbering more than 163,000 objects from more than 100 countries. Learn more at moifa.org.