Historic Santa Fe Foundation - Peace Quiet Grace and Art
Okay, here's a gem most people don't know about when they visit Santa Fe. It's the Historic Santa Fe Foundation who's office is located on Santa Fe's famous Canyon Road at 545. If you enjoy history and would like to see how they built with adobe and mud plaster better than a century and a half ago and learn a bit about the Foundation, here's the place to go.
Combine that with five artists in residence who live in the building alongside the offices of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation which creates the only remaining such respite on Canyon Road and it's a 'don't miss' stop on your tour.
When I was there the art work of Linda Hunsaker, a very fine printmaker, adorned the walls in the Foundation's Board Room which is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. It can be closed for lunch or some other reason as the staff is small so you might want to call or be prepared to stop back. You can see samples of Ms. Hunsaker's work at her website.
The other Artists In Residence, Teresa Neptune, Bryony Bensley, Greg Tweed and GaryMyers also periodically put up show of their work. Check out their Website links and get more information on the Artist In Residency program.
The art shows are periodic and most of the time El Zaguan (as the beautiful old Adobe house is known) or more formally as the James L. Johnson House, displays various offerings such as old photographs and other items of historic interest.
And there's a lot to be interested in at El Zaguan. James L. Johnson, a Santa Fe Trail merchant, bought two parcels of land, including a house, and corral on Canyon Road in the mid-1850s. As his business thrived and his family grew the Johnson home came to be known as one of the finest villas on the edge of the city. And it boasted a lovely garden which remains today, marked by two very large old horse chestnut trees.
The property was purchased in 1928 by Margretta Dietrich a wealth widow who had been a leading organizer of women's suffrage groups in Nebraska. In New Mexico she devoted herself to the cause of Indian rights. Eventually Kate M. Chapman, one of the earliest practitioners of Spanish-Pueblo Revival style adobe architecture, directed El Zaguán's restoration and enlargement. In 1979 a private corporation formed by John Gaw Meem transferred the property to Historic Santa Fe Foundation.
If you'd like to learn a little about adobe and building with it before you go, check out Adobe Notes, a little booklet published in 1930 that really explains it all. The booklet opens as a PDF document.
Don't miss the opportunity to visit this graceful old house and garden, chat with the helpful and informative staff at the Foudation and take in the charm and ambiance. And don't forget to ask about the other properties the foundation owns and maintains. Visit the website or stop by the Foudation offices for more.
