The museum houses the extraordinary collection of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, a collection of over 3700 pieces including historically significant and contemporary works.
The building was designed by renowned architect John Gaw Meem in 1930, and is a wonderful example of the “Spanish Colonial” style for which Meem is known. Meem and his wife “Faith”, had been involved with the Society from its incorporation. They donated a substantial gift of 147 Bultos and Retablos to the Society collection in 1985. The building provides an intimate setting where visitors from around the world can view the collections and learn the fascinating history of Spanish Colonial art.
The Spanish Colonial Art Society’s Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum (NMHA) houses an unrivaled collection, library, and archive of regional artworks – predominantly from New Mexico – including historic pieces from around the world for comparative purposes. Nearly half of the Museum’s collection is comprised of work by Spanish Market artists from the 1920s to the present. A percentage of pieces are from the period 1598-1821 with the remainder primarily from 19th-century New Mexico along with Spain and other areas to place them within a global context. It is located in the only John Gaw Meem-designed residential building open to the public in Santa Fe.