25 years on: O’Keeffe museum thrives

Twenty-five years ago — July 17, 1997, to be exact — Santa Fe finally had an answer to a perennial question from curious visitors.

Now, when tourists ask, “Where are the O’Keeffes?” residents had a place to send them, then-New Mexican arts writer Hollis Walker pointed out in her front-page story on the museum opening.

That’s because Santa Fe had a brand-new Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

The museum on Johnson Street was designed to showcase the work and life of the iconic American artist who adopted New Mexico as both home and inspiration.

From the first day, the museum was a success.

Initial crowds estimated 5,000 people were there on opening morning, and the crush didn’t let up all day. The line stretched down Johnson Street to Grant Avenue, then down Grant to Griffin Street, going west on Griffin almost to McKenzie Street. Some museumgoers waited 90 minutes to enter, with officials remaining open an hour after closing time to accommodate everyone.

For 25 years, the O’Keeffe Museum more than fulfilled its initial promise as envisioned by founders John and Anne Marion.

Not only does the museum honor O’Keeffe and her work, it continues to draw tens of thousands of visitors to Santa Fe and enriches our community in numerous ways. There have been summer programs for young artists, in-school educational initiatives, internships for college students from underrepresented communities, research opportunities and so much more.

Its ability to attract visitors continues to have a spillover effect. If O’Keeffe fans went to the museum, they likely would head over to the Museum of New Mexico to see more of the artist’s work. And so on. They shopped at local stores, purchased art and booked hotel rooms.

The museum footprint itself has expanded. It now includes a research center, an education annex, O’Keeffe’s historic

Abiquiú home and studio, the O’Keeffe Welcome Center in Abiquiú, museum stores and other properties.

Besides visiting the Santa Fe museum, touring her home in Abiquiú is an experience both moving and inspirational. In the house, looking out O’Keeffe’s windows at the mountains or viewing the actual black patio door, you see what the artist saw and what she painted. The tours can be booked through the O’Keeffe Museum website, which also is a place to buy timed-entry museum tickets.

For the 25th anniversary, the museum is hosting a block party and community celebration from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday on Grant Avenue. It’s less formal than many O’Keeffe shindigs in the past; this is an event where everyone is invited, a way to connect the community and the museum.

Best of all for many: The museum has free admission for New Mexico residents Friday through Monday.

The block party also is free, including a livestreamed concert featuring images inspired by O’Keeffe’s art and life — join along on social media with the hashtag #OKeeffeInspired.

Much like the woman behind it all, the O’Keeffe Museum isn’t sitting still. Plans are underway for an expansion, with groundbreaking scheduled in 2023.

Twenty-five years ago, Oscar winning-actor and Santa Fe local Gene Hackman spoke at the grand opening, saying, “In the 10 years I’ve lived here, I’ve been taken with the excitement and indomitable spirit of this place.”

He continued with O’Keeffe’s famous (and for locals, controversial) statement about New Mexico — “‘It is mine,’ she said. Well, it is ours also. And it is more ours now that we have this museum to remind us of the striking beauty of this land and the way she saw it.”

That reminder is going strong 25 years later, with more to come. Kind of like O’Keeffe herself.