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Apr 07

Survival and Revival: The Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design in New Mexico

Posted on April 7, 2016 at 1:55 PM by Annie Shultz

Art commissioned by the Works Progress Administration
About the Art: San Antonio, 1938. Contributions by various artists, edited by E. Boyd. Watercolor and ink on paper, 10 ½ inches by 14 ¼ inches. Gift of Mrs. E. C. Courtney 1990.006.0008.

Exhibition Details
  • Through January 18, 2015

Exhibition Overview
Commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in 1937 and published in 1938, the Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design in New Mexico was created under the direction of E. Boyd. She enlisted several regional artists to participate in this project, which focused upon documenting the historical and living artistic expression of Spanish New Mexico.

The Portfolio consists of fifty, hand-pulled prints that were then water colored by members of the team. Depicting bultos, retablos, and other Spanish Colonial religious objects, the images found within the folio represent not a past, but a living culture, in which the traditional arts and crafts of several communities have and continue to play a crucial role in the 400 year old culture and heritage of Spanish New Mexico.