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Museum of International Folk Art

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Editor Pick

Museum of International Folk Art

  • March 22, 2008
  • Rated 3 of 5 by MikeInTown from Norristown, Pennsylvania
The Museum of International Folk Art is a tribute to the common or folk people from around the world. Browsing the exhibits here can keep you occupied for at least 3 hours.

The museum is not far from the Santa Fe Plaza but far enough you will need a vehicle to get there. It is located in the Museum Hill complex along with the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Multi-day passes for all the museums can be purchased. Since we were limited on time, we only bought tickets for the Museum of International Folk Art.

We started off at the Girard Wing. Alexander Girard collected figurines and dolls from all over the world and put them on display in a huge room inside the museum. The pieces are displayed in detailed scenery much like a model railroad layout. There are replicas of Spanish marketplaces, African street scenes, European castles, and more. Some of these scenes contain hundreds of figurines.

While making our way through this exhibit, an enthusiastic lady invited my wife and me to join her overview tour. She led us through the whole museum at lightning pace. I was glad we took her tour because she provided some great information without us having to read every posted description. This allowed us to circle back on our own to learn more about the items that interested us.

The guide started off showing us the highlights of the Girard Wing we were already in. She pointed out interesting angles at which to view the layouts. From there, she took us through the Hispanic Heritage Wing. This wing is dedicated to the Spanish that colonized what is now New Mexico during the 17th and 18th centuries. They were pretty much cut off from Spain so they had to rely on family, faith, and ingenuity to survive. This wing contains the furniture, tools, jewelry, and tinwork of these early settlers. They made some impressive religious relics from tin.

Our tour guide skipped the temporary Needles and Pins exhibit because it just wasn't her cup of tea. Instead, she finished her tour by zipping us through the temporary Bamba exhibit that displayed a collection of Senegalese street art dedicated to the memory of the highly revered Islamic leader, Sheikh Amadou Bamba.

After the tour, my wife and I wandered the museum on our own visiting some of the displays that caught our eyes earlier. We spent most of this time in the Girard Wing and the temporary Bamba exhibit. We even took a stroll through the Needles and Pins wing that our tour guide neglected. It wasn't as bad as she made it sound. It contained examples of weaving looms, quilts, and clothing from all over the world.

We ended our visit to the museum in the gift shop with my wife perusing the jewelry counters and me skimming books about world cultures. Neither one of us bought anything.

From journal Santa Fe and Around the Way

Museum of International Folk Art

  • November 20, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by camera-gal from Overland Park, Kansas
This is perhaps one of the best art museums Santa Fe has to offer. The Museum of International Folk Art has works from over 100 countries. It's divided into 3 sections. The first wing exhibits a collection of New Mexican, Mexican, Brazilian, European, African, and the folk art of other countries.

The second section is the Neutrogena wing. It houses an eccentric collection of art arranged in an 'Alice in Wonderland' setting.

The third and largest wing houses only 1/10 of Alexander and Susan Girard's sizable collection of dolls, figurines and doll houses. It is amazing to imagine how much they acquired in their lifetimes--true collectors.

Plan to spend at least 2 hours wandering through this museum.

From journal Art, Art and More Art

Museum of International Folk Art

  • October 21, 2000
  • Rated 3 of 5 by mzredhead from new york, New York
This is a very unusual museum. Most of the collection is displayed in unique village scenes. It is a museum that children would also enjoy because it is colorful and interactive. You need at least one hour to walk through the museum. It all depends upon how long you spend looking at each of the showcases. There are several museums at this location and you can by a multiple museum ticket. However, we were limited with time and only went to this one. The admission fee was $5.00 for one museum. Tours are given and headsets are available for free. This museum is well worth a visit.

From journal New Mexico Journey

Editor Pick

Museum of International Folk Art

  • September 4, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by camera-gal from Overland Park, Kansas
This is perhaps one of the best art museums Santa Fe has to offer. The Museum of International Folk Art has works from over 100 countries. It's divided into 3 sections.

The first wing exhibits a collection of New Mexican, Mexican, Brazilian, European, African, and other countries folk art.

The second section is the Neutrogena wing. It houses an eccentric collection of art arranged in an 'Alice in Wonderland' setting.

The third and largest wing houses only 1/10 of Alexander and Susan Girard's sizable collection of dolls, figurines and doll houses. It is amazing to imagine how much they acquired in their lifetimes--true collectors.

Plan to spend at least 2 hours wandering through this museum.

From journal The Tourist Spot

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