Santa Iron has a long history of being an art destination known for its turquoise jewelry, Western paintings, and bronze sculptures, but The City Dissimilar has a surprise for you.

We're talking art parties lasting into the early hours of the morn and secret, invite-just gallery openings. Seriously — these brazenly nontraditional arts experiences deserve to be as synonymous with Santa Atomic number 26 as the movie biz is with Hollywood. The city sits quietly ranked every bit one of the largest arts markets in the US, with small, independent artists thriving here. When compared to the sheer size and pace of New York and LA, Santa Fe stands as an unparalleled beacon for collaboration and innovation in contemporary art.

Bank check out these eight art experiences if you want to encounter the futurity of mixed media and performance.

ane. The Business firm of Eternal Render, by Meow Wolf

After establishing a local presence in both music and other harder-to-define ventures, the Meow Wolf arts production collective opened what they call an "immersive art installation" at the Firm of Eternal Return. It thoroughly departs from the traditional museum model in its bold use of interactive space. If you're a little hazy on what all this means, don't worry — keep reading.

Maggie Thornton, a local artist at Meow Wolf, is one of the names to wait out for. She splits her time between visual arts and audio for the installations, working in mostly "vinyl, plastics, and shiny stuff." While her chosen art forms are certainly a departure from the traditional art that has fatigued visitors and collectors to the city for decades, she and many expanse artists don't really see it that mode. "Meow Wolf is a counterpoint to much of the galleries, but there'due south a compatibility between the 2 scenes," she explains.

The fully interactive experience they've created at The House of Eternal Return pushes the envelope of what is possible for an exhibition space — an idea that apace garnered national attention before opening its doors in 2016, thanks to city initiatives and bankroll past business organization partners similar George R. R. Martin. (The Game of Thrones author also supported the reopening of the historic Jean Cocteau Theater in 2013).

The House of Eternal Return is at present open Sunday – Thursday (skipping Tuesdays) from 10am to 8pm, and Fridays and Saturdays until 10pm (and afterwards operates as a music venue). Tickets for general admission can be purchased online or at the door.

2. The Centre for Contemporary Arts

Another more tenured "upwards-and-comer" is the Center for Contemporary Arts, often known as CCA Theater amidst locals. With an exhibition space that has a abiding rotation of visual artists (the CCA is known for their crawly collaborations) as well equally regular showtimes of independent and documentary films, the CCA blends creative conversation with the thought of the Hollywood blockbuster — at that place'southward no reason spaces like this shouldn't see the aforementioned omnipresence movie theaters practise.

Filmmakers from all over the globe often show and hash out their films at this tiny, easy-to-miss venue tucked away at 1050 Onetime Pecos Trail. Keep an eye on their calendar — showtimes run every 24-hour interval, annual passes are available for film enthusiasts in the model of traditional museum memberships, and the exhibitions are constantly updating with never-before-seen works from emerging artists.

3. Santa Atomic number 26 Artists in Residence

Reyes Padilla Santa Fe artist in residence program

Photograph: Caitlin Jenkins Photography

In an unconventional attempt to unify the overlapping worlds of local artists and hospitality, TOURISM Santa Fe initiated a program to give visitors and residents an intimate experience of the creative process. Behold, Santa Atomic number 26 Artists in Residence.

The thought in a nutshell: Hotels around the city give infinite and attending to different artists starting in Nov 2017, with events scheduled through the terminate of February 2018. From traditional wine and cheese run across-and-greets with the artists to the fact that they're creating their works on-site, the program aims to create a new avenue for exposure and partnership between galleries, artists, and hotels in the urban center.

4. Studio Center of Santa Fe

Studio Center of Santa Iron sits in the eye of the Railyard District, within a squat rectangular building that looks like information technology was displaced from a Westward Coast shipyard. And it makes its presence very, very known with a technicolor landscape and a recent installation that's part park demote and part sculpture. Jubilant 21 years of service this year, information technology'southward besides planning some significant changes. Throughout those 21 years, the initiative was known equally Warehouse 21 and was dedicated to supporting local youth artists. At present, the center is expanding its achieve by incorporating new studio and gallery spaces, as well as a cafe.

One of the things that'south fabricated the program so unique and unmistakably "Santa Fe" is its commitment to hosting performances and events of all styles, from book tours to deep-trance jam bands (several Meow Wolf members got their beginning here, so y'all tin can see the connection). A downwards-to-world, non-judgmental space, Studio Eye of Santa Fe taps into an ideal way for creative people young and former to engage with the broader customs — by creating the type of place where nosotros all wish we could take hung out in loftier school.

5. Shidoni Sculpture Garden

Slightly outside of the city proper, technically in the pueblo of Tesuque, Shidoni towers as a testament to the huge staying ability of creativity in the Santa Iron region. The sculpture garden seems to exist intentionally out of the way, requiring visitors to follow the winding Bishop'due south Lodge Road along the edge of Santa Iron National Wood. Simply the chance to stroll the grounds that firm these abstruse and whimsical structures is well worth the journeying.

Opened in 1975, the gallery's sculptures are a mixture of so many styles and modes of expression that the simply obvious commonality seems to be that they're costless-continuing structures. Fifty-fifty if you lot come exterior the normal hours for its in-house exhibit (Tuesday – Sabbatum from 10am to 5pm), y'all tin can all the same walk among the pieces outside, some of which tower like mountains, some with the fragility of pinwheels (metalworking at its finest).

vi. Form & Concept

Form & Concept seeks to create a space to "explore the boundaries of perceived distinctions between art, craft, and design"…with a heavy implication that no such boundaries exist. Performance as a gallery space and running workshops and artist residencies, the facility also advocates for artistic expression inside the city at large — for example, by putting out a call for pattern ideas when a downtown plot becomes bachelor for beautification. When they're non contributing to the literal molding of the cityscape, they're hosting InterPlanetary costume parties and serving as a venue for artistic movers and shakers in the area.

vii. SITE Santa Fe

SITE Santa Fe is housed within an architectural construction that's a slice of art in and of itself. SHoP, a firm all-time known for its innovative and sustainable buildings, designed the infinite, taking into account how SITE'due south exhibits might be experienced. When the exterior lights illuminate the textured aluminum siding, the effect is profound — the outside seems just as much an artistic piece as what lies inside.

Recently revamped (in philosophy as well as aesthetic), SITE aims to button the boundaries of standard curatorial practices. And in a evidence of belief in emerging artists, SITE accepts unsolicited materials from creators twice per year. The exhibits in SITElab are open from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Wednesday, and all exhibits are open up Friday and Sabbatum. In that location's free access all day on Friday and between the hours of 10am and apex on Saturday.

8. Santa Fe Botanical Garden

When you movie Santa Fe, you're probably thinking shades of cerise, golds, and some adobe thrown in for good measure. But while Santa Fe is certainly set in high mountain territory, that doesn't mean there is a lack of greenish. The Santa Fe Botanical Garden comprises acres and acres of striking local landscape at its almost verdant and plants every bit colorful as many of the urban center's art museums.

But what makes the garden an "experience" are the events information technology hosts and how they necktie into the customs. Check out Glow — the last two weeks of December — to see the garden lit upwardly with thousands of lights and lasers, the "Garden of Earthly Delights" celebration during the summer solstice (and the accompanying themed cocktails), or get tickets in advance to Shakespeare in the Garden. Then there'due south Community Day, where students and New United mexican states residents arrive free. The accessibility of the garden — and the focus on the community — couldn't exist more suitable for a come-equally-y'all-are city founded around the arts.