The making of an American place : the development of Sante Fe and Taos, New Mexico, as an American cultural center, 1898-1942

Abstract

During the first four decades of the twentieth century, an influx of painters and authors into Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, created in the area a new American cultural center. The establishment of active colonies of artists in the two towns was unusual because the villages were small and the region remote from urban centers and artistic and literary markets of the United States. Despite this isolation, the area attracted as permanent residents or frequent visitors a large number of creative individuals. By 1942 Taos was the home of numerous painters actively producing works in a variety of styles and media. It was also the permanent residence of Mabel Dodge Luhan and several other productive authors. Similarly, Santa Fe supported a large group of painters and served as a center for literary activity. The objectives of this study were to examine the historical development of the cultural center in the Santa Fe-Taos region between 1898 and 1942, to identify the environmental and cultural elements which nurtured this development, and to examine the roles of Alice Corbin Henderson in Santa Fe and Mabel Dodge Luhan in Taos in encouraging the establishment and growth of the artist and literary colonies in the area. There were many factors which contributed to the development of the center, but the statements and works of the artists of the area support the conclusion that the physical environment and Pueblo Indian and Spanish-American cultures were of paramount importance to this development..