Spanish Colonial Arts Society Inc

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society (SCAS) is a private, nonprofit arts and culture organization founded in 1925. We own and operate the Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts (NMHA) museum, a museum and research center in Santa Fe dedicated to serving the people of New Mexico and visitors from around the globe. Our library, archive, and collection of regional artworks – predominantly from New Mexico – is unrivaled. Nearly half of the Museum’s collection is comprised of work by Spanish Market artists from the 1920s to the present. A percentage of pieces are from the period 1598-1821 with the remainder primarily from 19th-century New Mexico along with Spain and other areas to place them within a global context. NMHA is the only museum in New Mexico exclusively devoted to collecting and exhibiting the Hispano heritage arts of New Mexico. In addition to traditional museum exhibits, we offer lectures, art workshops for youth and adults, and cooking classes in the historic foodways of New Mexico in our restored historic kitchen. In addition to our museum, we open our permanent collection, library, and archive to the public; students, researchers, artists, and persons with general interest in the field make regular use of this incredible resource that is both historic and contemporary. As part of our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, our museum is open to the public free of charge – the only such museum in Santa Fe to do so. The overall building is 11,000sf, composed of two parts and accessible throughout: the historic museum section designed and built circa 1930 and the contemporary collections and research section designed and built circa 2000. The original 5,000sf historic building designed by renowned regional architect John Gaw Meem was used as intended as a residence from 1930 to 1998 then remodeled for museum purposes in 1999 – 2002. The historic building section is an excellent example of adaptive reuse, accessibly renovated with modifications compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for historic properties. The 6,000sf collections and research center, attached to the historic building with an enclosed breezeway, was built at the same time as the remodel of the original building. The combined museum and research center opened in 2002. Due to its architectural significance, historically sensitive modifications, and careful siting of its new addition, it is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Sited on a juniper-sprinkled landscape, little has changed on this property since the 1930s despite development of Museum Hill to the south. The landscape remains mature flora including yellow chamisa, ponderosa pine, cedar, juniper, pinon, and cottonwood trees. A portion of the Arroyo Chamiso is included within our property. Pedestrians enjoy access to it from our campus where they may enjoy miles of walking, hiking, and bike riding trails. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of our founding throughout 2025, our history, collection, and programming has been featured in magazines and newspapers around New Mexico as well as print and digital magazines published internationally.