Skip to main content
Common Ground 2021

Common Ground 2021

Common Ground: Art in New Mexico

Since the arrival of humans more than 13,000 years ago, New Mexico has been a center for artistic production and creativity. Few places in the United States can celebrate such a significant and continuous history of art-making, from prehistory to the ingenuity of the current moment. Art in New Mexico is characterized by the celebration of tradition, innovation within heritage, and groundbreaking developments of new forms and ideas. People of diverse cultures have lived together and influenced each other throughout the centuries.

Many museums often make sense of this diversity by dividing cultures into more clearly identified groups. However, humans do not always live in easily defined communities. This is especially true in New Mexico. The broad range of the Albuquerque Museum’s permanent collection reflects New Mexican creativity in its many forms. Common Ground presents multiple perspectives and voices exploring the lived experiences, cultures, histories, and art in this region. Artworks are grouped by several guiding questions bringing artists and the diverse ideas, peoples, and places represented into dialogue. These works of art illustrate that as humans, we have more in common with each other than we have differences that divide us. Acknowledging the sometimes violent and complex history of our region, the museum strives to tell the stories that impact how each of us reacts to and experiences the world around us.

Collection Highlights
Albuquerque
Leon Trousset
1885
New Town, Albuquerque
Leon Trousset
1885
Night On Central Avenue
William Warder
1946
Tank Reflections
Robert Peterson
1981