SANTA FE, NM.- The New Mexico Museum of Art opened Colors of the Southwest, March 6 through September 13, 2015, to coincide with the "Summer of Color" taking place on Santa Fe’s Museum Hill.

Exhibition curator, Carmen Vendelin noted, “attention to color and light is a hallmark of artwork created in the lower Pacific Coast and Mountain States.” For over a century, artists in the Southwest have been challenged by its open landscapes bathed in a broad spectrum of color and light. Artists have set themselves the task of capturing these unique light effects across wide-ranging media and styles. Primarily a landscape exhibition, Vendelin adds that, “the majority of the artworks depict gorgeous scenery in varied palettes and offer highlights from the New Mexico Museum of Art’s collection.”

The exhibition encompasses an array of art created from the early 20th century to the present and includes paintings, photographs, prints, watercolors, and ceramics. Included are iconic work by artists such as Gustave Baumann, Louise Crow, Andrew Dasburg, Robert Daughters, Eddie Dominguez, Fremont F. Ellis, William Penhallow Henderson, Victor HigginsKate Krasin, Dorothy Morang, Helmuth Naumer, Sheldon Parsons, Warren E. Rollins, T.C. Cannon, and Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie.

The Museum of Art’s exhibition celebrates color’s entire spectrum. The Museum Hill “Summer of Color” cultural institutions focus on the range within one specific color; red at the Museum of International Folk Art in The Red That Colored the World, turquoise at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, indigo at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, silver at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, green at the International Folk Art Market - Santa Fe, and orange at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden.