DETAILS
Travel with the guidance of lecturer Alice W. Iglehart, a museum educator with more than 40 years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She will share insights about Santa Fe’s ancient Indigenous traditions and diverse contemporary art scene as you enjoy curator-led private access to the region’s most acclaimed collections. A particularly rare opportunity awaits at Ghost Ranch, O’Keeffe’s 21,000-acre retreat, where you’ll access areas typically closed to visitors and experience firsthand the red cliffs and stark vistas that inspired some of her iconic paintings.
- Pricing from
- $7,599
- Trip Type
- Closer to Home, Group Travel Tour
- Departure Dates
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May 13, 2025 - May 19, 2025
LA FONDA ON THE PLAZA, SANTA FE
A Historic Hotel of America, La Fonda on the Plaza occupies the site of Santa Fe’s first inn, established in 1607, making it the oldest hotel location in America. In 1821, Captain William Becknell’s arrival at La Fonda during his pioneering journey from Missouri established both the Santa Fe Trail and the hotel’s reputation for hospitality. The current structure, built in 1922, features hand-carved beams, stained glass skylights, and a 25-foot cathedral ceiling, reflecting the influences of architects Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and John Gaw Meem.
TOUR MAP
ITINERARY
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day 1
DEPARTURE / SANTA FE
Arrive in Santa Fe and check into the La Fonda on the Plaza, set on the oldest hotel location in the U.S., where you will gather for a welcome reception this evening.
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day 2
SANTA FE
Explore Santa Fe’s architectural wonders with a local expert, focusing on the Loretto Chapel, a late 19thcentury Gothic Revival masterpiece designed by French architect Antoine Mouly and inspired by Paris’s Sainte-Chapelle. Marvel at the chapel’s “Miraculous Staircase,” an architectural enigma ascending 20 feet in two 360-degree turns without central support, defying conventional engineering principles. Step into San Miguel Chapel, the continental U.S.’s oldest known church, built around 1610 and a prime example of Spanish Colonial architecture with its adobe construction and heavily buttressed walls. Explore its rich history, from its origins as a Native American place of worship to its use
as a Franciscan infirmary, and admire its wooden reredos from 1798 featuring a statue of Saint Michael dating back to at least 1709. Then enjoy an extensive overview of Southwestern art from traditional to avant-garde at the New Mexico Museum of Art, including creations by Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, Gustave Baumann, and others. Admire the museum’s works from the influential Taos Society of Artists, who emerged in the early 20th century, and Los Cinco Pintores (“The Five Painters”), whose boldly colorful canvases transformed Santa Fe’s art scene in the 1920s. Enjoy the rest of the day and dinner at leisure. -
day 3
SANTA FE /ABIQUIÚ
Today is devoted to Georgia O’Keeffe, who made New Mexico her permanent home in 1949, creating some of her most groundbreaking works amid the solitude and beauty of the region surrounding Santa Fe. Begin with a curator-led experience at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, perusing the world’s largest gathering of her work, including 140 oil paintings, 700 drawings, and a wealth of personal artifacts. Drive to Abiquiú for a guided tour of O’Keeffe’s meticulously restored home and studio. Discover how the property’s features directly inspired some of her most acclaimed paintings, including the famous black patio door she painted repeatedly, the garden she cultivated, and the sweeping views of the Chama River and mesas. Then go behind the scenes at the 21,000-acre Ghost Ranch, O’Keeffe’s summer retreat and an endless source of artistic inspiration, with access to areas not typically open to the public. As you traverse the same trails O’Keeffe explored, absorb the raw beauty of this former cattle rustler hideout turned artistic sanctuary. Return to Santa Fe for a night on the town at leisure.
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day 4
SANTA FE
Experience a fascinating look at Native American ingenuity, artistry, and cultural continuity from prehistory to the present day during a curator-led visit to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Amid 75,000 artifacts, from ancient Anasazi ceramics to contemporary Native American sculptures, behold extraordinary pieces like the 151-foot-long hunting net made of human hair from 1200 A.D., some of the world’s finest Navajo textile collections dating back to 1750, and a vast archaeological repository. Then discover the world’s largest collection of global folk art on a curator-led tour of the Museum of International Folk Art, whose core collections span more than 200 countries, from Scandinavian art and Mexican pottery to exquisite textiles and ceramics that celebrate the beauty of pattern, color, and texture across cultures. Conclude with a private visit at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, part of the only college in the U.S. dedicated to Indigenous creativity, the groundbreaking Institute of American Indian Arts, which has been at the forefront of Native American arts education since 1962. As you explore the galleries, engage with the innovations As you explore the galleries, engage with the innovations of contemporary Indigenous artists like Tony Abeyta, whose vibrant abstracts incorporate traditional Navajo symbols, and Linda Lomahaftewa, whose avant-garde paintings integrate her Hopi-Choctaw heritage. Regroup at the hotel and enjoy dinner.
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day 5
SANTA FE / TAOS
Journey to the art colony of Taos, perched at 7,000 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where artists have flocked since 1898. Go behind the scenes at the Millicent Rogers Museum, which houses the Standard Oil heiress’s cherished collection of Southwestern U.S. Indigenous art, jewelry, and pottery. Highlights amid Rogers’s collection include Maria Martinez’s black-on-black pottery, a technique she pioneered in the early 1900s that revolutionized Native American ceramics, and displays of santos—religious folk carvings dating from the 1700s to today. Then, with a curator at the Harwood Museum of Art, view a purpose-built octagonal gallery featuring seven precise grid paintings by Agnes Martin, a Canadian-born artist who moved to Taos and became a major figure in American abstract expressionism. Upon return to Santa Fe, enjoy free time and dinner at leisure.
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day 6
SANTA FE
Go behind the scenes in the Art Vault at the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, which preserves diverse artistic traditions and supports educational initiatives in underserved areas. In the Art of the Spanish Americas section, admire masterpieces from the 17th to 19th centuries, then explore works that influenced modern art movements like abstract expressionism and minimalism in the Post-War Painting & Sculpture collection. Delight in a curator-guided look at TAI Modern, the world’s premier gallery for contemporary Japanese bamboo art, which employs traditional basketry techniques to create intricate avant-garde sculptures. This unique space has represented more than 35 Japanese bamboo artists over two decades, with works featured in prestigious institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Experience the genius of a leading 20th-century Apache sculptor at the Allan Houser Sculpture Garden, where more than 70 of Houser’s monumental works dot the landscape against panoramic mountain vistas. Then, at the private studio of Tom Joyce, witness how this MacArthur Fellow transforms industrial materials into thought-provoking sculptures, his work held in over 30 public collections including the Smithsonian. Finally, meet a curator at the Ellsworth Gallery, the only U.S. gallery specializing in samurai arts, where museum quality weapons and armor from Japan’s legendary warrior class are juxtaposed with cutting-edge contemporary art. Gather this evening for a festive farewell dinner.
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day 7
SANTA FE / RETURN
Transfer with the group to the Santa Fe regional airport for your flight home.
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