Arts & Culture

The Heart of Southwestern Design

An Arts & Culture Destination

The Town of Taos has one of the nation’s best small-town art scenes. This includes excellent museums like the Harwood Museum of Art on historic Ledoux Street and the Millicent Rogers Museum on the north side of town. There are dozens of galleries and countless artist studios, film festivals, live theater, and music. For a hands-on art experience, visit Taos artist and gallery owner Pat Woodall to take an oil painting class or to purchase one of his originals. Ancient adobe architecture is one of the key characteristics of Taos, but more recently, the unique Earthship community just a few miles over the iconic Rio Grande Gorge bridge was created to normalize sustainable building methods based on using recycled materials. Take tour of the whimsical buildings and homes to experience the off-grid lifestyle.

The heart of Taos art and culture scene is the Taos Pueblo. Taos Pueblo is the only community in the United States designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its multi-story adobe structure is home to numerous artisans. Inside the Pueblo’s family-owned stores you will find handmade pottery, jewelry, leather goods and other arts and crafts. Guided tours are conducted by Pueblo students and highlight the culture, history and people.

Current Museum Exhibits

Millicent Rogers Museum

March 25, 2023 – April 16, 2023 The Millicent Rogers Museum is hosting the Pastel Society of New Mexico’s Signature Members Show, an immersion of color in the form of 65+ paintings by 29 artists. The exhibition and sale presents the work of Signature Members and distinguished pastelists in an…

Harwood Museum

October 29, 2022 – May 21, 2023 William Herbert “Buck” Dunton: A Mainer Goes West celebrates the legacy of the Taos Society of Artists’ (TSA) resident “cowboy painter.” Founded in 1915, the TSA also included Oscar E. Berninghaus, E.L. Blumenschein, E. Irving Couse, Bert Geer Phillips, and Joseph Henry Sharp. Outfitted…

Harwood Museum

October 15, 2022 – May 7, 2023 Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy is an exercise in unearthing images of the drovers, fiddlers, cowpunchers, cattle rustlers, cooks, singers, bulldogers, and bronc busters with African heritage in the American South. This exhibition will balance historical narratives and archival photographs depicting life…

Special events in Taos County can be found on LiveTaos.com, the Taos News Entertainment section as well as the Taos Ski Valley Events Calendar.

Location

Town of Taos

Taos Ski Valley

Taos Opera Institute

Come to Taos a singer, leave an artist. A vocal and dramatic experience like no other, Taos Opera Institute has been established as a four week intensive program for the emerging young artist designed to bridge the gap between academia and apprenticeship. Our philosophy focuses on integrating and improving…

Harwood Museum of Art

Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico, close to the historic Taos Plaza, collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets the arts, especially those created in, inspired by, or relevant to northern New Mexico. The Harwood actively contributes to and participates in the cultural and civic life of northern New Mexico. The Harwood…

Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The ancestors of the Taos people lived in this valley long before Columbus landed in America and hundreds of years before Europe emerged from the Dark…

Heritage Inspirations

Heritage Inspirations provides year-round, all-inclusive, authentically-curated guided tours that dive deep into the vibrant heritage of Taos and New Mexico. Our diverse year-round Taos tours peel back the ancient layers of our living heritage and explore the wild contrast of our mountains and high…

Taos School of Music

“One of the most prestigious and intimate of summer music schools in the country.” -National Public Radio Fine chamber music has been the focus of Taos School of Music for over 50 years. Each summer nineteen advanced, pre-professional musicians ages 18 to 29 are selected to immerse themselves…

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER SEASON. We look forward to seeing you in June 2023! Cumbres & Toltec’s coal-fired steam engine carries you through steep mountain canyons, high desert, and lush meadows as you zig zag between the Colorado and New Mexico border. Open your eyes to spectacular and rare…

Millicent Rogers Museum

Named after the Standard Oil heiress and fashion icon, the museum was founded in 1956 with Millicent Rogers’ personal collection. It has since since grown to over 7,000 objects, and hosts a variety of events throughout the year. The museum features 15 galleries that focus on the art, culture, and…

Pat Woodall Fine Art Gallery

The Pat Woodall Fine Art Gallery is located in the restored Taos Rock House (built between 1917-1918) across from the Taos Inn or the southwest corner of Bent Street and Paseo del Pueblo. Woodall is an avid skier and loves to paint Taos Ski Valley. In the dining room…