SITE Santa Fe facts for kids
1995 exhibition at SITE Santa Fe
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| Established | February 1, 1995 |
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| Location | 1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Type | contemporary art |
| Visitors | ~35,000/year |
SITE Santa Fe (often called SITE) is a special art organization in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's a nonprofit group, which means it works for the public good, not to make money.
Since it started in 1995, SITE Santa Fe has shown art from over 800 artists. It has hosted 11 big art shows called biennials. It has also put on more than 90 other art exhibitions. SITE was the first place in the U.S. to host an international art biennial.
SITE shows art from all over the world. But it also helps artists from New Mexico grow their careers. About 20% of the artists shown at SITE are from New Mexico.
SITE also offers fun and educational programs for everyone. These programs often connect to the art shows. You can find talks with artists, movie nights, live performances, and workshops. SITE also works with local schools and groups to create these programs.
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How SITE Santa Fe Started
SITE Santa Fe began in 1992. A local art gallery owner, Laura Carpenter, had the idea. She raised over $1 million to make it happen. About one-third of this money helped turn an old warehouse into an art space. A New York architect named Richard Gluckman designed the new space. It had 19,000 square feet for art shows.
SITE Santa Fe officially opened in 1995. Its first big goal was to host the only international art biennial in the whole United States. Bruce W. Ferguson was the first curator, meaning he helped choose the art. For the first biennial, he and Vince Varga picked 31 artists from 13 different countries.
Early Biennials and Growth
The very first biennial opened on July 14, 1995. It ran until October 8, 1995. Over the years, many guest curators have helped with SITE's International Biennial. After the first show was a big success, SITE Santa Fe decided to have art exhibitions all the time.
SITE Santa Fe also gives money to local artists. It runs other programs for education and artist development. In 1997, SITE Santa Fe even helped choose the art for the United States at the Venice Biennale. This is a very famous international art exhibition in Italy.
The seventh biennial was called Lucky Number Seven. It opened on June 22, 2008. This show featured 25 artists from 16 different countries. Lance Fung was the curator for this exhibition. Students from local art programs helped document the show online. Many people in the community work with SITE Santa Fe, like Deborah Fritz. She is a local curator and gallery owner.
New Ideas for Biennials
In 2011, SITE's leaders decided to rethink their main biennial show. The first of these new biennials was called SITElines: New Perspectives on Art of the Americas. A diverse team of curators organized it. The art explored the many layers of history and culture in North and South America. It also highlighted viewpoints that are not always well-known.
At the same time, SITE started SITE Center. This program helps artists live and work in Santa Fe for a while. It connects the art shows with programs that help local communities. SITE Center residencies have looked at topics like different cultures and Indigenous histories.
In 2016, SITE began a big expansion project. Shop Architects designed the new building. After a year of construction, SITE reopened with more space. This new space allows the museum to show more art and host more events. It also helps them work with more local students.
What's Happening Now
SITE Santa Fe closed for a short time during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was to keep staff and visitors safe. SITE reopened to visitors in July 2020. The first show after reopening was called Displaced: Contemporary Artists Confront the Global Refugee Crisis.
