Diagonally across the street from Manuel’s Food Market is "Southwest Pieta" ... a fiberglass sculpture created by Luis Jimenez. First Lady Hillary Clinton came to Martineztown to designate the sculpture a national historic treasure during her Save America’s Treasures tour in 1999. 

Like many of Jimenez’s works, “Southwest Pieta” created controversy over the questions of culture and history that are still debated in Albuquerque. Originally commissioned for Old Town in the late 1980’s, the sculpture was soon relocated to the Mexican American neighborhood of Martineztown after residents, claiming direct Spanish lineage, called it politically incorrect (rumors spread that it represented a Spaniard raping an Indian woman, a legendary incident recorded in the area some 300 years before).

Another sculpture to create controversy is La Jornada (The Journey) erected in the Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of Juan de Onate’s arrival in the area. Erecting monuments to Juan de Onate in the Southwest seems to be a catalyst for creating tensions between the Pueblo Indian and Hispanic communities. Hispanics see Onate as a hero and the Indians view him as the bearer of horrific violence, slavery and religious oppression. The debate centered on whether tax dollars should fund controversial art. Click here to learn more.

It seems that each ethnic group has its own Cultural Center. One of our favorites is the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center . Owned by the nineteen Indian Pueblos of New Mexico it is a great place to see firsthand what distinguishes one pueblos art from another’s.

The featured exhibit during our visit was Celebrating Native Legacies: Works in clay by Kathleen Wall of Jemez Pueblo. We were absolutely blown away by both the charm and technical mastery of the clay medium. At first Sherry thought real reed and bark baskets had been incorporated into several of the sculptures … she had to get within inches to believe that they were clay.

The center is modeled after Pueblo Bonito, a 9th-century ruin in Chaco Culture National Historic Park. In the center is a large central courtyard whose adobe walls are decorated with murals like this one entitled Turtle Rain Dance. Click here to see more murals.

The ceremonial chanting and shaking of the gourds in the Navajo Gourd Dance was hypnotic. This is a blessing dance which deals with the many aspects of healing, the cycle of moisture, the seasons, and the balance of maintaining "Hozho … a central principle of Navajo religion, philosophy and aesthetics expressing the intellectual concept of order, the emotional state of happiness, the moral notion of good, the biological condition of health and well-being, and the art characteristics of balance, harmony and beauty."

Mayan temples, Spanish haciendas and adobe pueblos influenced the architecture of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. This gem of a museum presents Hispanic history, visual arts, drama, music, dance and other programs.

Viewing the art exhibits at the National Hispanic Cultural Center was a real education. The works of the de la Torre Brothers, composed of blown glass and found objects, took us way out of our comfort zone in terms of art appreciation. To say that their work is unconventional, bizarre and rather confrontational is an understatement … it took us a while to get in sync with the cultural commentary.  Sherry thought the work entitled "Crossing the Desert" ... a tribute to the immigrants who have died crossing the border, was especially powerful.

The mural outside the South Broadway Cultural Center was one of Sherry’s favorites. This beautiful building almost looks out of place in this older Hispanic neighborhood. Its stated purpose is to educate the community about the cultures and ethnicities that define Albuquerque. It includes a library, performing arts center, and art gallery.

The security guard at the entrance told us that some thought locating the center in this area of town would attract graffiti and vandalism; instead the center has become a source of community pride.

We were privileged to see the centers inaugural art exhibit: "Days of the Future Past: Surrealistic Paintings and Installations." We especially enjoyed the whimsical work of Santiago Perez. His work is playfully strange and reminded us of the animated Beatles film Yellow Submarine.

"The Battle of the Mergatroids and the HuBots" looked like Hieronymus Bosch meets the Blue Meanies.

The Asian Cultural Center was not as extensive as the Pueblo Indian or Hispanic Centers. We were disappointed that there was no museum explaining why and how Asians migrated to Albuquerque. Instead it seemed more commercial with a small antique store and a grand room for martial arts instruction.

Click on the camera to view to view the Cultural Crossroads Photo Gallery.

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