Museum of International Folk Art, Folk art museum on Museum Hill, Santa Fe, United States.
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run museum on Museum Hill in Santa Fe, New Mexico, designed by architect John Gaw Meem and opened in 1953. Its collection of more than 135,000 objects from over 100 countries is shown in four wings: Bartlett, Girard, Hispanic Heritage and Neutrogena.
Florence Dibell Bartlett founded the museum in 1953 to promote understanding of global creative traditions and artistic expressions. Alexander Girard subsequently donated his private collection, which became central to the museum's holdings.
The Girard Wing displays selections from Alexander Girard's collection, showing how people worldwide express their traditions through handmade objects. Visitors notice how similar everyday items take on distinct regional character through local craftsmanship and design choices.
The museum sits on Museum Hill and shares Milner Plaza with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; the Wheelwright Museum, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden are adjacent. The Girard Wing's Multiple Visions exhibition displays about 10% of the collection, so allow time to return for rotating shows in the Bartlett Wing.
The Girard Wing displays about 10% of the museum's holdings, and more than a million visitors have walked through it since it opened in 1982. Alexander Girard, an architect and designer, arranged the exhibition himself, mixing toys, masks, costumes and textiles from over 100 nations.
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