Felix Lopez to Join Santero Panel This Saturday at 4:00 pm

Panel: Artists, Communities & Their Work Together

Saturday, September 6 · 4:00–5:00 PM · Ticketed Event · $10

At the beginning of this year to kick off the year-long celebration of the 100^th anniversary of our founding we were thrilled to unveil the Society’s very first acquisition in 1928 of the magnificent 19th century Santero José Rafael Aragón reredo (altar screen) circa 1840. After having been on long-term loan to the Palace of the Governors where it was exhibited for 90 years, it is now prominently displayed in excellent condition in the E. Boyd Sala of our Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum thanks to the Palace’s careful stewardship. In honor of its historic origins please join us for an evening panel where historic preservation and conservation take center stage.

We hope you can join Spanish Market artists and master Santeros Victor Goler, Felix Lopez, Nick Otero, and Jerry Sandoval, along with Angelo Sandoval, Mayordomo of San Antonio de Padua Church in Córdova, for a conversation on restoration, conservation, and the role of community in sustaining sacred traditions throughout New Mexico.

The panel will discuss and present slides on their process for conservation of the San Antonio de Padua’s Santos and Altars (circa 1830’s). The conservation efforts ran from January 2021 to March 2022 and included a great deal of involvement by the community of Cordova. The Santeros and Mayordomo will speak to the initial motivation of the parish community to embark on the project, what it was like to be a part of a vision with such deep community importance, and reasons they all chose to involve specific technicians for the restoration of historic devotional art pieces.

The Santeros hold a great deal of history and wisdom about our regional arts and practices. Come learn about what historic conservation and community collaboration can look like from the masters themselves.

And be sure to arrive early to explore the current centennial exhibit 100 Years of Connecting | 100 Years of Collecting which showcases the extraordinary artworks of our master santero panelists!