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Margaret Archuleta

Margaret L. Archuleta (1950-2023) was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to mother Miquel Archuleta and father Frank Nuanes [15]. She received her bachelor's degree in Native American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, her master’s degree in art history at the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed all but her dissertation toward her PhD in Art History and Native American Fine Art at the University of New Mexico.[15] [16] An esteemed fine art curator with Tewa-Hispanic heritage, Archuleta is known for her significant contributions to the promotion and recognition of Native American artists. [1]

Career

Margaret's career at the Heard Museum, from 1986-2002, solidified her reputation as a curator. During her tenure at the Heard Museum, Archuleta was a powerful advocate for Native American artists and set high standards for Native American Art [1]. She emphasized the importance of including Native American voices and ensuring authenticity in the museum's exhibitions [10].

Archuleta's early career was influenced by Indigenous painter Harry Fonseca, and she completed her master's degree at UCLA in the early 1980s with her exhibition thesis on Fonseca's body of work, titled "Coyote: A Myth in the Making." This thesis analyzed the transformation of the coyote figure in Fonseca's art and its contemporary interpretations [3]. Archuleta later curated an exhibition of Fonseca’s work titled, Coyote: A Myth in the Making, which was exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History in 1982 and later came to the Oakland Museum of California in 1987, The Joslyn Art Museum in 1988, and the Natural History Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C, in 1989. [14]

One of Archuleta's notable achievements was curating the 1987 3rd Biennial Native American Fine Arts Invitational at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. The invitational showcased contemporary Native American fine art and played a significant role in promoting Native American artists and challenging preconceived notions about their art forms [6] [11].

Collaborating with her friend and colleague Dr. Rennard Strickland, Margaret co-developed an influential exhibition, catalog, conference, and proceedings titled "Shared Visions: Native American Painters and Sculptors in the Twentieth Century." This project showcased the works of significant artists from the twentieth century’s Native American Fine Arts Movement, emphasizing those who impacted the direction of Native American painting and sculpture. The exhibition traveled both nationally and internationally, including Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand, [9] The Smithsonian Museum’s Ripley Center, Washington D.C., and more [13] The 1993 exhibition included a wide range of artworks, from the early narrative paintings of Carl Sweezy (Arapaho, 1881-1953), the “Pueblo Modernist” artworks of Joe H. Herrera (Pueblo, 1923-2001), the postmodernist works of Fritz Scholder (Luiseños 1937-2005), to the Coyote Paintings influenced by Fauvism, Primitivism, Pop Art, and Traditional Indian Painting, created by Harry Fonseca (Maidu/Portuguese/Hawaiian, 1946-2006). [2]

In 1999, Archuleta curated the exhibition "Art in Two Worlds: The Native American Fine Arts Invitational 1983-1997" at the Heard Museum. This show celebrated the creativity and innovation of Native American artists and featured works from the Heard Museum's seven Invitational fine art exhibitions held between 1983 and 1997. The exhibition showcased renowned artists and featured judges such as Harry Fonseca, Kay WalkingStick, Allan Houser, Lucy Lippard, Truman Lowe, and James Luna [1] [7]. The exhibition showed at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. The Montclair Art Museum, NJ. The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA. [12]

In 1997, Archuleta curated the exhibition "Twentieth-century American Sculpture at the White House: Honoring Native America." The exhibition, organized by the Heard Museum, showcased Native American sculpture and was the first installation in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden to feature works by Native American artists. [1] The exhibit received recognition and praise from First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who acknowledged Archuleta's dedication and the significance of the sculptures within the exhibition [10]

Archuleta's contributions also include the development of the landmark exhibition "Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience," which opened in 2000 at the Heard Museum. The exhibition explored this untold era of American history and incorporated historical images, oral histories, memorabilia, sound, and interactive videos to immerse visitors in stories told by the people who lived it and eventually became one of the Heard Museums’ “most visited and thematically powerful exhibitions.” [5] As a result of this exhibition, the Heard Museum received grants from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, The Ullman Foundation, and a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. [8]

Legacy

Margaret Archuleta passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2023. She is survived by her two siblings, Rick Miller and Catherine O'Hara, and five nieces and three nephews [15].

References: [^1^] Klimiades, Mario Nick. "Earth Song, Heard Museum Membership Magazine, 2023." [^2^] Archuleta, Margaret L., and Strickland, Dr. Rennard. "Shared Visions: Native American Painters and Sculptors in the Twentieth Century," 1991. [^3^] Archuleta, Margaret L., "Coyote: A Myth in the Making" 1986. [^5^] Heard Museum, "Away From Home, American Indian Boarding School Stories" 2000. [^6^] "Making Peace with Museums: Celebrate Their Culture; Phoenix Points the Way to Full Indian Integration" The New York Times, May 13, 1999. [^7^] "Heard Museum Invites Artists' Work" Southwest Art, November 1986. [^8^] "The American Indian Boarding School Experience: A Digital Repository" National Endowment for the Humanities. [^9^] "Shared Visions: Native American Painters and Sculptors of the Twentieth Century" Christchurch Art Gallery. [^10^] "Native American Sculpture Exhibit Opening" C-SPAN, 1997. [^11^] "Heard Museum opens a new chapter on Native art" Antiques & The Arts Weekly, June 9, 2006. [^12^] "Art in 2 Worlds: The Native American Fine Art Invitational" Michener Art Museum. [^13^] "Shared Visions: Native American Painters and Sculptors in the Twentieth Century" Smithsonian American Art Museum. [^14^] Wasserman, Abby. "Coyote and the Myth Maker" The San Francisco Examiner, September 1987. [^15^] Obituary for Margaret Archuleta in Legacy.com. [^16^] https://eiteljorg.org/in-memoriam-margaret-l-archuleta-1950-2023/