IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
The museum in 2004
Alternative names	MoCNA
General information
Address	108 Cathedral Place
Town or city	Santa Fe, New Mexico
Country	United States
Coordinates	35°41′15″N105°56′13″W / 35.68740486989553°N 105.93696811033077°W / 35.68740486989553; -105.93696811033077
Inaugurated	1991
Owner	Institute of American Indian Arts

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (abbreviated as MoCNA) is a museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico dedicated to collecting and showcasing works of art by contemporary Indigenous artists and is considered the only museum in the United States to do so. ^[1]

History

Founded by the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1991, the museum hosts nearly 10,000 works of art from 1962 and onward and is located in the Sante Fe Federal Building, a historic Pueblo Revival building. ^{[2] [3]}

In 2020, the museum was one of 20 recipients for funding from the Ford Foundation's America's Cultural Treasures philanthropic initiative. ^[4]

In 2025, the museum received an Access for All grant from the Art Bridges Foundation, allowing it to allow free admission on Fridays through to December 2026. ^[5] In August of that year, the museum partnered with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to showcase Taiwanese Indigenous works. ^[6]

As of March 2025, the Museum's Director is Patsy Phillips, and its Chief Curator is Manuela Well-Off-Man. ^[7]

References

1. "IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts – North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association®" . Retrieved 2025-08-04.
2. Cabe, Caroline (2025-07-30). "Eight Top Native American Art Collections To See In The West". Cowboys and Indians Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
3. "National Register of Historical Places - NEW MEXICO (NM), Santa Fe County". www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. Retrieved 2018-05-14.
4. "Ford Foundation fund to award an unprecedented $160 million to minority arts groups". The Washington Post. 2020-09-24. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2025-08-04.
5. Phillips, Patsy (2025-03-01). "Fridays are free at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
6. "Taiwan's Leading Public Art Museum to Collaborate with Centre Pompidou, Santa Fe Native Arts Museum". ocula.com. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
7. Mexican, The New (2025-03-17). "IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts director, chief curator discuss new exhibits and grant impacts". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2025-08-04.