We have a buried treasure chest on campus. Inside, it is loaded with a priceless trove where the rich New Mexican traditions of art, history and architecture meet in a splendid array.
Before you break out your pick ax and dust off your metal detectors, you should know this treasure chest just gained a little piece of insurance that will protect it from those who would wish to rob it of its booty.
The Jonson Gallery was placed on both the State and National Register of Historic Places last month. The gallery was the home and studio of Raymond Jonson, one of the most influential artists in establishing New Mexico as a haven for modernist and abstract painting styles during the 1930s.
"This place is really significant in terms of art history in New Mexico," said Chip Ware, Jonson Gallery Curator.
Jonson's contributions to the arts community in Santa Fe and Albuquerque are immeasurable.
After moving to Santa Fe and reinforcing the burgeoning arts scene in 1924, Jonson moved to Albuquerque to teach at UNM in 1934. Jonson helped found the Transcendental Painting Group, a collection of talented artists who in the mid to late 1930s attempted to attain a level of complete non-objectivity through abstractionism and modernist techniques. Jonson's works have been exhibited around the world and at several famous galleries including the Art Institute of Chicago.
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An additional jewel in the historic value of the Jonson Gallery is that renowned southwestern architect John Gaw Meem designed it.
The gallery came under UNM's possession when in the 1940s, Jonson became worried about the future care and preservation of his vast art collection. He made a deal with UNM. In exchange for his property in Santa Fe, he would move to UNM if the University built him a home workspace and promised to keep and preserve his collection for the benefit of future Lobos. The University agreed and ended up gaining Jonson's extensive and valuable collection.
The space now is a gallery for New Mexican artists and juried exhibitions. It also houses the largest collection of Jonson's work and the archive of his personal art collection, which amounts to about 2,400 pieces.
The recent historic distinction means quite a bit to the Jonson Gallery. First of all, says Ware, it means recognition for the history behind the tiny gallery as well as additional opportunities for attaining grants in the future. It also means a pretty hefty protection policy.
Some seniors and several faculty might remember when the University entertained the notion of demolishing the Jonson Gallery to help provide space for a parking structure a few years ago. At the time, an immense outcry came forth from the UNM and surrounding communities, and the University backed off of its plan to raze the structure.
The building now joins a growing list of historic locations on campus that have been placed on both the state and national register of historic places. In fact, there is so much history behind architecture on campus, the University and the Board of Regents have formed a committee to address issues of historic preservation on campus. The Historic Preservation Committee has been identifying sites on campus that could also someday attain the same historic status as the Jonson Gallery.
However, critics say the granting of historic status to so many buildings, virtually locking them in place, may compromise the University's ability to be dynamic and respond to the changing needs of the community.
"This committee has a sort of delicate balance between that," says Terry Gugliata, University archivist and chairwoman of the preservation comittee. "There's going to have to be give and take."
It seems in the case of the Jonson Gallery, the University has decided to give quite a bit and continue to fulfill the wishes of an artist who helped establish UNM and New Mexico as an oasis of art in a harsh, beautiful desert.
Beginning March 26, the Jonson Gallery will show its annual juried graduate student exhibition as well as Dennis DeHart's exhibit, Burn. Contact the Jonson Gallery at 277-4967 or at 1909 Las Lomas on campus for more information.
Contact Facility Planning at 277-2236 for more information regarding open meetings of the UNM Historic Preservation Committee.
