1 See talented women take over the Roundhouse.

Many visitors to Santa Fe are unaware that some of the state’s best art can be viewed—for free—at the Roundhouse. On Friday, the East Rotunda Gallery at the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe opens a new exhibition, Go Figure: Women Painters and the Figure, featuring works by 10 women figurative painters, including those who left remarkable legacies (Helen Hardin, Pablita Velarde) as well as living artists working today (Erin Currier, Susan Contreras). A 2021 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts honoree, Contreras was inspired by the list of other artists when she received the invitation to participate. “I was just finally getting back into painting,” she says. “I moved into a house with a studio, and I thought, I am just going to have fun and paint.” Go Figure features six works by Contreras, including four she made over the past few months. “It’s a very colorful show,” she adds. Go Figure runs through August 22.

Learn the Hidden Nine Patch Quilting technique to transform discarded garments into stunning and unique quilts. Photograph courtesy of Los Luceros Historic Site.

2 Make the old new again.

As spring cleaning has us sorting through our kitchens and refreshing our closets, Los Luceros Historic Site, in Alcalde, wants to help you turn those old clothes into a beautiful quilt during the Hidden Nine Patch Quilting Workshop on Saturday at 10 a.m. Led by Gabriela Silva from the Northern Rio Grande Heritage Area, participants will learn the hidden nine style of quilting, which they can use to upcycle old fabric into a new blanket.

Celebrate at Pajarito Environmental Education Center's Earth Day Festival in Los Alamos. Photograph courtesy of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center.

3 Honor Mother Earth.

The Pajarito Environmental Education Center in Los Alamos is throwing a party for Mother Earth—and the center’s 25th anniversary—on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Entertainment for the Earth Day Festival includes Recycle Man, who creates music using unconventional instruments or those made from reclaimed materials, and the Hill Stompers, a community marching band based in northern New Mexico. “Recycle Man is a crowd favorite,” says Casey Lundberg, marketing and communications manager at the nature center. Grab a bite from Manko: Native American Fusion food truck while you visit info booths, try hands-on activities, and breathe the fresh spring air. “Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on what’s important,” says Lundberg. “For us, that’s conservation, preservation, and environmental education.”

The Taos Art Museum's new Coffee Gallery showcases highlights from the 150 works they donated by Janis and Roy Coffee, including "Taos Indians Threshing" by O.E. Berninghaus. Photograph courtesy of the Taos Art Museum.

4 Visit a newly expanded museum.

The Taos Art Museum opens two new additions this weekend—the Janis and Roy Coffee Gallery and the Nathaniel Troy Archival Building—with special presentations and a new exhibition. The Coffee Gallery showcases a portion of the 150 works donated to the museum by the couple who collected works representative of the artistic spirit in Taos and the Southwest. Sky-Eagle Collection puts on a fashion show on Saturday at 3 p.m., and pianist Katya Grineva closes with a performance on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. featuring compositions from her recent concert at Carnegie Hall. All the weekend festivities are free to attend.

Clay+Coda is hosting the Modish Market at the Winrock Mall in Albuquerque. Photograph courtesy of Clay+Coda.

5 Hit the spring markets. 

Modish Market

If you’re into objects, architecture, home goods, and clothing from the 1950s to 1970s, this vintage market at the Winrock Mall in Albuquerque is for you. With more than 100 vendors setting up shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, it’s a treasure hunter’s paradise. Enjoy sips at the bar from Mission Winery, a car show, a pin-up contest, refreshments from Loaded Lemonade and Chamoy Bar, and all the vintage goodies.

Spring Arts Market

More than 40 Native artists and traditional Indigenous dance performances make up this seasonal market at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. It opens Friday at 9 a.m., with dances on the hour starting at 10 a.m. Expect pottery, jewelry, painting, and more.

For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.