1 Hit the road for art.

Mobile art space Axle Contemporary opens a new exhibition, Luis Tapia: A Slice of American Pie on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. in front of SITE Santa Fe as part of its 12th International Once Within a Time.

A modern santero, Tapia often takes on modern subjects such as lowriders, gangsters, immigrants, and laborers to confront themes of injustice, cultural identity, migration, and resilience. “Tapia’s work, for decades, has addressed issues that are coming to the fore right now, but have been around much longer,” says Matthew Chase-Daniel, founder and co-curator at Axle Contemporary.  “He does it with a lot of wit, beauty, humor, and empathy. That combination frees us to think about how the world is, and what we might do to take action in it.” 

A Slice of American Pie features reproductions of three of Tapia’s works, including Nopal de los Desaparecidos (Madre Tierra Never Forgets)—originally a sculpture of a nopal cactus that is painted with images of people who died in the desert crossing the U.S.–Mexico border on one side, with those people depicted as calaveras on the other—that is now presented as a mural. “These works are usually 3D, and pretty small,” says Chase-Daniel. “But in this show, each is treated in a different way.”

That includes a reproduction of Tapia’s 1963 Cadillac sculpture, A Slice of American Pie. “We’re putting it back on the road,” Chase-Daniel says.

Inside the gallery’s doors, a photograph of Tapia’s Barrio Barbie is blown up to life-size. “We’re putting her on a pedestal and honoring her as a character,” Chase-Daniel explains. See the exhibition through January 12, with the mobile gallery popping up at locations throughout Santa Fe.

Kick off holiday shopping with 75+ local vendors at the Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee. Photograph courtesy of the Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee.

2 Start your holiday shopping.

Embrace the holidays and get a jump on your gift list at the Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee, held at the Ruidoso Convention Center Friday through Sunday. With more than 75 local vendors selling everything from candles to jewelry, it’s a chance to support local makers, snap a pic with Santa, enjoy snacks at the food court, and see live performances by local ballet troupes and musicians. Tickets are $5 and kids under 12 are free.

Explore Gallup's ballooning history through 3D models and interactive displays at the Red Rock Park Museum. Photograph by NMTD.

3 See the sights without the heights.

The Red Rock Park Museum celebrates Gallup’s annual hot-air balloon event with a new exhibition, Colorful Skies and Red Rocks. Featuring a retrospective of the December ballooning event as well as 3D models and interactive displays, it offers viewers a unique look at the rally without having to hop into a balloon. See the exhibition through February.

Catch 65+ dancers performing holiday ballet, jazz, and contemporary pieces at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Photograph courtesy of Magnify Dance Ensemble.

4 Enjoy ladies dancing and lords a leaping.

Music is a big part of the holidays, and Magnify Dance Ensemble cranks things up with Christmas Joy at the National Hispanic Cultural Center this weekend. More than 65 dancers present ballet, contemporary, and jazz choreography set to classic Christmas songs and current seasonal hits. Catch it on Saturday at 2 or 6:30 p.m.

Discover Navajo storytelling and matriarchy through textile works at the Millicent Rogers Museum.

5 Learn history through quilts.

The Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos unveils Quilted Survivance, featuring the work of Susan Hudson (Diné) and other members of the Navajo Quilting Project, on Saturday. Hudson, a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow, uses quilting as a form of cultural preservation and storytelling, documenting Navajo history in her narrative textile works. The pieces in the exhibition honor ancestral perseverance, knowledge keeping, and matriarchy. The opening reception, on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., includes a talk by Hudson and artists from the Navajo Quilt Project. See the exhibition through February 1.

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