Taos Art Museum Store

So much more than your ordinary gift shop . . .

THE MUSEUM STORE

Help support this wonderful Museum and bring home an authentic Taos creation.
Exquisite original artworks. Treasures hand-made
by local artisans to fit every budget.
And no taxes!

Become a member and save 10% off of your museum store purchases.
For More Information about Museum Membership click here!

Veterans, Military, and Military Families Veterans, military, and their families will always
receive a 15% discount in our Store. Thank you for your service!

Taos Art Museum Meet the Artist to
Feature the Work of Jacqueline Gala

Saturday, June 8 from 12-4pm in the Fechin Studio.

Silversmith and award-winning jewelry designer Jacqueline Gala began her career first as a painter, then a photographer. While attending high school and college art classes at Santa Fe’s Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) in the 1970s, Jacquie started painting. Finding that medium unsatisfactory as a means of expression, she turned to photography. Still wishing to find a media that suited her, Jacquie arrived at silversmithing.

Jacquie spent summers at Taos Pueblo surrounded by her mother’s family. She recalls times when the family piled into the wagon (later a truck) to ride into Taos. Jacquie remembers seeing Taos Pueblo men wearing their traditional blankets and long braids reaching to their waists—a common sight special to that time. In 1982, at the age of 20, Jacquie moved permanently to Taos Pueblo to raise her two children. Today, she lives on the land where her relatives once raised corn, beans, squash, and other vegetables that fed the family. Her children and her boyfriend/fellow artist, David Vedoe, inspire her work.

Some of Jacquie’s designs come to her during the night. She has learned to keep a sketchbook by her bed and is often up by 4 a.m. to make sketches that will turn into a necklace, bracelet, or some other sculptural piece. She is constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries of silverwork by adding semi-precious stones, pearls, and gold accents to her creations. Jacquie derives great satisfaction from seeing her work exhibited in galleries, museums, and exhibitions. She delights in knowing that collectors from all over the world own her work. She has come a long way since her first $100 investment in silver and soldering tools. Jacquie encourages others to take classes and workshops to experiment in a creative medium. It’s hard work, but for her it brings the satisfaction of making a living from her art.

Taos Art Museum Meet the Artist to
Feature the Work of Francesca Morales Cook & Joel "Emeka" Dragonfly Cook

Saturday, July 13 from 12-4pm in the Fechin Studio.

Francesca Morales Cook was born into an artistic family and was encouraged to embrace her creativity. In her youth, she found jewelry making to be meditative. Francesca continually explored her passion for metal-smithing and creating jewelry.
In 2003, Franchesca began to teach others how to create wearable art, as well as to prolifically handcraft her own designs. With regard to her process, the synchronicity of gems and melting metal hypnotized Francesca. She describes her work as “funky, as well as timeless” and explains that they “exude boldness and gentility”. In the studio, she eases into another realm, trusting the Creator. This is when art comes alive. Francesca’s purpose is to explore the restorative energy gifted to us through the heavenly vibrations and mesmerizing hues of gemstones. Francesca’s work has been featured in the Taos, Kirkland, and Denver Art Museums, as well as prestigious galleries, spas and boutiques both within the U.S. and abroad. 5280 magazine previously honored her as Top Local Jewelry Designer.

Joel “Emeka” Dragonfly Cook states that his “style is not style.” He explains that he will use any style necessary in his oil paintings (Abstract, Impressionism, Realism) to make “tangible that intangible image that I have in my mind.” He calls himself an “energist” painter. Emeka explains “it is the sense of that primal pulse, beat, vibration, movement, rhythm that in the beginning was the pulse and rhythm of the Creatress/Creator which harmoniously manifested itself into all matter, humanity, and life that I am trying to convey.” Emeka's work has been exhibited and collected throughout the United States and abroad, including the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Public Library, Saks Galleries in Denver, Valhalla Galleries in Wichita, Talisman Gallery in Oklahoma, The Bennington Center For The Arts in Vermont, Europe, China, Africa, and Saudi Arabia, as well as numerous other venues.

STAFF PICKS: A FEW of OUR FAVORITE THINGS