Though Santa Fe, N.M., is better known for its tourist-brochure image of sun-soaked adobe architecture and traditional Western or American Indian art, a new section of cutting-edge chic is emerging as a magnet for contemporary art collectors.

While Santa Fe’s more venerable art areas remain vibrant as ever, the Railyard district—just a few blocks from the Plaza, the city’s historic heart—is augmenting the established art scene and bringing additional visitors to Canyon Road and downtown. And with several annual events taking place in July, collectors of contemporary art will find nearly as many reasons to visit as aficionados who are focused on the work Santa Fe typically offers.

The anchor of the city-owned 50-acre site, which is adjacent to the older South Guadalupe Street shopping and restaurant district, is SITE Santa Fe, a not-for-profit contemporary art space whose presence has been instrumental in attracting other contemporary galleries to the Railyard. A distinct global focus is evident in the work lining the walls of local galleries, which feature such internationally-known artists as Peter Sarkisian, Stuart Arends, Collette Hosmer, Olivier Mossett, Günther Förg, Agnes Martin, and Donald Judd. Even SITE Santa Fe’s own biennial doesn’t limit its contemporary focus to the borders of its country. Independent curator Lance M. Fung—who has created important exhibitions in Seoul, as well as at the Venice Biennale and Venice Architectural Biennale, and most recently curated a large show of public installations in Beijing in conjunction with this summer’s Olympic Games—invited 27 international emerging artists to visit the city and create a piece of art for this year’s event, titled "Lucky Number Seven," which began June 22 and runs through Oct. 26.

Across the railroad tracks from SITE Santa Fe, another globally focused event is taking place at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, the location for this summer’s annual ART Santa Fe International Contemporary Art Fair (July 10–13). Described as a "boutique" fair for its intimate scale and top-quality offerings from international galleries, the fair specializes in modern and contemporary art from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S.

However, despite the growing contemporary scene, collectors still tend to make their first stop at Canyon Road, where the majority of Santa Fe’s almost 200 galleries are located. Nineteenth- and early 20th-century artworks are available there, with paintings by artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, E. Irving Couse, and Nicolai Fechin. Many of these artists are known for their presentation of the early West and the American Indian through an often-romanticized East Coast or European aesthetic.

There is plenty of cutting-edge two- and three-dimensional art in the Canyon Road area these days as well, with galleries such as Eight Modern, Chiaroscuro, Bellas Artes, and others offering Abstract, Modernist, Expressionist, and Minimalist works. And the edge between fine art and fine craft disappears beautifully at venues such as the Jane Sauer Gallery, where fiber, glass, ceramics, and other materials reflect the masterful hand of the artist in groundbreaking ways.
 
In the past couple of years, a new hot spot for Native art has emerged on downtown’s Lincoln Avenue. On this short stretch, visitors can see work by some of the most acclaimed American Indian artists alive, including Tony Abeyta, Tammy Garcia, Jamie Okuma, Jody Naranjo, and Kevin Red Star. With award-winning work in painting, pottery, beadwork, sculpture, jewelry, and other media, these artists meld age-old tradition and perfection of craft with a spirit of non-stop innovation. At one end of the street and facing the Plaza is the famed Palace of the Governors portal, under which Native artists sell their work directly to the public every day. (The construction project on Lincoln is bringing further excitement to downtown in the form of the Museum of New Mexico’s new state-of-the-art History Museum, scheduled to open in the spring of 2009.)