The Harwood Museum of Art in Taos is unveiling a unique exhibition that places adobe at the center of contemporary discussions on the history, sovereignty, and future of American territories, aptly transcending the purely folkloric view of this ancestral material.
A Sculptural Practice Bridging the Past and the Future
In Taos, the Harwood Museum of Art opened its doors on June 27, 2026, to inaugurate “Unearthing Futures / Desenterrando Futuros.” The institution has made a bold choice here to approach adobe as a viscerally alive practice, far removed from a mere heritage relic or vernacular curiosity. On view through February 28, 2027, this exhibition brings together, according to UNM Newsroom, major figures such as Gabriel Chaile, Rafa Esparza, Santino Gonzales, Joanna Keane Lopez, Ronald Rael, and Christine Howard Sandoval. (harwoodmuseum.org)
The appeal of this retrospective lies in the unique perspective it offers. Adobe breaks free from its status as a centuries-old technique to become a fascinating convergence point between art, architecture, and traditional knowledge across the American continent. The Harwood emphasizes that the project pushes the physical boundaries of the museum: it is structured around a network of historic and contemporary structures located in New Mexico and southern Colorado. For the occasion, the exhibition spaces have been redesigned to accommodate monumental installations, lending the entire exhibition a truly immersive quality. (news.unm.edu)
Contested Landscapes and Shaped Memories
Among the featured works, visual artist Joanna Keane Lopez turns her attention to the White Sands Missile Range. There, she explores the story of an adobe house requisitioned by the state in 1942—an event documented in the museum’s archives and reported by KOAT. Her approach elevates the materiality of the earth while revealing the historical depth of these tense territories, where civilian and military worlds coexist in silent dissonance. This tension echoes the exhibition’s overarching theme, which weaves subtle connections between resource extraction, collective care, sovereignty, and technological upheavals. (news.unm.edu)
The Harwood’s message is clear: adobe transcends nostalgia. Far from being a static relic, it is an organic material shaped by human hands, water, earth, and fiber, kept in perpetual motion by the commitment of communities. This philosophy is embedded in the DNA of the American Southwest, where the act of building with earth is inseparable from the preservation of Indigenous memory and Hispanic heritage. The exhibition captures the full richness of this architectural and human narrative, skillfully avoiding regional stereotypes. (news.unm.edu)
An Impact Beyond the Institution’s Walls
The exhibition design and programming were conceived to leave a lasting impact. Following a temporary closure in June for preparation, the opening featured a symposium, public celebrations, and a late-night event at the museum. The Fort Garland Museum & Historic Site subsequently extended this initiative to enrich the on-site experience. This dialogue will also endure over the long term thanks to a book to be published by Radius Books, confirming the curators’ desire to extend the discussion far beyond the ephemeral event. (harwoodmuseum.org)
This expansion is complemented by a unique digital initiative, developed in collaboration with computer science students in Boulder. The ambition is crystal clear: to extract the work from the famous white cube and re-situate it within the natural landscape, where the material has always carried a deeply political dimension. In Taos, adobe is definitively no longer viewed as merely a picturesque backdrop, but as an aesthetic and societal manifesto in its own right.