Today we will all be going on a deep dive into art in Albuquerque and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
After that we will get into a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
Contents
If you are after any specific section you can jump straight to it using the table of contents on the left and you can also expect to find an Albuquerque art map with all of the various places we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
We have written about towns around the Southwest many times before.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Albuquerque
If you want to visit the best art galleries and museums in Albuquerque you can go to:
- Albuquerque Museum at 2000 Mountain Rd NW
- National Hispanic Cultural Center at 1701 4th St SW
- Inpost Artspace at 210 Yale Blvd SE
- Richard Levy Gallery at 514 Central Ave SW
- The Harwood Art Center at 1114 7th St NW
- 516 Arts at 516 Central Ave SW
- The University of New Mexico Art Museum at 203 Cornell Dr
- Arthaus66 Contemporary Gallery at 6320 Linn Ave NE
- Amapola Gallery at 205 Romero NW
- Mariposa Gallery at 3500 Central Ave SE
Albuquerque Museum is open from 9am to 5pm every day but Monday and has an incredible 10,000 works of art, 35,000 historical objects, and more than 130,000 items in their photo archives while also offering a wide range of art classes for all ages.
The National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum is home to over 3,000 artworks from around the world and is always adding more. They also offer a robust schedule of local educational programs and lessons for children, families, and adults of all ages while keeping regular hours from 10am to 4pm every day but Monday.
Outpost Artspace has a popular first Friday Artscrawl held every first weekend of the month.
The Harwood Art Center is open from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday and Thursday and has apprenticeship programs and art classes for kids and adults. They also rent out art studio space in your area, have after school programs for elementary students, and hold their Encompass Event the first Saturday in March starting at 5pm.
With 1,500 pieces of unique New Mexico creativity on display Amapola Gallery is open from 10am to 5pm daily.
Materials & Supplies Near You
There are quite a few stores to buy art supplies and materials in your area like:
- Artisan at 3017 Monte Vista NE
- New Mexico Clay at 3300 Girard Blvd NE
- Hobby Lobby at 9500 Montgomery Blvd
- Joann at 2240 Wyoming Blvd Ne
- Michaels at 4410 Wyoming Blvd NE
Artisan Santa Fe has a ridiculous amount of quality art supplies and they also offer free figure drawing sessions every Wednesday and have in-store art classes as well as workshops.
Shows & Events
Some of the best local shows and events held here are:
- Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Festival in Mar, Oct, and Nov
- Albuquerque Artscrawl on First Fridays
- Abq Artwalk
- Encompass in March
The Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival is held in March, October, and November.
For a citywide event that is held monthly on the first Friday check out The Albuquerque Art Crawl.
The ABQ Artwalk is an independent arts organization which has monthly self-guided tours in downtown Albuquerque that encourage all to explore the essence of New Mexico.
And don’t forget about the Harwood Art Center and their Encompass Event on the first Saturday in March starting at 5pm.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
Sometimes you may want to add a new piece to your collection or find out how much a piece is worth and you can do so at art dealers and appraisers near you like:
- Concetta D Gallery at 20 First Plaza NW Ste 29
- Sumner & Dene at 517 Central Ave NW
- Kent McDonald Gallery at 3224 Monterey Ave SE
- Copper Topp Gallery at 326 San Felipe St NW
Concetta D Gallery can help you with estate sales, artwork appraisals, and restoration services.
Arthaus66 Contemporary Gallery and Amapola Gallery from our best museums and galleries in Albuquerque list also sell art.
Walking Tours
If you are reading this on a sunny day why not go on an art walking tour in your area:
Downtown Albuquerque Arts & Cultural District it is a designated area of 30 blocks where you can see all kinds of creative things.
We keep mentioning it but the Artscrawl is held on the first Friday of the month.
The ABQ Artwalk is held monthly.
Sculptures & Statues
You can also find some really interesting statues and sculptures around ABQ like:
- Auto Hawk Sculpture at 398 1st St SW
- Giant Rattlesnake in Median at 4500 University Blvd SE
- Desert Blooms at 184 Osuna Rd NW
- Don Francisco Cuervo Y Valdes on Rio Grande Blvd
Auto Hawk Sculpture was put up in 2017 and created by Christopher Fennell and it is located near the Kimo Theatre and the American International Rattlesnake Museum.
The Giant Rattlesnake was created by George Radnovich and was completed in 2007.
Albuquerque Art Classes
Whether you are looking for classes for kids or adults you can find them here. Some of the best Albuquerque art schools and classes can be found at:
- New Mexico Art League at 3409 Juan Tabo Blvd NE
- Art Attack at 3137 San Mateo Blvd NE
- UNM Department of Art & Art History at 1 University of New Mexico
- Carla Forrest Fine Art Studio & Gallery at 404 San Felipe St NW
New Mexico Art League has local classes and workshops for adults and teens with all levels of experience.
Classes for all ages are available at Art Attack including private and night lessons.
Carla Forrest Fine Art Studio & Gallery can also do private lessons and has workshops for adults.
Albuquerque Museum and Harwood Art Center from our main list also give art lessons.
Plus if you look at our art supplies in your area section you will see Artisan Santa Fe and New Mexico Clay and they both do classes.
Studios For Rent Near You
Those of you who are ready to start a big project can find art studios like:
Harwood Art Center might also have studio space available to rent.
Framing
When you need art framing in Albuquerque you can head to:
- High Desert Art & Frame at 2611 Montgomery Blvd NE
- Renaissance Fine Framing at 1415 Carlisle Blvd NE
- Weems Gallery & Framing at 5935 Wyoming Blvd NE
- Duke City Art & Frame at 8618 Menaul Blvd NE B
- Frame City & Gallery at 3810 Central Ave SE
High Desert Art & Frame offers photo scanning and restoration as well as other services.
One of the largest selections of custom frame molding in your area of New Mexico can be found at Renaissance Fine Framing.
Frame City & Gallery does oil painting cleaning, restoration, as well as hanging services.
Hobby Lobby, Joann, and Michaels from our art supplies list also do framing near you.
You may want to look through more of our posts on:
- The Best Art Galleries in El Paso
- The Best Art Galleries in Tucson
- The Best Art Galleries in Phoenix
- The Best Art Galleries in San Antonio
Have Fun Enjoying the Albuquerque Art Scene
Well guys, we tried to cover the full ABQ art scene to the best of our abilities. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers near you.
If you made it all the way to the end then you probably love the local art as much as we do. You can let us know about any of your own tips and tricks in the comments, or please also let us know if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted has become dated.
Have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies, or doing anything that has to do with art in Albuquerque!