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Whether you live in Gallup, are just passing through, or are planning a visit, make time to see some New Deal art.
Pop into the Octavia Fellin Public Library for a self-guided “collection highlights” tour. The Library’s display provides a comprehensive overview of Gallup’s New Deal art collection, including examples of early-20th century Western American art, works by Native artists who got their starts during the period, two beautiful pieces of New Deal Nuevomexicano-style furniture and the sole Hispano-made painting in the collection, as well as nine paintings and prints by Gallup’s principal New Deal artist, Lloyd Moylan.
Start with a “collection highlights” tour at the Octavia Fellin Public Library. Get an overview of Gallup’s New Deal art collection by viewing:
Then, head across the street to the McKinley County Courthouse complex. First, take a walk around the historic Courthouse building, constructed during the New Deal, to take stock of its design. Use the rear entrance for the District Attorney’s office (on the south side of the building) to explore its interior design. The first floor of the building has largely been preserved in its original condition—notice the terrazo flooring, tilework, tinwork light fixtures, and many wall paintings done in the style of Diné (Navajo) sandpainting. Ask the receptionist if it is possible to have a quick look around.
If time permits, check in with the County Clerk’s office on the first floor of the “new” building next door to the historic courthouse (to the west) about seeing the New Deal art on the 2nd floor of the historic courthouse. If the District Court is not in session, you may be permitted to see the 2,000-square-foot New Deal mural painted on all four walls of the courtroom by Lloyd Moylan. The courtroom lobby functions as a mini-gallery of nine easel paintings and prints by Moylan, which give a sense of his stylistic range and subject matter interests.
If your timing is right, you can conclude your tour with a sandwich or a slice of cheesecake at Angela’s Café (open only for lunch), located inside the Gallup Cultural Center. The Center is built on the site of the historic El Navajo Inn and Café décor features enlarged black-and-white photos of the Inn’s lobby, which, preceding the historic courthouse, was also decorated with Diné sandpainting-style wall paintings.
Gallup is home to three New Deal mural projects, all of which are publicly accessible under certain conditions. The best way to see any or all of the murals is to make arrangements and schedule visits with their respective locations. Here is some information to get you started:
Gallup’s New Deal art collection includes five examples of Native American easel painting from the period, as well as early examples of Diné (Navajo) sandpainting-style wall painting.
First, check out the four paintings displayed in the lobby of the Octavia Fellin Public Library to get a good sense of the standards and implications of the Studio Style in which Native artists were trained starting in the 1930s, first at the Santa Fe Indian School and then at Indian boarding schools across the country.
Next, it is interesting to compare these paintings with one on view in the historic McKinley County Courthouse. The three artists showcased at the Library were trained directly by the founder of the Studio Style, non-Native art teacher Dorothy Dunn. Jose Rey Toledo, whose 1942 painting Shalako hangs outside the restrooms on the 2nd floor of the historic McKinley County Courthouse, was not trained directly by Dunn, however. Rather, Toledo learned the Studio Style as a student at the Albuquerque Indian School. To view Shalako:
Finally, head next door to see the Diné (Navajo) sandpainting-style wall paintings decorating the first floor of the historic McKinley County Courthouse. Access is on the south side of the building through the District Attorney’s Office. Ask the receptionist for a look around.
Download and print Gallup New Deal Art family bingo cards to take with you on your self-guided tour!
gallupARTS offers monthly public tours of the collection, as well as private tours by appointment.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection consists of over 120 objects created, purchased, or donated from 1933 to 1942 through New Deal federal art programs administered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to support artists during the Great Depression.
The Gallup New Deal Art Virtual Museum features three types of exhibits, combining traditional and non-traditional approaches to illuminate academic, creative, and individual understandings.
Gallup’s New Deal art collection includes works by a demographically, professionally, and stylistically diverse group of named and unnamed artists.
The Octavia Fellin Public Library has 30+ artworks on display in its common areas, including paintings, prints, Nuevomexicano wood furniture, and one sculpture.
The Historic McKinley County Courthouse, itself a New Deal building, has several displays of New Deal art:
The Red Rock Park Museum has several New Deal paintings and Gallup’s set of Navajo Blanket Portfolio prints in storage.
The library of Gallup High School showcases artist J. R. Willis’s seven-part Southwestern history mural series.
Gallup McKinley County Schools’ Board Room is home to three Edgar Alwin Payne paintings.
The Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center is housed in the historic Gallup Armory, which was built through a New Deal program.
The Gallup Cultural Center is located on the site of the historic railroad depot and Fred Harvey Company El Navajo Hotel. Its museum displays include one on Gallup’s Harvey House.
The Rex Museum houses the City of Gallup’s historic collections, including materials from the New Deal period.
Currently a privately-owned building, the historic Gallup Post Office was built in 1933 through the Treasury Department. It combines Mediterranean and Spanish-Pueblo architectural styles and was originally decorated with paintings commissioned through the Civil Works Administration.
Image Use Notice: Images of Gallup’s New Deal artworks are available to be used for educational purposes only. Non-collection images are subject to specific restrictions and identified by a © icon. Hover over the icon for copyright info. Read more
