Ins & Outs: Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico
To make the most of a visit to Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico—whether your focus is on rediscovering her life and work in the setting in which she flourished, pursuing your own recreational interests, or doing a little of both—it pays to plan.
The town of Abiquiu is about two hours north of Albuquerque, or about an hour from Santa Fe, putting it within easy striking distance if you are inclined to stay in either of those cities. Abiquiu itself boasts one small but delightful inn, the Abiquiu Inn (888-735-2902; www.abiquiuinn.com), with a variety of accommodations—rooms and cottages (casitas)—and a cafe serving well-prepared southwestern specialties for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To visit the Georgia O'Keeffe house in the village, book—and pay no less than one month in advance—through the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation (505-685-4539). Tours are conducted three times a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from spring through late autumn and cost $25 per person.
Travelers should note that the house and other foundation assets are now being taken over by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. The merger will add more than a thousand works to the some 140 O'Keeffes held by the museum, which also owns the artist's house and property on Ghost Ranch (though neither is currently open to the general public). A visit to the museum (505-946-1000; www.okeeffemuseum.org) before or after the Abiquiu journey should be an essential part of your O'Keeffe rediscovery. Real enthusiasts and scholars might also want to arrange a tour of the museum's research center (505-946-1088), which is headed by curator Barbara Buhler Lynes and is a trove of O'Keeffeiana. Running at the museum through Jan. 8, 2006, is Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol: Flowers of Distinction.
To interact more directly with the land that O'Keeffe loved, the traveler can do no better than to register for one of the programs at the Presbyterian-run retreat and education center at Ghost Ranch (877-804-4678 or 505-685-4333; www.ghostranch.org). Providing a variety of accommodations, from camping sites to dormitories to private rooms, the Ghost Ranch offers dozens of workshops, seminars, adventures, and service opportunities for individuals of all ages. Since 1990, the Ghost Ranch has also run a campus in Santa Fe (800-821-5145 or 505-982-8539), offering courses in opera appreciation, creative writing, and other subjects. Accommodations at the Ghost Ranch are sometimes available without reservations, and day-trip visitors are welcome to hike the trails, visit the two museums, or even go on a guided tour of the area that O'Keeffe explored, painted, and lived in. (Tours are held from mid-March to mid-November on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 2 p.m. The hourlong tour costs $20, and reservations are required.) -Jay Tolson
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