Folk Art & Fantasy in the Land of Enchantment

On more than one occasion, I have used this platform to ponder on the differences between what is considered art and what is deemed craft.  Frankly, I'm not even sure that I know what separates folk art from fine art.  I mean, is it training or merely a matter of retrospection?  Exactly how many decades separate Uncle Max's matchstick picture frame (made during that stint in the state pen) from authentic American folk art?  And is it simply a matter of years before my Blue Bunny Baby riding a Dream-Sized Dream Pet transitions from "Crazy Crafty" critter to museum-worthy exhibit?

What me, arty?

The crown jewel of Santa Fe, New Mexico's Museum Hill is the Museum of International Folk Art.  The best part of the collection is the Girard Wing, the result of one man's lifelong infatuation with world art.  After our visit to the museum, I thought I was beginning to get a better handle on the answers to all of my nagging questions.

MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART

Folk art is dioramas.

Folk art is fully-hinged conjoined twins.

Folk art is castles.

Folk art is dolls (with pencil-thin mustasches that would make William Powell and Dali green with envy).

Folk art is dress-up.

The folk art museum was a revelatory experience.  Moving on almost immediately to Tinkertown, however, I found myself squarely back at square one.  Sure there were dolls and dioramas, but the folk art fantasy that is Tinkertown is so much more wonderfully folksy! 

TINKERTOWN MUSEUM

Tinkertown Museum (est. 1962) - Sandia Park, NM

Tinkertown has to be one of the best roadside, one-man, trash castle, folk art installations in all of central New Mexico.  Okay, maybe the world.  A breathtaking assemblage of desert debris, animated dioramas, vintage arcade novelties, hand-carved figurines, coin-operated vignettes, famed watercraft, and legitimate antiques, Tinkertown is a friendly "up yours" to the precious nature of curated museum collections.  There is so much to see that Tinkertown is borderline stimulation overload, but the bevy of bottle-glass walls and hand-painted signs keeps everything nice and orderly.

I've always been a fan of bad puns and dad jokes but
the older I get it, the deeper my affection grows. 

Fortunately, admission - even for a group of four  - was not cost prohibitive (less than $10 total, if memory serves).

I am a sucker for signs and bottle walls!!!

And he is a sucker for automated puppet bands!

The real heart of Tinkertown is its 60-foot-long, old west diorama.  At regular intervals, guests can push a button and parts of the diorama spring to life with automation!

The sets are unbelievably detailed, from the matte-painting backdrops to the menagerie of animal characters.

The carved figures are incredibly evocative.

Shadow boxes filled with odds and ends round out the dingbat collections.

The wild west diorama is a sight to behold but the state's "Largest Miniature Circus" was my favorite oxymoron in the joint!

The miniature circus diorama has everything - three rings, a circus wagon,
trapeze artists - but you will always find Mr. Tiny at the sideshow!

The whole experience was a "living art gallery," just like the Tattoed Lady!

"Snow White said, 'Send the prince back home!  I'm with the King!'"

Now normally, I loathe inspirational quotations; just because you write something down or publish a meme doesn't mean that you've captured the wisdom of the ages.  I can see that the founder of Tinkertown and I are obviously simpatico, as I was charmed by nearly every bit of hand-painted wisdom scattered throughout the museum grounds.

"Live life as the pursuit of happiness."

"Yet there are souless[sic] men who would destroy what time and man will never build again."
This one broke my heart.

"I get up every morning both determined to change the world and to have one hell
of a good time.  Sometimes this makes planning the day difficult." - E.B. White
Genius!

It probably sounds corny, but I am so glad to have taken this road trip with my nephew.  If he's anything like his uncle, he will have essentially zero recall of his life as a five-year-old boy.  Nevertheless, I know he will be a better, more interesting person for this exposure to the sane-yet-subversive world of weird roadside attractions and fantastic folk art.  I will be a better person for having him in my life!

This picture brings me so much joy! 

So, do you know what the difference is between crazy crafts, fine art, and folk art?  Wherever it lies, I know we'll never get bored on our hunt for the answer!  I'm just hoping that fine or folky, we're allowed to watch TV while we're creating our art!

"Toy Tinkers" (1949)

Museum of International Folk Art
706 Camino Lejo
Santa Fe, NM
(505)476-1200

internationalfolkart.org


Tinkertown Museum
121 Sandia Crest Rd
Sandia Park, NM
(505)281-5233

tinkertown.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Please Don't Bother the Americans: Bandelier National Monument

When I go on vacation - any vacation - I try to do my research.  Never knowing when the possibility of a return trip will make itself available, I hate going all the way to a different state/country only to return home, disappointed to learn that I missed a great landmark.  That being said, I pride myself on a flexible itinerary; I always leave plenty of time to explore aimlessly and ask locals for recommendations.  Usually, this results in some of my best travel experiences.

When I set out on my epic New Mexican adventure, I had mostly planned to hit up the wacky tacky highlights and help my sister put her new home in order.  Foolishly, I hadn't really considered how enchanted I would be by the land in the "Land of Enchantment."  New Mexico's landscape is wonderfully monotonous, wide swaths of pink and golden sand interrupted only by mesquite, sagebrush, and the endless trail of cruciform power poles.  The hazy silhouettes of the distant mountains create the perfect backdrop for some of the most intensely-blue skies I've ever seen.  The most spectacular of all are the clouds - REAL CLOUDS!!!  Living in drought-ridden Southern California, I'd forgotten the joys of staring at those puffy cumulonimbus and watching the heavenly shapes transform into a man punching a shark, or a juggling penguin, or a fire-breathing dragon in a dress (all images we saw on our car rides across the desert).  Seamlessly set into this idyllic Southwestern majesty are the dwellings of America's indigenous people.  Had we not left ourselves open to the possibility, I might have never lived out a childhood dream of climbing into the cliffside caves of the Pueblo People.

Bandelier National Monument - Los Alamos, NM

The only challenging aspect of the short hike out to the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument is the oppressive summer heat.  Luckily, we had water, determination, and a slight breeze at our backs.  Logically aware that I am well out of shape (or well into a shape unnatural to the human race), sometimes all it takes a brisk pace at high altitudes to remind me that I need to get back on track.  The only redemption I found in my puddles of perspiration was that my very-fit brother-in-law seemed to be feeling the heat as well.  When we rounded a corner and caught our first glimpse of the cave dwellings, I realized that the pounding in my heart came not only from its first taste of exercise but also from the excitement of seeing such an incredible part of American history.

So COOL!!!

Soooo...it is entirely possible that I have been operating under a thirty-year misapprehension that cliff-dwelling Americans led the entirety of their existences perched up there in the cliffs.  I guess I hadn't applied a proper amount of thought to the realities of that particular lifestyle.  In fact, I tried not to act too surprised when we encountered the remnants of their land-based lives, including storage structures, reservoirs, and mills.

Perfectly contented to examine the ruins and see the caves from the relative safety of terra firma, we were ecstatic to learn that the cliff dwellings at Bandelier are INTERACTIVE!!!  At this national park, any cave at which stands a ladder is a cave open to exploration!

By the first cave our wacky tacky house hunt had reached an end;
we were ready to pull up the ladder and take up permanent residence!

But then he got smart and found his own pad.

There is some combination of appreciating the ingenuity of indigenous people and the childlike desire to live in cave/clubhouse/treehouse that has always captured my imagination.

I mean, who wouldn't want to live here...as a vacation home at the very least?!!

Amazing!

As we climbed ladder after ladder, we started to fancy ourselves cave connoisseurs, recognizing the nuances of cliffside dwelling.

Some caves were multi-roomed affairs with low ceilings and arched passageways; others
were tall enough to stand straight up, large with built-in nooks and porthole windows.

Leave it to a few thoughtless nincompoops to deface such a significant historic site,
He's looking up and wondering why people are so destructive.  As the cartoon (below)
says, "Please don't bother the Americans!"

Our visit to Bandelier National Monument culminated in a cool-down by the creek.  As it turns out, water is still a necessity - even for the cliff-dwelling people of New Mexico.  The peaceful flow of the water allowed even the youngest among our ranks to reflect on the importance of listening to traveler's intuition.

We were all so grateful for the fortuitously-unplanned experience of walking in the footsteps of the first Americans, learning about their culture, their homes, and their/our shared history.  Visiting these cliffside cave dwellings was a precious experience that fulfilled at least one line item on the wacky tacky bucket list.

At this point, it should be obvious that the bulk of my "knowledge" (historical, cultural, geographical, and otherwise) comes from the hands of animators - most of them Disney.  Why then, should anyone be surprised to learn the cartoon that inspired my desire to see the cliff dwellings of New Mexico is set in Arizona's Grand Canyon?  However misguided my motivation, I believe anything that encourages us to get out from behind our electronic device, learn about our history, and explore the beautiful world is good, solid, and sound.

Donald Duck in "Grand Canyonscope" (1954)

Bandelier National Monument

15 Entrance Rd

Los Alamos, NM

(505)672-3861

nps.gov/band

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: The Neon Wonders of New Mexico

If you're in with Instagram, you might have noticed that the better part of a wacky tacky road trip is dedicated to searching out the coolest in vintage signs - neon, figural, hand-painted, animated, you name it.  It is a pastime infinitely more pleasurable than spying out-of-state license plates and decidedly less painful than hours of slug bug/punch buggy (a brand of family "fun" for which I am still nursing decades-old bruises).  Freshly rehabilitated, completely defunct, or merely operational, we go nuts for the gravity-defying wonders rising from America's dusty byways.  Our recent road trip across the state of New Mexico yielded a bumper crop of dazzling signs; here are some of our favorites.

Century 21 Motel - Las Cruces, NM
The mid-20th Century was so full of bright ideas and optimism for the 21st Century,
I can't help but feel that we let our forebears down; our contemporary signs are lackluster
and we don't have hover cars!!!

Tommy's Roller Rink - Las Cruces, NM
Apparently, Tommy's was a small chain of roller rinks that
went belly-up after an employees-conspired murder. 

Pancake Alley - Las Cruces, NM
We tried to taste the fruits of Pancake Alley at least three times
but were greeted each time with the worst kind of sign -  "CLOSED."

Cattleman's Steak House - Las Cruces, NM

Royal Host Motel - Las Cruces, NM
Las Cruces' crowning glory!

Town House Motel - Las Cruces, NM
Semi-detached 

(Or)Gan Mountain Lodge - Organ, NM
This is the only game in town for the yearly Harvest Festival.  If you wake
up in a bath tub full of ice, you might be at the Organ Harvest Festival. 

Satellite Inn - Alamogordo, NM
Atom-powered! 

Thunderbird Plaza - Alamogordo, NM

Mr. W. Fireworks Gorilla - Alamogordo, NM
"Mr. W Rules!"

White Sands Motel - Alamogordo, NM
"You don't belong in a place like this!"

Western Scene Motel - Santa Fe, NM
We tried to make the "scene" but there was no vacancy.

King's Rest Court Inn - Santa Fe, NM
Where Santa Fe royalty rests their heads.

Santa Fe Lodge - Santa Fe, NM

Cottonwood Court - Santa Fe, NM
Bless this lil' ol', cotton pickin' sign! 

El Camino Family Restaurant - Socorro, NM
Now this is a sign with balls!

Roadrunner Lounge - Socorro, NM
Roadrunners are kind of "thing" in New Mexico.  Meep! Meep!

Butterfield Stage Motel - Deming, NM
Animated horses at full gallop?!!  SIGN me up!

The last photos in this group are two of my very favorite signs from our journey.  In the interest of full disclosure, I will readily admit that they were taken not within New Mexican state lines but rather in the fair city of El Paso, Texas, where the signs at night are just as big and bright as the state's infamous stars.

Charcoaler Drive-In Restaurant - El Paso, TX
Even if the menu offerings were not delicious (incidentally, they were), this sign left our mouths watetring!

Sunshine Bakeries - El Paso, TX
We almost died twice figuring put how to get close to this sign but it was so worth it!

Knowing that the sum of a state is greater than its signs, we also commit ourselves to learning about the history, the culture, the food, and the people of the places we visit.  But in a world ever more darkened by drab, humorless signage, we'll continue to count on the glorious glow of vintage neon to show us the way.  Can't you read the "Signs?"

"Signs" - Five Man Electric Band

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny