SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe has expanded with the opening of its new space, Vladem Contemporary.

Vladem Contemporary, located in the Railyard district of the city, is about half a mile away from the main Plaza Building. A grand opening was held Saturday for the new building. “We have about 20,000 objects in the collection at the New Mexico Museum of Art. And we want to ensure that we aren’t just receiving things or purchasing items and they’re going into storage. So it’s excellent for us to have additional gallery space,” said Shannon Bay, deputy director of the New Mexico Museum of Art.

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The museum will show art from 1970 through today. The current exhibition on display at Vladem Contemporary is called Shadow and Light. “The inaugural exhibition features several artists who are based in New Mexico such as Susan York, she has a piece. We have Virgil Ortiz who’s from Cochiti Pueblo. So he has several pieces in the exhibition. And then we also have Erika Wanenmacher,” said Bay. A full list of artists included in the exhibition can be found here.

Vladem Contemporary also has a permanent piece by artist Leo Villarreal on display. Villarreal was born in Albuquerque and now works in New York. His work features LED lights. One of his most iconic works of public art is “The Bay Lights” which adorn the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Villarreal’s art at Vladem Contemporary is on display 24/7. “You can, you can see it during the day. But then also come back at night when the museum is closed, it’s always there and available,” Bay explained.

Vladem Contemporary will also host educational workshops and family programs. “There’ll be topics such as cellphone photography, bookmaking, a variety of topics with our adult workshops,” Bay said.

The museum offers free days for New Mexico residents. Ticket prices and hours of operation can be found here.