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Home/Colorado Plateau News/Mesa Verde November/December News

Mesa Verde November/December News

Mesa Verde Artist in Residence Art Work Offered

Quilt: Canyonlands Morning, 38” x 28” fiber quilt

The Mesa Verde Artist in Residence program has been active for many years. This year the program was disrupted, as so many things have been, by reduced staffing and access due to COVID19.

In the Spring it became evident that we would not be able to host the 2020 artists this year. All were contacted and asked if they would reschedule for 2021, and all agreed to do so. Now it is clear that conditions are likely to remain the same for much of 2021. All of the artists have again agreed to come to Mesa Verde for their residencies in 2022.

Over the years the Artists in Residence have donated work that was inspired by their time at Mesa Verde. To raise funds we will be offering some of the artwork for sale in the next several issues of the newsletter. This month we are featuring the lovely quilt art donated by Susan Madden who was an AIR in 2016.

This quilt was inspired by a sketch Susan did during an afternoon spent at Cliff Palace in May 2016. After a thunderstorm filled the canyon and chased her under a cliff overhanging the left side of Cliff Palace, the sun returned, shining on the face of the dwellings.

In the quilt, she has captured that special moment. For a donation of $1,500, the quilt could be yours, just in time for a Christmas present for someone that loves Mesa Verde. If you would like to make a donation for this quilt, please contact Teri directly at teri_paul@partner.nps.gov.

Beautiful Spaces

National parks have a long legacy of creating beautiful spaces through careful attention to details that define the experience. And, though it may be subtle, there is a definite “National Park” feel to Mesa Verde that was created through thoughtful use of landscape architecture.

Pueblo Revival-style architecture building found in the park

From the welcome sign at the entrance to the park to the road and overlooks, the shape and design of the wooden signs, as well as the buildings, your experience at Mesa Verde has been designed to convey a sense of place.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the Mesa Verde Administrative District; a National Historic Landmark established in 1987 to recognize the unique place it holds in the development of architecture in this country.

Various landscape architectural features contribute to the character, atmosphere, and ambiance of the area. The paved walkways and stone steps bordered by low stone curbs meander among the buildings and provide small, intimate vistas in keeping with the small scale of the structures.

The planting islands of native vegetation around the buildings, also edged by stone curbs, screen the structures from the hot summer sun and make the buildings seem indigenous to their surroundings.

The Pueblo Revival style buildings found in the area of the museum blend into their environment and reflect the vision of Park Superintendent Jesse Nusbaum and Aileen Nusbaum, his wife.

The Nusbaums drew from their years of archeological experience and chose what they felt was the only suitable architectural style for the area; that of the ancient pueblos. He noted that modern buildings would be out of place amid the ancient ruins, that the pueblo-style buildings he and Aileen designed would increase interest in the prehistoric structures, and ultimately serve as educational tools.

Visitors are welcome to explore the Headquarters Loop and enjoy the views of a number of historic buildings tucked into the fragrant pinyon and juniper forest. Keep an eye out for the architectural elements that distinguish the Pueblo Revival style; the exposed beams, sawn wood grilles, tin lanterns and the zig-zag patterns reminiscent of Indian design.

Please enjoy the experience of a Mesa Verde visit. It was by design.


This is an excerpt from the Mesa Verde Museum Association’s Member Newsletter. To find out more about MVMA and how to get your own copy delivered, visit the Mesa Verde Museum Association website.

Published on: November 20, 2020

Tags: Artist in Residence program, Mesa Verde Museum Association, Mesa Verde National Park, Pueblo Revival architecture

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