The Hispanic Heritage Wing of the Museum of International Folk Art is one of the few museum wings in the U.S. which is devoted to the art and heritage of Hispanic/Latino cultures. In September 2008, after nearly 20 years, the inaugural exhibition Familia y Fe came down. The Museum of International Folk Art has embarked upon the long anticipated remodeling and updating of the Hispanic Heritage Wing. The Museum envisions an exciting new space where changing exhibits can take place on a larger scale. These exhibits will still showcase New Mexican Arts and culture but in exciting and unique ways, relating New Mexico to the larger Latino/Hispano communities within our country and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world.

Opening Sunday September 27, 2009
A Century of Masters: The NEA National Heritage Fellows of New Mexico
Presented as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Museum of New Mexico
Each year, the National Endowment for the Arts» honors folk artists, storytellers, performers, and musicians throughout the United States for their contributions to traditional art forms. The National Heritage Fellows demonstrate artistic excellence and a commitment to their art forms through their processes, techniques, and transmission of the knowledge to others that strengthens and enriches their communities. New Mexico residents are well-represented in this distinguished group of talented artists, especially given the size of the state's population. The Museum of International Folk Art holds examples of the works of all the Fellows from New Mexico in its collections, from weavings, to pottery, tinwork, straw appliqué, retablos, and woodcarving. Events celebrating the opening are from 1:00 to 4 :00 p.m. The exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of New Mexico. The National Heritage Fellowship Artists from New Mexico are:

Charles M. Carrillo» (artist, santero) 2006
Helen Cordero» (Cochiti potter, deceased) 1986
Frances Varos Graves» (colcha embroiderer, deceased) 1994
George López» (artist, woodcarver, deceased) 1982
Ramón José López»(artist, santero) 1997
Esther Martinez» (San Juan storyteller, deceased) 2006
Roberto & Lorenzo Martinez» (musicians) 2003
Eliseo & Paula Rodriguez» (artists, straw appliqué) 2004
Emilio & Senaida Romero» (artists, tinwork, deceased) 1987
Margaret Tafoya» (Santa Clara potter, deceased) 1984
Irvin Trujillo» (Rio Grande weaver) 2007
Cleofes Vigil» (storyteller, singer, deceased) 1984

Opening events include performances by Los Reyes de Albuquerque and Artist demonstrations with Maria Fernandez Graves- Colcha Embroidery, José Floyd Lucero- Woodcarving, Vicki Rodriguez-Straw Appliqué & Nicolas Otero- Retablo Making ; and a reception hosted by the Museum of New Mexico Women's Board. This exhibition closes May 22, 2011.

The Hispano/Latino Collection
One of the great strengths of the collection is the large number of everyday items - the material culture of colonial New Mexico. Cultural change, adaptation to the physical environment, technological innovation, and cultural continuity can be studied in light of the implements made or used by New Mexicans.

Bultos are three-dimensional carved wooden figures. Made primarily of cottonwood and painted with organic pigments, were also used in much the same contexts as the retablos. Also exclusively religious in subject matter, the bultos range from small, easily transportable figures for use in homes to life-size figures and death carts used for Holy Week and feast day processions and as imagery in churches.