Native American Artists Transform Hotel
By Tom Wilmer
Nativo Lodge, located just off the interstate in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently commissioned four Native American contemporary artists to transform hotel guest rooms into works of art. The dynamic artist room-project is the first of its kind in New Mexico. Acclaimed Native American contemporary artists Heidi Brandow, Nanibah Chacon, Rhett Lynch and Ehren Kee Natay were each responsible for the recreation of a guest room. The New Mexico artists have received local and national attention including accolades from the world-renowned SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. Nativo Lodge worked hand in hand with SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts <http://http://swaia.org/> to select the featured artists through a juried submission process.
http://newmexicotravelblog.com/nativo-lodge-artist-guest-rooms/
I recently stayed in one of the artist rooms and the experience was fascinating and intriguing. I expected to find framed paintings on the walls. But I was amazed to discover entire wall surfaces--floor to ceiling-- turned in to works of Art. The encapsulating art experience made me want to meet and visit with the artist in person. As producer and host of the weekly audio travel show “Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer” featured on NPR.ORG’s Podast site, I interviewed Maresa Thompson, Marketing & Creative Director with Heritage Hotels & Resorts at their Nativo Lodge. Ms. Thompson leads us on a tour of the rooms as she describes the backstory. If you’d like to listen to Ms. Thompson’s audio interview click on the link below or copy and paste it in to your browser:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/kcbx/JOD_NPR_052813.mp3
