Rachel Tait, a tour guide at the state Capitol, gives a tour Wednesday of the art at the Roundhouse. Courtesy/SFNM
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
During her days as a security guard at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Rachel Tait would relieve bouts of boredom by paying close attention to what the docents were saying as they gave art tours.
“I would sit and listen to them talk about Santa Fe’s history and learn more about the art and culture of New Mexico just by working there,” she said.
Soon, she began researching the lives and works of New Mexico artists, including Will Shuster and Paula Rodriguez
The research paid off. Now she’s an art tour guide for one of the city’s most varied and striking art galleries, one hidden in plain sight.
It’s the Capitol Art Collection in the Roundhouse — now about 600 works of art ranging from sculptures to murals and paintings, photographs and the huge multimedia buffalo head that hangs on the wall of the third floor.
The nonprofit Capitol Art Foundation, made up of art professionals from throughout the state, began acquiring a permanent art collection for the Capitol in 1991. Cynthia Sanchez, the foundation’s executive director and curator, said in an interview with Pasatiempo in 2021 art might not come to mind when most people think of the state Capitol.
Tait said that’s true.
Visitors “trip out” when they wander into the Roundhouse, perhaps to get a sense of the architectural design or learn more about the political process, and discover it’s an art museum, too, she said.
Among the New Mexico artists represented in the permanent exhibition are Allan Houser, Bob Haozous, Glenna Goodacre, Larry Bell, Albert Handell, Dan Namingha, R.C. Gorman and Gene Kloss.
As she’s conducting a tour, Tait likes to make an impression of the droning, cartoon-like voice of the teacher in the old Charlie Brown shows, the voice that led some of the kids to nod off to sleep.
Tait did a fair imitation of the voice during a recent tour and said she does everything she can to ensure she does not bore her audience.
She imbues her tour with a sense of humor, a touch of personal introspection and a beyond-the-surface dive into the meaning and history of the artworks. Sometimes she’ll go beyond the painting and bring in some history of Santa Fe and New Mexico.
Pointing to Marnie Johnson’s painting Ristras II, depicting a line of drying chile pepper pods, Tait will speak about the history of red and green chile and its place in both cuisine and artistic decorations. She also gives out-of-state visitors advice about ordering food from New Mexican restaurants.
“Don’t ask for Tex-Mex,” she said with a laugh.
The Ohio-born Tait, who spent most of her life in Santa Fe, recalled wanting to grow up to be a chef. But her varied jobs in Santa Fe include working at a nursing home and for the New Mexico Tourism Department.
She started working at the Capitol about five years ago, she said. She is one of several art tour guides there and can generally be found behind the glass-plated reception area just inside the east entrance to the building.
Her tours run 30 to 45 minutes. Depending on the vibe and the interest of her visitors, she generally takes them to five or 10 art pieces while also giving them a tour of the building, including stops inside committee hearing rooms.
During the recent tour, she told a few teens and children present, “It is your responsibility to register to vote when you turn 18 — it’s your future. You can’t complain if you haven’t voted.”
She said the state Capitol is the perfect venue for inspiring others to take part in the political process.
The vast majority of visitors on her tours are tourists from outside Santa Fe and from all around the world.
“I love educating people about our state, getting them interested in seeing everything we have here in New Mexico. … I like encouraging people to learn,” she said.
While visitors can take their own self-guided tours of the artworks in the Capitol, Tait said she and other guides can help put the work in historical and cultural context.
There are so many art pieces to contemplate, everyone should “come check in out,” she said. “You’re guaranteed to find something that you will love.”
If you go
The Capitol Art Collection is inside the state Capitol, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail. You can schedule a tour between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays (not including holidays) by calling 505.986.4589 or view the works on your own.
