O’Keeffe Museum Celebrates First Year of Construction, Adobe Work Continues
The New O’Keeffe will be built from 40,000 adobe bricks created from dirt excavated from the work site.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–July 08, 2026–(Santa Fe, NM)–Adobe brick by adobe brick, the New O’Keeffe is making progress. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum celebrated the completion of the first year of construction of its new building located in historic, downtown Santa Fe on June 25, 2026. The milestone comes after completion of the substructure and the ground-level steel framework, while adobe work is ongoing. Designed by DNCA Architects of Santa Fe, the building utilizes an innovative structure that fuses ancient adobe techniques with contemporary engineering.
More than 40,000 adobe bricks are being used—every brick was formed from excavated dirt where the framed basement now sits. Avanyu General Contracting has led all aspects of the adobe work, including mixing the excavated dirt with straw and water to create mud, which was then formed into bricks, sundried, and shaped. Now, the woman-owned company based in the Pueblo de San Ildefonso is laying the bricks within the steel structure created by Bradbury Stamm Construction.
“To see the adobe bricks begin to form the walls of the New O’Keeffe brings a tangible sense of excitement. Adobe has long played a central role in New Mexico’s architectural tradition and was a favored material for Georgia O’Keeffe’s homes. Its presence as a foundational material in this building is true to this place and O’Keeffe herself,” Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Director Cody Hartley said.
Georgia O’Keeffe lived in adobe homes for decades in Northern New Mexico. She was captivated by a black door surrounded by an adobe wall in her Abiquiu Home & Studio and painted it more than two dozen times.
Construction of the New O’Keeffe will continue through 2027, with continued progress expected throughout the coming months, including the installation of large oculi skylights that will echo O’Keeffe’s iconic view of the New Mexico sky through an opening in a pelvis bone. Once complete, the reimagined campus will expand exhibition space, enhance visitor experience, and create new opportunities for community engagement in the heart of Santa Fe. The New O’Keeffe is scheduled to open in 2028.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Renee Lucero | Public Relations Manager, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum | 505-946-1063
Image credits: Kate Russell, courtesy of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
ABOUT THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM: Since 1997, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum celebrates the art, life, and independent spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe. Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Georgia O’Keeffe lived the final decades of her life, the O’Keeffe has sites and experiences in two historic destinations, Santa Fe and Abiquiú. For more information, please visit gokm.org
