New Mexico
Reframing Georgia O’Keeffe’s legacy and protecting the land she loved
A view (looking east) of Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, on March 11, 2026.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
ABIQUIU, NM – On a recent afternoon, fluffy clouds drift past the sun, throwing light, then shadow, across distant cliffs layered in yellow, ochre and sienna.
This starkly beautiful, high desert of northern New Mexico is where the artist Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted the abstract, color-drenched paintings of flowers, bones and landforms that brought her international acclaim as “the mother of American modernism.”
In the 40 years since her death, the area came to be called O’Keeffe County.
Today, however, that identity is shifting – culturally and legally.
There is a move afoot, prompted by Pueblo Indians and Hispanos who’ve been on the land for centuries, to stop calling it O’Keeffe Country. Moreover, a historic new conservation plan will protect that landscape — with its colorful cliffs and buttes — forevermore.
David Evans is the CEO of Ghost Ranch, best known as the home — and inspiration — of O’Keeffe. He stands on a bluff and scans the storied valley.
Ghost Ranch CEO David Evans photographed at Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, on March 11, 2026.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
“Georgia O’Keeffe loved (this area) because of the same reasons everyone who visits loves it,” he says, “the richness of the colors of the cliffs against the sky, the way the light plays on it, the way the clouds move in. It’s incredible.”
Ghost Ranch is now a spiritual and educational retreat center just over an hour’s drive northwest of Santa Fe. The longtime owner of Ghost Ranch, Arthur Pack – a nationally prominent conservationist – donated it in 1955 to the Presbyterian Church, whose nonprofit foundation owns it today.
O’Keeffe fell in love with Ghost Ranch country when she first visited from New York in the 1930s. In an early letter to her famous photographer husband, Alfred Stieglitz, she described the landscape as “Perfectly mad-looking country, hills and cliffs and washes too crazy to imagine, all thrown up in the air by God and let tumble where they would.”
In 1940, when Ghost Ranch was still a dude ranch, she purchased an adobe house there, Casa de los Burros. She spent most of the rest of her life painting the raw beauty of her surroundings.
“There’s something in the air, it’s just different, the sky is different, the stars are different, the wind is just different,” O’Keeffe said in a mid-1970s public television documentary.
At 88, the legendary artist, dressed in a black smock, was filmed walking through the eroded sculptural features of the badlands, her face furrowed by age, her eyes still blazing. She died in Santa Fe at the age of 98.
“As soon as I saw it,” she said, “that was my country.”
Rewriting the narrative
Artist Jason Garcia (Okuu Pin), of Santa Clara Pueblo (left), and Curator Bess Murphy, of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, photographed in the studio of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico on March 11, 2026.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
My country.
That played well among her legions of admirers, but not so much in northern New Mexico among the Tewa, the indigenous people that include the Pueblo Indians.
Her favorite subject was Cerro Pedernal, the flat-topped mountain that stands like a sentinel over this basin. She painted it 29 times, and had her ashes scattered on the summit. In one infamous quote, O’Keeffe said, “It’s my private mountain. It belongs to me. God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.”
Tewa artist Jason Garcia, of the Santa Clara Pueblo, chuckles at the statement. He has also painted Pedernal, which Tewa consider a sacred landmark whose native name is Tsi-Pin, flaking stone mountain.
“It’s pretty funny to hear that, to think that one person can say, ‘If I paint this enough I can have it. God told me,’” Garcia says. “But it’s just not just hers. You have Tewa people that have lived here on the landscape, as well, since time immemorial.”
Garcia is co-curator of a groundbreaking exhibition called Tewa Nangeh at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. Twelve Tewa artists respond, with their art, to O’Keeffe’s aesthetic claim to their ancestral land.
“At the O’Keeffe Museum, for so long the story of northern New Mexico has been told only through Georgia O’Keeffe’s eyes,” says Bess Murphy, co-curator of the exhibition and art curator at the museum. “And really we were hoping to create a space in the museum where we can add complexity to that narrative.”
The museum’s official poster for the exhibition highlights that changing narrative. A sign says, “Welcome to O’Keeffe Country” and “Tewa” has been scrawled across her name. Murphy says the Tewa-and-O’Keeffe show has doubled the number of local and native visitors who visit the museum.
Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy, which works closely with Ghost Ranch, gives credit to the museum “for really forcing people to reckon with the erasure of indigenous perspectives from ‘O’Keeffe Country.’”
Protecting the land
The artist’s legacy, nevertheless, remains a huge draw for Ghost Ranch and the region. A yearly music festival is held at the ranch, called Blossoms and Bones, after her still-lifes. The ranch’s classic logo is an O’Keeffe drawing of a cow skull. And just down the road, visitors can sign up for a tour of O’Keeffe’s second home and studio in the village of Abiquiú.
Like the museum, Ghost Ranch has also begun to re-frame its narrative.
“O’Keeffe Country is not a frame that we use,” says Evans. “This country has a very rich history and she’s an important part of it. But it’s not solely her story by any means.”
Ghost Ranch CEO David Evans photographed at Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, on March 11, 2026.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
In December, the ranch announced a historic conservation agreement that will protect this pristine emptiness in perpetuity.
In the first phase—that covers 6,000 of the ranch’s 21,000 total acres—the New Mexico Land Conservancy will pay the church foundation nearly $1 million to preserve the vista and never develop the land. Funding comes from the state’s Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund. The arrangement bans things like ranchettes, cell-phone towers and Dollar Stores, while leaving intact the main Ghost Ranch facilities—visitor’s center, trails, lodging, stables, dinosaur museum and O’Keeffe’s home.
“This is truly a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect one of the West’s most iconic landscapes,” says Hayden. “Acreage-wise it’s not the largest. But in terms of its meaning to people going back to indigenous cultures, to (Spanish) land grant heirs, and everyone inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, it’s truly a rare opportunity.”
Evans says protecting the ranch’s 30 square miles “is one of the most important parts of Ghost Ranch’s mission.” But he adds, it’s expensive to maintain the vast property and ensure a great guest experience.
“We have over 100 buildings, 21,000 acres,” he says. “So it’s a tough business model. The revenue will really help to support our operating costs and to keep this open for future generations.”
Finding a balance or The price of popularity
Norman Vigil with his cattle at his ranch in Canjilon, New Mexico (just north of Ghost Ranch) on March 11, 2026. Vigil leases grazing rights from Ghost Ranch, and runs his cattle on Ghost Ranch for part of the year.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
It’s also cattle country.
Norman Vigil runs 25 black Angus on Ghost Ranch pastureland. On a recent afternoon, he was out checking on his mama cows. “Hey, vacas!” he called in Spanish, shaking a bucket of feed pellets.
The conservation plan continues the longstanding arrangement that lets local cattlemen use ranch pastures for winter grazing. “It allows us to maintain our culture, our historical use,” Vigil says.
Cattle on Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, New Mexico, on March 11, 2026. A number of local ranchers lease grazing rights from Ghost Ranch.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
He’s a bit jaded when it comes to the label “O’Keeffe Country.”
While it’s been good for realtors, Airbnbs, cafes, and gift shops, Vigil says for many folks in the region, like him, all it’s done is drive up home prices.
“There’s a lot of people making a good living because of Georgia O’Keeffe, and so can you argue on the economic side for those folks,” he says. “But for us, really the exposure hasn’t been all that great.”
For years, the nonprofit Ghost Ranch has charged film crews to use the stunning panorama as a backdrop. Production companies out here have filmed everything from Chevy truck commercials to the movie, “Oppenheimer.”
David Manazares photographed on the set of the movie Oppenheimer, located at Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu NM, on March 11, 2026.
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Minesh Bacrania for NPR
Tewa artist Garcia knows why they want to be out here.
“It’s funny when you think about the O’Keeffe quote …’There’s something different about New Mexico.’ She’s right. She’s not lying,” he says. “The mountains, the clouds, dusk, dawn, midnight. I mean, it’s a beautiful place. I wouldn’t trade it for anywhere else.”
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
RECOMMENDED: Las Cruces couple arrested on murder, child abuse charges in neighbor’s stabbing death
The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
RECOMMENDED: Noises in an empty Mesilla home led to discovery of burglar naked in bathtub
About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.
SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether any Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law when pills reached New Mexico streets.
In a statement, Lujan Grisham said, “make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities.”
The governor also shared a timeline from 2022 to 2025 that she said shows when she asked federal officials for help with New Mexico’s fentanyl crisis and violent crime.
Lujan Grisham said the first request came on June 21, 2022, when she wrote to then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and asked for 50 additional federal agents.
She said she wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 15, 2022, asking for more agents, resources and support for New Mexico law enforcement.
Lujan Grisham said she wrote Garland a second time on Aug. 8, 2023, with the same request.
What came next?
About a month later, Lujan Grisham said she sent Garland a third letter and said New Mexico needed more federal law enforcement to curb violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
She said her most recent request came on Sept. 4, 2025, when she wrote to former Attorney General Pam Bondi and again asked for additional agents and resources.
The governor’s statement says those requests span several years as she pressed the federal government for more help in New Mexico.
Full statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“I am appalled by reporting this week by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal that revealed federal authorities made a deliberate decision to let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills flood into New Mexico communities, despite knowing that fentanyl is so lethal the White House has designated it a weapon of mass destruction.
Let me say that again: the Drug Enforcement Administration watched as 74,000 fentanyl pills were delivered to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, and they did nothing. And that’s just one transaction. Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets.
There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were. Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.
If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise. New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.
Today, I wrote to Attorney General Raúl Torrez and asked him to investigate whether any federal agents broke state law when they allowed lethal drugs to remain on our streets, and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.
I have spent years working across two administrations — writing letters, traveling to Washington, meeting directly with President Joe Biden and his cabinet, pushing for accountability, asking for more federal agents to be deployed to New Mexico to help fight this crisis.
- On June 21, 2022, I wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, imploring the FBI to assign no less than 50 additional agents to New Mexico to stem escalating drug trafficking and violent crime.
- On September 15, 2022, I wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice provide additional federal agents, resources and support to New Mexico law enforcement. We asked the department to match the level of investigative, analytical, and technical resources the FBI had deployed in its Buffalo, NY surge.
- On August 8, 2023, I wrote again to Attorney General Garland, renewing my request that the DOJ expeditiously assign more federal agents to New Mexico.
- On September 7, 2023, I wrote to Attorney General Garland for a third time, reiterating my request once more federal law enforcement support to curb violent crime, drug and human trafficking.
- On September 4, 2025, I wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, once again requesting additional agents and resources.
I have declared the surge of drugs like fentanyl to be a public health emergency. I have deployed the National Guard to both Albuquerque and Española. While my administration was doing everything we could to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into our state, the federal government deliberately allowed it to flood in.
New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business.
I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”
The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
CLINES CORNERS, N.M. – The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
The fire is burning just east of Clines Corners, south of Interstate 40.
It forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 40 at Clines Corners on Tuesday night. I-40 reopened Tuesday night. I-40 is back open but smoke still affects visibility.
“We’re on the side of I-40 so drivers have to be pretty cautious. As far as our establishment itself we’re pretty isolated by the freeway itself as a nice fire break,” said Lincoln Tarantino, Clines Corner general manager.
The fire has burned around 852 acres, up from just 20 at this time Monday.
Crews say the fire is not contained and wind farms in the area are threatened.
-
News27 minutes agoThe Supreme Court says the U.S. can turn away asylum seekers at the border
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoJury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoScene active as police shoot, kill man on Detroit’s west side
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCivil grand jury report warns of wildfire risk at SF’s Glen Canyon Park
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoIvory Coast advances at World Cup, how to buy Ivory Coast tickets
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMen used fake credentials to enter Brazil vs. Scotland match at Miami Stadium, deputies say
-
Boston, MA2 hours ago3 arrested after trying to break into downtown building, Boston police say – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoRTD to bring back BroncosRide bus service after 5-year suspension
