Artist in Residence

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

Dawn Over the Salt Lakes 10" x 54"

Artist statement ~ The series, “Honoring Our History”, was painted by Karen Argeanas for the 2021 Artist in Residence program at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in Mountainair, New Mexico. The four acrylic paintings depict four directions, four times of day, and four periods of history in the Estancia Valley. The top painting, “Dawn Over the Salt Lakes” (10“ x 58”) is a remembrance of the people who used the salt lakes since time immemorial. The salt lakes establish the location of Estancia Valley, and is included as the namesake of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The salt lakes were important to all of the Pueblos of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The left bottom image is “Midday at Quarai” (20” x 16”). It represents the beginning of the era of Spanish Missions. The south view focuses on the doorway as an entrance to a changing world. The center bottom image is “Sunset at Abo” (20” x 16”). This painting represents the time of the exodus of people from Estancia Valley, a period of drought and hardship as people moved to lands west of Abo in the 1670’s. The bottom right image is “Night Sky at Gran Quivira” (20” x 16”). This painting of the northern night sky at Gran Quivira represents our current use of the monument, and its designation as Dark Sky Park.

Midday at Quarai 20" x 16"

Sunset at Abo 20" x 16"

Night Sky at Gran Quivira 20" x 16"

Department of the Interior ~ Art in the Office Program

Protectors of the Sacred 24" x 22"

Protectors of the Sacred was painted by Karen Dressler Argeanas as part of the Artist in Residence program with Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico. The Department of the Interior selected New Mexico to be represented in their Art in the Office Program. This painting is now in the permanant collection of the Department of the Interior with the purpose of connecting the Washington DC staff with the public lands they serve.

The painting depicts the Mission San Gregorio de Abo with an unexcavated mound in the foreground. The focus on the mound is to recognize and honor the long history of the Pueblo prior to the Spanish mission. Three shards in the foreground depict distinct styles of pottery found at Abo and represent different time periods of the site from the twelfth through the seventeenth century. Karen was also inspired by the birds, animals, and vegetation present at Abo. Included amongst the stones of the Pueblo is the burrow of a chipmunk or ground squirrel, as small animals that burrow through the mounds understand the secrets that the mounds hold as they travel between the surface world and the world below. The plant on the left side of the mound is fourwing saltbush which held an important role to the Pueblo people as a food source, medicine, and dye.

The title, Protectors of the Sacred, is a reminder that this site is sacred. Salinas Pueblo National Monument at Abo is the home of our Pueblo ancestors, it is a burial site, and it is a church. We all share a role as protectors. The staff and rangers for the National Park Service are protectors. The Department of the Interior staff share the role of protectors. Visitors who learn the history and respect the site also share the role of protectors. The horned toad in the painting represents the role of protector. The horned toad is traditionally recognized as a protector in beliefs of many Pueblos, as well as other tribes of the southwest.

In 2024, this painting will be displayed in the Dept. of the Interior Museum in Washington, DC.

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