When visitors step into Abundance: New Acquisitions from 2016 to 2026, they’ll encounter dozens of recently acquired artworks. They’ll experience the story of how a museum collection is built – one artwork, one conversation and one act of generosity at a time.  

On view August 18-December 5, 2026 in the University of New Mexico Art Museum’s Main and Van Deren Coke galleries, Abundance features works acquired through gifts and purchases in the past decade. The exhibition includes prints, photographs, paintings and sculpture created between 1810 and 2024 by 44 artists from nine countries, highlighting the breadth of the UNMAM collection while celebrating the people who have helped shape it. 

Senior Curator Mary Statzer organized the exhibition. She says the show is as much about community as it is about art. “I want visitors to the exhibition to see that we recognize the overwhelming generosity of people who offer us things,” she said. “We had a couple of large donations in the past few years, but we also have ongoing grassroots support from local donors, smaller donors, artists, alumni. That’s really heartwarming to me, that people are loyal to this institution and want to honor their own experiences here by giving back.”  

The exhibition’s title recognizes that spirit of reciprocity.  

I wanted a title that was joyful and clearly positive,” said Statzer. “I want it to be a feel-good show. There’s an abundance of ideas, an abundance of generosity and an abundance of gratitude.”  

Reflecting on Growth and Stewardship

Abundance marks an important milestone for UNMAM, reflecting on a decade of collecting that largely coincides with much of Statzer’s time at the museum and Director Arif Khan’s first decade leading UNMAM. Creating the exhibition meant revisiting years of records, Statzer said, which led to a process of reflection.  

“It was a nice way to look back. Acquisitions are one measure of how we’re doing. I think it speaks well of the collections and definitely of the generosity of our donors.”  

Several of the works link to meaningful stories. Statzer recalls that, years ago, the Lannan Foundation offered UNMAM a group of large photographs created by UNM Professor of Art and Ecology Subhankar Banerjee but was unable to accept it due to the museum’s storage space limitations. Years later, the foundation again made the works available in a gift to UNMAM, and four are included in Abundance.   

Accepting the works became possible due to the Collections Year initiative that UNMAM conducted during the 2025-26 academic year. The initiative was dedicated to collections stewardship, including improving storage for large works.  

Collections Year also included accessioning new gifts, photographing artworks and strengthening long-term stewardship of the UNMAM collection. Several works featured in Abundance completed that process only recently.  

Revealing the Collections Process

Abundance offers visitors a glimpse into a process that is rarely visible. “We get far, far more artworks offered to us than we can ever take, as is the case for most museums,” Statzer said. “Often we sit with these offers for months and talk them through – whether they fit with our priorities, whether we can care for them in perpetuity.” 

During the past decade, the conversations have consistently taken place around a set of priorities, focused on expanding representation in the UNMAM collection by acquiring works made by women, LGBTQ+ artists and artists of color, particularly Hispanic, Latinx and Native American artists.  

“These goals were part of every conversation. Of course, we acquired objects outside those criteria as well, as any museum does, but those priorities guided our thinking,” Statzer said.  

The exhibition demonstrates the many paths artworks take into the collection, whether through artist donations, major gifts or strategic purchases. Just as importantly, it highlights the behind-the-scenes work that makes collecting possible but is rarely visible to the public.  

Abundance hopes to offer insight into that process, she said.

I hope that the show is making what we do at the museum purposeful and meaningful, especially for students.” 

An Invitation to Discover

The exhibition’s design reflects Statzer’s invitation to visitors to make discoveries on their own. “I want people to approach it openly. Walk through and be surprised by what you see, hopefully. It’s not tightly theorized or framed. It’s mostly, again, trying to demonstrate the collecting areas that we’ve been focused on,” she says.  

Visitors are invited to explore Abundance in the order that interests them. Labels are intentionally minimal, encouraging visitors to make their own connections rather than follow a prescribed path.  

“I want people to get a sense of the variety, at least of subject matter and makers,” Statzer says.  

The exhibition’s dedication is perhaps its most personal element. It’s the first exhibition Statzer has ever dedicated. Abundance is dedicated to the artists, staff, students and visitors whose collective efforts and experience shape UNMAM.  

“The dedication is my way of recognizing all the people who  have contributed to a collection that people can participate in. I wanted the dedication to be my way of recognizing all the people who contribute to the making of a collection, which is this kind of mighty endeavor,” Statzer said.  She adds:

I really hope that visitors to the museum recognize themselves in the makers, their ideas, and their artwork, and that it makes them feel seen and welcome.”  

Ultimately, Abundance celebrates far more than a decade of acquisitions. It honors the generosity, stewardship and shared commitment that shape a museum collection over time.

“It is a privilege to be able to do this work,” Statzer said. “It’s a joy to build a good collection.”  

Abundance features works by the following artists: 

Abundance: New Acquisitions from 2016 to 2026 is generously sponsored by Goldleaf Framemakers of Santa Fe.