A Community Celebration of Art, Creativity, and Legacy
Saturday, July 18, 2026
The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Campus | Taos, New Mexico
The inaugural Wurlitzer Summer Arts Fest: Alumni Art Auction & Showcase brought artists, alumni, friends, and the Taos community together for a wonderful day of art, music, literature, film, dance, workshops, and celebration on the Foundation's historic campus.
The event was a great success, made possible by the extraordinary involvement of our alumni community. Our heartfelt thanks go to the alumni artists who conceived and helped organize the festival, donated artwork, performed, presented their work, volunteered their time, and supported the Foundation in so many ways. We are equally grateful to our sponsors, partners, volunteers, and everyone who joined us for this special day.
Relive the festivities in our two-minute video recap, featuring highlights from the day and reflections from participating artists.
Conceived, organized, and presented by Foundation alumni, the event will bring together artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, supporters, and community members for a day-long celebration of the creative legacy that has flourished at the Foundation for more than seventy years.
The Summer Arts Fest comes during a pivotal year for the Foundation. While the artist residency program is temporarily paused in 2026 to accommodate significant campus rehabilitation projects, alumni have stepped forward in extraordinary ways to help sustain and strengthen the organization. This event represents both a celebration of that enduring community and an investment in the Foundation’s future.
The centerpiece of the fundraiser will be the Wurlitzer Alumni Art Auction, featuring works donated exclusively by Foundation alumni. Organizers anticipate as many as seventy pieces to be offered through a combination of live, silent, and online auctions.
Participating artists represent decades of residency alumni and a wide range of artistic disciplines, offering attendees a rare opportunity to acquire original works while directly supporting the Foundation’s mission.
The festival will take place outdoors beneath large event tents situated in the field between the Main House and Los Pandos. A 40' x 60' main tent will serve as the center of activity, featuring a performance stage for live music, dance, theatrical presentations, announcements, and a live auction.
The surrounding festival area will include artist tables, demonstrations, workshops, community gathering spaces, and opportunities to purchase alumni-created works.
A separate enclosed 20' x 30' screening and literary tent will host film presentations, readings, discussions, and other intimate artistic programming throughout the day.
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Visitors can expect a vibrant and diverse schedule featuring:
We are grateful to the sponsors, partners, and community supporters helping make the Wurlitzer Summer Arts Fest possible.
