SANTA FE, NM (KRQE) – The New Mexico tourism division recently announced that they will refresh their “New Mexico True” brandto bring tourists back to the state. However, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, as well as pueblo and indigenous groups, said part of the campaign was offensive.

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“When I got to New Mexico, that was mine,” said a voice over on the New Mexico True promotional video. “As soon as I saw it, it was my country.” Last week, the state Department of Tourism released this 60-second promotional clip. The narration above the video includes a quote from artist Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe is famous for drawing inspiration from the landscape and cultural history of New Mexico for her paintings. Tourists who wanted to visit the O’Keeffe Museum said they liked the video.

“We’re here for such a short time that you want to come back,” said the women. “The video produced by the tourism department is absolutely accurate,” said a man named Clark, who did not give his last name.

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However, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe had the opposite reaction. Screenshots of the museum’s Instagram stories from last week said:

“The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum does not endorse the use of Georgia O’Keeffe quotes describing the New Mexico countryside as ‘their land’ or claiming ‘that was mine’. While these quotes are from the artist, it is now clear that this is the language of possession, colonization, and extinction. Such language is offensive, insulting and insensitive. We strongly advise against using these problematic terms and “O’Keeffe Country” to promote tourism or to represent northern New Mexico. The O’Keeffe Museum recognizes the importance of tourism to the state economy. However, we are committed to an informed tourism that includes all of our stories and educates visitors about the nuances of our past and the richness of our multicultural present. The O’Keeffe is in open conversation with the NM Department of Tourism to promote a dialogue that supports informed tourism and economic opportunity for all of our communities. “

FROM THE SCREENSHOTS OF THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM INSTAGRAM STORIES

The Three Sisters Collective, a Pueblo indigenous women-centered grassroots collective, has pushed the video back. They said the video was shameful and described it as “romantic settler voyeurism” on their social media.

“It is literally an annihilation of the indigenous people of this region,” said Dr. Christina M. Castro from the Three Sisters Collective. “We are no longer dehumanized this way. We live, cultures thrive and we’re here in New Mexico and we expect better from our tourism department. “

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The tourism department declined an interview, but said in part in an email that the excerpt with the quote was not part of a live campaign. The museum also declined to be interviewed, but said in an email that they partially adhere to what they said.

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