Editor’s Letter
The first time I saw the structure behind me in this photo,
it was surrounded by parishioners covering it with a mix-
ture of mud and hay. Often, when I show this view of the
building to people, they have no idea what it is. But it is a
church that has been portrayed by artists such as Georgia
O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, and others more than any other
church in the United States.
This is the back of the San Francisco de Asis (Saint
Francis of Assisi), a Spanish Mission church in Rancho de
Taos, just south of Taos, New Mexico, seen from the high-
way that passes right next to it.
Built from 1772 to 1816, this adobe church is regularly
replastered by its congregation. I first became aware of
it through O’Keeffe’s paintings and I am still thrilled to introduce it to novice viewers, as I did last
summer in SchoolArts’ Santa Fe Pueblo Art and Culture workshop.
San Francisco de Asis is a structure born of necessity, made with the only materials on hand at
the time, designed by persons unknown. Yet its rounded, organic forms seem to have risen naturally
from the same color ground. Because of its distinctiveness, I often use it to introduce the concept of
the built environment to my students.
In developing this issue of SchoolArts, I discovered that the phrase “built environment” can be
puzzling to some. According to Wikipedia, it refers to the people-built surroundings that “provide
the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from
personal shelter to neighborhoods to the large-scale civic
surroundings.” Teaching about the built environment
provides opportunities for students to learn about three-
dimensional structures, architectural models, historic and
contemporary architecture, architectural styles, sustain-
able architecture, building materials, visual culture, and
related careers in art.
We know our students won’t all grow up to be archi-
tects, but they can all become more aware and appreciative
of their built environment and the creativity, design, and
thought that went into its development.
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