Fay Abrams founded her first crafts gallery in Old Town in 1974 as a showcase for local artists with a flair for taking ideas and materials far beyond the confines of standard application. They have shaped, forged, hammered and woven stone, glass, wood, fabric, clay, and other materials into objects that are as beautiful and sometimes provocative; as they are one-of-a-kind. Owners Liz Dineen and Jennifer Rohrig will answer your questions about each object with the kind of knowledge, pride and enthusiasm that is normally reserved for a parent discussing her child.

A surprising array of quality artwork greets you in one of four galleries that occupy space in this historic downtown building of Harwood Art Center. But the galleries are only part of this center. In other rooms, workshops for artists are held on subjects like marketing their work and career strategies. There is a small cafeteria inside and musicians and singers are featured often. This art center is a mecca for up and coming artists, and it brings the community cutting edge, high quality arts programming.

Housed in the first public school building in Albuquerque (1881) this co-op gallery in Old Town is an outlet for some exceptional local talent. Joy Easton creates watercolors of almost touchable terrain. Mary Madsen uses oil and watercolor to take Southwestern scenery a step beyond the usual. It is well worth a visit to Yucca Art Gallery, just to view the colorful stoneware of Pat Stolgren or the oil miniatures of New Mexico's ancient churches by George Hight.

This gallery represents a co-operative of local artists that has been in existence since 1980. With such a wide range of talent from which to draw, the gallery is an eclectic mixture of traditional abstract and representational art. Choicest pieces of fine art share space with jewelry, pottery, sculpture, wood carvings, stained glass, weavings, baskets and photography. The gallery space is inside a renovated house that creates intimate, individual rooms.