TABLE Magazine New Mexico

Connecting Food, Art and Culture

New Mexicans are primed for conversations about the inter-section of food and culture. With the debut of TABLE Magazine New Mexico, a lifestyle magazine exploring the state’s culture of food and drink through craft, interior design, fashion and jewelry, editor-in-chief Keith Recker hopes to provide a new recipe for cultural and culinary connection.

“I see TABLE engaging our tastebuds as well as our retinas,” says Recker, whose passions for color, design and the art of the craftsperson run deep. Those elements converged many years back when Recker first visited the Alexander Girard Wing at the Museum of International Folk Art, causing him “to fall in love with the museum.”

With the launch of TABLE Magazine New Mexico, Recker became a Corporate Partner of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation at the $10,000 level. “We’re honored to support the Foundation and its work to nourish its museums,” he says.

A Pittsburgh native, Recker also edits TABLE Magazine Western Pittsburgh, which explores culturally rich topics in that region. Locally, he is known to many folk art aficionados for his 12 years on the board of the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, including five years as the market’s creative director. His past work as executive director of Aid to Artisans and his previous publication, HAND/EYE magazine, further reflect his interest in creating economic opportunities for artisans worldwide.

TABLE Magazine New Mexico’s debut issue paid homage to folk art at home and in the community. The article “Cooking is a Folk Art, Too!” features family recipes from international textile artists. They include Aziz Murtazaev’s rice pilaf (Uzbekistan), Juana Gutierrez Contreras’ chicken barbacoa (Mexico), Parth Purandar’s Jackfruit Vindaloo (India) and the Usai family’s take on ribs and polenta (Sardinia). The issue also celebrates the culinary folk hero San Pascual and ranks the best places to see folk art in Santa Fe. Topping the list is the beloved Museum of International Folk Art. Color, another throughline in Recker’s career, has led him to write three books on the subject.

With future issues of TABLE Magazine New Mexico, Recker plans to takes readers deeper into the world of the Museum of New Mexico system.

“There are so many gems living in storage with riveting stories,” he says. “We’re looking forward to bringing to TABLE’s readers insight into the museums’ collections and the people who care for them.”

 

 

This article and image are from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Member News Magazine Fall 2022.

Image: The cover of the fall issue of TABLE Magazine New Mexico.