The Awakening Foundation

"As an artist - indeed, as a person - my first duty is compassion," says Gaugy.

Using the visual language of art, The Awakening Museum invites the visitor to have a direct, unmediated experience of the common threads that bind sacred traditions. While the creation of the work of art was a solitary endeavor, the intention of creating a museum around the painting was to inspire action. "The biggest problem in the world is apathy," says Gaugy. "We need to get over our tribal ideas and become passionate about the whole of human experience." Towards that end the museum hosts events that illustrate the ethos of "Awakening in Action". Developed through broad-based community participation, this intercultural, interfaith, interethnic collaborative effort provides a rare opportunity for people to come together to share cultural and sacred traditions; explore artistic and cultural expression; and contemplate the spiritual and ethical questions of our times.

Inherent in The Awakening's mission is an understanding of art as a visual language capable of conveying meaning and deepening the process of mutual understanding and responsibility. Serving the community, the museum's "Awakening in Action" programs include:

With love and transcendence as its central themes, The Awakening is a reminder of the formidable capacity of art to express universal motifs that transform and elevate our lives. Santa Fe's newest museum offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience a numinous work of art in a setting designed to foster contemplation, creativity, trust, and mutual understanding.