Shidoni Foundry & Gallery

Families with children beware! We have been to Shidoni several times. This last visit was terrible. We had brought along another family who were interests in purchasing one of the bells we had purchased a couple of years ago. However, a man came out to yell at our children — twice! — for running and for playing hacky-​sack in the parking lot. For those you you who have been there, the areas are big and kids are excited to see it all. Tip to Shidoni, if you don’t want children, or don’t know how to respond to them (yelling from an entryway is not a proper response), maybe you should state that on your website. We did not feel welcome and left without making a purchase.

Beautiful, whimsical, traditional — all types of fabulous sculptures to enjoy while strolling the grounds. The few people we talked to were super informative and friendly. Aside from the sculptures there is also a glass makers’ gallery on the premises. My husband and I were treated to an on the spot tour… fascinating. Definitely a great find recommended to us by the staff at Bishop’s Lodge.

A really neat spot to wonder around in a park like setting and admire the sculptures that are for sale here. It is a big place! You can also venture indoors to see some great metal sculptures at the foundry.

On a recent trip to Santa Fe, we received a recommendation to check out Shidoni to view a bronze pouring. Their website advises that they do pourings most Saturdays, but it’s advised to call in advance to confirm.
The grounds are beautiful, w/​plenty of sculptures to take in. The inside features a small gallery of work for sale and then visitors there for the pouring are permitted to take a self-​guided tour through working part of the facility. We were provided w/​a reference sheet that described the making of a bronze statue – an intricate process with many steps. However, it was not entirely self-​explanatory. It would have been great to have a guide on the tour to answer questions (although at $ 6/​person fee to watch the pouring, I understand they can’t afford to staff for this).
The pouring itself was really cool – the three guys who conducted it almost appeared to be doing a choreographed ballet. It was an intriguing mash-​up of industrial processes – heat, noise, air – being used to create sophisticated artwork. Definitely worth the visit. Best of all, we were fortunate enough to spend some time w/​founder/​artist Tommy Hicks during and after the pouring. In addition to being able to talk to the vision of Shidoni, he is a very warm and likable person. If you happen to see him out and about, be sure to stop and talk with him.

I used to run around here when I was little and marvel at the beautiful, delicate bronzes in two large open areas. It’s so wonderful that artists are working there WHILE you are there to admire the sculptures. The little Tesuque River runs by and cools you off in the shade if you need to sit a spell from all of the wonderful art you just took in. For goodness sakes, bring your kids. Give them the rad experience I had!

awesome free sculpture garden. Worth the small drive from Santa Fe. Would be fun to see a pouring but they were only happening on Saturdays.

It’s safe to say that our visit to the Shidoni Foundry & Gallery was my husband’s favorite part of our trip to Santa Fe. He LOVED being able to watch 2000 degree molten bronze being poured into ceramic shell molds. Show the guy a bit of fire and he’s a happy man…
I, on the other hand, liked some of the unaffordable pieces of art, but kind of thought the pouring guys were a bit out of their minds. One guys shoe caught on fire in the middle of the process (he hardly noticed) and worried I was going to pass out from the 500 degree heat in the pouring room!
One of the guys who works here could be a bit friendlier as well. One of them pretty much bit off my husband’s head when he asked a few questions about the pouring process. Guess he couldn’t take the heat… yep, pun intended.
If fire is your thing then check out the bronze pours, which occur every few hours on Saturday afternoons. Dress light– it’s HOT in there!

Shidoni is an eight acre sculpture garden, a bronze gallery, an art gallery. .. . but even more than that, it is the premier Bronze Casting Foundry in the country.
The list of artists who have had their pieces cast & displayed here is mind boggling. Amongst the many talented artists is Frank Lloyd Wright. The list goes on and on. (The Crazy Girls Sculpture in Las Vegas was cast here. See the review.)
Whether you walk in the smaller indoor galleries, or outside in the impressive eight (8) acre sculpture garden you are overcome with the feeling of beauty. Hand crafted beauty. Wood, ceramics, stone, glass, jewelry, textiles — all are here — but most important is the bronze.
Plan your visit so you can be there on a Saturday afternoon — that’s when they do their pouring. They pour 3,500 lbs of bronze every week. You will never look at a bronze sculpture again without remembering the «pouring.»
The sculpture gardens are in the beautiful Tesuque Valley just a few miles north of Santa Fe. Apple orchards, cottonwoods, the Rio Tesuque (Tesuque River) all give the sculptures light and shadow under the rich New Mexico skies.
If you see nothing else on your visit to Santa Fe, be sure you do not miss this wonderful business. Perhaps you can stop for a couple of hours on your way to Rancho de Chimayo for dinner?

If you like art, you may enjoy this place. Tesuque (Too-​sue-​kee) is 5 minutes N of Santa Fe and getting here is half the adventure. From town take the Bishops Lodge Road, and don’t be alarmed, you are not lost even when your driving through the thick forest. And by the way, Santa Fe is an expensive town to live in, art doesn’t come cheap.