Brooke Steiger (she/her) is a professionally-trained printmaker and a multidisciplinary artist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Steiger spent her formative years in the Pacific Northwest, growing up in rural, small-town, and coastal Oregon. Experiencing the wild natural beauty of the state as a young person made a profound impression on Steiger and led to a lifelong passion for the outdoors and a commitment to promoting the appreciation and preservation of the environment through creative practice and advocacy.
Steiger’s decades-long relationship with printmaking began while a student at Brown University in the early 90s and continued after graduation when she spent an academic year studying at Il Bisonte, an international printmaking school in Florence, Italy. After returning from abroad, Steiger continued her education (and traded the rain forest for the high desert) by relocating from Oregon to Albuquerque, where she received a M.F.A. in Printmaking from the University of New Mexico in 2002 and a Tamarind Master Printer Certification in 2007. Returning to the UNM Department of Art in 2009 as an employee, Steiger devoted the next 15 years working full-time as the Lab Manager of Printmaking before leaving in August 2024 to re-focus on her own studio practice.
In addition to prints, Steiger creates narrative work through language, photography, drawing, painting, collage, small-scale sculpture and installation. One of her creative goals is to build a mobile puppet theater featuring a cast of animal and insect characters and to take the show on the road to small venues like community libraries to entertain, educate and inspire on behalf of the natural world.
Steiger’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and generously supported by grants and residency awards, including from the College of Fine Arts at UNM, the Tamarind Institute, Rotary International, Fondacione OBRAS and the Ucross Foundation.
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2026
Growth - Stories in Bloom, Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, Joseph, OR
Re-Connection, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2025
New Work, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM (2-person)
37th Old Church Fine Arts Show, Corrales, NM
2024
Staff Infection, John Sommers Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Print, Printed, Printing, Burris Hall Gallery, Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM
2023
Open Studio + Art Show, Nob Hill, Albuquerque, NM (3-person)
2022
Summer Show in Cathedral Park, Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild, Santa Fe, NM
2021
Summer Show in Cathedral Park, Northern New Mexico Fine Arts and Crafts Guild, Santa Fe, NM
2020
Radical Reimaginings, co-curated by 516 Arts and Kolaj Institute, virtual exhibition + book publication, ABQ, NM
2019
automatic dream theater, April Price Projects Gallery, Albuquerque, NM (solo)
Works from Portugal, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM (3-person)
Toy Show, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
Transitions, April Price Projects Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2018
Southwest Print Fiesta, Silver City, NM
12 x 12, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2016
Alchemy (Encompass: 25 Years), Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
New Work, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
12 x 12, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2015
Studio Sale in the Gallery, 516 Arts, ABQ, NM
2014
12 x 12, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
Miniatures, The Albuquerque Museum, NM
Cabinet of Curiousities, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
Ikebana, 5G Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2013
Preview, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2012
12 x 12, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
Far Flung, 5G Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Vulgar Remedies, The Tan Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2011
Critters, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
Plush, South Broadway Cultural Center, ABQ, NM
2010
Collage Show, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
2009
Pushpin Show, Stewart L. Udall Center, Santa Fe, NM
Dispersal/Return, University of New Mexico Art Museum, ABQ, NM
Miniatures, The Albuquerque Museum, NM
2008
Ornament Show, Richard Levy Gallery, ABQ, NM
Miniatures, The Albuquerque Museum, NM
INPrint, SCA Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Pushpin Show, Stewart L. Udall Center, Santa Fe, NM
Alchemy, 516 Contemporary Art Space, Albuquerque, NM
New Work, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM (solo)
2007
10 x 10, Amelia Center Gallery, GCCC, Panama City, FL
Abstract Work, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
2006
Sweet Glee, Tamarind Institute Gallery, ABQ, NM
The Modern Figure, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM
2005
New Work, Sara Smith Contemporary, Corrales, NM (solo)
2003
Small Works Show, Karen Ruhlen Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Art Market, Magnifico Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque Contemporary, The Albuquerque Museum, NM
Represents, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM
Preview, The Corrales Old Church, Corrales, NM
2002
automatic dream theater, Exhibit 208, Albuquerque, NM (solo)
1996
Shoe Show, Segreto Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM
Exhibition, New Fischer Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Print Portfolio Exchange, Tama Art University, Tokyo, Japan
2000
Land Arts of the American West, Helix Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Annual Graduate Juried Exhibition, UNM Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
1999
Tamarind Print Exhibition, Ralph Greene Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1997
Americana, Hotel Villa Cora, Florence, Italy, (solo)
Incisioni – Mostra di Fine Anno, Galleria Via Larga, Florence, Italy
1995
A Tasting, Panther Creek Winery, McMinnville, Oregon, (solo)
1994
Following the Circus, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, (solo)
1993
End of Semester Show, SACI Gallery, Florence, Italy
Public Collections
City of Albuquerque Public Art Collection, City Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Land Arts of the American West Archive, Art + Environment Center, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno
Publications/Reviews
Albuquerque Contemporary, exhibition catalog, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2003.
Alchemy: Collage & Assemblage, exhibition catalog, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, 2008.
Allen, Steven Robert. “Another Lovely Mess.” The Alibi, v.12, 21 August 2003.
Benz, Yarrow. “The Power of Juxtaposition at 516 Arts”. albuquerqueARTS, May 2008.
Devon, Marjorie. Tamarind Techniques for Fine Art Lithography. New York: Abrams, 2009.
É Come Vivere in Un Sogno, Rotary International Newsletter, Florence, Italy, 1996.
Gilbert, Bill and Chris Taylor. Land Arts of the American West. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009.
Mandeville, Julia. “A Natural Bond.” The Alibi, 24 September 2009.
Parallel Synchronized Randomness, print portfolio exchange, organized by Louise Krampien, Portland, Oregon, 2011.
Peepshow/Freakshow, Tamarind Lithography Studio, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1999.
Polisar, Lisa. “A Look at Albuquerque Contemporary 2003.” Crosswinds Weekly, 14 August 2003, p.26.
Pulkka, Wesley. “SCA’s Huge ‘InPrint’ Showcases 19 Artists Well”. Albuquerque Journal, August 31, 2008.
Pulkka, Wesley. “Women Artists Nurturing to Mother Nature”. Albuquerque Journal, August 5, 2012
Radical Reimaginings, exhibition catalog, 516 Arts/Kolaj Institute, Albuquerque, NM, 2020.
We Are All Knots, exhibition catalog, Art in Embassies Program, Washington, D.C., October 2007.
Education
Tamarind Institute of Lithography - Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2005 – 2007 (TMP)
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 1998 – 2002 (MFA)
Il Bisonte, Scuola Internazionale d’Arte Grafica, Florence, Italy, 1995 - 1996
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 1990 – 1994 (BA)
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, 1991 – 1993
Studio Art Centers International, Florence, Italy, Spring 1993
Work Experience
Studio Assistant, Kevin Tolman Studio, Albuquerque, NM, 2000 – 2009 & 2024 - present
Printmaking Lab Manager, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 2009 - 2024
Art Conservator, City of Albuquerque Public Arts, Albuquerque, NM, 2008 - 2009
Senior Printer/Research Assistant, Tamarind Institute of Lithography, Albuquerque, NM, 2006 – 2007
Teaching Assistant, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lithography I & II (Jan. 2005 – May 2005), 2-D Design (Aug. 1998 – Dec. 1999)
Art Conservator, Kronkright Center for Cultural Materials, Santa Fe, NM, 2000 - 2004
Printshop Monitor, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 2000 - 2002
Preparator, Dartmouth Street Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, 1997 - 1998
Awards/Honors
Outstanding Staff Award, University of New Mexico, May 2017
Professional Development Grant, College of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico, 2011 and 2015
Teaching Grant, Tamarind Institute workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia, 2006
Rotary Scholarship, academic year in Florence, Italy, 1995 - 1996
Merit-based Scholarship, Brown University, 1990 - 1994
4-H Student Ambassador, New South Wales, Australia, Summer 1989
Visiting Artist Presentations
Rocky Mountain Print Alliance, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT October 2019
PEO, Women’s Philanthropic Organization, Corrales, New Mexico, February 2014
University of New Mexico Art Museum, October 2012
Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, Florida, January 2010
Miracosta Community College, Oceanside, California, April 2010
Professional Printmaking Collaborations
Heidi Pollard + UNM Museum – worked on a series of monotypes with Heidi in the print shop at UNM, as well as in my personal print studio, February 2017
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, worked with curators to stage a series of short printmaking videos featuring Intaglio Techniques to accompany a show of etchings by Helen Hardin.
Tamarind Apprenticeship (2006-2007), selected artists: Gendren Jensen, Larry McNeil, Mark Mulroney, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, David Row, Kiki Smith, Tanya Softic, Marie Watt
Residencies
UCROSS, Ucross, Wyoming, May 2019
Fondacione OBRAS, Estremoz, Portugal, June 2017