Tortuga Gallery

My wife and I recently moved into the neighborhood and have visited the Tortuga Gallery several times... it has a nice, informal, community feeling. We attended the Spring Equinox storytelling event on March 20 and found it to be very engaging. The storytellers, including Ramona King and Brenda Hollingworth, used the March "Water is Life" theme to share stories from around the world dramatically with song and music. The Glass Man shared a personal account of ways to conserve water and the necessity to be conscious of how important water is in our daily lives.

I only came here for a local artist gathering. There were, perhaps, 15 of them. People offering necklaces, gift cards, a few paintings, my four year-old loved the gem stone booth. I loved touring the aisles with her. We didn't buy anything, other than a cup of coffee. But the place left a big impression on me.The heat was out, a problem they intended to fix, someone told me. Didn't matter. I've lived in this city for the better part of 20 years, and this little adobe gem was a delight to discover. It's one of just a few structures in these parts that lives its history; you can feel the years inside and out. You can imagine a mercantile here, maybe a place where kids longed for a bite of candy or where, more than a century back, horses were hitched outside and people began the work of making this a neighborhood. The Tortuga Gallery has that history. It's just an old place with a comparatively tall ceiling for its era, and it bleeds New Mexico of old. From what I understand it's an event space, dedicated to the community. Plan your next yoga class here, or show off your best canvasses. It's a gorgeous, intimate, wonderful little spot in a neighborhood that will someday be the answer to downtown.

JUST OUTSTANDING, warm, friendly, open minded, embracing, sweet people, fun, good food ( snacks ), family friendly, good parking, easy to get to ! amazing, LOVE IT!!!-Michaela Maestas , Corrales NM 87408

I used to enjoy this space and considered hosting an event here, but after my friend had such difficulty with them, I am no longer interested in supporting them. My friend had an event booked six months in advance; one of the owners made them feel put out about having the event there, on that specific day (a couple weeks before the event), and was passive aggressively encouraging them to cancel the event. Even if this is not a regular occurrence for them, it is poor business practice, not to mention a huge inconvenience for the booking party.