Mark Saxe – New Mexico’s Award for Excellence in the Arts

This month, my colleague at Divine Stone, Mark Saxe received the 2023 New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He is among a handful of artists to be so honored. His award recognizes his artistry as a stone sculptor and his many years of teaching and mentoring stone carvers emphasizing hand carving.

For more than four decades a prominent and diverse group pf painters, weavers, sculptors, dancers, musicians, storytellers, poets, actors, playwrights, potters and supporters of the arts have been honored.

This year’s recipients come from every corner of the state, showcasing the immense possibilities of the arts across New Mexico. These artists are musicians, authors, sculptors and designers who push the boundaries of telling stories about the state and their lives through art. I am proud to recognize and show off such talent to the rest of the world.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Mark was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, served his country in Vietnam, and while traveling in Europe, discovered his love of stone. Completing his MFA on the GI Bill, he became an apprentice stonemason before moving to New Mexico to open his stoneyard and begin his long career as a sculptor. He has lived in New Mexico for 43 years.

Mark is an author, lecturer, curator and member of the Stone Carvers Guild of North America. Mark’s connection to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine goes back some 35 years.

In His Own Words

“My connection to the stoneyard began in the late 1980’s when John Barton, AIA, the son-in-law of the Dean of the Cathedral, James Parks Morton, invited me to see the stone working program. I was offered a place to stay in the Bishop’s guest quarters and visited the stone shed attached to the cathedral several times. 

“John introduced me to the cutters and carvers. I remember no names, only the intensity and dedication that showed in the faces. It was likely that I met Jose Tapia, Tim Smith and Eddie P. They were working…cutting and carving some of the thousands of stones necessary to complete the Cathedral’s towers. I wished I was one of them, but it was not to be, living in New Mexico with a stone masonry business that needed me and I needed it. However, my connection to the stoneyard has continued since that tour.

I would have traded places with any one of them.

– Mark Saxe

“The light filtering down from the skylights, the fine dust of limestone in the air and the tap, tap, tap of hammer on chisel was mesmerizing. The vibe was intoxicating, especially to me who had already spent the last 13 years working with stone. I would have traded places with any of those carvers but I had a home and business to take care of. Upon leaving the Cathedral I had a feeling that we would meet again in the future. That experience had a profound affect on me and because of it I met many people who worked on the cathedral, most notably Joseph Kincannon, Nick FairPlay, and John Barton. All of them have added to my life and work.” – Mark Saxe

Stone Carving Workshops

I met Mark some 16 years ago when I was working in a stoneyard in Santa Fe, NM. Eventually I was able to enroll in his Stone Carving Workshops. Seven days of intensive hands on carving with appropriate demonstrations by Mark and his staff.

Thank you “Chief” for all you have done to impact New Mexico and the stone world.

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• Mark Saxe Sculpture – https://www.marksaxe.com/portfolio
• Sax Stone Carving – https://www.saxstonecarving.com