New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs

Weekly Update: Experience New Mexico’s Museums, Historic Sites, and Cultural Institutions from Home

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 01, 2020

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The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions continue to operate virtually during this time of social distancing, offering resources, activities, and exhibits to be enjoyed at home.

 The following is a collection of updated online tools available for public consumption: 

New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum this past week rolled out a series on Facebook about the history of chuckwagons and cattle drives. Farm & Ranch is also continuing its Facebook series "Faces of Farm & Ranch," which includes photos relating to agriculture shared by the public. The museum is still encouraging the public to submit photos that capture their family’s farm & ranch heritage. There are also exhibitions, resources, and other educational materials available online, including the “Invite an Educator” initiative. Follow Farm & Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.


Historic Preservation Division continues to keep followers on its Facebook page engaged with state historical markers, including a virtual tour of the historic Carlsbad Theater on Tuesday, May 5. “This Week in New Mexico History” is a Facebook series that focuses on properties across the state listed in the National Register of Historic Places, with new posts on Fridays. HPD’s Facebook page also highlights upcoming events such as Preservation Month and information about historic resources, including posts about archaeology, state, and national parks, preservation tax credit projects, and local preservation efforts. Follow HPD on Facebook and YouTube.


This past week, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture was featured in the Santa Fe Reporter, discussing the threat of the disappearance of Native languages during the COVID-19 pandemic and explaining why it’s more important than ever to keep Native languages alive. The Center for New Mexico Archelogy continues its “Object of The Week” series and has other educational material available on their website. Follow MIAC on Facebook, Vimeo, and YouTube.

Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe,” is a new virtual exhibit now available on the Museum of International Folk Art website. The exhibit is the first major retrospective on Girard’s work, organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. “100 Aspects of the Moon,” an exhibit that depicts figures from Japanese and Chinese legends, history, literature, folklore, and theater is now available online. MOIFA’s YouTube channel now features videos with detailed descriptions about associated programs and exhibitions. Also on the museum’s website, there are DIY folk art activities for all ages, as well as educational material and lesson plans in English and Spanish. MOIFA also has an available online collection with over 130,000 objects from more than 100 countries. Follow MOIFA on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center turns 20 this year. To virtually celebrate and reminisce on the past two decades, NHCC is sharing photos and other memories on its Facebook page. The public can also view photos and descriptions of “Aquí Estamos: New Selections from the Permanent Collection,” a current exhibition. The podcast “La Hilacha: Words and Memories” now has three episodes available online. The center is continuing other social media posts such as “Staff Collects” and “People Who Make the Magic Happen” series. Also, check out the Latinx book review blog and an online version of the exhibit “El Voto Femenino." Follow NHCC on Facebook and YouTube.

New Mexico Arts will distribute $1.5 million to arts organizations in the coming fiscal year, with funding from state and federal sources; visit NMA’s website for more information. The Art in Public Places program currently has the U.S. Native and Indigenous Artists Purchase Initiative call for artists open. NMA continues its “Public Art Thursday,” “Grantee Highlight,” and “I heart the arts” social media campaigns. The agency will share local and national resources, webinars, and information daily. There is an open survey to collect information from artists and arts organizations from across the state regarding their transition to virtual or alternative programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Mexico Music Commission continues to share video and livestream musical performances from musicians in New Mexico and nationally. Follow NMA on Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo.

The fourth performance of the “Our Fair New Mexico” virtual concert series, hosted by New Mexico Historic Sites, will feature Native American flute artist and educator Marlon Magdalena of Jemez Pueblo. Watch the concert on the Historic Sites Facebook page at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1. For a list of upcoming performances, go to http://nmculture.org/virtualconcerts

Also on the Historic Sites Facebook page, Los Luceros Historic Site recently led a virtual lecture that highlights the property’s path to becoming a Historic Site in 2019. The public can also view a virtual tour of the Lincoln County Courthouse. Historic Sites will be hosting a live conversation with author and historian Drew Gomber on Wednesday, May 6. Tune in on Facebook or YouTube to ask your questions about all things related to Billy the Kid. The “Virtual Classroom” series, which can be found on the NMHS website and social media channels, has 16 lesson plans relating to the history of five state historic sites. Meanwhile, Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial launched its virtual “book club” program, the first book in the series is “The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864,” written by Ann Turner. Follow NMHS on Facebook.

The New Mexico History Museum is continuing to collect Quarantine Diaries.Help write history by submitting your story to the museum’s collection; contact historylibrary@state.nm.us for more information. NMHM will soon offer a virtual exhibit of “Voices of the Counterculture in the Southwest.” Catch a preview of the exhibit on the NMHM’s Facebook page. A new social media series called “Heritage Food Minute” also launched this past week. The museum’s website also offers online educational material and other information. Follow NMHM on Facebook and Twitter.

The second virtual exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Art will debut on Saturday, May 2. “The Solitary Figure” will feature works from the museum’s collection. MOA launched a new series, “Recreate Your Favorite Piece of Art,” which asks MOA staff members to recreate a piece held by the museum using props found in their homes. Other series include "Education Resources Updates," which highlights the new educational activities and resources created by the museum’s education department. Digital workbooks featuring activities and lessons related to current and upcoming exhibitions, art concepts, art history, and seasonal events are available. Last weekend marked the "opening" of #nmavirtualexhibit on MOA social media platforms and features the artwork of 10 New Mexico artists working with the theme "Now!" The museum also has available online resources, including the Searchable Art Museum (SAM), archives, videos, and a library. Follow MOA on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science offers online exhibitions, resources, and other educational activities. There is also Museum Story Time and the Smithsonian Learning Lab. An online tour of the “Tiny Titans, Dinosaur Eggs and Babies” exhibit is available on the MNHS website. Follow MNHS on Facebook.

Have you ever wondered how astronauts wash their hands in space? Did you know NASA created a ventilator to help fight COVID-19? Those are just some of the questions that the New Mexico Museum of Space History helps answer on their Facebook page. Followers can also watch Launch Pad lectures and Mini-Preservation Workshops on the museum’s YouTube channel. Other content available on social media includes Virtual Rocketeer Academy, Stories from Space, and Galactic Laffs. Follow Space History on Facebook and YouTube

Teachers from across the state can invite a DCA educator into their online classrooms by submitting the request form found on nmculture.org. While classes can’t visit museums and historic sites in person, the department can schedule an educator to visit with them virtually. As requests come in, they will be forwarded to the appropriate division, which will then coordinate with teachers. Follow the New Mexico State Library on Facebook

Learn how archaeologists use experimentation to discover material from the past on the Office of Archaeological Studies educational resources and YouTube page. Activity packets that combine creative archaeological explorations with critical thinking skills can be found on the OAS website. Follow OAS on YouTube.

More information related to social media and online resources for each division of DCA is available upon request.


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