All Press Releases
New Mexico History Museum | Nov 23, 2015
The Palace Press presents a special exhibition in collaboration with the New Mexico Museum of Art’s First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare. The Book’s the Thing: Shakespeare from Stage to Page offers a multi-part exhibit with a hands-on twist: The printers will make facsimiles of a First Folio page using a replica “Gutenberg” wooden hand press. Visitors will be able to make their own prints for a take-home treat. In addition, members of the Santa Fe Book Arts Group have crafted contemporary art books inspired by the works of Shakespeare. And Palace Press Director Thomas Leech and internationally known calligrapher Patricia Musick will collaborate on broadsides from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
New Mexico History Museum | Nov 12, 2015
Remarkable women, a family-day wool-and-weaving event, and our annual holiday events. Find out what’s up in December at the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors.
New Mexico History Museum | Nov 3, 2015
See a new film produced by the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center, examine textiles and try your hand at weaving on Sunday, December 6, from 1:30–4 pm. The 20-minute film, An Unbroken Thread: Wool & Weaving in Northern New Mexico, will be shown at 1:30 and 2:30 pm in the History Museum auditorium. Throughout the afternoon, representatives from the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center and museum educators will engage visitors in the materials of the weaver’s trade, teach basic weaving skills and showcase finished textiles. This event is free with admission. Sundays are free to NM residents; children 16 and under are free daily.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 28, 2015
The Press at the Palace of the Governors will receive the Edgar L. Hewett Award by the New Mexico Association of Museums. The award is made to individuals or organizations whose actions exemplify leadership and service to the New Mexico museum community and for their achievements in the museum field. Past recipients include the New Mexico History Museum (2009), the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (2011), and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 20, 2015
During World War II, Santa Fe was the site of one of the nation’s largest Justice Department internment camps. It primarily housed Japanese immigrants, among them the Rev. Tamasaku Watanabe. On Sunday, November 15, at 2 pm, Watanabe’s granddaughter, Dr. Gail Y. Okawa, speaks on a brain-twisting aspect of that heartbreaking period: Even as our government locked up Japanese residents over fears of their supposed disloyalty, their own children put on soldiers’ uniforms to defend the nation.
“Compounded Ironies: Japanese Internee Fathers, American Patriot Sons” is a free-with-admission lecture in the New Mexico History Museum auditorium. (Sundays are free to NM residents.)
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 19, 2015
From an exclusive Palace Guard events to a book-arts flea market and talks on the history of the New Mexico National Guard, internment camps of Japanese people and the various types of Southwestern cuisine, the New Mexico History Museum will deepen your appreciation for the past during November.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 8, 2015
Grab the kids, don a costume, and head to the Santa Fe Plaza for a progressive Halloween party on Friday, October 30, at the Museum of Art and New Mexico History Museum. We’ll have music, treasure hunts, ghost stories, tarot cards and more. And it’s all free, from 5–8 pm, with full access to all of our exhibitions.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 6, 2015
Weekly training classes for new volunteer tour guides at the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors begin Tuesday, November 3, from 9–11 am. Upon completion in late April, students will have deepened their knowledge of our state’s history and be comfortably prepared to lead groups on tours according to their individual schedules.
Staff members and guest speakers lead the classes, which cover more than 500 years of New Mexico history. The training is free; classes will break for the holidays. To learn more and to register, contact René Harris at (505) 476-5087, rene.harris@state.nm.us.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 1, 2015
Sam Scarpino, a Santa Fe Institute resident, talks on the theme of “shock” at a free CreativeMornings event on Wednesday, October 14, 9–10 am. Besides Scarpino’s brief TED-like talk, you can do a little creative networking and enjoy pastries and coffee from the Santa Fe Baking Co. Support provided by the St. Vincent Hospital Foundation.
New Mexico History Museum | Oct 1, 2015
Space, the final frontier (for our collections). Creating an opera for people with memory illnesses. Making paper out of yucca fibers. It’s all in the latest edition of the New Mexico History Museum’s newsletter. To download a PDF of it, click on the red headline, then scroll down to the PDF command.
New Mexico History Museum | Sep 24, 2015
“Fredheads” unite! The New Mexico History Museum has October events sure to deepen your appreciation for the Fred Harvey Company’s legacy across the Southwest.
New Mexico History Museum | Sep 15, 2015
Get crafty. Feel spooky. Sing like a cowboy. Revel in the Harvey House heyday—and more. This October has something for everyone, and most events are free.
New Mexico History Museum | Aug 17, 2015
Take in the annual Santa Fe Fiesta Lecture. Attend a free Teacher Resource Fair. Learn more about the Civil War in the West. These and other great events are happening in September at the New Mexico History Museum.
New Mexico History Museum | Aug 13, 2015
On Wednesday, September 2, at 6 pm, Dr. Linda A. Curcio-Nagy, associate professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of Nevada, exploresearly rituals and ceremonies in "Performance, Politics, and Piety: Pageantry and Identity in Colonial Mexico City." The lecture is free for Palace Guard members; $5 others, at the door. (To join the Palace Guard, call the Museum of New Mexico Foundation at 982-6366, ext. 100.
New Mexico History Museum | Jul 29, 2015
A Palace renovation and potentially doomed trees. A great new photo exhibit and terrific interns. Enticing books on the craft of books and a glimpse of the Alvarado’s greatness. It’s all in the latest edition of the New Mexico History Museum’s newsletter. Click here to download a PDF of it.
New Mexico History Museum | Jul 23, 2015
The New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors hosts a month’s worth of vibrant events. Bring the family, bring your friends. Or just come by yourself. Besides great exhibits, you’ll find these special events ranging from a Civil War symposium to CreativeMornings event, music-based lectures, the Native Cinema Showcase and more.
New Mexico History Museum | Jul 9, 2015
Workers are getting ready to apply new stucco, repair roofs, improve heating and cooling, change the landscaping and more at the Palace of the Governors, a 400-year-old National Treasure in the heart of historic Santa Fe. Begun in 1609–1610 as the seat of Spain’s North American colony, the Pueblo Revival building became the flagship of the state’s museum system in 1909. In recent years, it has drawn preservationists’ fears, most critically because of its 1970s cement stucco on the interior courtyard’s wall.
Now, thanks to a $400,000 infusion from the Department of Cultural Affairs and another $680,000 from the state Legislature’s recent session, that water-trapping stucco will be stripped off and replaced with a breathable lime plaster. Stucco around the rest of the building will be patched up, workers will install new roofs above the Palace gift shop and Meem Community Room, and the Palace’s capricious heating-and-cooling system will be tied into the New Mexico History Museum’s more reliable one.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 23, 2015
From the making of a classic Western to stories of remarkable women, Harvey Houses, Southwestern cuisine and the Llano Estacado, the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library’s Brainpower & Brownbags Lunch Lectures offer a wealth of learning. Organized by Librarian Tomas Jaehn, the monthly lectures are free and open to the public (and, yes, you can bring a lunch). Each lecture begins at noon in the Meem Community Room; enter through the museum’s Washington Avenue doors. Seating is limited.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 23, 2015
Start growing your collection of Native art at the Young Native Artists Show & Sale, July 4 and 5, in the Palace Courtyard from 9 am to 4 pm. Children and grandchildren of artists belonging to the Native American Artisans Program will show off their latest works of art, learn a few tricks of the customer-service trade, and potentially launch their careers. See the hand-crafted artwork, purchase refreshments, and strike up a conversation or two with artists who are growing and continuing to learn their craft. Admission is free through the Palace Courtyard’s Blue Gate on Lincoln Avenue, south of the New Mexico History Museum’s main entrance.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 10, 2015
Award-winning author and conservationist William deBuys speaks on and signs copies of his latest book and joins us for a reception honoring the museum’s acquisition of his papers. The Fray Angélico Chávez History Library hosts this free event on Friday, June 19, 5:30–7:30 pm, in the museum auditorium, with light refreshments in the lobby.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 4, 2015
At 2 pm on Saturday, June 20, see archival films from the Old Santa Fe Association’s new collection, including gems filmed by Ernest Knee, culled from residents’ garages and closets and boasting little-known cinematic glimpses of life in northern New Mexico. The Palace of the Governors Photo Archives is partnering with OSFA to preserve the films, prime artifacts in a city long devoted to protecting its historic authenticity. A free event.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 2, 2015
One of the staples of desert life is the presence—or scarcity—of water. Its importance can be seen across eastern New Mexico, where the Pecos River strives to quench a fragile, 926-mile riparian environment. Along the Pecos, a collage of photographs and sounds, opens June 19 on the second floor of the New Mexico History Museum. Developed by photographer Jennifer Schlesinger and the late composer Steven M. Miller, the materials were recently donated to the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, whose Photo Legacy Project collects the work of contemporary photographers.
New Mexico History Museum | Jun 1, 2015
Summer camp caught our fancy this month, and we’re itching to hit the road and visit some of State Historic Sites. Learn what’s new at the New Mexico History Museum. Click here to download a PDF.
New Mexico History Museum | May 14, 2015
Go to summer camp. Remember the Alvarado Hotel. See home movies. Find "the last unicorn"—and more. We’ve got something for everyone in the family this June at the New Mexico History Museum.
New Mexico History Museum | May 4, 2015
Take a weeklong trip to action-packed 1863 at the New Mexico History Museum’s summer camp, Time Trekkers. Children 9-11 will enjoy VIP access to the museum and get daily doses of hands-on learning—braiding horsehair bracelets, gathering a picnic lunch at the Santa Fe Farmers Market, practicing calligraphy, roping a calf dummy, hand-stitching their own book, playing old-time games and more. The camp takes place 10 am–4 pm, Monday–Friday, June 15–19. Cost is $125 (10 percent discount to children and grandchildren of Museum of New Mexico Foundation members). Space is limited. For info on how to register by June 1, contact René Harris at rene.harris@state.nm.us or Melanie LaBorwit at melanie.laborwit@state.nm.us.
New Mexico History Museum | Apr 21, 2015
The 1990 release of The Civil War, a nine-part documentary, not only brought new attention to our nation’s greatest crisis, but also revolutionized the art form. Film editor and post-production supervisor Paul Barnes worked hand-in-hand with Ken Burns on the series, which earned numerous awards. The two have since made other landmark documentaries.
On Friday, May 8, at 6 pm, Barnes will show re-cut clips from The Civil War to detail their experience and describe how they remastered the series in high definition for a 25th-anniversary airing on PBS stations this September. Barnes will speak at the historic Lensic Performing Arts Center, which is graciously partnering with the museum on this event. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10. The presentation is part of the programming series for the History Museum exhibit, Fading Memories: Echoes of the Civil War, opening May 1, in collaboration with the Santa Fe Opera’s debut of Cold Mountain this August.
New Mexico History Museum | Apr 16, 2015
From the Civil War to the Gila River, Harvey Girls and more, there’s something for everyone this month. Most events are free with admission. Sundays are free to NM residents; children 16 and under free daily. May 1: Opening of Fading Memories: Echoes of the Civil War. May 3: Decorate the Divine, a family art-making event. May 6: A Brainpower & Brownbags lecture on the Gila Bioregion. May 8: Revisiting The Civil War, the Ken Burns’ classic documentary. May 23: Harvey Girls Day. May 31: A performance by Schola Cantorum and a panel discussion on restoring the 1785 Roque Lobato House.
New Mexico History Museum | Apr 1, 2015
Hot off the interwebs, it’s all the latest news from the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors. Discover a flag that saw action at the Civil War’s Battle of Glorieta Pass. Take a slow ride on a horse-drawn hearse. Dance! All that and more. Click here to download a PDF.
New Mexico History Museum | Apr 1, 2015
Civil War battles raged across America’s northern and southern states as Texas Confederates launched a plot: Head north and west through the New Mexico Territory with hopes of seizing California’s goldfields and sea ports. In 1862, battles erupted in Mesilla, Valverde, and Glorieta. Confederate forces briefly occupied the Palace of the Governors. Despite such victories, breaks in supply chains forced the Texans to retreat. In the History Museum’s Mezzanine Gallery, May 1 through Feb. 26, 2016, three curators join forces for the exhibition, Fading Memories: Echoes of the Civil War. Photo Curator Daniel Kosharek, 19th- and 20th-Century Southwest Collections Curator Meredith Davidson, and Palace Press Curator Thomas Leech approach the subject from different angles and invite visitors to consider the possible meanings behind the fragments of memories on exhibit and how a long-gone war still defines us as Americans.
New Mexico History Museum | Mar 17, 2015
Take part in the debut of CreativeMornings’ latest chapter. Learn more about the Santuario de Chimayo, Fred Harvey artisans, and pinhole photography. Plus: It’s the annual return of the Historical Downtown Walking Tours, Monday through Saturday, April 13 through Oct. 17.
