Events - All

Tours are free with admission and offered daily. Led by volunteer guides, learn about highlights of the building and current exhibitions. Call 505-476-5063 to verify times.

Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Re-Imagine the world around you as we explore new topics and take home activities each month.

Seniors are invited for monthly special activities included with Museum admission to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in Albuquerque.

Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Re-Imagine the world around you as we explore new topics and take home activities each month.

Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Re-Imagine the world around you as we explore new topics and take home activities each month.

Help write history by adding your story to the Fray Angélico Chávez Library Quarantine Diaries Collection.  

The Quarantine Diaries Collection seeks to assemble the accounts of New Mexicans from around the state during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope it will be a way to capture primary accounts at the time of the event when the experience is the most vivid. The collection focuses on written accounts and is open to all types of entries, whether informational or emotional. 

Email: historylibrary@state.nm.us for the release form and with any questions.

Drawing on extensive research and stories collected over the years on life along the Santa Fe River from the early Spanish days to the present, Andy Otto, Executive Director, Santa Fe Watershed Association, together with William Mee, the Un-Official Mayor of Agua Fria, will share their thoughts on the importance of the Santa Fe River in New Mexico history and the preservation of the Watershed in today’s climate-change impacted environment. 

About Andy:

Andy Otto has been the Executive Director of the Santa Fe Watershed Association since 2014. He holds a degree in watershed management from the University of Arizona. His experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders—from city and county governments to tribes to individual property owners—has served him well in meeting the challenges to improve the health of the Santa Fe Watershed. 

About William:

William Mee is a long-time resident of the Santa Fe Watershed. Over the years, he has collected many stories of life along the Santa Fe River and its importance in New Mexico history.

For Facebook, click on: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/3051120368304586/

For Youtube, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/user/NMmuseum

Photo credit: Santa Fe River. Jesse Nusbaum. 1912?. Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, New Mexico History Museum. Neg #061573

Join us on Sunday July 12th at 10 am for our free virtual Family Mornings at Folk Art Museum featuring Grab-and-Go Art Kits and a Zoom program.  The July theme is “My Favorite Animals”.  The Zoom program will include Story Time and ‘Show-and-Tell’ Time for the children to share their Art. By registering, you are consenting to your child being on camera and audio throughout the duration of the program.   

Grab-and-Go Kits will be available for pick up prior to the day of the Zoom meeting. Please register in advance to receive the art kit, which will include instructions and supplies for the project. Supplies are limited, and kits are only available as they last. 

To register for the Grab-n-Go Kits or the Family Morning Zoom meeting, or both, fill out the registration form here:  https://forms.gle/2bfdctPgaX5XPCaP8

We will email the login link and password for the Zoom meeting.   Please share the program information with friends and family, but each family participant must register individually to participate in the zoom meeting.

Louie Garcia (Tiwa/Piro Pueblo) is a traditional Pueblo fiber artist. Over the years, Garcia has exhibited his work in various local museums and has talked extensively on the topic of Pueblo weaving at different venues. He is a part of the Cedar Mesa Perishables Project, a team of archaeologists and Pueblo weavers documenting prehistoric perishable collections in various museums and institutions across the United States. Their aim is to compile a database accessible to all who may be interested in learning more about the material culture of the ancient Pueblo Southwest.  Link to access lecture at 6pm on Wednesday, July 15: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86927318253

Join us for a panel discussion on the challenges and difficulties facing three young artists as they express their vision through contemporary art while honoring their heritage and culture.  Terran Last Gun (Blackfeet) works in printmaking, photography, and painting.  He is best known for his bold, geometric works that reflect his Blackfeet history and cultural narratives.  Del Curfman (Crow) is a painter known for his work with tribal imagery and cultural exploration.  He investigates his heritage, tradition and humanity through his oil paintings.  George Alexander (Muskogee) is an artist who has created a thought-provoking body of work influenced by his deep appreciation of his own culture.  The imagery he uses comes from his own ideas and how he views the world as he wishes it to be.

Please note that you must be a member of the Friends of Indian Art in order to participate in FIA events. You can learn more about joining the friends group by visiting its page on the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s website.

Patrick Cruz (Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Anthropology with an archaeology focus at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research interests have focused on Southwest archaeology and more specifically the PIII Great Pueblo Migration (GPM) out of the Four Corners, the post GPM period in the Northern Rio Grande, along with investigating identity, Tewa language, village formation, Indigenous archaeology, and phenomenology. He has 20 years of experience working in both the archaeology and museum fields at Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico History Museum, and the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Link to access lecture at 6pm on Wednesday, July 22: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88545265547

Dr. Lewis Borck studies the material histories of the past peoples in the American Southwest and the Caribbean. He is particularly interested in how social movements and contentious politics shaped religion and politics through time as well as how modern politics and worldviews recreate the histories and ideas of the “West” in the Indigenous past. For this talk, Dr. Borck will explore how archaeologists and historians create history, how that can erase the history of commoners, particularly of their politics and revolutions. He will use 15 years of research in the Gallina region of New Mexico, including a current field school, as a case study to contextualize many of these ideas. Link to access lecture at 6pm on Wednesday, July 22: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84209568860    

Ongoing- Any time through the summer

Hey Camp Counselors, Youth Group Leaders, and Teachers! Visit this link to invite a MOIFA educator to give your summer camp a virtual visit on a fun folk art topics from around the world: https://bit.ly/Invite-an-educator . 

MOIFA, along Department of Cultural Affairs educators, are available for virtual visits covering a variety of fun and engaging topics. These can include hands-on art activities and projects for your online summer programs. Discover the origins of folk art traditions from all over the world and make your own.

Or... find out about traditional sheep herding. Uncover what an archaeologist does. Learn how women won the right to vote in Spanish-speaking countries. Explore the diversity of southwest pottery, textiles, paintings, and jewelry. Discover the history of airships and build your own blimp.  Here is a full list of available programs: https://tinyurl.com/y8to2wm8

Please share this with New Mexico camps and teachers you know! Ongoing Throughout the Summer.

Come join us for our 17th annual commemoration of Pueblo Independence Day. On August 10, 1680, the Pueblo People of New Mexico and Arizona launched a successful rebellion against Spanish colonization. Commemorative activities will begin with a pilgrimage run from Walatowa plaza in Jemez Pueblo to Giusewa Pueblo kiva at Jemez Historic Site (approximately a half marathon or 13 miles). Participating in this run, or supporting a runner, is a way to pay tribute to the Ancestors and show appreciation for the sacrifices they made. Their brave resistance helped preserve the Pueblo way of life: our culture, our languages and our right to one day reclaim our aboriginal lands. The run begins at 7:00AM, and the general public is welcome to participate. Volunteers will provide water stations at one mile intervals, and a shuttle service for slow runners will be available. At 10:00AM, guest speakers will welcome all the runners and their sponsors to the site. The following festivities, between 10:30AM and 3:00PM, will feature: Jemez traditional dances and Native American flute music. There will also be authentic Native arts & crafts and Native food. There is no admission fee for any of the activities related to this event. Call 575-829-3530 for more information.

Join us on Sunday, August 9th at 10 am for our free virtual Family Mornings at Folk Art Museum featuring Grab-and-Go Art Kits and a Zoom program.    The August theme is “Tricksters and Yokai”.  The Zoom program will include Story Time and ‘Show-and-Tell’ Time for the children to share their Art. By registering, you are consenting to your child being on camera and audio throughout the duration of the program.   

Grab-and-Go Kits will be available for pick up prior to the day of the Zoom meeting. Please register in advance to receive the art kit, which will include instructions and supplies for the project. Supplies are limited, and kits are only available as they last. 

To register for the Family Morning Zoom meeting email Dawn Kaufmann at: dawn.kaufmann@ state.nm.us

Each year we honor our friend and civic leader J. Paul Taylor with a special membership gathering and festive celebration of his birthday. Join our newest Centenarian and join the Friends of the Taylor Family Monument as we salute J. Paul Taylor’s life-long dedication to the people of New Mexico!

Go behind the scenes of the New Mexico Muserum of Art to see what it takes to care for a wide-ranging collection.

The Wonder on Wheels Mobile Museum is a specially retrofitted 38-foot RV featuring 200 square feet of arts, culture, history, and science exhibits. The WoW mobile museum brings exhibits curated from one of DCA’s eight state-run museums to public schools and libraries in communities throughout New Mexico. This year the exhibit focuses on music in New Mexico.

Russell Sanchez is a very familiar and lauded name to Native art collectors, most recently taking home the Best of Pottery award at 2019 Indian Market. But you may not know that he is a wide-ranging art collector himself. His historic adobe home sits right on the main plaza of San Ildefonso Pueblo, but he has continued to add on to the space over the years to house his growing art collection. From stunning Venetian chandeliers, to folk art from the around the world, to a wide range of Native art, Russell’s eclectic tastes and interests are on full display at his unique home. Hear how he approaches collecting art from the perspective of being an artist himself. 

Please note that you must be a member of the Friends of Indian Art in order to participate in FIA events. You can learn more about about joining the friends group by visiting its page on the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s website.

Come to Museum Hill for FREE Native dances, live music, hands‑on activities, artist demonstrations, food, and more!

Admission and all hands-on activities are FREE for New Mexico residents and guests alike.

This special presentation will focus on the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and includes a living history performance. Jesse Addison, a local historian and Vietnam Veteran, will share his knowledge of the proud legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers. Storyteller and living history specialist Sara Addison will present the incredible life of Cathay Williams, the first documented African American woman to serve in the U.S. Army as a Buffalo Soldier. 

Innovation has been a tradition in Native arts from the very beginning. Indigenous cultures have adopted whatever materials or technologies have been available to speak about the things those cultures held most important. From pre-contact ceramic work and shell carving, to the use of trade-beads and European metalworking technologies, to our current era of digital design and fabrication, Native artists have embraced the most current and cutting edge tools to create works of art that speak to the issues that face their people. The Digital Fabrication Lab at the Institute of American Indian Arts, in coordination with its other studios, is working to put those tools into the hands of the next generation of innovative Indigenous artists. The work being produced in conjunction with the IAIA FabLab, from students, staff, faculty, and artists-in-residence, spans an incredibly diverse set of materials, topics, and practices, continuing the long and storied tradition of artistic innovation in Native art. We will hear from Brian Fleetwood (Muscogee/Creek), Assistant Professor in Studio Art at IAIA. 

Please note that you must be a member of the Friends of Indian Art in order to participate in FIA events. You can learn more about about joining the friends group by visiting its page on the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s website.

Come celebrate New Mexico’s diverse and unique cultures with over thirty demonstrators and four entertaining performances throughout the day. Learners of all ages can participate by exploring the event with a cultural passport to earn a special reward. There is no admission fee and the event is open to the public. Art and food will be available for purchase. Call 505-867-5351 for more information.

Celebrate the Day of the Dead and make sugar skulls, eat traditional Day of Dead treats (pan de muertos), listen to traditional New Mexican Music,  watch Los Niños perform traditional New Mexican dances, and view the Day of the Dead ofrendas (altars).

Admission and all hands-on activities are FREE for New Mexico residents.

The ruins of Giusewa Pueblo and San José de los Jemez Mission will be decorated with hundreds of farolitos. Each evening’s program will include traditional Native American flute music and Jemez Pueblo dancers’ performing between two illuminating bon-fires. The Historic Site will also host an arts and crafts fair and have food available for purchase. Flash photography, drones, firearms, and alcohol are prohibited. Those planning on walking to and from the event are encouraged to bring a flashlight and wear reflective clothing. Tickets for both nights go on sale November 1.

Now in its 38th year, Santa Fe’s beloved Christmas at the Palace brings communities together for an evening of hot cider, cookies, live music, a chance to operate an antique printing press, old fashioned activities, and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus -- all in the legendary magic of the Palace of the Governors and Courtyard. A free, family event. *Enter through the Palace of the Governors at: 105 W. Palace Ave.

(Donations of non-perishable food welcomed.)

The History Museum will close at 3 p.m. to prepare for this free public event.

The ruins of Giusewa Pueblo and San José de los Jemez Mission will be decorated with hundreds of farolitos. Each evening’s program will include traditional Native American flute music and Jemez Pueblo dancers’ performing between two illuminating bon-fires. The Historic Site will also host an arts and crafts fair and have food available for purchase. Flash photography, drones, firearms, and alcohol are prohibited. Those planning on walking to and from the event are encouraged to bring a flashlight and wear reflective clothing. Tickets for both nights go on sale November 1.

Celebrated around the world, Las Posadas recreates Mary and Joseph’s search for a place of shelter in the days leading up to the birth of Jesus. This historic Hispanic version is presented by volunteers from a number of northern New Mexico communities. The candle-lit procession will begin in the Santa Fe Plaza and conclude on the Portal of the Palace of the Governors. The public is invited to stay for carols, cookies, and hot cider after the pageant.

The History Museum will close at 3pm to prepare for this free public event.

Join us for a fascinating afternoon as you view more than 195 nacimientos (nativity scenes) on display. Mr. Taylor’s collection includes nacimientos from all over the world. This impressive collection is a joy to see and has become a local holiday tradition.

Join us for this Southwest tradition as over 900 glowing candles surround the fort ruins. Enjoy holiday music, a cozy campfire, and a warm cup of cheer as you tour the grounds. Make your own holiday decorations while you enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.

Last year’s Folk Art Flea was cancelled due to Covid 19. The Folk Art Flea for 2021 will be held on Saturday June 5th. Stay tuned for the details!

A celebration that attracts tens of thousands of visitors, and artists from around the world, IFAM is one of Santa Fe’s largest events and a major economic driver for the Santa Fe region. The event is also a huge revenue source for worldwide artists. Since its inception, the market has generated more than $34 million in revenue, with the majority going back home with artists from around the globe.