March 2010
At the Museum
See also: Southwest Art Scene
History Lessons
Menu of this month's listings, stories and columns
Centennial Museum — University at Wiggins, UTEP. Changing exhibits are on the second floor, Lea and Discovery Galleries. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. Information: 747-5565 or utep.edu/museum.
Showing through March 13: “Border Stories: Photographs and Commentary by Bruce Berman.” Berman has been documenting the US-Mexico border for three of his four decades as a professional photographer. He concentrates on the narrow stretch of land that encompasses El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Berman lives and works deep in the borderlands, three blocks from the international bridge connecting the two cities. Border Stories is the latest of his efforts to portray the border, beginning with the Border Project: 1985-2007 and the continuing Border Blog. These photographs, from what Berman calls the “City State of No Man’s Land” are part of his planned book.
Showing March 18-June 15: “Gross National Happiness — An Idea from Bhutan.” Portraits by Anne Muller and text by Tashi Wangchuk combine to convey the idea of Gross National Happiness, a measure of national wellbeing developed in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The photographs in the exhibition are drawn from their book, published in 2009 that benefit the Youth Development Fund of Bhutan. Bhutan has been a longtime source of architectural inspiration for UTEP. Presentations in conjunction with the exhibit planned in April and May.
Showing through April 17: “High and Dry,” annual exhibit of photographic images of desert lands by the International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies (ICASALS) at Texas Tech University. The center has hosted the annual show for more than a decade. This exhibit features images from the current and past shows, including 60 images of North American deserts – their landscapes, people, animals and plants.
Continuing exhibits are on the third floor of the Centennial and include archaeology, ethnology and paleontology of the Southwest. Around the museum building, the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens exhibit the beauty and utility of Southwestern water-conserving native plants in landscaping. The gardens are open daily from daylight to dusk.
El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center — 715 N. Oregon. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed Monday. Admission is free. Information: 351-0048 or elpasoholocaustmuseum.org.
The El Paso museum depicts Jewish life in Europe before World War II, Hitler’s rise to power, the expulsion of Jews into ghettoes, life in concentration camps, prisoner resistance to the Nazis and liberation of the camps. Also featured is a local survivors exhibit. Docents available for guided tours.
The museum’s free monthly “Cinema Sundays” series is 2 p.m. the last Sunday of the month, featuring a Holocaust- or other genocide-related film. The March 28 film is “Judgment at Nuremberg.”
El Paso Museum of Archaeology — 4301 Transmountain in Northeast El Paso (west of U.S. 54). Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Information: 755-4332.
The annual Franklin Mountain Poppies Preservation Celebration free family fun day is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 20, with activities, presentations, lectures, exhibits and more. See separate listing.
The museum will host a two-part series of programs by archaeologist Dr. Brad Vierra on the Keystone Dam Site at in March and April. The Keystone Dam Site contains the sites of some of the oldest man-made structures identified in the U.S. Southwest, dating back more than 4,500 years ago. Both lectures include a book signing with Vierra for his book “Keystone in Context, A Significant Archaic Period Site in El Paso, Texas.” Admission is free.
• 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6 — “The Keystone Dam Site: El Paso’s First Residents.” About 25 simple brush huts were excavated in 1979 due to the construction of the flood-water retention dam. Vierra will discuss the results of these excavations, what traces of the ancient houses have been found by archaeologists, what the houses may have looked like, and how this information helps us understand this ancient way of life. Book signing follows program.
• 7 p.m. Saturday, April 17 — “Keystone Dam Site in Context.” Book signing and reception precedes the program at 6 p.m. From 1998 to 2007 Vierra was Cultural Resources Team Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory and is currently a Principal Investigator with Statistical Research Inc. in Albuquerque.
David Kilby, Ph.D. presents the free lecture “Clovis Caches: Windows Into Ice Age Technology” at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 21. Kilby, assistant professor of anthropology at Eastern New Mexico University, will discuss the distribution, functions, and potential uses of over 20 potential Clovis caches he has investigated. The caches are tools found buried in the ground, dating to 13,000 years ago.
The museum tells the 12,000-year-old story of prehistoric human habitation in the region, with five dioramas and exhibits of tools, pottery, rock art and other materials.
A nature trail takes visitors through 17 acres of Chihuahuan Desert with 200 varieties of desert plants. The trail also offers a local pithouse, pueblo ruin and an Apache brush hut. The park also has picnic tables and a gazebo.
El Paso Museum of Art — One Arts Festival Plaza, downtown El Paso. For exhibit information, see “Southwest Art Scene.”
El Paso Museum of History — 510 N. Santa Fe. Hours (including gift shop) are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays and city holidays. Special admission fee for Da Vinci exhibit; admission to other exhibits is free. Information: 351-3588 or elpasotexas.gov/history.
Showing through July 10: “The Da Vinci Experience.” El Paso is the exhibit’s West Texas stop. More than 60 precise and working machines described and designed by Leonardo Da Vinci along with replicas of his greatest paintings; most notably the Mona Lisa, are on display. One piece is a precursor to the Gatling gun, weighing 2 tons.
Tickets: $14 ($12 seniors 65 and older; $10 ages 5-11; $9 each for groups of 10). Family packages (sold in groups of five): $7 per ticket. (Ticketmaster).
Western Refining, the Hunt Family Foundation and the United Bank of El Paso del Norte have provided funding so that schools may take Title 1 students to the exhibit at no cost. Non-Title 1 schools will receive a $2 discount off a $6 ticket. The grants also provide for transportation. Funding is limited. Call for details.
In conjunction with the event, visiting curator Godfrey Harris will give a free lecture on “Leonardo the man” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, about the personal side of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Opening reception for The American Numismatic Association’s “¡Viva la Revolución! The Money of the Mexican Revolution,” is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. While money continued to be produced by the Federal government during the Mexican Revolution, it was often easier for rebel leaders, such as Pancho Villa, to have their own coins and paper currency specially made. The exhibit contains actual coins, paper money, military decorations, and related numismatic material from the Mexican Revolution, including coins produced by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
Elias Bonilla will talk on “Follow the Money: How Villa Financed His Personal Army” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 18. Bonilla, a member of the City of El Paso’s Mexican Revolution Centennial Committee, will speak on the many creative ways used by Pancho Villa to raise funds to supply his Army of the North. These included looting, kidnapping, and issuing his own money – much of which was spent here in El Paso.
Dr. Megan Benson will host the free lecture “Groundwater War! Law, Politics, and the Texas Rule of Capture” 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4. Benson, an award-winning expert on Texas groundwater law, will describe the courtroom drama and explain the politically charged environment that gave birth in 1904 to the controversial “rule of capture,” known colloquially as “the law of the biggest pump.”
The museum will host an illustrated lecture by Dr. Katherine Benton-Cohen, “Borderline Americans: Racial Division and Labor War in the Arizona Borderlands” 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 7. In July, 1917, during a strike on the copper mines of Bisbee, Ariz., armed vigilantes rounded up over 1,000 strikers and sympathizers, loaded them into 23 El Paso & Southwestern Railroad boxcars, and shipped them nearly 200 miles to Hermanas, N.M. Benton-Cohen, assistant professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will discuss her recent book on the topic, and its connections to El Paso and the Phelps-Dodge Corporation. Admission is free.
A World War II reenactment and mock battle is 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20, on the museum’s lawn with members of the local WWII squadron will relive the year 1943 when El Paso and the nation was at war with Germany and Japan.
The museum will participate in the annual Kidsapalooza event with free activities 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 27. Kids can make da Vinci Helicopters, parachutes, and colorful drawings.
Also showing is “Casas Grandes, Casas Chicas: Cottage Industries of Paquimé and Mata Ortíz.” Casas Grandes is a archaeological site in Northern Mexico, and Mata Ortiz is a modern community in the same region. The exhibit includes more than 50 examples of prehistoric Casas Grandes pottery, modern attempts to copy this pottery, and the distinctive style developed in Mata Ortiz. Other cottage industries represented are stone work and jewelry. Photographs by Marc Thompson, recently retired director of El Paso Museum of Archaeology, are featured.
Showing through May: “Awakening Our Giants-Celebrating Our Firsts” honoring the NCAA 1966 Basketball Champions. The exhibit includes the unveiling of El Paso’s “Wall of Giants,” which is part of the future, permanent gallery, “Awakening Our Giants” and “Celebrating Our Firsts.”
Free zip tours are 12:15 to 1 p.m. on selected Wednesdays.
Permanent exhibits include “El Paso: A to Z,” a nontraditional look at day-to-day life in El Paso, and ‘The Changing Pass,” a chronological history of the region from the Ice Age through the Camino Real, arrival of stagecoaches and more.
The museum hosts Tai Chi I classes 9 to 10 a.m. for beginners and Tai Chi II classes 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. for intermediate students (Tai Chi I prerequisite) Saturdays March 6 and 13. Cost: $30 ($10 museum members).
The museum will host a series of events commemorating the centennial of the Mexican Revolution throughout the year. Events are free. Upcoming events:
• A screening of Capstone Production’s video “Mexican Revolution Sites in El Paso: Volume I” is 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 6, presented by Jackson Polk. The video features a walking tour with Leon Metz and Fred Morales of sites in El Paso that figured prominently in the Mexican Revolution. A panel discussion will follow with Leon Metz, Elias Bonilla, and Fred Morales.
• Keith Wilden will present “The Great Columbus Raid of March 9, 1916,” a discussion of the events and personalities surrounding Pancho Villa’s raid of Columbus, N.M. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 11.
• Family Coin Day is 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20, to celebrate the opening of “Viva La Revolución! The Money of the Mexican Revolution.” Hands-on activities will be available in the second floor gallery, and the Real del El Paso Mariachi will perform.
• “The Experiences of Children during the Mexican Revolution” is 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 25, as part of the museum’s series of lectures. UTEP professor Yolanda Leyva will tell the stories of the children of the Mexican Revolution on both sides of the border who were among the most vulnerable members of the society as the war raged on for more than a decade.
Fort Bliss Museums and Study Center — Building 1735, Marshall Road (old PX building), Fort Bliss. Exhibits range from Civil War artifacts to the Patriot Missile System. Admission is free. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Information: 568-3390 or 568-5412.
With the relocation of the 1st Armored Cavalry Division to Fort Bliss, the museum is adding 35 tanks and 10 other vehicles to its outdoor displays. The museum is also expanding its exhibit on the post’s history with Mexico, including the 1916 “Punitive Expedition” led by Gen. John “Blackjack” Pershing.
Also on Fort Bliss is Old Fort Bliss, Building 5051, corner of Pershing and Pleasanton, a reproduction of the Magoffinsville Post of 1854 to 1868. Information: 568-4518.
Insights El Paso Science Museum — 505 N. Santa Fe. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $6 ($5 seniors, students and military; $4 ages 4-11). Information: 534-0000 or insightselpaso.org.
Currently on exhibit: “Giant Worlds.” The National Science Foundation and NASA has provided major funding to the Space Science Institute for the traveling exhibition about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The exhibit highlights discoveries made possible with tools such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Keck Observatory, and the Cassini spacecraft.
Also showing is “To the Ends of the Earth, UTEP at The Poles.” UTEP biology faculty and students, joined by high school teachers from El Paso and students from across the U.S., headed for Antarctica and the Arctic to carry out research projects. This exhibit highlights their work, what they learned about the impact of climate change, and explains the differences and similarities between the north and south poles. Guests can measure themselves against different types of penguins, create an origami penguin and learn how actions in El Paso effect climate change at the poles.
A special viewing of 82nd annual Academy Awards benefiting Insights Museum in celebration of its 30th anniversary is 5:45 to 10 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at the Plaza Theatre. Tickets: $75. Information: 534-0689 or 534-0000. See “For a Good Cause” for more details.
The museum will host a Dinosaur Tracks Tour at noon Saturday, March 13, at the Insights 210-acre dinosaur site, near Mt. Cristo Rey in Sunland Park. The site contains authenticated dinosaur tracks. Space limited to 50 persons per trip. Cost: $5 ($4 children; $3 members; free for ages 3 and younger); tickets available in advance at Insights Gift Shop. Dino combo tickets (includes tour and museum admission for same day as tour): $10 ($7 children).
International Museum of Art — 1211 Montana. Information: 543-6747 or info@internationalmuseumofart.net. See “Southwest Art Scene.”
LYNX Exhibits — The exhibit space is at 300 W. San Antonio (just south of Convention Center). Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. Last admission is one hour before closing time.
Admission is $10 for adults; $8 seniors, military and students with ID; and $6 ages 4 to 11. Children 3 and younger are free. Information: 533-4330 or lynxexhibits.com.
Showing through May 30: “Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss,” featuring hands-on exhibits on the technology necessary for deep-sea exploration. The exhibit also depicts the mysteries of the ocean’s greatest depths including newly discovered life forms, thermal vents, close-up views of deep-sea research submersibles and shipwrecks, including the Titanic. Included is a dramatically recreated ocean-floor environment, a simulator ride with dolphins, multiple hands-on activity tables and an aquarium exhibit featuring unusual and rare sea life. A small touching pool for Atlantic Stingrays will also be built.
From the Command Center, visitors may simulate the launching of “Alvin,” the robotic submersible that explored the Titanic. Visitors also may fly a remotely operated vehicle over a model of the Titanic’s deck and test their skill at manipulating Alvin’s robotic arm.
Magoffin Home State Historic Site — 1120 Magoffin. The adobe home, built around 1875 by Joseph Magoffin, is a prime example of territorial style architecture. The site explores the stories of the prominent El Paso pioneer family, with authentic art and furnishings that reflect the daily lives of that era.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Tours on the hour; last tour at 4 p.m. Cost: $4 ($3 ages 6-18). Group tours available with advance registration. Information: 533-5147 or visitmagoffinhome.com.
“Spirit Tours” are offered by the Casa Magoffin Compañeros at 10 a.m. the second Saturday of every month. Cost: $5. Reservations required.
National Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library — 4315 Transmountain Drive. The museum, in Northeast El Paso just west of U.S. 54, features the history of the Border Patrol with uniforms, equipment, photographs, guns, motor vehicles, airplanes, boats and other items, including hands-on exhibits for kids. The Border Patrol was founded in 1924 in El Paso. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday, Monday and major holidays. Admission is free. Information: 759-6060 or borderpatrolmuseum.com.
Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso — More than 100 years of El Paso railroad history are on display at Union Depot Transit Terminal, 400 W. San Antonio, at Durango. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Information: 422-3420 or elpasorails.com.
Home of El Paso’s “Old No. 1” engine, the museum covers the city’s transportation history. The “Classic American” 1857 Locomotive is featured with the history of eight railroads and the Transcontinental Railroad System. Exhibits cover the lives of rail workers, their jobs, and the use of railroads in wartime. Urban transportation exhibits cover the Mule Cars of 1882, streetcars of 1902 and streamlined 1937 PCC Cars.
U.S. Army Museum of the NCO — Building 11331, Staff Sergeant Simms St., Biggs Army Airfield. Equipment and uniforms used by sergeants and other NCO’s through the years are displayed. Admission: free. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: 568-8646.
War Eagles Air Museum — 8012 Airport Road, Doña Ana County Airport, Santa Teresa. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: $5; $4 senior citizens and military; free for children under 12. Information: (575) 589-2000 or war-eagles-air-museum.com.
The warbirds of World War II and Korea, and other historic military aircraft, are displayed in a 54,000-square-foot building and surrounding area. The collection of more than 30 aircraft and 40 automobiles includes the P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning, A-26 Invader and the German Fieseler-Storch. Among later aircraft are the F-86 Sabre and MiG-15s.
To get there: Take the Artcraft exit off Interstate 10, head west past the Rio Grande to Santa Teresa and follow signs to the airport and museum.
Las Cruces area
Casasola Museum/Museo Casasola — 2251 Calle de Santiago in Old Mesilla, N.M. Open sunrise to sunset daily. Admission is free, but donations accepted. Information: casasolamuseum@gmail.com or casasolamuseum.com.
The museum is devoted to Mexico-U.S. history, with more than 120,000 archived images that portray the borderland relationship between the two countries. The images are from some of the museum’s various private collections captured by more than 600 professional photographic artists over four generations.
Las Cruces Museum of Natural History — Mesilla Valley Mall, Las Cruces (take Lohman exit east from I-25). Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays; 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. All events are free unless otherwise noted. Information: (575) 522-3120 or las-cruces.org.
Showing through May 9: “A View from Space.” The exhibit shows the earth from the perspective of orbiting satellites.
The monthly hands-on Saturday Science Class for elementary children is 11 a.m. Saturday, March 6. The topic is Meteorology.
A Desert Trek to Aden Crater departs from the Museum Saturday, March 13. Call for time. Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Special activities celebrating Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s Birthday are 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 14.
The monthly Descubra el Desierto lecture series is 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16. This month’s topic is “Green Roofs” with Edmundo Soltero.
Activities celebrating National Agriculture Day are noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20.
Sky Safari is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at La Llorona Park, W. Picacho at River Levee Road to view Pleiades (Star cluster) and M35 (Open Cluster in Gemini).
Science Cafe round table discussion hosted by Sigma XI is 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 25.
The monthly hands-on Animal Encounters are 4 p.m. Saturday, March 27.
Activities celebration NanoDay are noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 27.
On permanent exhibit is the Nature Center, highlighting the wildlife of Southern New Mexico with a broad collection of amphibians, reptiles, fish and arachnids native to the Chihuahuan Desert.
Las Cruces Railroad Museum — The museum is in the Santa Fe train depot, 351 N. Mesilla, (at Las Cruces avenue west of the Downtown Mall). Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Admission is free; donations encouraged. Information: (575) 647-4480 or museums.las-cruces.org//rrmuseum.shtm.
The museum’s brown bag lecture series is noon the second Tuesday of each month in 2010 to honor of the 100th year of the Santa Fe Railroad Depot. Light refreshments served; RSVP encouraged. The March 9 lecture is “The Transcontinental Railroad System and How it Influenced our Southwest” presented by Prince McKenzie, founder and curator of the Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso.
The Rail Readers Book Club meets at 11 to noon the second Wednesday of the month to discuss a train mystery book. Call the museum for registration.
Presentations of the “Train Unlimited” video series are 10:30 a.m. selected Saturdays. The March 6 video is “Steam Trains/When Giants Roamed” and the March 20 film is “Built for Speed.”
NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum — 4100 Dripping Springs, Las Cruces. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 seniors 60 and older, $2 for children 5-17; free for age 4 and under. Information: (575) 522-4100 or nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.
Film enthusiast Jeff Berg will show excerpts from several Westerns filmed in New Mexico and talk about the industry’s long association with the state as part of the museum’s lecture series at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 11. Admission: $2 suggested donation.
The 2nd annual Spring Tree and Plant Sale is March 11-14, with trees, shrubs, and a wide variety of bedding plants, as well as hanging plants and potted plants. Admission fee required during Cowboy Days.
The 11th annual Cowboy Days event is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14, with a Cowboy breakfast Saturday morning and match team roping, Mexican-style rodeo demonstrations, horseback and stagecoach rides, cowboy music and poetry, arts and craft show, great food, children’s activities, gunfight re-enactments, cowboy demonstrations, and a trip back in time to witness an 1895 wedding both days. Admission: $4 (free for children 4 and younger). Breakfast tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the door.
Showing through April 4 in the Arts Corridor: “Animal Impressions: The Art of Narrie Toole.” The exhibit features impressionistic western oil paintings, and canvas and paper giclées of farm and ranch animals and wildlife indigenous to the west.
Showing through July 18: “Building for the Future: Rural Schoolhouses of New Mexico: 1880-1965.” The exhibit takes visitors on a winding tour of the state to encounter schoolhouses from various small communities.
Showing through Sept. 10: “Colcha: Embroidered Connections,” Colcha is an embroidery method traced back to the 1700s in New Mexico.
Showing through Nov. 28: “What in the World?”, a fun and informative journey through an array of unusual objects from the museum’s collections. These peculiar-looking gadgets were used for a variety of tasks and museum visitors are invited to answer the challenge to identify their uses in this interactive exhibit.
Ongoing exhibits include “Generations,” “Farm Life in New Mexico: Then and Now” and “The Inside Story of the Roadside View: Agriculture in the Lower Rio Grande Valley” in the Heritage Gallery, and Peter Hurd’s “The Future Belongs to Those Who Prepare For It” in the Central Corridor.
Classes and workshops (pre-registration required):
• Harvest Cooking Class is 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, with chef Carol Koenig. This month’s class features recipes with strawberries and spinach. Cost: $35.
A Basic Dowsing class is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20. Learn how to use the four basic tools and the benefits associated with dowsing. Cost: $15; tools provided.
The museum also features domestic animals on site, including six different breeds of beef cattle, burros and occasionally horses. Milking demonstrations are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily (3 p.m. only Sundays). Blacksmith shop open Tuesday through Sunday. Sewing and weaving demonstrations are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays.
Cart rides to see livestock also offered (call for schedule).
Walking tours of the South 20 are 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Gallery talks are 2 p.m. Wednesdays in the Main Gallery.
NMSU Art Gallery — D.W. Williams Art Center, 1390 E. University Ave, (Williams Hall) on the NMSU campus, Las Cruces (east of Solano). Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Mondays and University holidays. Information: (575) 646-2545 or nmsu.edu/artgal.
Showing in March: 2010 Juried Student Art Show. This year’s juror is UTEP Professor and Border Art Residency Program founder Ray Parish. Opening reception is 5 p.m. Friday, March 12, with awards ceremony at 6 p.m. Ammun Devasthali will present the awards.
Entries accepted through March 3 from all NMSU main campus full and part-time students. Cash awards offered. Entry forms available at the gallery.
NMSU Museum — Kent Hall, University at Solano, Las Cruces. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. Information: (575) 646-5161 or nmsu.edu/museum/.
Spring 2010 Exhibits are “Spirit Messengers: Hopi Katsina Dolls” and “Exploring Yaqui and Mayo Ceremonial Disguise.” Learn about the vibrant cultural traditions of the Hopi of northeastern Arizona as well as the Yaqui of southern Arizona and Sonora and the Mayo of Sinaloa. Highlights include a doll carved by Chief Tawaquaptewa, the leader of Oraibi village in the early years of the last century, as well as dolls carved by Jimmy Kewanwytewa (an important historic carver) borrowed from the Museum of Northern Arizona. Also featured are murals of the San Francisco Peaks and a katsina dancer at Old Oraibi, painted by Orin Nutima.
A free Katsina Doll Carving Demonstration is 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 30. Traditional Hopi artist Spencer Nutima will show how a piece of cottonwood root is transformed into a representation of a katsina; one of the spirit messengers of the Hopi people. Refreshments offered.
The museum’s permanent exhibit is “Pottery from the Americas,” featuring nearly 600 pottery vessels representing Southwestern and Mesoamerican ceramics.
NMSU Zuhl Museum — NMSU Alumni Visitors’ Center, 775 College Dr. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information: (575) 646-1884.
The center features a collection of more than 1,000 pieces of petrified wood, fossils and minerals donated to NMSU by retired Las Cruces residents Herb and Joan Zuhl from New York City. Pieces include ammonites, turtles, a dragonfly, a bat, and minerals such as amethyst, rhodochrosite, garnet, and malachite. The museum is also home to an Ichthyosaur, a highly specialized marine reptile from the time of the dinosaurs, five dinosaur leg bones, a portion of a backbone from a giant herbivore dinosaur, and the eggs of a duck-billed dinosaur.
The museum offer activities for children 2 to 5 p.m. the second Sunday of each month.
White Sands Missile Range Museum and Missile Park — Exhibits feature the history of the Trinity Site (site of the first atomic bomb test), the V-2 rocket, ranchers on the range and missile optics. An outdoor Missile Park displays rockets and missiles tested on the range. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed on federal holidays. Free admission.
To get there: take U.S. 54, and after the freeway ends, keep going north on Martin Luther King, which leads directly to the range. Or enter from the north off U.S. 70 east of Las Cruces. Visitors must provide a current license, car registration and proof of insurance. Information: (575) 678-8824 (local call) or wsmr-history.org.
Also
Deming Luna Mimbres Museum — 301 S. Silver, Deming, N.M. An actual chuckwagon, gems and minerals, turn-of-the-century fashions, military mementos and Mimbres Indian art are among the exhibits at the museum. Other attractions in the former National Guard Armory include a doll room, transportation annex and quilt room. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Information: (575) 546-2382, 1-800-848-4955 or deminglunamimbresmuseum.com.
Hubbard Museum of the American West — 841 U.S. Hwy 70 West, next to Ruidoso Downs (N.M.) Race Track. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Admission: $6 ($5 for seniors, military; $2 children 6-16; free for children 5 and younger). Information: (575) 378-4142 or hubbardmuseum.org.
Showing through April 11: “Biennale Grande,” juried exhibition of New Mexico artists.
Showing through Oct. 3: “Ancient New Mexico,” an in-depth exhibit of the peoples who inhabited the southwest from pre-historical periods up to Spanish exploration.
Dr. Phillip Shelley presents the lecture “The Archaeology of Ancient New Mexico” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 20.
Museum of the Big Bend — Located on the campus of Sul Ross State University (Entrance 3), Hwy 90 in Alpine, Texas. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Guided tours available. Admission is free, donations accepted. Information: (432) 837-8143 or museum@sulross.edu .
Permanent exhibits include fossil exhibits “Conquistador to Cowboy” exhibit with artifacts that tell the story of the settlement of the Big Bend, a Native American exhibit focusing on the Jumanos and Apache tribes, and a children’s Discovery Center play area with a replica of Tall Rock Shelter.
New Mexico Museum of Space History — The museum features the International Space Hall of Fame and the Tombaugh IMAX Dome Theater and Planetarium, and is located on the northeast side of Alamogordo off Indian Wells Blvd.
Saturday Space Science classes are offered 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, for first through third graders and 1 to 4 p.m. for grades four through six. Registration: $18 per session ($15 for museum members) or $60 per month ($50 for members).
Currently showing: “Space Frontiers,” a look at the heritage and future of space exploration in New Mexico. From ancient Native American observatories at Chaco Canyon to modern day facilities such as the Very Large Array astronomical radio observatory, New Mexico’s clear skies and high altitudes have provided an ideal location to study the heavens. This exhibition showcases the state’s history and contributions to how humans see and travel beyond planet earth.
The Hall of Fame attractions include a simulated Mars room, the rocket sled used in early space program research, and various other space exhibits. Space center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $6 ($5 for seniors and military, $4 ages 4-12, children 3 and younger free). Information: (877) 333-6589, (575) 437-2840 or nmspacemuseum.org.
Showing at the IMAX Dome Theater are the films “Sharks” and “Molecules to the Max.” Showtimes are on the hour, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets: $6 general admission; $5.50 for seniors and military; $4.50 ages 4-12. Ages 3 and under free for all shows.
Sacramento Mountains Historical Museum — U.S. 82 across from the Chamber of Commerce in Cloudcroft, N.M. Operated by the Sacramento Mountains Historical Society, the museum features historical buildings from the turn of the century, antique farming and ranching tools, other business and home antiques, historical exhibits and other artifacts. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Tuesday and Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Wednesday and Thursday. Admission: $3 ($1 children). Information: (575) 682-2932 or smhsmuseumoffice@yahoo.com.
Silver City Museum — 312 W. Broadway, Silver City, in the historic H.B. Ailman House. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum covers the settlement of southwest New Mexico, the two centuries of mining in the region and early commerce in Silver City. Group tours offered with advance notice. Admission: $3 suggested donation. Information: (575) 538-5921, 1-877-777-7947 (out of town), or silvercitymuseum.org.
Showing through March: “Taking Care of Our Own: Grant County’s Hospital Heritage, 1883-2009.”
Showing through spring is “Free Flow: The Gila River in New Mexico.”
Toy Train Depot — Alameda Park, 1991 N. White Sands Blvd., Alamogordo. An actual train depot built in 1898, the building now houses a gift shop and model shop, with more than 1,200 feet of model railroad track and hundreds of model and toy trains on display. Hours are noon to 4:40 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission: $4. Information: (575) 437-2855 or toytraindepot.homestead.com.
The 1/5 scale train track offers rides around Alameda Park 12:30 to 4 p.m. Cost: $4.
Tularosa Basin Historical Society Museum — The museum, featuring collections, photos and archives relating to the history of Otero County and the Tularosa Basin, is next door to the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, 1301 White Sands Blvd. (U.S. 54/70). Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Information: (575) 436-4438.
WNMU Museum — 1000 West College Ave., Silver City, N.M. (575) 538-6386. The museum features pottery, rugs and other artifacts of Southwestern Cultures; historic photographs of the Silver City area, and traveling exhibits. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 1 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Overland Trail Museum — Exhibits at the Fort Davis, Texas, museum include a replica of a barbershop that was once on the site, historic surveying equipment, early medical paraphernalia, a restored pioneer kitchen and early ranching tools. Hours are 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Information: (915) 426-3161.
El Paso Scene MONTHLY
This month's listings, stories and columnsFeature story
Roundup
Music
Dance
Here's the Ticket
Program Notes
On Stage
Sports
Southwest Art Scene
At the Museum
History Lessons
Nature
Film Scene
Keep on Bookin'
Becoming Bicultural
Liner Notes
Stage Talk
Gallery Talk
Better ParentingCopyright 2010 by Cristo Rey Communications.