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New Online Grant Application Launched!
September 2, 2010
NMHC is proud to present the new online grant application. Applicants can now enter, save and view all their applications in one place online. The application may be accessed from the Grants portion of our website, or by clicking the link below.
 Click here to go to application
Click here to download illustrated guide
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Hispanic Heritage Celebration
September 1, 2010
El Camino Real International Heritage Center will host its 5th Annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Saturday, September 11th, 10 am – 4 pm. On-going activities during the day will highlight a series of lectures. There will be a slide-show presentation on El Camino Real by Mr. Paul Harden, president of El Camino Real International Heritage Center Foundation, and a lecture on carettas/wagons courtesy of Mr. Gary Williams with the Friends of Coronado State Monument. Mr. Harold Trujillo of the New Mexico Acequia Association will speak on the role of acequias, ditches, in local communities. Dr. Margaret Espinosa McDonald will make a presentation on matanzas, the traditional Hispanic custom of butchering and cooking a pig. The event will conclude with a special musical presentation by Ceiba.
The event will begin at 10 am with a slide-show lecture by Paul Harden who will answer the question most commonly asked by visitors: Where’s the trail? The disappearing trail cannot directly be seen from the Center. However, there are remnants of the trail still visible from Doña Ana to Santa Fe. This includes areas just east of the Center along the Jornada del Muerto, across the river from Socorro, and the west branch of El Camino Real through Fort Craig. Mr. Harden explores these sections of the trail with historic and modern day photos and maps of the trail, major landmarks along El Camino Real, wagons in use, and other information on travel along the historic trail over the centuries. A resident of Socorro, Mr. Harden currently serves as the president of the El Camino Real International Heritage Center Foundation.
At 11 am there will a presentation by Mr. Gary Williams on the construction and use of a carreta, the two-wheeled wagon that was used for centuries in New Mexico. Currently a resident of Corrales, Mr. Williams is notably known for his blacksmith demonstrations at various cultural venues in the state. Mr. Williams served as President of the Sandoval County Historical Society from 2007 to 2009 and is currently the vice president and program chair for the Friends of Coronado State Monument. As a contribution to State Monuments, Mr. Williams built carretas which are on display at the Center and at Coronado State Monument in Bernalillo.
Mr. Harold Trujillo with the New Mexico Acequia Association will make a presentation at 1 pm. Currently the vice-chairman of the association, Mr. Trujillo has over 40 years of experience with acequia (ditch) activities and operations. He contributes to the maintenance, operation and governance of the association including water allocation, sharing of shortages, dealing with illegal taking of water, diminishing water supplies, and irrigation reservoir management. Acequias have been a long practiced communal activity and played an important role in the settlement of New Mexico. The association has increased awareness of the issues that effect community acequias. Mr. Trujillo has helped pass legislation regarding control over water rights transfers out of acequias, water banking in acequias, and condemnation of acequia water rights by cities. He also developed a memorial and assisted in developing legislation that improved the regulation of stock ponds. An alumnus of New Mexico State University with a BS in mechanical engineering, Mr. Trujillo resides in Santa Fe.
The final lecture will begin at 2 pm. Sponsored by the Historical Society of New Mexico’s Speaker Bureau Program, the presentation will be made by Dr. Margaret Espinosa McDonald. The lecture will focus on matanzas, the traditional Hispanic custom of butchering and cooking of a pig. Dr. McDonald was an educator with the Belen Public Schools for twenty-eight years. She has written numerous chapters and articles and was co-author of Through the Photographer’s Lens: A Photographic history of Valencia County. She is past chair of the New Mexico Humanities Council and a past president of the Historical Society of New Mexico.
The lecture series will conclude with a special musical presentation by the group Ceiba from El Paso, Texas at 3 pm. Ceiba plays indigenous wind and percussion instruments from Mexico and other South American countries. They include European, African, and Spanish colonial instruments as well as contemporary instruments like synthesizer and electric guitar to create a beautiful musical presentation. Musicians wear clothing typical to the Spanish Colonial era and their presentation includes description of instruments played and introductions on the history of songs performed.
Educational programs and activities are made possible by El Camino Real IHC Foundation and the Museums of New Mexico Foundation.
El Camino Real International Heritage Center is a New Mexico State Monument operated by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
WHEN: Saturday, September 11th, 2010
10 AM - 4 PM
WHERE: El Camino Real International Heritage Center, 300 East County Road 1598,
San Antonio, NM 87832. Located on I-25 between Socorro and T or C, Exit 115.
COST: Event free with paid Monument admission. Free admission for ages 16 & under.
Free admission for MNM and ECRIHC Foundation members. Single adult visit, $5.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 575-854-3600, or visit www.elcaminoreal.org
Opening its doors to the public in November 2005 as the sixth addition to NM State Monuments, El Camino Real International Heritage Center commemorates the oldest commuted trail in the United States. This trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, is one of the most important legacies of the Spanish settlers who arrived in New Mexico in 1598. This Royal Road to the Interior Land extended 1,500 miles between Mexico City and San Juan de los Caballeros, in the Española Valley north of Santa Fe. El Camino Real became a vital trade route linking Spain, Mexico, New Mexico and later the United States. As Interstate 25, the North-South trade route continues to foster the exchange of people, culture, ideas and products in the 21st Century.
The Center offers fascinating, informative state-of-the-art exhibits while taking a virtual tour along the trail from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Enjoy outdoor gardens, walking trails, self-guided audio tour, and gift shop.
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Historical Society Invites Papers
August 23, 2010
The Historical Society of New Mexico invites proposals for papers and presentations for the 2011 New Mexico History Conference, to be held in Ruidoso May 5-7, 2011.
Topics on any aspect of the history of New Mexico and the Southwest are welcome. While the range of possible topics is not limited, topics relating to the history of Lincoln County and the Tularosa Basin are especially invited.
Most conference sessions are 1.5 hours in length, consisting of oral delivery of three papers or presentations, each approximately 20 minutes. Limited opportunities may be available for sessions allowing 30-minute presentations.
The program Committee also invites proposals for special topical sessions occupying the full 1.5 hour sessions. Proposals should include names, topics and contact information for all panel members.
Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2010, with notice of acceptance on or about November 1. Proposals may be submitted electronically or by mail, and should include presenter contact information, vita or biographical summary, presentation title, a brief synopsis and technical support needed.
For more information, including a proposal form, visit www.hsnm.org or contact David L. Caffey, program chair at david.caffey@clovis.edu; 201 Wrangler Way, Clovis, NM 88101.
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New Mexico Students Take Top Honors at National History Day Competition
June 24, 2010
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A team from Moriarty won a first place and a student from Albuquerque, a second. Six made it to the finals, making New Mexico one of 20 states represented at that level. |
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New Mexico students made a proud showing in competition with their peers from 50 states and several other countries (including a delegation from Shanghai) at the National History Day (NHD) competition at the University of Maryland. National History Day in New Mexico is sponsored by the New Mexico Humanities Council.
Students prepared projects, working individually or in teams, on the topic Innovation in History: Impact and Change.
A team of two students from Moriarty Middle School won a first place and a student from Albuquerque Christian School won a second at the national competition. In all, a total of six New Mexico projects made it to the finals, making New Mexico one of 20 states represented at that level.
Alicia Page and Allison New, Moriarty Middle School (teacher, Amy Page), won first place in the Junior Group Documentary category, for The Smoky Bear Campaign: Igniting National Awareness.
Taking home a second place was Ema Duran, Albuquerque Christian School (teacher: Dawn Mckenzie), Junior Individual Performance category, for Satyagraha (Gandhi’s method of non-violent protest).
In addition to these prize-winners, the following students reached the finals:
Marisol Ferrandez y Mora, Academy for Technology and the Classics, Santa Fe (teacher: Scott Binkley), in the Senior Paper category, for The Navajo Code: A Whispered Innovation.
Elizabeth Montano and Ashley Page, Moriarty High School (teacher: Amy Page), in the Senior Group Documentary category, for 911: What Is Your Emergency? Answering the Nation’s Call.
Jessica Arreola, West Mesa High School (teacher: Luisa Castillo), in the Senior Individual Exhibit category, for Bacteria’s Nemesis: Penicillin.
Sabrina Tornow, Height Middle School, Farmington (teacher: Nathan Pierantoni), in the Junior Individual Exhibit category, for Diamonds: The Cutting Edge.
“This is a wonderful showing and reason to be proud of the students, the teachers who coached them and the parents who supported them,” said Trevor Carter, coordinator of NHD in New Mexico. “The students who go to the nationals (54 this year) compete against the best of the best from every state and six other countries. To reach this level, students place first or second at local, regional and state competitions.”
Each year, students compete in National History Day by creating projects based on a single theme. They have a great deal of latitude in interpreting the theme. Formats can include papers, exhibits, performance, web sites, or documentaries. Students may work individually or in groups.
History Day is an exciting way for students to study and learn about historical issues, ideas, people, and events. This year-long educational program fosters academic achievement and intellectual growth. Students acquire historical knowledge and perspective, and they develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them manage and use information now and in the future. History Day also promotes continuing education for secondary school teachers, and provides history teachers with an innovative teaching tool.
For more information, visit http://nationalhistoryday.org.
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Call for Journey Stories Host Sites in NM
June 14, 2010
Application postmark deadline extended to July 31: The New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC) is pleased to1announce a special New Mexico tour of Journey Stories, an exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. Developed as part of the Museum on Main Street program, this exhibit is designed for institutions that lack regular access to traveling exhibitions due to space and cost limitations. For more information about this initiative, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.
The New Mexico Humanities Council invites museums, libraries, and cultural institutions to apply to host the exhibition in 2011. To apply, please answer the questions attached and submit the requested paperwork to NMHC. Sites will be selected based in part on locally based companion programs that expand on the exhibition’s themes, strong community support, and plans to promote the exhibit and NMHC. Preference will be given to smaller communities. Please send your application no later than July 31, 2010.
Click here for Hosting Application & full description
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Re-Examining Colonial Art
June 9, 2010
Join the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art on June 26, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for a symposium which revisits traditional interpretations of Spanish Colonial Art.
Click here for informational flyer
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Ghost Ranch Photography Book Wins Prestigious Award
March 16, 2010
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“Craig Varjabedian’s photographs reflect both the heart of the artist and the soul of his subject. His photographs allow us to experience and to develop an awareness that reveals things inside ourselves and beyond ourselves,” |
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Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, by Craig Varjabedian, has won the 2010 “Outstanding Photography Book Award” from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The project was funded in part by a grant from the New Mexico Humanities Council, and was published by University of New Mexico Press.
Mr. Varjabedian joins the ranks of past winners such as actor John Wayne and writer Larry McMurtry who have been honored for artistic talent by this premier western art museum. It also underscores eminent photography historian Beaumont Newhall’s appraisal of Mr. Varjabedian’s photography as, “not only beautiful but also extremely valuable documents of architecture, culture and lifestyle.”
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is the premier museum of classic and contemporary western art showcasing how intrepid cowboys tamed America’s Wild West.
At the April 17, 2010 Awards Banquet with the spotlight shining on him, it’s a fitting metaphor to honor Mr. Varjabedian who so eloquently captures the luminous essence of his subjects. Natural light and the elements have always attracted and teased top photographers to depict Nature at her most inimitable. Mr. Varjabedian observes, “Here in New Mexico, it almost feels like light is a solid. There are times when I feel like I can literally reach up and catch it and put it in a Mason jar.”
What was the inspiration for this photographer-author’s sixth book? “It may sound amazing, but I was called to do it. The majority of 90 plus images in this book were taken within a seven-year period. These are some of the best photographs I’ve ever made,” offers Mr. Varjabedian. “Not that they were all easy photos to take. Many challenges presented themselves. But working through obstacles actually produced some astounding results. I’m very proud of the images—plus the experiences involved—in honing my photography skills to newer heights of discovery,” he reflects.
The book will allow readers to understand why the area’s light has smitten world-renowned artists from writer D. H. Lawrence to painter Georgia O’Keeffe. In fact, Ms. O’Keeffe’s “Appreciation of Ghost Ranch” in the book provides an endearing ending. In this never-before-published tribute, Ms. O’Keeffe calls Ghost Ranch: “One of the most beautiful spots in the country. It’s another world that you can ride over—walk—or climb.”
At the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History’s 2009 exhibition that accompanied the release of this award-winning book, museum director Cathy Wright noted how singular artists distinguish themselves. “Craig Varjabedian’s photographs reflect both the heart of the artist and the soul of his subject. His photographs allow us to experience and to develop an awareness that reveals things inside ourselves and beyond ourselves,” Ms. Wright stated. Further enriching this priceless cache of Ghost Ranch images are essays by Georgia O’ Keeffe, Marin Sardy, Belden C. Lane and Cathy Wright—who have all felt, responded to and been transformed by the mysterious power of Ghost Ranch.
This book project spanned two decades to capture the soul of Ghost Ranch. Few places in New Mexico confer a more legendary status than the centuries-old Ghost Ranch. Located northwest of Santa Fe, overlooking the scenic Chama River, the Ranch has been a stopover since prehistoric times for sojourners of all kinds. Timeless with its incomparable sense of place and presence, this award-winning book cum exhibition leave an indelible legacy. In a nutshell, gallerist Gerald Peters (New York City and Santa Fe) noted, “Varjabedian captures both the spirit of place and the sense of enduring culture in the southwest.”
Mr. Varjabedian is the founder of the Eloquent Light Photography Workshops in Santa Fe. He holds a master’s degree in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. Nationally, museums exhibit and collect his works. He has received an Emmy Award; plus grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, McCune Charitable Foundation and New Mexico Humanities Council. His previous books include: En Divina Luz: The Penitente Moradas of New Mexico (which won the 1995 Association of American University Presses award for excellence), By the Grace of Light: Images of Faith from Catholic New Mexico (a 1997 Ben Franklin Award winner) and Four and Twenty Photographs: Stories from Behind the Lens, published in 2007.
To see his work, visit www.craigvarjabedian.com.
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"Lore of the Land" CD Set Is Available
January 31, 2008
An eight-CD set featuring excerpted interviews "that convey individual and cultural perspectives ... of the larger homeland" from all over New Mexico is now available from NMHC. The set, "Lore of the Land" consists of recordings of the radio series by Jack Loeffler. This series focuses on the relationship of indigenous cultures of the Southwest to their respective habitats. It also addresses the arrival of the Anglo culture and "its preoccupation with economics and commerce."
Order the set for $24.95 from NMHC: 505/277-3705; nmhc@nmhum.org, or write to NMHC, MSC06 3570, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001.
Jack Loeffler is a writer, radio producer and sound collage artist who has hunted and gathered sound throughout the American West. He is an "aural" historian, who records the sounds, as well as the words, of his subjects. He has written a number of books, including "La Musica de los Viejitos: The Hispanic Folk Music of the Rio Grande del Norte" and "Adventures with Ed: A Portrait of Ed Abbey." He is proprietor of the Peregrine Arts Sound Archive in Santa Fe, and his extensive collection of recordings is being digitally duplicated, to be donated to the Museum of New Mexico.
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New Online Grant Application Launched!
September 2, 2010
NMHC is proud to present the new online grant application. Applicants...
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Hispanic Heritage Celebration
September 1, 2010
El Camino Real International Heritage Center will host its 5th...
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Historical Society Invites Papers
August 23, 2010
The Historical Society of New Mexico invites proposals for papers...
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New Mexico Students Take Top Honors at National History Day Competition
June 24, 2010
New Mexico students made a proud showing in competition with...
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Call for Journey Stories Host Sites in NM
June 14, 2010
Application postmark deadline extended to July 31: The New Mexico...
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Re-Examining Colonial Art
June 9, 2010
Join the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art on June 26, 2010 from...
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Ghost Ranch Photography Book Wins Prestigious Award
March 16, 2010
Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby, by Craig Varjabedian, has...
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NMHC Spring-Summer newsletter is here!
March 2, 2010
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"Lore of the Land" CD Set Is Available
January 31, 2008
An eight-CD set featuring excerpted interviews "that convey individual...
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Click here for informational flyer)