MUSEUMS AND HISTORIC SITES are reaching beyond their walls to attract new audiences, spark young minds, and spread the enchantment. “These programs bring our collections to life and make every visit an opportunity to connect more deeply with the people, cultures, and landscapes that define New Mexico,” says Daniel Zillmann, communications director at the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
National Hispanic Cultural Center. The 20-acre campus in Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood includes performing arts theaters, an art museum, a genealogy center, and a library. The center hosts more than 700 music, dance, film, and art offerings each year, including monthly ¡Vamos! family workshops that let participants dance, create art, make music, and write stories. “Each workshop offers a chance to dig into a new topic or program,” says education program manager Elena Baca.
Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site. The site distributes activity kits to area classrooms with lessons on Diné (Navajo) and Ndé (Mescalero Apache) life at the reservation in the 1860s. “The kits include hands-on activities like weaving on a small cardboard loom and creating miniature adobe bricks,” says site manager Aaron Roth.
New Mexico Museum of Space History. Each October, the Alamogordo museum hosts the popular Trinity Site Guided Tour. Local historians give talks on the 90-minute bus ride to White Sands Missile Range for a walking tour of the nuclear bomb test site and museum.
Albuquerque Museum. Find fabric, paper, paint, yarn, stickers, beads, markers, and more for one-of-a-kind creations at the Old Town institution’s Saturday Family Art Workshops.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. In Albuquerque, the gateway to New Mexico’s 19 pueblos offers Native American dance performances every weekend of the year.