CIRCLES | April 2025

Saturday, April 26

Member Day

Noon to 2:00 p.m. Center for New Mexico Archaeology

OAS Member Day

The Center for New Mexico Archaeology, home to the Office of Archaeological Studies, opens its doors to all Circles members to showcase their work, programs, staff, laboratories, and offices. Learn about and try tools like bows and arrows and atlatls; create traditional clay pinch pots; paint replica pot sherds with yucca paint and yucca brushes; and view demonstrations of emerging technologies like 3D printing and photogrammetry that aid the future of archaeological research. 

 

Friday, May 9 – Sunday, May 11 

Shops Member Extra Discount Sale 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

The spring members-only Museum Shop sale takes place at the five museum shops and online at shopmuseum.org. Members save 20% on purchases during this three-day sale!  

 

Friday, May 30 

Makowa Reception Makowa: The World Above Us in the Southwest 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Makowa Exhibition Piece

Pre-First Look Event Cocktail Reception with Directors and Curators (National and Chairman level members) Museum of Indian Arts and Culture All Chairman's Circles members are invited to a one-hour special cocktail reception and heavy appetizers with Executive Director Danyelle Means, Deputy Director and Co-Curator Elisabeth Stone, and Co-Curator Marlon Magdalena prior to the First Look event, Makowa: The World Above Us in the Southwest. 

 

Friday, May 30 

First Look Event Makowa: The World Above Us 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Frist Look Event Buffet dinner (Regents Circles level members and up) Museum of Indian Arts and Culture All Circles members are invited to preview Makowa: The World Above Us before it opens to general membership and the public. This exhibition explores the significance of the sky and celestial bodies in the lives of ancestral and contemporary Indigenous cultures of the American Southwest. It illuminates the connection between humanity and the cosmos across cultures and time, combining knowledge from anthropology, archaeology, history, art history, philosophy, astronomy, and Native American and Indigenous studies. 

 

Friday, June 14 

Circles Cocktails with the Collector 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm 

Circles members at the National Circles level and above are invited to join us for an intimate cocktail reception and art collection viewing at the home of our host Cynthia Dulin. Details of this event will be updated soon. 

 

Saturday, June 21 

Member Day Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line

Time TBD  New Mexico Museum of Art, Vladem Contemporary

Members are invited to explore Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line before it opens to the public. Art Nouveau pioneer Alphonse Mucha’s (1860–1939) influence on Art Nouveau art and design has had a lasting legacy, inspiring psychedelic album covers, Japanese manga artists, and contemporary street artists. 

 

Friday, July 18 

Circles Cocktails with the Collector 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Circles members at the National Circles level and above are invited to join us for an intimate cocktail reception and art collection viewing at the home of our host Deborah Fritz. Details of this event will be updated soon. 

 

Tuesday, July 29 

Conversation with the Curator Tour Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia 11:00 a.m. to Noon

Museum of International Folk Art All Circles members are invited to a private, curator-led tour of Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia, the first retrospective of Nuevomexicano artist Policarpio Valencia (1853–1931). His embroidered textiles contemplate serious subjects of morality and mortality with wit and whimsy.

 

Saturday, August 9 

Museum Shops 35th Annual Navajo Rug Auction 9:00 a.m. Viewing  11:00 a.m. Bidding ($5.00 Bidding Cards) New Mexico History Museum Courtyard

The Navajo Rug Auction is an annual benefit hosted by the Museum Shops of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. Shop one-of-a-kind Navajo weavings in a variety of sizes and styles, including Two Grey Hills, Ganado, Teec Nos Pos, Yeis, Pictorials, and Wide Ruins.

 

Saturday, September 6 

Circles Signature Summer Event, Lunch at the Ranch Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Circles members at the Governor’s Circle level and above are invited to an exclusive afternoon at one of New Mexico’s most renowned ranches, the Forked Lightning Ranch, located just outside of Santa Fe in Rowe, New Mexico. Our gracious hosts, Scott and Kimberley Sheffield, welcome us to their stunning property for an unforgettable experience featuring delicious food, entertainment and insightful exploration. The ranch is rich in history, showcasing remnants of two stone homesteads, a church and a cemetery—all dating back to the 1800s, when early settlers moved West and established communities near vital railroad routes like those near Forked Lightning Ranch.

 

Thursday, September 25 

First Look Gustave Baumann: The Artist’s Environment 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. New Mexico Museum of Art, Downtown Plaza Building

Baumann Dragon

All Circles members are invited to preview this anticipated exhibition series surveying Gustave Baumann’s artistic career. Best known for his enchanting woodblock prints, Baumann was a prodigious creative who left behind an enormous legacy.

 

Friday, September 26 

TIA Collections Tour and Dinner at Geronimo’s  4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Circles members at the Chairman’s Circle level are invited to join us for a private tour of the TIA art collection with dinner immediately afterwards at Geronimo’s.

 

Saturday, November 1 – Sunday, November 16

Circles Travel to India All Circles members are invited to join us for an unparalleled experience in the heart of India—a land where timeless traditions blend seamlessly with visionary modernity. On this journey, you'll explore the rich art, architecture, culture, and history of this stunning country. For more information, please email Cara O’Brien, Director of the Circles, at cara@museumfoundation.org.

 

Saturday, November 15

Grand Opening Member Preview Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site Time TBD

The Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site embodies the rich history, culture, and architecture of southern New Mexico. Consisting of three adobe buildings donated by J. Paul and Mary Daniels-Taylor, the site showcases a broad collection of Spanish Colonial, Mexican, and New Mexican artwork and textiles. We look forward to sharing this state treasure with members and the community as the eighth historic site in the Museum of New Mexico system.

 

Tuesday, November 25 – Sunday, November 30 

Shops Member Extra Discount Sale 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Get ahead of holiday shopping and take advantage of the members-only Museum Shop sale, where members receive 20% off purchases at the five museum shops and online at shopmuseum.org.

 

Thursday, December 3 

First Look Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Museum of International Folk Art All

Circles members are invited to preview Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions, an exhibition highlighting international artists who engage with folk traditions to critique social inequities and catalyze social change.

 

Thursday, December 11 

Foundation Holiday Party 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. New Mexico Museum of Art

All Circles members, Corporate Partners, Business Council members, and donors are invited to our annual holiday celebration. Enjoy festive food, drinks, entertainment, and the company of friends and colleagues while viewing the Gustave Baumann exhibition.