Supporting Priorities: Fiscal Year Funding Nearly Doubles

In fiscal year 2023-24 (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024), private donors to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and Laboratory of Anthropology nearly doubled their support from the previous year to $754,863 through the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Two transformational gifts significantly bolstered two of the museum’s education and exhibition priorities. A $500,000 gift from the Susan S. Martin Charitable Giving Fund honored the memory of longtime Laboratory of Anthropology volunteer Susan “Skip” Martin, a Foundation member since 1992. Martin’s Girl Scout experience as a “Dirty Digger” with pioneering archaeologist Bertha Dutton, the former curator of
ethnology at the lab, inspired Martin to receive her Ph.D. in biology, focusing on the biochemistry, ecology and physiology of sugar beets until her retirement. Years later as a lab volunteer, Martin helped catalog Dutton's archives.

Martin’s gift restricts $250,000 for the Laboratory of Anthropology while another $250,000 is unrestricted to support education and exhibition initiatives at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Among other things, the funding will contribute to the digitization of the lab’s archives, an effort additionally supported in the fiscal year by a $500,000 federal grant to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture,
thanks to New Mexico Senators Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich. The allocation was part of a bipartisan federal funding package that includes $11.8 million in investments for 34 local projects across New Mexico.

"Digitizing the lab's archive will improve accessibility for scholars and researchers,” says Danyelle Means (Oglala Lakota), the museum’s executive director. “We appreciate the senators' recognition and Susan Martin's gift.” On the exhibition front, construction was completed in the fiscal year in preparation for the recent opening of the JoAnn and Bob Balzer Native Market and Contemporary Art Gallery. The much-anticipated project, made possible by a $500,000 gift from the Balzers, expresses the longtime museum supporters’ passion for Indigenous contemporary art. "We’ve attended Indian Market for over 50 years, always gravitating toward contemporary art," says JoAnn Balzer.

The Balzers’ 2020 gift had a ripple effect, inspiring Uschi and Bill Butler to establish the Friends of MIAC Exhibition Endowment Fund to provide long-term support for Balzer gallery exhibitions. The Butlers pledged to contribute $25,000 annually for a decade—$15,000 to the endowment and $10,000 to fund Balzer gallery exhibitions. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the endowment grew to nearly $79,000.

“We are indebted to the Balzers and Butlers for their support exhibiting the art of Native people,” says Means. “We look forward to continuing these important relations.”

More than 38,000 visitors and 1,800 children attended museum programs and exhibitions during the fiscal year, including Horizons: Weaving Between the Lines with Diné Textiles, showcasing the intricate weaving artistry of the Diné. The museum’s popular Sunday Fundays, Nakotah LaRance Youth Hoop Dance Championship and Native Narratives speaker series also drew museum crowds.

Native Narratives is underwritten by the Gale Family Foundation, supported by Ed and Maria Gale. "It’s exciting to support creative thought and artistic expression in all its forms,” says Maria Gale. “The series’ outstanding scholars and artists increase our appreciation of Native artists and the Indigenous people of the Southwest.”

In May, the Native Treasures Art Market celebrated its 20th anniversary, showcasing 168 Indigenous artists. The event raised $44,165 to support museum exhibitions and education. Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), renowned artist and designer, received the 2024 MIAC Living Treasure Award and was featured in a solo exhibition, Painted by Hand: The Textiles of Patricia Michaels, at the museum.

Finally, the fiscal year saw several new museum staff hires to help implement museum initiatives, including Elisabeth Stone as deputy director, Elisa Phelps as head of curatorial affairs and Emily Berkes in the Education Department.

“We are profoundly grateful for our donors’ commitment to our mission through the Museum of New Mexico Foundation,” says Means. “We look forward to their continued engagement in the years to come.”

This article and images are from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Member News Magazine.