The OAS is proud to announce that the Museum of New Mexico Board of Regents approved Dr. Grant Snitker and Dr. David Rachal as new Research Associates. Dr. Snitker is the Director of Cultural Resource Sciences at the New Mexico Consortium and a Research Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Snitker received a PhD in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2019 and has held post-doctoral appointments in archaeology and fire ecology at the University of Georgia and the USDA Forest Service’s Southern Research Station. He is an environmental archaeologist, specializing in charcoal analysis, computational and analytical proxy modeling, and quantitative methods to understand the dynamic relationship between fire, humans, and long-term environmental change. He also works to improve methods and tools in cultural resource management and fire archaeology, including LiDAR data collection and analysis. He works primarily in the Western and Southern United States and the Western Mediterranean. Dr. Dave Rachal is a professional geomorphology/geoarchaeology consultant. He has over 13 years of professional experience consulting in southern New Mexico and west Texas. He has been involved in all phases of archaeological investigations including survey, testing and evaluation, and data recovery projects throughout the southwest. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Soil Science and Physical Geography from New Mexico State University. His research interests include soil geomorphology, modern and paleo-eolian systems, geoarchaeology, Quaternary environments, and arid pedology. His most recent research has been geoarchaeological and archaeometric investigations at the White Sands Locality 2 footprint site and related areas of Pleistocene trackways in the Tularosa Basin. If you would like a tour of the Office of Archaeological Studies, feel free to reach out to Dr. John Taylor-Montoya at [email protected].

A century ago, Tesuque Pueblo artist Juan Pino was introduced to linoleum block printing, transforming the medium into a unique expression of Pueblo life. MIAC proudly presents, Printing the Pueblo World: Juan Pino of Tay Tsu’geh Oweenge, an exhibition showcasing 20 of Pino’s extraordinary linocut prints, offering a window into daily life in Tesuque Pueblo. This exhibit opened Sunday, December 15th and featured a tour with Mark Mitchell, grandson of Juan Pino, former Tesuque governor, and contributor to the exhibit. The upcoming Engaging the Future exhibition will feature the work and words of 18 contemporary Native artists at different stages of their artistic journey who have graduated from the Goodman Aspiring Artist Fellowship housed at MIAC. Their work encompasses a variety of mediums including printmaking, photography, painting, jewelry, film, fashion, and mixed media. This exhibition is scheduled to open in the JoAnn and Bob Balzer Native Market and Contemporary Art Gallery on Sunday, February 23, 2025. This past month the Museum of New Mexico Foundation hosted a Makowa: The Worlds Above Us event in Los Alamos to share information on the upcoming exhibition with the wider community. The event included a phenomenal presentation by Cherilynn A. Morrow, PhD, Outreach Director for the NASA PUNCH mission. Cherilynn elaborated on the perfect partnership between MIAC and NASA on the Makowa exhibition and related outreach. MIAC is excited to add two new technicians to the Laboratory of Anthropology (LOA) team by the end of January, and they are currently interviewing a post-doc to add to the team by spring. The new hires will work alongside archivist Diane Bird (Santo Domingo Pueblo) to process the Bertha Dutton collection. They will also be working on a comprehensive plan to begin digitizing the collection, making the archives accessible far and wide. MIAC will be working alongside the New Mexico History Museum on this exciting initiative. The MIAC education team has been very busy lately, hosting an average of three to four guided tours of the museum per week. Notably, over 100 students from the Siembra Leadership High School in Albuquerque were able to visit MIAC last month. The school would not have been able to visit without the help of donors. Donor funds covered the costs of transportation and snacks for the students on their visit. Other visiting groups have recently included the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and San Ildefonso Pueblo tribal schools who decorated ornaments to drop off at their local senior centers ahead of the holidays. MIAC is pleased to share that since this October over 500 students and 300 adults have enjoyed guided tours of MIAC. Lastly, MIAC’s Archaeological Research Center housed at the Center for New Mexico Archaeology is excited to welcome four new staff by the end of January. The staff are all supported by grants from National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management. The new staff will be tasked with repatriating the collection and working with tribes to facilitate access to their own collections. MIAC is thrilled to have this additional support.

December was our biggest month for membership! Last month, we were busy fulfilling hundreds of memberships and gift memberships and brought in more than $90,000. Fiscal year-to-date membership is now at 53% of its FY25 goal. Last month we also hosted a special tour of the Eating History exhibition at the New Mexico History Museum with Executive Director Billy Garrett and a small group of members were also treated to a guided tour of Saints and Santos at the New Mexico Museum of Art with Executive Director Mark White. As we kick off 2025, we’re excited to share several engaging members-only events coming this spring. These include a Member Monday program in March, featuring the upcoming New Mexico Museum of Art exhibition on artist Eugenie Shonnard, and a special Member Preview for Makowa at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in May. We’re also thrilled to announce some exciting staffing updates. Saro Calewarts has been promoted to Director of Marketing and Communications—congratulations, Saro! In addition, we’re hiring! We are seeking a Junior Graphic Designer to assist Saro and a Membership Manager to join our team. Both positions are posted on our website—please help us spread the word! Looking ahead, we’re wrapping up the spring edition of Member News magazine and finalizing details for our spring rejoin, new member, and upgrade campaigns. Thank you for your continued support as we embark on an exciting year ahead!

Ladder Ranch A natural oasis situated by four Rio Grande tributaries, the 156,000-acre Ladder property is home to rich biodiversity. Surrounded by sweeping landscapes, Ladder effortlessly pulls you into the present moment. Meanwhile, petroglyphs, pottery shards, and adobe ruins invite exploration into the mysteries of the past.Armendaris Ranch The 360,000-acre property, nestled in the crimson Chihuahuan desert, embodies the essence of southern New Mexico. A true invitation to adventure, it offers treks through semi-desert landscapes, with possible encounters with bison, pronghorn, and desert bighorn sheep, and access to the Jornada lava flow, home to one of the largest populations of Mexican free-tailed bats in the U.S. Sierra Grande Sierra Grande Resting on mineral-enriched geothermal hot springs, Sierra Grande is a tranquil haven. The serene 17-guest room hotel is ideal for relaxation and rejuvenation, offering holistic wellness services and private indoor and outdoor hot springs that honor the legendary healing traditions first established by the region’s Native Americans.

Our Step-Up campaign officially ended Dec 31, 2024. I want to thank all the members who stepped up their membership giving for us to achieve our membership goal by the end of the calendar year. I also want to thank all our Circles members for their loyal renewal commitments as well. Our membership attention rate currently stands at 94% retention rate, and we are truly humbled by everyone’s support. Read more to see event pictures from the following past two events. November 15 First Look Weaving Meanings First Look: Weaving Meanings We want to thank David Arment and Jim Rimelspach, the David Arment Southern African Collection, who generously assembled and generously donated, IFAF Collection, Museum of International Folk Art. Flickr link from First Look: iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa December 5, Foundation Holiday Party The evening was a lovely gather of 240+ guests exchanging holiday cheers between members, donors, DCA and Museum Directors. Click here for event pictures from the Foundations Holiday Party.

This month Dr. John Taylor-Montoya hosted a number of tours of the Office of Archaeological Studies for lecture attendees, donors and trustees. Attendees were able see the laboratories first-hand, learning about archaeomagnetic dating and research, plasma-dating, breakthrough super critical fluid applications, osteology, lithics, ethnobotany and education outreach. The tours are always endlessly fascinating and result in new volunteers and donations. The labs are busy, busy these days. The ethnobotany lab, for example, has a one-year Ph.D. tenant from Boston University studying land-use practices of Spaniards form the 18th and 18th centuries. He is also working to organize a comprehensive comparative collection for researchers to use. Thanks to the generosity of donors, we reached our $20,000 fundraising goal for the archaeomagnetic laboratory. Laboratory Supervisor, Dr. Shelby jones, will apply these funds to the maintenance and installation of new equipment. The laboratory is poised to be the premier archaeomagnetic dating and research laboratory in North America when installation is complete, housing the largest repository of archaeomagnetic samples in the world. That’s right – the world. Right here in New Mexico. MNMF should be very proud to support this important collection and research. The OAS’s education outreach programs are flourishing thanks to the talents of the new Educational Coordinator, Ziggy Prothro. Ziggy is a one-woman road show, taking OAS educational programming all over the state of New Mexico. Her goal is to reach every district in the state within her first year. Ziggy is visiting public schools, primarily middle school, tribal schools, libraries, festivals, juvenile detention centers and more to build and share archaeological curriculum. Currently, there are more requests from teachers for her to visit than she can accommodate, so she has had to create a waitlist. These are great problems to have and will hopefully result in more staff support for archaeological education. We are currently aiming to raise $25,000 to support education outreach costs, including purchasing sand art boards and clay for student curriculum. Click here if you would like to make a gift to directly support these purchases.

The Museum of New Mexico Foundation held a private reception to welcome Danyelle Means (Oglala Lakota) in her new role as Executive Director. Danyelle was welcomed by former Executive Director, Della Warrior (Otoe-Missouria), with an honoring song and ceremony. Della and former Deputy Director, Matthew Martinez (Ohkay Owingeh), passed along a special eagle staff to Danyelle to give her strength in leadership. It was a very special event for all in attendance. MNMF is busy helping to raise funds for the upcoming Makowa: The Worlds Above Us exhibition opening in June 2025. The exhibit will explore the connections between Indigenous communities and the sky, showcasing traditional and contemporary perspectives through art, science, and storytelling. The goal is to raise $100,000 for exhibition costs and an additional $100,000 to hire a full-time Makowa educator to travel the state delivering exhibition-inspired curriculum for one year. To help achieve this goal, MNMF held a special donor luncheon on November 19th. MNMF is also hosting a cultivation event in Los Alamos on Tuesday, December 3rd at PEEC. The event will include a presentation in the planetarium by a NASA Outreach Director for the PUNHC mission. Click here to R.S.V.P. if you would like to attend! As we approach the holidays, we are hoping to raise $70,000 for educational programming this fiscal year, including $10,000 for a school bus fund. Click this link to learn about the incredible education programs at MIAC and how donations directly support their important work.

We had a fantastic series of exclusive member events for the opening of Wired last month. More than 300 members attended our Member Preview and enjoyed this magnificent new exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art. We hope you are able to visit this exhibit and the numerous others across our four other museums in Santa Fe, for free with your membership. I hope you had a chance to shop during our Members-Only Double Discount Sale Thanksgiving week. Thank you for your support and I hope you found may unique treasures either for yourself or as a gift. Also, during this holiday season, we encourage you to consider giving a gift of membership. Please stop by any Museum Shop to purchase or you can do so online at museumfoundation.org/gift-membership. Lastly, we have a couple events taking place this December for members. The first is the Foundation’s Holiday Party at the Farmers’ Market Pavilion on Thursday, December 5. Details here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/musuem-of-new-mexico-foundation-holiday-party-tickets-1092771963359?aff=oddtdtcreator We then will host a Conversation with the Curator Tour on December 10 with Christian Waguespack at the New Mexico Museum of Art https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversation-with-the-curator-saints-santos-tickets-1089166970729?aff=oddtdtcreator We hope to see you at the museums this holiday season!

Make a Gift with Appreciated Stock this Holiday Season Thinking about making a gift of stock or bonds this holiday season? This type of donation can be highly beneficial for you as well as provide valuable support for the arts and cultural resources in our community. By donating appreciated stocks, you can avoid capital gains tax and receive a charitable income tax deduction, allowing you to make a greater impact. Giving is simple, too. Click here to find out how. John Macukas, Foundation Trustee, and his wife Mary made generous gifts of stock this year to support the History Homecoming at the Palace of the Governors and to fulfill his Circles membership. He stated his reasons why, “We believe that the cultural life of a city is defined in large part by its museums. Through our contributions, we hope to help our museums continue to offer public access to art, education, entertainment, and community interaction. Our museums enrich our daily experience, guide us in our search for beauty, inform our understanding of the world, give form to our ruminations, and help us build more enlightened and meaningful lives.” By electronic transfer – Please contact us for instructions on how you can transfer stock or bonds from your brokerage or investment account to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation to benefit the Foundation and designated to benefit the institutions we support. By certified mail – If you hold securities in certificate form, you will need to mail two envelopes separately to complete your gift. In the first envelope, place the unsigned stock certificate(s). In the other envelope, include a signed stock power for each certificate. You may obtain this power from your broker or bank. Please remember to use certified mail. Stock transfer notification form If you plan to transfer a gift of stock to our organization, please fill out our notification form. Donating appreciated securities, including stocks or bonds, is an easy and tax-effective way for you to make a gift to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and support the arts and cultural resources in our community you enjoy most. Please note that gifts of stock are valued based on the average of the stock’s high and low prices on the day of the gift, while mutual fund shares are valued at the closing price that day. If you have any questions about gifts of stocks and bonds, please contact [email protected] or call 505.216.0829.

An Enduring Spirit: Ukrainian Voices Through Art and Film “Rule of Two Walls,” Bohdana Davydiuk & Lyana Mytsko As part of our ongoing programming for Amidst Cries from the Rubble: Art of Loss and Resilience from Ukraine, the Museum, in partnership with the Center for Contemporary Arts, presents a compelling five-part film series that explores the poignant themes presented in the exhibition. This film series offers a cinematic journey through the heart of Ukraine’s struggle, echoing the exhibition’s themes of loss, resilience, and the enduring spirit of human creativity. Each film provides a unique perspective on the lives affected by the ongoing conflict, highlighting personal stories of hope, defiance, and the quest for solace amidst destruction. The remaining screenings will take place on Friday, December 6 and 13 in the Vernick Auditorium at the Museum of International Folk Art. Due to a weather cancellation, we will be holding a special double feature on Friday, December 13. Please see the museum’s website for more information. Donor Appreciation Reception As a special preview for an upcoming exhibition, Stories in the Sand: Storytelling, Objects, and “Kastom” in Vanuatu (working title), museum supporters are invited to experience a live demonstration of the storytelling tradition of sand-drawing from the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu by Edgar Hinge, educator and cultural advisor at the Vanuatu Cultural Center and National Museum. There will also be an opportunity to meet other cultural advisors visiting from Vanuatu. Museum guide, Edgar Hinge, performs a sand-drawing story at the Vanuatu Cultural Center and National Museum, 2023 Come hear about the difference your support has made this past year and what’s on the horizon for MOIFA. Enjoy wine, refreshments, specialty piña coladas and island-inspired hors d’oeuvres. Support MOIFA Your generosity enables the museum to continue offering these impactful exhibitions and programs. To learn more about giving options, please contact Laura Sullivan at [email protected] or call 505.216.0829. Thank you for your continued support of MOIFA.