State museums, historic sites reopen

Adrian Gomez, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

May 22—If you're looking for something to do this weekend, you might check out one of the state's many museums.

After being closed to the public for nearly a year, New Mexico's eight museums and seven historic sites have reopened. The process to reopen to the public started in February with a slow rollout by the state.

"We are excited to welcome visitors back to all of our vibrant institutions, which offer compelling exhibitions and other thought-provoking collections," Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego said in a release. "Enriching people's lives is at the heart of DCA's mission, and the wonder of our state's cultural heritage is greatly enhanced when experienced in our museums and our historic sites first-hand. Our staff has done an amazing job to create environments that are engaging and safe for all visitors."

Garcia y Griego said the reopening will allow visitors to explore and learn more about the state's rich heritage in person.

She said there are new exhibitions to see, as well as an opportunity to revisit popular permanent collections at the museums and to explore interpretive exhibits at historic site visitor centers.

The state museums and historic sites opened for about a month in late-September before closing again Oct. 22. As a result, both attendance and revenue are down for fiscal year 2021, which ends June 30. As of February, the DCA's revenue from museums and sites was $1.7 million less than in the same period last year.

The state museums in Santa Fe are Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Museum of International Folk Art, New Mexico History Museum and New Mexico Museum of Arts; in Albuquerque, they are National Hispanic Cultural Center and New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science; in Las Cruces, the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum; and, in Alamogordo, New Mexico Museum of Space History.

The historic sites are: Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, Fort Selden Historic Site in Radium Springs, Fort Stanton Historic Site in Lincoln, Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial in Fort Sumner, Jemez Historic Site in Jemez Springs, Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln and Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde.

For more information, visit newmexicoculture.org or go to each institutions' websites. Some are urging would-be visitors to buy online tickets ahead of time.