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Published: 14 October 2017 14 October 2017

The Silver City Museum is excited to announce that in mid-January the museum will host the exhibit Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico. The traveling exhibit will open in January and be on display until the end of May, 2018.

Known as a folkloric art form that began among the Gypsy people of southern Spain, Flamenco: From Spain to the New Mexico traces flamenco to its arrival in the United States and its rise as an international art form now enjoyed by millions. Now a declared a ‘Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Silver City will have the opportunity to explore flamenco's unique and elegant style.

By tracing flamenco's journey from fifteenth and sixteenth century Spain to twentieth century Europe's most cultured cities, this exhibition includes costumes (both historic and contemporary), musical instruments, costume and set design sketches, playbills, sheet music, posters, and more. These objects chronicle flamenco's evolution from a rural, folkloric tradition to elaborate staged productions incorporating extravagantly costumed dancers, accompanied by virtuoso guitarists. The objects that will be on display also trace flamenco's transition to recording studios and the silver screen which allowed the art to gain a massive popular audience.

Handed down from generation to generation, between family and community members living at society's edges, flamenco incorporates historic dance and music traditions from Roman times to the Arabic period. Flamenco expresses a way of life shaped by a multitude of cultural and regional influences such as the Gitanos (Romany people) of Spain and Andalusian regional customs. This exhibition also examines Spain's ferias and fiestas, their introduction to the southwestern United States, and the individuals who contributed to making flamenco a popular art form in this country. As the exhibition title suggests, flamenco's integration into New Mexico's culture is also examined.

This exhibition is the first ever to show the history and development of flamenco and its treasured role within the cultural environment of New Mexico. The exhibition is accompanied by the book, The Spirit of Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico, by Nicolasa Chávez (Museum of New Mexico Press, Jacketed hardbound $39.95 ISBN:978-0-89013-608-9, 192 pages, 86 color and 54 black-and-white photographs), which will be available in the Silver City Museum Society Store during the exhibition.

Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico has been organized by the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe and is touring through GuestCurator Traveling Exhibitions, with generous support by Heritage Hotels and Resorts. For the most up to date information on the exhibit, the reception, and hands-on activities relating to the event, please visit www.silvercitymuseum.org or call 575.538.5921.

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 538-5921, info@silvercitymuseum.org, or go to the museum's website. www.silvercitymuseum.org.