Silver City -- The Silver City Museum's fall community conversation lineup offers a rich exploration into the cultural diversity of southwestern New Mexico, featuring a discussion of Apache slaves, Hispanic art, and the history of Chihuahua Hill, one of the oldest Hispanic neighborhoods in Silver City. The series has a new home on the campus of Western New Mexico University, in the Besse Forward Global Resource Center's ABC Room, from 11 am to 12:30 pm. This new venue supports the museum's ongoing collaboration with WILL, WNMU's Western Institute for Lifelong Learning, and the shared "Lunch and Learn" series.
The first community conversation, "The Indian Slave Trade and its Ongoing Legacy," will be presented October 18 by WNMU History Professor Andy Hernandez, who will discuss his new research on the Spanish/Mexican forced slavery of Apaches during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. This cruel system forced the labor of captured Apaches in farm work, mining and housekeeping. Professor Hernandez will share new, untapped archival resources.
On October 25, the 2023 Arte Chicano featured artist, Juanita Escobedo, takes center stage as part of a panel discussion moderated by Javier Marrufo, museum curator. Escobedo and guest curator Diana Ingalls Leyba will discuss how Escobedo’s Mexican-American heritage is reflected in her work, which is the subject of the museum’s annual Arte Chicano exhibit, opening October 27. A retired art teacher and lifelong Grant County resident, Escobedo has dedicated her career to promoting the appreciation of Mexican-American culture.
November 8, Marrufo will showcase the museum’s newest exhibit, "Nuestra Voz: The Chihuahua Hill Story." This multi-year research and oral history collection is one of the most extensive exhibitions ever presented by the museum. Marrufo has collected the personal stories of nearly 100 current and former residents of Chihuahua Hill, one of Silver City's oldest neighborhoods. The exhibit presents a platform for the many residents of this important neighborhood to literally speak for themselves about the neighborhood’s origins, cultural richness, evolution and its continued tug on residents’ hearts, minds and spirits. In "Nuestra Voz" Marrufo will present an overview of the neighborhood’s history, introducing participants to the rare objects, images and recorded oral histories that will be featured in this new and exciting exhibit that delves deeply into the history of Chihuahua Hill.
WILL and the Silver City Museum have enjoyed a formal partnership for several years now, and together collaborate to offer a series of six "Lunch and Learn" programs, with each taking responsibility for creating three programs. The topics of WILL's fall offerings include artificial intelligence on September 27, a legislative update for rural New Mexicans with District 28 Senator Siah Correa Hemphill on October 4, and Art Bytes-A Digital Romp in Art Appreciation, on October 11. Please visit https://www.will.community/#/ for more details.
For more information about museum programming, please contact Sarah Zamora, community engagement manager, at (575) 597-0230, or communityengagement@silvercitymuseum.org .
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. The museum is nationally recognized through its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
Admission is free, though a suggested donation of $5 helps support the museum’s education programs, collections care and exhibitions. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 589-0221/admin@silvercitymuseum.org, or visit the museum's website at silvercitymuseum.org . To donate or to learn of volunteer opportunities, please visit silvercitymuseumsociety.org .