Silver City -- In recent years, Silver City Museum staff have worked diligently to present programs and events that reflect local history, celebrate the region's diverse cultural heritage, and engage all members of the community. This ongoing effort to honor all traditions is perfectly reflected in the museum's new holiday celebration, Tapestry of Traditions: A Celebration of the Season, which debuts Saturday, December 13, from 11 am to 3 pm at the museum.
"We're keeping everything people love," explained Museum Director Bart Roselli. "This holiday event is still free, Father Christmas will be there, and the Silver Ringtones will perform Christmas carols. We'll be serving cookies and warm cider, and we're offering plenty of fun children's activities. We've really focused on engaging with all sectors of our community, and realized that it was time to make some changes to our holiday celebration to better reflect the many ways in which our community celebrates this season."
For more than 40 years the museum has celebrated the holidays with A Victorian Christmas, an event which was conceived from the architecture of the 19th Century Ailman House - home to the museum since 1967. In honor of this legacy, the museum opens a new, long-term exhibit -- also on December 13th -- A Place in History: The Legacy of the Ailman House, ensuring the Victorian heritage that inspired the original celebration remains preserved and accessible year-round.
"The Ailman House is a beautiful example of Victorian design, so it made sense to honor this historic landmark, and celebrate the holidays in Victorian fashion," Roselli added. "But that was just one story and one way of celebrating the season, and it's clearly time to acknowledge the many meaningful traditions that our community celebrates. I believe that Tapestry of Traditions will be our best holiday event yet."
As always, the museum courtyard will be magically transformed into a musical, fun-filled atmosphere of holiday festivities. At the center, families are welcomed to gather 'round the community hearth, and enjoy sampling free holiday foods and beverages, including warm cider and cookies, as well as tamales, biscochitos, holiday pudding, meat pies, dumplings, struffoli and apple pie. All community hearth foods and beverages are being provided by the Silver City Food Co-Op, the Breadbox, Chinese Palace, The Cuban Guy, and Chaos.
Father Christmas will be on hand, gifting books from Literacy Link Leamos, and the historic Ailman House will be decorated for the festivities.
Other events include:
Storytelling. Members of the Chiricahua Apache Nation will share traditional winter stories around a simulated fire, and serve traditional agave beverages. Other storytelling stations will feature New Mexico Christmas stories.
The art of tamale making. The tamalada – the communal tamale-making tradition that's been passed down through generations of New Mexican families - will be demonstrated.
Children's activities. The Bird Alliance of Southwest New Mexico will help children create their own bird seed ornaments, while sharing information about local birds and winter migratory habitats. Kids can also share their wishes for the new year on the Tree of Wishes; make mini tapestries to take home; create luminarias; get their faces painted; and try their luck at the popular Bird Wheel of Fortune.
The Community Tapestry Project. Festival participants are invited to contribute to this collective work of art by drawing, writing or otherwise illustrating their favorite holiday traditions, memories or wishes on a square of cloth. These will be collected and united into one, large, community tapestry that will be displayed at the museum throughout the holiday season.
A holiday market will feature local food vendors, as well as an assortment of crafts and artwork made by local artisans, just in time for holiday gift-giving. Vendors include: June June's, La Bonita Bakery, TGI Frybread, The Cuban Guy, Little Nisha's Bakery, Caty's Granita, Trinity Creations, Chris Kraft, Problem Child Crafts, Craft with Dorey, National Cat Systems, CNC Customs, and Kit West with Desert Bouquet.
Speaking of gifts, the Museum Store offers an incredible variety of affordable items for holiday shoppers, including the museum's new book, Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town, edited by Roselli. This comprehensive history – the first in 30 years – features essays by 10 local historians that explore such topics as Chihuahua Hill, the influence and history of Chinese settlers, cattle ranching, Billy the Kid, local health care, and other themes that go far beyond the traditional "wild west" narrative.
Admission to Tapestry of Traditions is free, as are all children's activities and food and drinks served at the community hearth, making this event a great opportunity to celebrate the season with the entire family. Sponsors include The Town of Silver City, The Friends of the Silver City Museum, and Freeport McMoRan.
The Silver City Museum is located at 312 West Broadway, and serves Grant County residents and visitors, using authentic records of the region's multicultural past to foster informed perspectives on the present. The museum is nationally recognized through its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. For more information, to donate or to learn of volunteer opportunities, please visit www.silvercitymuseum.org, or call (575) 538-5921.
