MUSEUMS

Welcome back to the Las Cruces Museums!

We are happy to welcome you back!  To ensure the health and safety of our staff and guests, we have implemented a number of procedures for visitation. 

Guests with COVID-19 symptoms or who are sick will not be permitted to enter.  Guests are expected to follow health guidelines by wearing a mask over nose and mouth, and maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others at all times.

The museums will be open Wednesday, September 2 through Saturday, October 3 on a reservation-only basis to reduce the number of individuals in the museum at any given time. Please call 575-522-3120 or 575-528-3330 or email education@las-cruces.org to schedule your visit. Please arrive 5 minutes before your reserved time. If you arrive later than 10 minutes, we will ask that your reschedule your visit to respect the reservations of other patrons. Groups of more than 10 people will be asked to break into smaller groups to schedule visits to different areas of the museums.

We are not conducting tours at this time. Please call 575-528-3330 or email education@las-cruces.org for the latest information on tours.

Hand sanitizing stations are located near restrooms and front desks. We are happy to provide disposable masks (limit one per person) to visitors who have forgotten their own at home. Please dispose of masks in any of the trash bins in the lobbies or restrooms of our facilities.

Visit cv.nmhealth.org for the most up to date information on COVID-19 in New Mexico.

The Las Cruces Museum System aims to provide a welcoming environment for the curious so they can gain new insights and experience personal and community enrichment. The museums showcase exhibitions on local, national, and global themes to educate and inspire visitors from near and far. Admission is FREE. Our museum system includes:

Senior Couple watching a old Mexican wrestler movie surrounded by luchador mask

BRANIGAN CULTURAL CENTER

The Branigan Cultural Center is dedicated to engaging visitors in the rich heritage of the Southwest and the world-at-large through artistic, cultural and historical exhibitions and programs. Housed in a 1935 Pueblo Revival- style building, it was the first library in Las Cruces.

Gallery with pictures, ceramic vases and a big wooden bench

MUSEUM OF ART

The Museum of Art features juried, invitational, and traveling exhibitions with artwork by nationally and internationally known artists. Through the Studio Program, the Museum offers professional art instruction for youth and adults in drawing, painting, ceramics, and other media.

Little Boy playing at the exhibit

MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE

The Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science, or MoNaS, inspires curiosity about the sciences, facilitates life-long learning, and promotes stewardship of the natural environment of the Chihuahuan Desert and southern New Mexico.

Model railroad train

RAILROAD MUSEUM

The mission of the Railroad Museum is to preserve the heritage of railroading through a series of miniature representations of New Mexico railroads, as well as research and preserve the history of model railroading.

EXHIBITS

Neon sign that says Libre

LUCHA LIBRE:

Stories from the ring


March 6 - October 17 

Branigan Cultural Center

Lucha Libre is a type of professional wrestling originating in Mexico, in which the contestants wear masks and use rapid, acrobatic techniques. Learn what it takes to become a wrestler, about masks the wrestlers wear, and how luchadores– the Spanish word for wrestlers, have influenced many areas, including art and social justice issues.

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Picture frames of sea creatures in a gallery wall

INLAND SEA


Branigan Cultural Center

Inland Sea refers to New Mexico’s geological history and the time in which the desert was a marine environment. While the ancient sea is long gone, much of the rock from this time remains, and the desert environment, in many ways, retains the vastness of an open sea. Allyson Packer explores spaces in urban landscapes and begins each piece by talking to homeowners to capture the character of domestic landscaping in the southwest. 

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Colonial desk carved in solid woodWOOD FOR WOOD

The WPA and Spanish Colonial Style Furniture


July 14 - October 6

Branigan Cultural Center

The 1930s economic depression and resulting job losses caused a steep decline in America’s standard of living. With the 1933 inauguration of President Franklin Roosevelt, new federal relief programs were announced with the goal of providing jobs and training to move people out of unemployment.

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