Calendar

The Las Cruces Museum of Art is hosting several virtual and in-person programs throughout the month of October to celebrate "National Arts and Humanities Month" - a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of art and culture in America.

In this presentation, learn what rights people in the Disability community have and how to use them. Culture of Empowerment is a series designed around the idea that people are powerful when learning together. Each quarter’s topics will revolve around a single theme, with chances to dig deeper, learn how to activate community impact, and connect with each other.

Nurture your little one's love of science preschool-age children and their parent or caregiver are invited to investigate nature and science through hands-on explorations, stories, and crafts. For October classes, registration closes September 18 For November classes, registration closes October 23. There will not be a class on November 25. For December classes, registration closes November 20. There will not be a class on December 23.

Discover history and culture through a monthly informal discussion series on the second Thursday of each month at 1pm. From October through November, the theme is “Asian History of the Southwest.” Did you know that for over a decade more than 3,000 K-16 students, from Albuquerque to El Paso were studying Chinese language? This brief account of the Confucius Institute, a bi-national center for teaching Chinese language and culture that NMSU co-hosted from 2007 to 2020, will look at the mission and the accomplishments of the Institute. We’ll also try to answer the question, “Why Confucius?” This will be an in-person event in the Branigan Cultural Center classroom.

Want to learn about the culture, food, and music from Arabic speaking countries? Interested in learning and practicing Arabic language? What's the Word: Arabic is the program for you! Each session is inspired by a different Arabic-speaking country and you will learn about a new nation as well as practice some Arabic vocabulary. October is inspired by Somalia! This will be an in-person event at the Branigan Cultural Center classroom. You can register to attend by emailing education@las-cruces.org.

Tom Birkner will discuss the life and work of Latvian-American artist Vija Celmins. Vija Celmins is a visual artist from Riga, Latvia and is best known for her photo-realistic paintings and drawings of natural environments and phenomena such as the ocean, spider webs, star fields, and rocks. Since the 1960s Celmins has been included in hundreds of group exhibitions and the focus of over forty solo exhibitions all over the world. She currently resides in New York City and is represented by the Matthew Marks Gallery. Tom Birkner has exhibited his paintings on an international level for over 30 years. His work has been shown in numerous cities such as Newark, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milan and Venice. In 2003, he was one of the artists chosen to represent the U.S. in the First Beijing International Biennale. His work has been reviewed in the journals Art In America, ART News, Tema Celeste, Flash Art, The New York Times, and The New York Observer among others.

Nurture your little one's love of science preschool-age children and their parent or caregiver are invited to investigate nature and science through hands-on explorations, stories, and crafts. For October classes, registration closes September 18 For November classes, registration closes October 23. There will not be a class on November 25. For December classes, registration closes November 20. There will not be a class on December 23.

Explore a topic from a current or recent museum exhibition with a fun family-friendly activity.

Celebrate Halloween with the slimy and creepy and get ready for fall with cozy and earthy activities. Visit the Museum of Nature & Science to get up close and personal with slime mold and make your own glow in the dark slime. Meet the creepy crawlies from the Nature Center and make a Halloween Boo Balloon with the Museum of Art in the museum's atrium. Paint a pumpkin with a fall design and take home a traditional pumpkin pie recipe for your fall events. Celebrate Samhain, the Celtic New Year, by playing games and making a Celtic wreath in the courtyard at the Branigan Cultural Center.