Click Here: Forgotten Locomotive Repair Shops, Walk the Cerro Grande Trail, Online Exhibitions at MOIFA, and More

May 19th, 2021

Explore the latest online programming from the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), bringing the state’s unique blend of cultures into your home through its museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions.

This week includes three outstanding programs:

Presented in part by the History and Literary Arts program at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, take part in a virtual book reading and discussion on “Overhaul, A Social History of the Albuquerque Locomotive Repair Shops,” written by historians Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing Flint. The book looks at the largely forgotten story of Albuquerque’s locomotive repair shops, and in the course of the authors’ study they also document the thousands of skilled workers who kept the locomotives in operation, many of whom were part of the growing Hispano and Native American middle class. Register for this free event here.

In the latest Quick Trip video on the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center YouTube channel, take a journey to the peak of the Cerro Grande Trail at Bandelier National Monument. Along with breathtaking views, the trail is associated with two of the state’s most notorious forest fires – the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and the Las Conchas Fire in 2011. Travel along virtually while looking for evidence of these two disasters. The Sandia Mountain Natural History Center is a joint partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and Albuquerque Public Schools.

The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Invite an Educator online program is a great opportunity for all schools, as well as homeschool and out of school groups, to enhance learning and teaching in the classroom and beyond. Students get the opportunity to interact with an educator and other professionals in a wide field of studies in real-time, learn about content that fits with your curriculum and group’s interests, and participate in engaging activities. Click here to learn more.

Here are other interesting programs from across the Department:

•   If you’re unable to make it to the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum has made available for online viewing many of its current exhibitions, including “From Combat to Carpet: The Art of Afghan War Rugs,” “Música Buena: Hispano Folk Music of New Mexico,” and “Yōkai: Ghosts & Demons of Japan.”

•   In the latest virtual Rocketeer Academy video on the New Mexico Museum of Space History Facebook page, education director Dave Dooling shows viewers how to build a working model of a glove box like the ones aboard a space shuttle, using items that are easy to find.

More information related to social media and online resources for each division of DCA, including photos, is available upon request.