For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Karen Rossman, WNMU Museum Services Manager, 538-6386
DATE: March 24, 2005
RE: New Temporary Exhibition at WNMU Museum : Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs of Anthony Howell

The Western New Mexico University Museum is pleased to announce their newest temporary exhibition, Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs of Anthony Howell. Please join the museum staff and Anthony Howell on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm for the exhibition’s opening reception.

Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon centers around the transition of commonly reoccurring symbols found within the petroglyphs and the pictographs of rock art sites in New Mexico. These rare southern New Mexico archaeological sites exist in a unique environment of wall-less museums. Some sites have been in existence for over 10,000 years. According to Howell, “Due to the fragile nature of the rock art and vast distances involved, viewing Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon is the most practical means of exploring this interesting and ancient realm.”

Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs by Anthony Howell will be on display from April 18 through September 2, 2005 in the WNMU Museum 2^nd Floor Exhibit Room. During the exhibition’s opening reception on April 19, 2005, at 6:00pm, Howell will present an informal lecture on the focus of this exhibition—the imagery of the prehistoric Archaic and Mogollon motifs found in the natural landscape of southern New Mexico and surrounding areas. Howell has scheduled two additional lectures on May 5, 2005 and September 1, 2005 at 6:00 pm at the WNMU Museum. The general theme of the lectures will focus on the exhibition; for more information on each lecture’s specific topic please contact the WNMU Museum.

Anthony Howell received an MFA from Pratt Institute, New York, New York, in 1989. He taught in the Expressive Arts Department of Western New Mexico University and lives in Silver City, New Mexico. For the past eight years, Howell has devoted much of his energies to photographing, documenting, and lecturing on the motifs of the prehistoric Mogollon cultural complex. Due to the current rate of human intervention and impact on these ancient sites many of Howell’s photographic prints will outlive the prehistoric rock art he documents.

The WNMU Museum is open Monday through Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We invite everyone to visit the museum and view these images. Art prints of Anthony Howell’s photographs will be available for purchase in the WNMU Museum Gift Shop. If you have any questions, please feel free to call 505-538-6386 or e-mail museuminfo@wnmu.edu

This exhibition is made possible in part by the Associated Students of Western New Mexico University Student Activity Fees.