For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Karen Rossman, WNMU Museum Services Manager, 538-6386
DATE: May 2, 2005

RE: Lecture in conjunction with WNMU Museum Temporary Exhibit: Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs of Anthony Howell

What: Lecture and Slide Presentation

Where: WNMU Besse Forward Global Resource Center Theatre

When: May 5, 2005 at 6:00 p.m.

The Thursday, May 5, 2005 at 6:00pm lecture and slide presentation on rock art of Southern New Mexico given in conjunction with the WNMU Museum’s latest temporary exhibition, Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs of Anthony Howell, has been moved to the WNMU Besse Forward Global Resource Center Theatre. Originally scheduled in the classroom at the museum, there was an overwhelming turnout for the opening reception and in anticipation of even better attendance for this in depth lecture and slide presentation, the museum along with Anthony Howell have decided to move the lecture to the larger and state of the art venue.

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.”

The temporary exhibit, Ancient Motifs of the Mogollon: Photographs by Anthony Howell will be on display through September 2, 2005 in the WNMU Museum 2^nd Floor Exhibit Room. Howell has scheduled one additional lectures and slide presentation on September 1, 2005 at 6:00 pm also at the Besse Forward Global Resource Center Theatre. 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.