FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUBJECT: RENOVATION OF THE WNMU MUSEUM
DATE: May 2, 2006
CONTACT: DR. CYNTHIA ANN BETTISON, WNMU MUSEUM DIRECTOR & ARCHAEOLOGIST, 505-538-6386, www.wnmu.edu/univ/museum.htm </univ/museum.htm> , bettisonc@wnmu.edu
Beginning July 17, 2006 Western New Mexico University is Revitalizing History by renovating historic Fleming Hall, the home of its Museum and the famous Eisele Collection of prehistoric Mimbres pottery and artifacts.
The Museum renovation will include the complete electrical re-wiring of the entire building and the installation of museum quality lighting, requiring the closure of the WNMU Museum to the public for a period of 5 months beginning July 17, 2006 through January 2, 2007.
“Completely re-wiring a historic building, and installing new lighting throughout the entire building, including the permanent display cases, is a very invasive procedure,” said Dr. Cynthia Ann Bettison, WNMU Museum Director & Archaeologist. “To prevent any harm to our visitors or to the museum’s incredible Mimbres pottery collections and other collections we felt it was necessary to close the museum to the public for the project duration.”
During the Revitalizing History project the threat of fire and safety concerns posed by the current out-dated, overloaded historic electrical system will be eliminated by replacing the original rubber-coated cloth wiring with new wiring, consolidating the electrical service to the building, and removing obsolete “hot” high-voltage fuse boxes. To maintain the historic integrity of Fleming Hall, the revitalization includes the removal of some of the exposed electrical conduit and the installation of chair rails to hide wiring and new electrical outlets. The purchase and installation of new museum quality lighting in all fixed display cases, exhibition spaces, offices, and collection rooms will provide collections and museum staff with appropriate museum lighting levels for collection management, collection preservation, and office work. Most importantly, the new museum lighting will enable collections to be displayed in a more visually pleasing manner, thereby enhancing the visitor experience.
While the Museum is closed to the public, museum staff will be working behind the scenes to move collections, entire offices, and storage room contents out of the path of the contractors and into other areas of the museum and then back again. Bettison says Museum staff members are excited about the revitalization project because it affords them the opportunity, during the transfer of collections out of the path of the construction, to upgrade 33-year old storage areas using archival materials and curation methods, and to assess the condition of all of the collections.
During the closure, visitors, tour groups, and school tours will be able to see portions of WNMU Museum’s famous Eisele Collection of Prehistoric Southwest Pottery and Artifacts on public display at two different Silver City venues, the Silver City Museum and WNMU Miller Library. The exhibition, WNMU Museum at the Silver City Museum, is scheduled to open in July and run through November 2006, and will be housed in the Silver City Museum Front Gallery. The exhibit will be designed to mesh the WNMU Museum collections with the Silver City Museum collections to provide an educational and visual narrative of prehistoric peoples that lived in the area. “This is a historic collaboration and we are excited to have the opportunity to share resources with the WNMU Museum,” stated Susan Berry, Silver City Museum Director. Bettison agrees saying “I think this sets the tone for future collaborations and certainly fits in the original intent of the 1973 donation of the Eisele Collection to WNMU.” In spring 2007, the University Museum will reciprocate the generosity of the Silver City Museum by hosting The Silver City Museum at WNMU Museum.
The collaboration between the two Silver City museums has been extended to the two museum stores with the Silver City Museum Store, managed by the Silver City Museum Society. The Silver City Museum Store will carry the WNMU Museum’s very own Mimbres replica pottery made by the Thornburgs during the WNMU Museum’s renovation and the duration of the WNMU Museum at the Silver City Museum exhibit. Proceeds from the sale of the Thornburg’s Mimbres replica pottery will directly benefit the WNMU Museum. “The extent of this collaboration is wonderful!” said Bettison. “We were afraid that we would be unable to generate funds during the closure for museum operations and salaries; however, with the generosity of the Silver City Museum Store we will be able to do so.”
The Revitalizing History project is funded by appropriations from the State Legislature, including a $40,000 General Fund appropriation in 2005, and two appropriations in 2006, $50,000 from the General Fund and a $350,000 from the Severance Tax Fund. The appropriations were made possible by the support of area legislator, including Senator Ben Altamirano, Representative Manuel Herrera, Representative Dianne Hamilton, Senator John Arthur Smith, Representative Dona Irwin, and Representative Don Tripp along with the entire House Taxation and Revenue Capital Outlay Committee.
“Although we wish the Museum did not have to close to the public during the revitalization, we know we must for everyone’s safety, and the safety of the collections. We are viewing the closure very positively, as a win-win situation for the historic building, for the collections, and for our campus, community, and non-resident visitors,” said Bettison. “We hope everyone will join us for the Revitalizing History Celebration scheduled for January 9, 2007 from 3PM to 6PM to recognize the completion of the project.”
Prior to the closure, school groups, university classes, tour groups, visitors, and researchers are welcome to visit the University Museum and shop in the Museum Shop. Regular hours of operation and holiday closures will be maintained through July 16, 2006.
More information on the Revitalizing History renovation project can be found at www.wnmu.edu/univ/museum.htm </univ/museum.htm> .
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