Awesome August Awaits!

Visit the Museums!

We are open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and Saturday from 9am to 4:30pm.

Three Upcoming Events!

Washi Tape Workshop

Join us for our virtual workshop with guest artist, Melody Maleitzke on Thursday, August 1, at 6pm.

While washi paper has a long and deep history in the craftmanship of paper making, washi tape is relatively new. Washi tape was patented in 2006 by Kamoi Kakoshi Co. This company originally made industrial tape and after they discovered many were using masking tape in their bookmaking projects and provided a new product. Washi tape is easy to use, like masking tape. It's incredibly versatile, and in this workshop you will discover the colorful, pretty, and decorative ways in which washi tape can make pieces of art.

This workshop is for patrons ages 13 to Adult with required registration by Saturday, July 27.

Bug Fest

Join us in for our annual Bug Fest event with various activities on Saturday, August 17 at 10am.

During this event, you will have the chance to interact with living specimens from all over the world, learn about how beekeepers care for their colonies, and even have a chance to eat real insects with flavor!

Our team has made many improvements and adjustments for crowd control with more locations placed throughout the museum for observing and interacting with living specimens, based on feedback from last year’s event. We are hopeful that will allow even more people to enjoy Bug Fest this year!

For additional information, contact Destry Kissick, Museum Curator (Living Collections), at dkissick@lascruces.gov or 575-528-3371.

Featured Reading + Brief Open Mic

Mark your calendars and enjoy a new event that is scheduled for Saturday, August 17, at the Branigan Cultural Center. We’re very excited to have our Featured Reading + Brief Open Mic night that starts at 6pm and wraps up at 8:30pm.

Members of The Barbed Wire Open Mic Series and local community members will present poetry, prose, song, and other forms of communication.

Some of the featured poets are attendees of the Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop, which took place on July 13 for Angel Cabrales’ exhibit “It Came from Beyond the Border” at the Branigan Cultural Center.

This late night event is recommended for adult patrons ( Ages 18+) and is free and open to the public.

Program Highlight

Every month we will highlight one adult program that takes place monthly. You can learn about other programs, including adult programs, through our ACCESS Magazine and our Calendar of Events.

Quarterly Exhibits Community Forum

The “Quarterly Exhibits Community Forum” takes place once every quarter (within the three-month period) from 5pm to 7pm at one of the Museums on Main Street and is streamed on Instagram Live as a part of the Museum System's programming.

During the forum, we will reflect on the exhibits from the last few months and have an open dialogue between the community and our staff that will be moderated by me, Emilia Linley, the Museum System’s Visitor Experience Manager.

The Museum Exhibits, Collections, and Nature Center teams will present about their contributions to our museum exhibits to the public on Wednesday, August 14, at 5:30pm at the Branigan Cultural Center at 501 N. Main Street in downtown Las Cruces. We will have light refreshments, drinks, and conversation at 5pm before we begin the forum.

Here at the Las Cruces Museum System, we've been working to open a dialogue with the community about the exhibits we have in our four museums to ensure the voices and interests of the community are being reflected in our ventures.

For more information email Emilia Linley at elinley@lascruces.gov with the email title of "Quarterly Exhibits Community Forum."