Thursday, December 24, 2009

Friends of the Museum Raffle — Get Your Tickets Now!

The Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum are pleased to announce our Second Annual Endowment Fund Raffle. As a result of past generosity, the current endowment fund balance is over $27,000. We need your help to reach our goal of $100,000 by 2012, New Mexico’s Centennial Year. Purchasing a raffle ticket is one way to support the Museum’s collections, exhibits, and educational programs. Recent projects at the Museum include the development of an interpretive plan and an interactive educational game, Las Vegas Alive!; redesign of the Website; Songs of the Cowboys program; and Scrapbooking Las Vegas and Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy! exhibits. Proposed projects include an exhibit about clothing and an interactive oral history program.

The drawing will be held February 3, 2010 at the Friends of the Museum Annual Meeting. You do not need to be present to win.

For more information about the Friends of the Museum, the endowment fund, and where to buy your tickets, go to our website.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Tools of the Trade

Finish carpenters are fine craftspeople. Not only are their products works of art, their tools are often beautiful, as well. Spokeshaves shape wheel spokes, of course, or any type of long, roundish piece, like a table leg. There are four in the collection: two are a combination of wood with metal blades, two are entirely metal. Draw knives are used to roughly shape a round section. In this area, draw knives are used to clean poles for vigas. The draw knife is also used to approximate a round section to be worked on a lathe. A plow plane has nothing to do with agriculture or flying. It’s used to cut grooves along the grain in a piece of wood. It could also cut a rabbet (an open-sided groove). Ours is made from rosewood with brass fittings. Planes have various shapes and functions. The collection includes moulding planes (to shape the edge of material, like a router bit would do today); a jack plane to make rough passes over surfaces; jointer planes to flatten a surface; and smooth planes for finishing. Chisels, squares, mallets, mortise marking gauges, augers and compasses round out the collection’s woodworking tools.

Linda Gegick
Museum Administrator

Thursday, December 3, 2009

JUST A DRESS? Interpreting Historical Artifacts

When researching information to create a label for a new display—a two-piece dress and undergarment—I found myself in the role of detective—digging for clues, following leads, and getting lost in the details.

Digging for clues, I examined the “crime scene”—tailoring, fabric, size, and distinguishing marks. A Bellas Hess label gracing the slip led me to research the company. Then I tried to determine the purpose and historical context of the outfit. The provenance, that is, the source of the items, Miss Bertha Hanson (1882-1907), and their size—adult clothing—established a time frame—the late 1890s. But was it an evening gown, a uniform, a visiting costume?

Next I consulted the Museum collection, fashion books, the family records, and the Internet. I found similar dresses, their purposes, and descriptive language such as fitted bodice, tight sleeves, and flared skirt. I learned that Miss Hanson might have been a Harvey Girl, that the style and fabric indicate daytime use, and that the lace of the undergarment was derived from 18th century France.

Following a lead from a co-worker, I came across young Miss Hanson’s signature in the Harvey Ranch Hotel register. I researched the Hotel. This led me astray, so I returned to the crime scene. What was the dress used for? What kind of lace is that? Come by the Museum to find out.

Pat Romero
Museum Assistant - Research specialist

Friday, November 13, 2009

NMAM Conference: Las Vegas Alive!

Greetings all! Since my last blog, Nellie Price and I attended the NMAM Conference held in Santa Fe, NM. We hosted a round table discussion about Interactivity and Education, discussing the details of Las Vegas Alive!, and even played the game as a group! The overall experience was wonderful! We got to share what we’ve been doing at our museum with others in the field, and got invaluable feedback on Las Vegas Alive! from other educators, researchers, and museum professionals.

Outlined as part of our presentation were the rules of the game, the lesson plan and rubric, and how the game measures up to the state’s standards and benchmarks for education. We talked about the characteristics of the game, the testing experience, and the research experience. As part of a PowerPoint presentation we showed pictures of the various museum visits whereLas Vegas Alive! was played, the timeline that sets up the boundaries for the game, examples of the card deck, and a portion of one of the campaigns.

Every detail of the game was elaborated on. We discussed how we determined our timeline and boundaries according to major events that correlate with U.S. and world history, which events we chose for our campaigns, our goals in relaying the concept of community through the game, what historical information was most essential for our purposes, our efforts to make the characters and occupations accurate and specific to our location, and what artifacts and props best match the characters and occupations. We also brought up our future game plans which include a second time period, more characters and occupations, more campaigns, and the introduction of famous, real-life characters to the card deck, (i.e. Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, Kit Carson, Charles Ilfeld, Jesusita Aragon, and the Duncan family).

The conference was a success! Everyone included in our discussion enjoyed playing the game, and thought it was a great way to make museum visits interactive and educational. Adding to the excitement, next year’s conference will be held here in Las Vegas. And, we look forward to hosting it!

Laura M. Gonzales
Humanities Consultant

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Thank you and more


What an exciting couple of weeks! First I want to say thank you to everyone who attended the reception for our new exhibit "Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!" and the corresponding performance "Songs of the Cowboys" with Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout. Both events were well attended, and extremely successful. A special thank you to our Funders - Friends of the City Museum, New Mexico Humanitites Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of a We the People Project, Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, Las Vegas/San Miguel Chamber of Commerce, City of Las Vegas Lodgers tax Advisory Board, and the Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts Department. And thank you to the members of the NMHU Rodeo team who helped with the tickets and seating at the performance!

I encourage people to learn more about what Mark and Rex do by visiting here:http://songofthewest.com, and also at cowboypoetry. com. And please support them by buying their CD's and books!

Also, we launched our new website on November 1st. Please take a few minutes to check it out - http://www.lasvegasmuseum.org. The new design was created by Hired Gun Design. Funding for the website was provided in part by Friends of the City Museum, and the City of Las Vegas Lodgers tax fund.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Exhibit Design 101

We’re in the last days of installing our new exhibit, Git fer Vegas , Cowboy! Exhibit development includes ingredients of staging a play and of creating a book. The writer, or curator, establishes a storyline. Inspiration comes from any number of sources — a song, a person, a newspaper article. In this case, our curator found a compelling story in the programs and poetry of the Cowboys’ Reunions. The curator chooses pieces of the Museum’s collection as illustrations. Next, the story and the “illustrations” are turned over to the exhibit designers. This team decides how the objects, images and text will best demonstrate to the visitor the curator’s concepts and how these elements will be arranged in a gallery. Fabricators build casework, platforms and other apparatus to house objects or hang images. Many pieces in museum collections are fragile and require special handling. This is especially true when these artifacts are displayed. Preparators create special mounting devices that hold objects securely without harming the object’s material or form. All of these elements are choreographed in the gallery and come together in a flurry of activity, so I guess exhibits have a little bit of dance in them, too.

Linda Gegick
Museum Administrator

Monday, October 19, 2009

Western Women's Saddlery

In Europe, sidesaddles have been in use since the Middle Ages primarily to provide women the opportunity to ride with modesty. Over the centuries, women adapted sidesaddles to their personal preferences. In 1915, Mrs. Esther Stace, riding “aside,” cleared a 6’6” jump.

In the early days of Western American expansion, “no lady straddled a horse,” but many expert horsewomen rode the prairies, ranched, and performed trick riding in their sidesaddles. After witnessing a severe riding accident, Charles Goodnight (1836-1929), a well-known cattle rancher, approached his friend and expert saddle maker, S. C. Gallup (1834-1904), Pueblo, Colorado, to make a sidesaddle suitable for the Western rider’s needs. By 1870, the Goodnight-Gallup Sidesaddle was born and came into popular use in the American West.

Until this new version appeared, sidesaddles were dangerous, hard on the horses’ backs, and uncomfortable for the riders. The new Goodnight-Gallup sidesaddle was built on a standard man’s saddle tree—higher in front over the horse’s withers. It had double-layered, square skirts, a mohair double cinch, and a downward-facing, adjustable side horn--where the rider secured her left leg. These adaptations, along with the traditional adjustable stirrups, made for a better fit for the horse and a more solid seat for the rider. These saddles were also fancy, with floral tooling on the skirts, embroidered buckskin seats, and white angora side pockets.

The Museum’s new exhibit, Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!, opening October 23, includes an S. C. Gallup #85 Western Sidesaddle, purported to have been purchased by Ludwig Ilfeld, Las Vegas businessman and supporter of the Cowboys’ Reunions, and offered to one of the Reunion Rodeo trick riders as a courting present. Alas, she spurned him.

Pat Romero
Guest Curator - Git Fer Vegas Cowboy! exhibit

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Play Time at the Museum Brings Las Vegas Alive!

Last Thursday we had another group visit, and it might have been the most successful trial of Las Vegas Alive yet! A group of home school children, along with their parents, participated in playing Las Vegas Alive!, and all seemed to enjoy it.

We began in the morning with a tour of the museum, and then separated everyone into three groups for the learning stations. At station one the children learned to wash clothes using a wash board and bucket, at station two they learned how to make butter and had a tasty treat, and at station three the children sewed their own money bags, which they used in Las Vegas Alive later that day. Each station was educational as well as interactive, and the groups rotated so each one participated in all of the hands-on activities. At first, the children didn’t seem too excited about sewing, especially the boys, but once they were doing it they loved it! They grew a real attachment to their money bags because they made them. It was neat to connect the sewing activity with the game Las Vegas Alive!.

The afternoon was dedicated to playing Las Vegas Alive!. Some of the parents played too, and those that didn’t remained involved by assisting the younger children. Everyone really got into their characters, parents included, and everyone enjoyed bartering and buying artifacts. (Each player was given play money that they carried in the bags they made earlier.) Almost everyone completed all of their tasks, and commented that they really enjoyed playing. The only shortcoming was that a few of the children were too young for the game. However, the children that were within our target age group completed the game successfully and had a great time!

We are continuing work on Las Vegas Alive! and look forward to the next visit!

Laura Gonzales
Humanities Consultant

Monday, September 28, 2009

Cowboys’ Reunions—The Artists & Writers

The annual Las Vegas Cowboys’ Reunions drew rodeo celebrities like Tex Austin, “Foghorn” O’Malley,” Prairie Rose Henderson, and Jim Shoulders, but the Reunions also attracted many artists and writers who came and produced works for or about the Reunions. Uncovering this information was like being a detective on the trail of a mystery. I’d come across a name or a sketch or a poem in the Museum’s archives then trace it to flesh out the story. Internet sources were helpful but sometimes contradictory, so then I’d hunt for corroboration in newspapers, books, and photographs.

The first, and most exciting writer I came across was N. Howard “Jack” Thorp, who traveled the country collecting cowboy song lyrics. In 1908, he produced his first book: The Songs of the Cowboys. In 1915, Thorp came to Las Vegas and wrote a song, “Las Vegas Reunion,” for the first Cowboys’ Reunion. The 1921 edition of his book, including this song, will be on display in the Cowboys’ Reunion Exhibit, and Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout plan to perform the song in their program, The Songs of the Cowboys, on October 23, 7:00 pm, in the Plaza Ballroom.

Once I learned about Jack Thorp, my sensitivities were heightened and I encountered all sorts of “literati.” Phil LeNoir and S. Omar Barker, Las Vegans participating in the Reunions, wrote and published poetry, short stories, song lyrics, and articles. LeNoir, author of Rymes of the Wild and Woolly, also wrote “Down on the Ol’ Bar G” (Poetry: A Magazine of Verse). A postcard with this poem and a sketch by Will James for the 1924 Reunion will be on display. LeNoir coined the first Reunion slogan, “Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy.” Barker and LeNoir collaborated on a story, “When Texas Annie Rode the Bull,” and published The Reunion News, for the 1922 Reunion.

Visual artists attending the Reunions included Randall Davey, Ruth Monro Augur, Edward Borein, and Will James. Davey and Augur studied with Robert Henri in New York but were drawn to the Southwest for their subjects. Augur’s illustrations appeared in an advertisement for the Reunion in The Albuquerque Herald. A reproduction of Davey’s “Wild Horses – Cowboys’ Reunion, Las Vegas, NM” will grace a section of the exhibit. Will James, author and illustrator, began sketching at the age of four and is best known for his Newberry Medal winning book, Smoky the Cow Horse. Borein began sketching at the age of five and is famous for his accurate depictions of the vanishing Western America. Museum records indicate that Borein attended the 1921 Reunion and sketched Bill Stanton’s final bronc ride—“with reins in teeth.” This drawing was used in several Cowboys’ Reunion posters.

Music played a major role in the Cowboys’ Reunions—from parades to balls. The Las Vegas Cowboys’ Band, formed during the early years, grew to have 32 musicians and became “the most famous organization of its kind in the West,” performing through the USA and in London. Another well-known band, Dick Bills and The Sandia Mountain Boys, often played for the Reunion dances. Bills’ young nephew, Glen Campbell, was performing with the band in 1955 when they played for the Reunion dance at the Castaneda Hotel.

Pat Romero,
Museum Assistant/Research Specialist

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Saddles

The Museum collection includes some interesting saddles. One of them was produced some time between 1873 and 1928 by Frank A. Meanea. This saddle is one of the items that will be featured in the upcoming exhibit, Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!

Frank A. Meanea (1849-1928) was one of the most accomplished saddle makers of the territorial period. He was born in Missouri and made his way to Cheyenne, WY around 1868. There, he worked with his uncle E.L Gallatin in the Gallup & Gallatin Saddlery. By 1873, Frank had taken over the business. He developed innovative aspects of saddles, including the “Cheyenne Roll” cantle. He produced other items of cowboy rigging, like chaps and gun holsters. Cowboys considered his products, especially his saddles, high quality. Notables like Buffalo Bill Cody, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles M. Russell and the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police owned items produced by Meanea.

There is no doubt this Meanea product was the work-a-day saddle for its owner. There have been several repairs, the fork leather has been worn down and the padding is failing. The high desert climate has taken a toll on the leather: it’s curled and a little cracked. In spite of hard wear, the saddle is in amazingly good condition. The famous Meanea style and tooling are evident, as is the maker’s mark, high on the seat.

Linda Gegick
Museum Administrator

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mining for facts and more

It's already September and the Cowboy Reunion is only a month away! The museum staff has been hard at work preparing for this event. In addition to putting together an exhibit to reflect our cowboy heritage, they will also be hosting a reception on Friday, October 23, 2009, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. We strongly encourage anyone who is interested to come and join us!

Behind the scenes I have still been assisting Nellie Price, our museum educator, to gather accurate historical information for the game Las Vegas Alive! Currently I am looking over area census reports covering the decades from 1860 through 1880 to compile a list of occupations that are not already on our list. Any ethnicity other than white is also being noted. We need to make the game as historically accurate as possible for each time period. This has proven to be a greater challenge than we anticipated.

I have not been able to locate the 1880 census report for San Miguel County. I am beginning to wonder if it exists at all. It is important for our purposes because there was a large migration of people of all backgrounds and occupations that came to the area after the arrival of the railroad. In addition to mining through census enumerations, we are also compiling a list of artifacts and props for each student, or character, to use during the game. This project is not only a lot of fun, but I am learning very interesting things about this area. I can't wait to see the final product!

Laura M. Gonzales
History Consultant
Las Vegas City Museum

Thursday, August 20, 2009

But, where are the Big Pants?

Familiarity is comfortable, but it also breeds contempt. You’ve heard it — been there, done that museum. Well, get ready for some big changes at the City of Las Vegas Museum. Staff and community members gathered as a planning team earlier this year to discuss new ways to tell the area’s stories.

Over the next couple of years, the museum plans to unveil displays that will replace exhibits in the entire gallery. The new exhibits will offer a broad outline of the history and traditions of the Las Vegas area through topics and subjects that resonate with the community. Some areas that will be explored include the arts, social institutions, architecture, trade, land resources and sources of conflicts. Displays will include interactive components to engage and challenge visitors. Traditional text panels and displays will be augmented with other forms of media to provide a hierarchy of information in a variety of learning styles.

An area will be designated for temporary exhibits. Changing exhibits allow more of the collection to be displayed, on a rotating basis. It provides space to explore topical subjects and to examine some subjects in more depth than could be accomplished in the permanent exhibit area. Who knows? The big pants may reappear.

Linda Gegick
Museum Administrator

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Discovering Stories

I joined the staff of the City of Las Vegas Museum in June of 2008 and discovered that I have always been a "closet archivist." I love delving into the documents and photos, indentifying them, recording them, and--when possible--connecting them to other archives. The stories that emerge tell fascinating tales of the area and its people.

Recently, I have been updating our records on the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunions. There are now close to 200 records in this collection--snapshots of rodeo events and parades; programs listing prizes, contestants, and rules (beginning in 1915); and souvenirs such as match books, dance cards, a neckerchief. I enjoyed uncovering the rich history of these Reunions that, each year, drew famous people like Tom Mix, Prairie Rose Henderson, Tex Austin, and Jim Shoulders to join with hardworking ranchers, cowgirls, cowboys, and top-notch stock to take part in one of the largest rodeos "entirely managed and owned by cowboys" (from the 1928 program).

In June of this year, the Museum received a New Mexico Humanities Council grant which gave me the opportunity to work as part of the team creating a new exhibit--"Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy"--about the Cowboys' Reunions (1915-1967) and their impact on both Las Vegas and East Las Vegas. The exhibition kicks off with a performance--Songs of the Cowboys by Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout --on October 23. I am excited to be part of this project, and I love coming to work each day--I never know what new discoveries await me.

Pat Romero, Ph. D.
Museum Assistant and Research Specialist
Las Vegas City Museum & Rough Riders Memorial Collection
(505) 454-1401 ext 283

Sunday, August 2, 2009

From our Humanities Consultant

Over the past few years our local museum here in Las Vegas has seen many positive changes and improvements. For the last year and a half I have been fortunate enough to witness it first hand. Museums have always been of great interest to me, and having the opportunity to participate in the events at the Las Vegas City Museum has been an invaluable learning experience for me. Since beginning my work at the museum over a year ago I have gotten the chance to try my hand at archiving various artifacts, I have researched and developed a presentation for the Night On the Range Cowboy Event held at the CCHP on Bridge Street, and I have assisted Nellie Price, our museum educator, in developing Las Vegas Alive, an interactive learning game for children. The latter of these projects is my current assignment. Currently I am working on revising a few of the campaigns I have already researched and prepared. Campaigns are narrative descriptions of a historical event that either took place in Las Vegas, or had direct involvement with Las Vegas and its inhabitants. To date we have campaigns on the Civil War, Fort Union, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Mexican American War. Each of these are covered in the first timeline of the game, 1821-78. Once I research these topics and write a 3-4 page report I turn them into Nellie. Edwina Romero has been extremely helpful in editing my work. At this point in the process I am revising each report according the the corrections that Edwina has suggested. What I enjoy most about working on this project is that everyone works as a team. I look forward to the completion of Las Vegas Alive. I hope visitors will not only enjoy playing it, but will take a piece of Las Vegas with them to share with others!


Laura M. Gonzales

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Summer Hours

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the summer months. I know we are here at the museum. In fact, we’re enjoying summer so much we’ve extended our hours.

Now, Fridays and Saturdays we are open from 10am til 6pm. So, you have two extra hours those evenings to come and enjoy our exhibits!

Also, Sunday August 2nd, we will be open for Heritage Week 10 am – 4 pm. We wanted to celebrate Heritage Week with the community so have opened our doors for an extra day that week. We will be highlighting our Scrapbooking Las Vegas exhibit, which includes a hands on activity. Please join us in celebrating the colorful, historically exciting, diverse heritage of Las Vegas!

Don’t forget to check out other organizations around town during Heritage Week. Events start Monday July 27 and go through Sunday August 2. Just a few of the participating organizations are Las Vegas Arts Council, Las Vegas Citizens’ Committee for Historic Preservation, Fort Union National Monument Program, and many businesses on Bridge Street.

(We will resume our normal hours in September: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm.)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Class Visits, Business After hours and more

Well May has been an exciting month already, and there is more to come!  Last Friday we had 2 classes visit us - students from Paul D Henry (3rd grade) and Tony Serna (2nd grade).  First students got a hands on feel for artifacts out of our treasure trunk, learning about artifacts, museums, and what they have in common.  Then we all played Museum Bingo.  And finally they had a quick tour through the builiding.  It was a wonderful experience for me, and I hope for the students and teachers as well.

Thursday May 21 from 5 - 7pm we are hosting a Business After Hours here at the museum.  This is a very exciting event for us, and we are anxious to meet more of the community.  

As a high point to tomorrow night, we are introducing a new exhibit.  "Scrapbooking Las Vegas" is a portrait and photo exhibit that is also incorporating a hands on component.  Come in and tour through the old scrapbooks, and photos and see if you recognize anyone.  Then, take some time to sit down, and leave your thoughts scrapbook style.

Las Vegas Alive! is getting closer and closer to completion.  I can't wait for everyone to see the gorgeous design (courtesy of designer Joe Weber).  We are still looking for groups of 5th-8th graders to come and try it out.

Next Wednesday will be quite eventful.  We expect to have 200 West K-5 students coming through the museum.  Activities will include the Artifact Treasure Trunk, Museum Bingo, and a modified version of Las Vegas Alive.  Stay tuned for photos and a report on the day.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

What is Las Vegas Alive?

"LAS VEGAS ALIVE!" is an educational historical role-playing game designed to teach children what life was like for their ancestors at various times in the past, while giving them an opportunity to develop leadership, history, writing, performing, speech, and critical thinking skills. Through interactive role-playing students will learn about the history of Las Vegas, and generate pride in their current community.

The game will have six primary decks of cards: 1.) Character: name, gender, age, and photo; 2.) Occupation; 3.) Culture; 4.) Religion; 5.) Artifacts; and 6.) Quests. Students will receive one card from decks 1-4 and 6. They will be given 3 cards from deck 5. Using all of these cards, players will develop their character. A character development form for the  game will be available (soon) on the website for those wanting a little extra help. The form will ask questions to help players think about who their character was, and how all the cards relate to that character.

Questions include: How are these artifacts used by your character? How many people are in your family? How does your ethnicity or culture relate to your occupation, gender, family, and religion? What tools are used in your occupation? How and why did your family come to the Las Vegas area? How do you interact with other members of your community? What kind of social issues do you face and how did you deal with them?

After taking time to answer questions and develop their characters, each player presents his or her self as their character, giving as much detail as possible. These presentations will be videotaped. The videotaped characters can then be viewed by peers, family (often including grandparents in area) and friends. After presenting their characters, players will receive their quest card, and all players will interact IN CHARACTER to fulfill their individual quests.  An example of an individual quest is: "You need food for you (and your family).  Find someone to buy food, or if you don't have enough money, find ways to barter or work for food."


Once individiual quests are accomplished all the players will come back together and complete a campaign as a community. The campaign will be based on a real historical event, and each character/player will need to find a way to participate.  As a group, the players, still IN CHARACTER, decide how the community and each individual fits in to the campaign.  (I will post an example campaign soon.) 

This project includes lesson plans  developed with assistance from a humanities consultant. There are also accompanying materials to give examples of characters, presentations, and solutions. The time period for this initial project is 1821-1878, and we are working on a different set of cards for 1879-1919.

I'm looking for people to volunteer to play the game as testers.  We have a small group of adults meeting Monday morning at 10am at the museum to play.  If you would like to participate please let me know.  Also, if you know of any 5th - 8th graders who can come test the game out please make arrangements with me to bring them down to play.  This is our target audience.

For questions about Las Vegas Alive! or to make arrangements to play contact me, Nellie Price Museum Educator at (505) 454-1401 ext 283 or email me at nellie.price@gmail.com.

Thank you!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Friends of the City Museum - Raffle is a success!

Museum Friends Announces Winners of Raffle Drawing


On February 20, the Las Vegas City Museum welcomed Margaret Ludi when she came to collect her $1,000 Bank of Las Vegas certificate of deposit. Ms. Ludi won the top prize in a raffle held by the the Friends of the Museum. The winning tickets were drawn a few days earlier by nine-year old Jamie Sanchez, a student at Union Elementary School.

Ms. Ludi is the mother of Larry Ludi, a Museum volunteer who helps scan the photo and archive collections. He accompanied her to the Museum, as did her daughter, Jennifer Martinez, Assistant VP for Operations, Bank of Las Vegas.

This first-ever raffle by the Museum Friends netted $7,740 in donations for 400 tickets. “The community’s response to our raffle was very encouraging,” said Bob Mishler, Friends chair. “We thank all those who contributed to our Museum fund-raising. The winners have been contacted and have received their prizes.” 

Mishler also thanked all the merchants who donated prizes as well as all those who helped with the ticket offering.

Winners are: 
First prize, $1,000 CD at 5% interest from the Bank of Las Vegas: Margaret Ludi
Second prize, $750 Cash: Rosemarie Montoya, State Farm Insurance Agency
Third prize, turquoise and silver necklace from Neita Fran Ward, WarDancer Design and Gallery: Franken Construction Co.
Fourth prize, $100 Gift Certificate from Charlie's Restaurant and Bakery: Jane Ellen Mallette
Fifth prize,$100 Gift Certificate from Charlie's Restaurant and Bakery: June King
Sixth prize, amethyst and silver pendant from Tito's Gallery: Alyssa Archuleta
Seventh prize, turquoise and silver bolo tie by Ivan Garcia, Native American jeweler: Gerald E. Baca
Eighth prize, $100 cash: Franken Construction Co.

All of the funds collected will go to the Friends of the Las Vegas City Museum Endowment Fund to help make the Museum a premier resource for the community and region.


Margaret Ludi of Las Vegas, right, and Jennifer Martinez, Mrs. Ludi’s daughter and Assistant VP for Operations of the Bank of Las Vegas, sit in the La Casita area of the City Museum and hold the $1,000 certificate of deposit won by Ms. Ludi in a raffle held by the Friends of the Las Vegas City Museum.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Friends Annual Meeting

Last Wednesday evening (Feb. 4th) was the Friends of the Museum Annual Meeting. After the Meeting, Elmo Baca spoke about Tom Mix, and early film industry here in Las Vegas. Then everyone had the fun opportunity to watch a Tom Mix film - "Weary Goes a'Wooin" - with live piano accompaniment by Em Krall.

About 60 people came to the museum and enjoyed the evening. There were refreshments afterwards, and a door prize drawing. The prize was the book "Sin Nombres" by Dr. Tey Marianna Nunn.

During the meeting portion, I gave a report as to my work using technology to expand our audience. I discussed the blog, website, the new facebook group, twitter, and tumblr. And of course, I talked about the podcasts. I'm so excited to have both of them available now in the itunes store.

In fact EXCITED was my word for the day. I just couldn't stop saying it. And it's because I am so excited about the possibilities, about using technology to enhance existing exhibits, to reach out to virtual visitors, and even disseminate information to people who would otherwise never know it was available. Social networking as a tool to promote education and community history is an exciting and appealing frontier.

For anyone who would like to talk to me about this more please leave a comment here, come by the museum, email me, or even call. If you have a profile on Facebook, please check out our new group "City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Rider Memorial Collection". Anyone using Twitter, my login is museumeducator. And I just started with tumblr so I'll get back to you on how that is progressing.

Again if you want to download the podcasts, you can do so at the itunes store. you can enter the name of the museum in the search box, or my name, or rough riders.

I would love to see comments on the blog regarding people's opinion of the new technology. Thanks everyone for all your support!

La Casita Podcast



video credits:

script, recording, editing: Adrienne Booth
project manager: Nellie Price
special thanks to New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts Department

Friday, February 6, 2009

Almas de la Plaza

The following is a press release for an event that I encourage everyone to attend. This project has been up on the plaza since December, and has been getting rave reviews. Please comment here about your experience if you have already gone, and your thoughts about how it impacts our community.

Press Release Courtesy of New Mexico Highlands University Media Arts Department:

"Please join the New Mexico Highlands Media Arts Program on the Old Town Plaza in Las Vegas New Mexico on Wednesday, February 11th at a farewell reception for the spirits of Ida Ilfeld, Teddy Roosevelt, Eugenio Romero, Archibishop Lamy, Big Nose Kate, Doc Holliday, Las Gorras Blancas, Stephen W. Kearney, Fabiola C de Baca, Billy the Kid, Giovanni Maria D Agostino, the Harvey Girls, and Felix Martinez. The show starts on the Plaza at 6:30, followed by refreshments in the Plaza Hotel.

Following the reception, the spirits of these historic characters and others will depart forever from the Plaza, where they have been making nightly appearances since mid-December in the windows of the Plaza Hotel Expansion thanks to seven students from the class Design Projects for the Community and their instructor Robert Drummond, who created this multi-video public art installation as a class project.

Almas de La Plaza/Spirits of the Plaza was one of the first projects in the state to receive a grant from the New Mexico Humanities Council as a lead up to New Mexico s Centennial of Statehood in 2012. These projects are intended to serve to educate and remind citizens of New Mexico about the diversity, creativity, commitment, perseverance, enthusiasm, and enchantment that together form the unique character of this state. Community support came from the Plaza Hotel, the Las Vegas/San Miguel Chamber of Commerce, the City of Las Vegas Rough Riders Museum, and MainStreet Las Vegas.

Before the students could produce the installation, they had to research the characters, write scripts, and audition actors from the local community. What was interesting for all of us as a class, and the community, was to find out who people were, how they came here, what significant values they brought to Las Vegas. Having to research, finding out the fact from fiction, and trying to give these characters that lived way back an identity, trying to depict their life, trying to give the certain character a soul, essentially bring them back from the dead."

Friday, January 30, 2009

Rough Rider A/V experience

You can also find a link to this video on our website's education page. http://www.lasvegasmuseum.org/education.html

This was created by NMHU Media Arts student Adrienne Booth. I submitted it to the MUSE awards this week. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of it. Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Las Vegas Alive at Family Partnership

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to visit two classes at the Family Partnership school. Mr Marlow was kind enough to invite me to his NM History classes. (Forgive me guys, I'm not sure what class periods those were.)

We played a version of Las Vegas Alive, and it was absolutely wonderful! All the students participated, took on a character, and divided into two communities. Each community had a "quest" that the community members had to actively take a role in solving.

For example in the first class, (which someone correct me if I'm wrong, but i think was comprised of 9th and 10th graders), one community was given the "quest": "You're community is struck with an Influenza epidemic. How do each of you help get the community through the crisis?".

The five students each found a way to help their community. The school teacher helped occupy the time of the healthy children so they wouldn't worry, the Mortician was busy with funerals and asked the farmer to help build coffins, the soldier rode to Ft Union to look for a doctor there, and, the outlaw rode to another community and stole needed supplies. (Class - did I forget anyone in this group?)

Each character was more developed than what I'm saying here. But, if you want to know more you will have to come in and play the game yourself, or have me come to your class and play there. :)

Both classes had a lot to offer, and really dove into their characters. It was fun and educational. I hope I have the chance to play again either in their classroom, or in the museum. So students be on your best behavior so you can earn a field trip!! The game plays entirely different in the museum, which means endless fun.

I encourage other teachers, or groups to contact me about testing Las Vegas Alive! in your setting. Home-schooled children could come in as a larger group, or we could meet anyplace convenient. Also, it is a fun game for families on their own.

I look forward to enjoying more characters, community buildings, and interactive history. Just to show how much the kids enjoyed it, I'm including some quotes from the surveys:
Question: Name things you learned today that you hadn't known before.
Answers:
"US Territory 1846, the train came 1879"
"New Mexico became state in 1912"
"I learned about Stephen Kearney, how our first ancestors lived, and how the town worked together"

Question: Why was this game fun?
Answers:
"Because you had a lot of choices"
"Interactive"
"Because we got to do different things"
"Because I enjoyed getting my education ways other than reading a book"

I look forward to more!! Thank you students, thank you Mr. Marlow, and thank you Family Partnership.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Museum Interpretive Planning begins

The City of Las Vegas Museum is about to embark on a major change, with plans underway to redesign the exhibit galleries. And, local participation is a high priority! We want the new permanent exhibit and associated programming to be focused on issues important to the community. Meaning, the Museum staff needs to hear your opinion on how, and what, to present.

Our vision of the newly installed permanent exhibit will offer a broad outline of the history and traditions of the Las Vegas area. Displays will include interactive components to engage the visitor. Traditional text panels and displays will be augmented with other forms of media to provide a hierarchy of information in a variety of learning styles.

Also, an area will be designated for temporary exhibits. Changing exhibits will allow more of the collection to be displayed, on a rotating basis. It will provide space to explore topical subjects and to examine some subjects in more depth than could be accomplished in the permanent exhibit area.

One of the places we need community feedback is content. We want to know what matters to you - what you want the exhibits to say about our community, what aspects of Las Vegas history we should have permanently displayed and which should be temporary, and your thoughts on a the museum plan.

This blog is a way for community members to provide input. Leave comments to our posts. Over the next few months, we will be posting more polls on the sidebar, with questions to consider. We hope that you will take some time to offer your insight and comments.

Please feel free to come in to the museum and talk with the staff as well. Call and let us know your ideas, or email us. We value your insight and participation.

Thanks!

Emails:
Nellie Price - Museum Educator - nprice@desertgate.com or nellie.price@gmail.com
Linda Gegick - Museum Administrator - lgegick@desertgate.com
Pat Romero or David Anderson - Museum Assistants - museum@desertgate.com