Within the walls of Carlsbad Museum, our history is on exhibit.
From Native American origins through recent years, visiting the museum is like stepping back in time. The Carlsbad Museum is the state’s original municipal museum founded in 1931. This City entity focuses on the art and history of our area. Early implements from pioneer life can be found, as well as Native American artifacts and art depicting life in the region and state.
There are over 6,000 items in the museum’s collections ranging from art pieces like sculptures and oil paintings to historical artifacts, including firearms, photos, and farming equipment. While the museum has a bit of everything, only a small percentage of the museum’s collections are currently displayed.
Museum Director Edward VanScotter shared some noteworthy information. For art lovers, the most popular exhibit is the Taos Society of Artists collection in the McAdoo Gallery. The Taos Society of Artists was a well-known group whose art is still highly sought today. Carlsbad Museum is fortunate to have this collection. The continuously evolving Carlsbad Hall of Fame is popular with residents. Many patrons can remember personal connections to Hall of Fame inductees. Those who visit the museum find a work of art that speaks to them or catches their eye. The museum staff share their favorite pieces and encourage patrons to stop by and see them in person.
“My favorite piece on display would be the painting Streets of Santa Fe by Alfred Morang, on display in the McAdoo gallery,” shared VanScotter, who has been at the museum since the summer of 2014. “How the artist layered on the paint is very thick and unique.”
“I have been fortunate to return to working in the museum near the end of 2022,” said Cassie Parks, Assistant Director, who started at the museum in 2013 and left in 2016. “Right now, my jam has been Rodrick Mead’s Rolling Horse woodblock print. The movement of this piece is what keeps me coming back. While the image is of one horse, Mead shows multiple positions of the horse’s extremities in various stages of moving. His work as a printmaker continuously blows me away.”
“I have many favorite pieces in the museum,” said Jameson Lucas, Museum Attendant with the museum for two years. “My current favorites on display are the set of 1924 Will Shuster Carlsbad Caverns paintings that we acquired in 2022. They are finally back in their rightful place with Carlsbad Museum for the first time in a century!”
“I’ve only been at the museum for a few months and so far my experience has been phenomenal,” stated newest employee Susan Soles. “It’s great to work with such passionate and driven people! I love plenty of pieces, but the carved bird collection by Jack Drake is my current favorite. The painstaking details in these pieces’ carvings and paintings are astonishing. I can’t imagine the patience and practice it took to perfect those details. They’re so lifelike, they could be mistaken for actual bird specimens.”
On display now is a guitar exhibit from the National Guitar Museum titled America at the Crossroads: The Guitar and a Changing Nation. Exhibitions after the guitar exhibit will be two art quilt exhibits from SAQA (Studio Art Quilts Association) named Personality Plus and Telephone Tag. These will be on display in February and March. In the spring, the museum will hold the annual CMS student art shows, one for primary students and another for secondary students. Both art shows are always a big hit and are highly attended by the community.
Whether it will be your first visit, you are a frequent visitor, or are returning for the first time in a long time, Carlsbad Museum has the ability to connect the present to the past. Be a tourist in your hometown and visit the museum before or after a trip to the Caverns to compare old photographs and artifacts to how it is today. Learn about some individuals who shaped our community in the Hall of Fame, immerse yourself in world-class art inside the McAdoo and Feezer galleries, peruse implements from hundreds of years ago in the History room, and delve into something new in the Temporary gallery.
Photo by Larry Pardue
“Carlsbad Museum belongs to the citizens of Carlsbad!” VanScotter expressed. “The museum staff are simply the caretakers of the art and artifacts that make up the museum’s collections and exhibits, but these items belong to every Carlsbad resident.”
Admission to Carlsbad Museum is always free, as are most of their events. Follow them on Facebook or sign up for their email list at carlsbadmuseum.org to stay updated with their upcoming exhibits and programming.
While visiting the museum, be sure to check out the gift shop. It is full of one-of-a-kind gifts that are unique to this area and are perfect for gift-giving or treating yourself.
References
Mission statement
Founded in 1931, Carlsbad Museum fulfills its mission as a cultural and educational institution through the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of artifacts, documents and works of art relating to prehistory of the City of Carlsbad, the surrounding communities of southeastern New Mexico and the greater American Southwest.
418 West Fox Street
Carlsbad, NM 88220
museumstaff@cityofcarlsbadnm.com
(575) 887-0276
www.CarlsbadMuseum.org
