Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 11, June 11, 2024
Section 4.51.1.13 - THE MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICOA. Organization of the Museum of New Mexico. The museum of New Mexico is a centralized system of museums. For operational purposes, it is divided into program divisions which directly serve the public, and support service divisions which support and sustain the program divisions. (1) Program Divisions: (a) Division of fine arts located in the fine arts museum. This division maintains the collections of paintings, sculpture, photographs and related items in the category of fine arts, and develops exhibits for the public from its collections and from outside sources. It also maintains the fine arts library.(b) Division of folk art located in the museum of international folk art. This division maintains the collection of regional and international folk art and develops exhibits for the public from its collections and from outside sources. It also maintains the folk art library.(c) Division of history located in the palace of the governors and the armory building. This division maintains the collections of historic artifacts, maps, documents and photographs and develops exhibits for the public from its collections and from outside sources. It also maintains the history library.(d) Division of anthropology located in the laboratory of anthropology. This division maintains collections of archeological and ethnological artifacts pertaining primarily to the Indian cultures of New Mexico and the southwest. It develops exhibits from these collections and from outside sources which are located in the laboratory of anthropology, the palace of the governors and the hall of the southwest Indian in the armory building. The anthropology division also maintains the contract archeology program under which site surveys and excavations are conducted and records and collections are maintained. This division also maintains the anthropology library.(e) Division of state monuments offices for which are located in the anthropology laboratory. This division develops, maintains and operates the following state monuments: Coronado at Bernalillo, Jemez at Jemez Springs, Quarai and Abo near Mountainair, Fort Sumner at Fort Sumner, Fort Selden near Las Cruces, and Dorsey Mansion near Springer. It is also responsible for Folsom State Monument at Folsom, Glorieta Battlefield at Glorieta, and Mimbres State Monument near Silver City, none of which have been developed. The developed state monuments are staffed and equipped with visitor centers containing exhibits relating to the site.(f) Division of education located on the patio of the palace of the governors. This division is responsible for the development of educational programs including traveling and circulating exhibits, classroom kits, audio-visual programs and museum classes.(2) Support Services Divisions:(a) Division of administration located in the administration building. This division, consisting of the director and his staff, the registrar, the public information officer and the planning coordinator, provides administrative services to the operation.(b) Division of budget and finance located in the administration building. This division is responsible for budget preparation and administration, fiscal control, purchasing, payroll, personnel administration, and business management for the museum operation.(c) Division of exhibitions, located in the former Hewett house quarters and with shops adjacent to the museum of international folk art, is responsible for the design and installation of exhibits in all Santa Fe facilities and at the state monuments.(d) Division of publications located in the administration building. This division publishes the museum's quarterly journal, El Palacio, and operates the museum of New Mexico press which publishes books, brochures, catalogues and other materials related to the museum's area of interest.(5) Division of maintenance - custodial - security, offices and shops for which are located behind the museum of fine arts. This division provides maintenance and custodial services for all museum facilities in Santa Fe and maintains security equipment in all buildings and security staff in exhibition areas.B. The Museum Program: (1) A primary function of the museum of New Mexico is the collection, conservation, interpretation and exhibition of artifactual objects and works of art related to New Mexico and the southwestern United States. The museum of international folk art is the only internationally oriented division of the museum, but it also has regional emphasis in program.(2) The program of the museum is implemented through exhibits, in its Santa Fe facilities and at the state monuments, and exhibits which travel to schools and communities in the state and region. The exhibition program is supplemented by publications, films, lectures and classes to a large extent. The museum libraries are utilized by the staff but are available to the public and are used extensively by students and researchers. The collections of the museum, including the large collection of historic photographs, are also used for research purposes and publications by students and scholars.(3) The staff of the museum also provides informational services, responding to inquiries from the public, students, scholars and governmental agencies. To the extent possible, the staff also provides consultant services and training to small museums in the state and makes loans from its collections to qualified institutions for exhibition purposes.(4) The museum is actively engaged in the historic preservation in New Mexico. Article 4-27-9 & 16, NMSA 1953 Comp (Appendix C) [now Sections 18-6-6 and 18-6-15, NMSA 1978] delegates to the museum responsibility for "administering, developing, and maintaining all registered cultural properties" belonging to the state, and makes the museum the "depository for all collections made under provisions of the Cultural Properties Act. The director of the division of anthropology of the museum is designated state archeologist by that act, and developed properties are administered and operated by the division of state monuments of the museum.C. Property. Under its enabling legislation(Sec. 5, par. D, Chapter 264, Laws of 1975) the museum is authorized to acquire real property and collections by purchase, donation and bequest for museum use or benefit. The museum is excluded from the control of its real property, and improvements thereon, by the property control division of the department of finance and administration [15-3-2 NMSA 1978] (Sec. 6-2-26, N.M.S.A. 1953 Comp.). Responsibility for the administration of its holdings, in accordance with all appropriate state laws and regulations, rest with the museum. Following is a listing in brief of the property of the museum of New Mexico.(1) Real Property: (a) The palace of the governors and associated structures on the Plaza, Santa Fe. A national registered historic landmark.(b) The Museum of Fine Arts, Palace and Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe.(c) Armory Building, Washington Ave., Santa Fe.(d) Administration Building, 113 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe.(e) The Hewett House and associated structures 116 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe.(f) Cartwright Hardware Building, 120 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe.(g) Museum of International Folk Art, Camino Lejo, Santa Fe.(h) Anthropology Laboratory, Camino Lejo, Santa Fe.(i) Exhibitions Division Shops, Camino Lejo, Santa Fe.(j) Coronado State Monument, Bernalillo, New Mexico.(k) Jemez State Monument, Jemez Springs, New Mexico.(l) Quarai State Monument, Mountainair, New Mexico.(m) Abo State Monument, Mountainair, New Mexico.(n) Fort Sumner State Monument, Fort Sumner, New Mexico.(o) Fort Selden State Monument, Las Cruces, New Mexico.(p) Dorsey Mansion State Monument, Springer, New Mexico.(q) Mimbres State Monument (undeveloped), Silver City, New Mexico.(r) Folsom State Monument (undeveloped), Folsom, New Mexico.(s) Glorieta Battlefield State Monument (undeveloped), Glorieta, New Mexico.(t) A 160 acre tract of unimproved land in Hidalgo County, New Mexico.(2) Collections in the custody of the Museum: (a) Fine Arts Division: approximately 3,195 items. Consists of paintings in all media, photographs and sculptures. Major holdings of early Santa Fe-Taos artists and southwest Indian artists. Library of approximately 1,200 works.(b) History Division: approximately 89,000 items including artifacts, maps, documents and photographs, primarily related to New Mexico history. Library of approximately 9,300 items.(c) Folk Art Division: approximately 16,000 items relating to world folk art. Major holdings in Spanish colonial art, textiles and costumes. Library of approximately 4,000 items.(d) Anthropology Division: approximately 48,000 items primarily related to Indian culture of New Mexico and the southwest including archeological and ethnological materials. Library of approximately 10,000 items.(e) Note: Totals include items and collections loaned to and in the custody of the Museum.(3) Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment: Office equipment and machines, furniture, fixtures, motor vehicles other than passenger vehicles, supplies and materials.D. Supporting Organizations: (1) The Museum of New Mexico Foundation: (a) The museum of New Mexico foundation is a non-profit corporation, established in 1962 "to promote and to support the museum of New Mexico, its educational and scientific programs and activities and its operation and maintenance, by performing volunteer services and by obtaining funds and property from contributions or purchases or otherwise." (Article I, Section 7, By-Laws of MNM foundation). Membership in the museum of New Mexico foundation is open to persons subscribing to the purposes of the foundation and who shall make contributions or pay such annual dues as may be prescribed by the board (By-Laws, Article II).(b) Regents of the museum of New Mexico are automatically members of the board of trustees of the museum of New Mexico foundation, which consists of "not fewer than nine nor more than fifty members." (By-Laws, Article IV, Section 1). Regents hold office on the board for the term of their appointment. Three regents serve on the executive committee of the board of trustees. Major actions presented to the executive committee are submitted, with recommendation, to the board of trustees, and "The act of a majority of the board present at any meeting, at which a quorum is present and in which act at least a majority of the regents present at such meeting concur, shall be the act of the board" (By-Laws, Article V, Section 6). Additionally, "the regents of the museum of New Mexico shall have the sole power and authority to amend" the by-laws. (By-Laws, Art. X).(c) The museum of New Mexico foundation, under its by-laws, maintains headquarters at the administration building of the museum. It is operated by a volunteer and paid staff, and through standing committees of the board of trustees on which the regents have membership.(d) Functions of the foundation include the following:(i) operation of the docent program of the museum.(ii) operation of the museum shop and sales desks(iii) annual grants to the museum as requested by the director and approved by the regents.(iv) acquisition through gift and purchase of items for the museum collections.(v) handling of public contributions collected at the museum units.(vi) sponsorship and financing of plans for major expansion of museum (fine arts museum addition, Indian museum, museum master plan).(vii) generally assisting the Museum with funds not available through State appropriations.(e) The activities of the museum of New Mexico foundation are of great importance to the museum. No State funds are available for additions to the collections. Foundation purchases and gifts help fill this gap. The flexibility possible with foundation funds enables the museum to conduct programs not otherwise possible.(2) The International Folk Art Foundation: (a) The museum of international folk art, a division of the museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, was endowed by Miss Florence Dibell Bartlett and was presented to the state of New Mexico upon its completion in 1953. Miss Bartlett also endowed the international folk art foundation for the continuance of her interest in the collection, preservation, exhibition, and study of world folk art. The international folk art foundation funded a major addition to the structure in 1971.(b) The international folk art foundation is governed by a board of trustees of not less than seven nor more than nine elected members. No member of the board of regents sits on the international folk art foundation board by rule although one regent is normally assigned to act as liaison between the international folk art foundation board and the board of regents. The international folk art foundation maintains offices in the museum of international folk art.(c) The formal relationship between the museum of New Mexico and the international folk art foundation exists through memoranda of agreement executed by authorized representatives of both parties. Existing agreements cover the following:(i) Collections: The international folk art foundation maintains an active acquisition program. Items collected include Spanish colonial art of New Mexico, folk art of other regions of Hispanic heritage and folk art of other cultural heritages. The International folk art foundation collections program is determined by the foundation board of trustees and the director of the museum of New Mexico and the director of the division of international folk art. Collections acquired are the property of the international folk art foundation on indefinite loan to the museum of New Mexico. The international folk art foundation provides funds annually for the maintenance and conservation of these collections.(ii) Grants and Projects. The international folk art foundation provides grant and project funds for activities in areas parallel to the collections program outlined above. Such grants may be made to and administered by the museum of New Mexico, in which instance administrative overhead costs are provided, or may be administered directly by the international folk art foundation.(iii) Publications. The international folk art foundation contracts with the museum of New Mexico press for the publication of works related to the interest areas previously specified. The international folk art foundation retains copyright to such works and title to stock; the museum press is reimbursed for production, printing and handling costs and receives a percentage of profit. Profits accruing to the international folk art foundation are held in a revolving fund for future publications. The International folk art foundation has been both generous and cooperative in supporting the museum, and, while its support is limited by purpose to the division of international folk art, the entire museum and the state benefit from its activities.(3) The Women's Board. (a) The women's board of the school of American research and the museum of New Mexico has been active for over fifty years in the provision of hospitality and social activity. Following the separation of the museum and the school of American research, the women's board retained affiliation with each organization as its name indicates.(b) By memorandum of agreement dated 5/16/73, between the women's board and the board of regents of the museum, the functions of the women's board are:(i) "To organize receptions for the general public as mutually agreed upon by the director of the museum and the women's board."(ii) "To provide appropriate refreshment in an attractive setting where the visitor may relax, meet the artists being honored, and talk with the hostesses and Museum personnel."(iii) "To collect and keep in order the equipment necessary for the receptions."(b) The women's board owns, maintains and controls and [sic] use of kitchen equipment and materials related to the conduct of receptions, all of which is kept in the kitchen of the museum of fine arts. It also utilizes the serving silver from the U.S.S. New Mexico which is in the custody of the history division and which is made available for museum receptions and other official functions. Traditionally, the governors inaugural reception is held in the museum, and this activity also is a responsibility of the women's board.(c) Membership in the women's board is by election; wives of members of the board of regents are automatically members of the women's board for the term of the husbands appointment.E. The foregoing 18 page document was approved by the board of regents of the museum of New Mexico July 30, 1975. George H. Ewing, Director Museum of New Mexico.MD 75-1; Recompiled 10/31/01