Written by Hannah Cerne, UNMAM Graduate Research Assistant and Study Room Assistant.

Hannah Cerne at the New Mexico Association of Museums Conference at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  

This Fall, I had the opportunity to present at the New Mexico Association of Museums (NMAM) conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and at the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Virtual Convening. I presented the research I completed as a Graduate Assistant at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, discussing Chicana artist Delilah Montoya at the NMAM conference. At the AAMG conference, I shared my research of the University of New Mexico Art Museum’s first exhibition, Taos and Santa Fe: The Artist’s Environment, 1882 -1942. 

My time at the NMAM conference this October was special as it was a great way to network with my friends and peers. I attended multiple sessions throughout the two-day conference, though I particularly enjoyed one session by Jennifer Hayden, who discussed her path to leadership throughout her time in five different positions leading to her current role. Hayden began her museum profession at the Oklahoma Heritage Association and Gaylord-Pickens Museum in Oklahoma City with no previous institution experience, and today is the President and CEO of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque. I found her story and path to leadership inspiring as a young woman, from Oklahoma who hopes to, like Hayden, make a similar impact in her community.  

Hannah Cerne at the New Mexico Association of Museums Conference at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  

The morning of the second day, I presented Discussions with Delilah Montoya: Sagrado Corazon Sacred Heart. In my presentation, I shared my research of Delilah Montoya’s UNM graduate thesis, Corazon Sagrado Sacred Heart, followed by a discussion of my interview with Montoya throughout the 2024 Spring semester. My research of Corazon Sagrado Sacred Heart began with my fascination with her collotype, Loca y Sweetie (1993), a part of her thesis, when it was displayed in the UNM Art Museum’s Spring 2024 exhibition, Hindsight Insight 4.0. My interest in Montoya and her UNM graduate thesis ignited, and I wanted to keep exploring her and her work. Fortunately, Montoya met with me over a Zoom call and gave me insight into her thesis, sharing her academic and personal struggles at this time. Throughout my interview and research of Montoya, I gained a better understanding of her direction as a growing artist and gained insight into her relationships with past works as we discussed working on the themes she developed as a young artist. Throughout my presentation at the NMAM conference, I had plenty of support from fellow students in the UNM Museum Studies Department and UNM Art Museum colleagues. I included interactive activities, such as slow looking and Q&A, to help keep the room of audience members active and engaged. My time sharing my research with fellow museum professionals at the NMAM conference was much fun, and I enjoyed attending the other sessions just as much. 

The AAMG Virtual Convening this November was a great way to connect with fellow graduate students and museum and gallery professionals outside New Mexico. I presented my research discussing the UNM Art Museum’s first exhibition alongside Ariana Garcia Varela, a PhD candidate at the University of Kansas and Assistant Curator at the El Paso Museum of Art, and Mary Oleary, an experiential curator and emerging professional from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. I enjoyed the chance to have a quick chat with them and share my story and information about UNM and the UNM Art Museum. We each presented information about exhibitions we had planned or researched. My research focused on the UNM Art Museum’s first exhibition, Taos and Santa Fe: The Artist’s Environment, 1882 -1942. Throughout my session time, I shared scanned archival documents from the Albuquerque Journal, Daily Lobo, and the UNM Art Museum archives while discussing the history of the traveling exhibition, and the artists included, such as Taos Society of Artists and Santa Fe Art Colony members.  Although the virtual convening was only one day of sessions, I made many connections through the AAMG platform. 

As a Master of Art in Museum Studies and a Master of Art in Art History student at the University of New Mexico, prospects like presenting at conferences are significant in my educational career.  The opportunities provided to me by the UNM Art Museum and the UNM Museum Studies Department during the Fall semester were incredible, and I am grateful for another successful semester of professional and work experiences outside of the classroom. I believe these skills will aid me when I enter the museum work field and help me along my career path. My presentation at the NMAM conference in Santa Fe, NM, and online presentation at the AAMG Virtual Convening was possible due to the support I received from the UNM Art Museum and the UNM Museum Studies Department.