Spring 2025 was a milestone semester at UNMAM. We welcomed more than 5,000 visitors to the museum, hosted a record-breaking national conference, launched our ambitious Collections Year initiative, and kept the Beaumont Newhall Study Room busy with activity.

Spring museum attendance reached 5,212, including 997 students, bringing our total for the 2024–25 academic year to 9,368 visitors and 1,743 students.

Read about the semester highlights below.

Study Room and Student Engagement

This semester in the Beaumont Newhall Study Room, Curator of Collections & Study Room Initiatives, Angel Jiang, with the help of Study Room Assistants Hannah Cerne and Gianna Ramirez, pulled 1,029 total and 813 unique works of art from our collection that ranged from the 15th century to the present. They facilitated 52 visits and 626 visitors, including faculty from UNM and Central New Mexico Community College, university and high school students, researchers and the general public.  

In addition, Ross Cocks from the UNM Department of Mathematics and Statistics, along with UNM students Donna Brummett and Christopher Gomez, filmed a short documentary about mathematical art in the Study Room. Several UNM groups, such as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility committee, visited for fun and team-building activities.  

The top three most frequently displayed works this semester were: 

1. 1. James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Early Morning, 1878, lithotint (77.5). 
   2. Agnes Martin, Plate from the portfolio On A Clear Day, 1973, screenprint, edition 40/50 (75.83).
   3. Cindy Sherman, Untitled (Mrs. Claus), 1990, color coupler print (2000.4.2).  

In February, Jiang and Mary Statzer, Curator of Prints and Photographs, hosted attendees from the American Institute of Conservation Photographic Materials Group meeting. In May, the cohort of Tamarind Getty Paper Project curators visited the Study Room to see work from the Tamarind Archive. 

Exhibitions 

UNMAM organized two exhibitions in Spring 2025, both of which emphasized UNMAM’s commitment to student engagement and education. 

Push & Pull: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler and Her Contemporaries ran January 31-May 17, 2025. Drawing on the UNMAM permanent collection, the exhibition celebrated abstraction in all print processes. Focused on the works of Helen Frankenthaler and Elaine de Kooning, along with their contemporaries, the exhibit demonstrated important collaborations with American print publishers. 

The exhibition was made possible through a gift of 20 prints by Helen Frankenthaler as part of Phase II of the Frankenthaler Prints Initiative and included works by three UNM students who were selected in an open call to create works on paper in response to Helen Frankenthaler’s work. 

High Five Hall of Fame: Highlights from the UNMAM Permanent Collection ran April 18-May 17, 2025, and featured highlights from the museum’s permanent collection, including paintings, works on paper, sculpture and an archived virtual seminar. The exhibition centered on narratives of connection and explored the enduring influence that artists and exposure to their works inspire. 

Both exhibitions were extended for registrants attending the 2025 Association of Academic Museums and Galleries annual meeting, hosted by UNMAM. 

‘Collections Year’

UNMAM paused exhibitions and public programs for the 2025–26 academic year to organize, digitize and strengthen our permanent collection. During the year, UNMAM will transform the galleries into workspaces to focus on caring for and making improvements to our collections.

Collections Year was conceived of as a necessary opportunity last year after various donors offered gifts of approximately 200 artworks to UNMAM. These objects must be cataloged, accessioned and properly housed despite the museum’s art storage space being at capacity.  

These significant gifts coincided with UNMAM plans to transfer its database into a new system that provides public online access to its collection — the largest art collection in New Mexico, with more than 30,000 artworks.   

The database, The Museum System (TMS) Collections, is made possible through a grant provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. TMS Collections is used by many of New Mexico’s museums and by museums worldwide, including the Louvre, the J. Paul Getty Museum and Tate. It includes eMuseum software, which will permit anyone to view and browse UNMAM collections through our website. 

In conjunction with Collections Year, UNMAM launched a new Collections Apprentice program. Late this spring, we selected and hired UNM students to participate. The program builds on foundational values of equity, access and trust, and stems from a commitment to create early-career pathways for students who might not otherwise have such experiences.   

Collections Apprentices will be trained in art handling to participate in collections activities based on their interests, such as cataloguing, curatorial research or hands-on work in the print vault. Apprentices will be empowered to take leadership roles within Collections Year and beyond. Being a Collections Apprentice is a privileged role, and one with real job expectations and responsibilities, while preparing students for work in the field after graduation.  

“Collections Apprentices will be contributing to the stewardship of the largest art collection in New Mexico.”  — Andrea Perez-Martinez, UNMAM Collection Manager

One of our Collections Apprentices, Misti Jones, worked with Collections Manager Andrea Perez-Martinez to complete the inventory on a collection of more than 300 pieces this spring. Misti’s quick learning, sharp eye for detail and enthusiasm in the vaults helped move the project along efficiently, as did Andrea’s leadership throughout. 

As we approach the Fall, and the return of many of our student employees, we are preparing for the processing of our full collection. Stay tuned for our progress updates on social media, through our newsletter and our Year-end Review after the Fall term.  

2025 Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Conference

In June, University of New Mexico Art Museum (UNMAM) proudly welcomed the 2025 Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Annual Conference — a historic first for both New Mexico and the Southwest. 

It was also the largest AAMG conference ever, with a record 424 registrants. Attendees came primarily from academic institutions throughout the country.  

Conference attendees gathered at UNM and at sites in Albuquerque and Santa Fe June 24-27 for three days of learning, connection and creativity, centered on the theme Belonging: Storytelling Across Campus and Community.” 

The conference underscored and celebrated the vital role that academic museums and galleries play; they shape inclusive narratives, expand representation and serve as creative, intellectual and cultural centers on their campuses.  

For UNMAM, the opportunity to host was a proud milestone — showcasing not just our own educational mission and innovative exhibitions and programs, but the region’s rich cultural traditions, along with partnerships with world-class New Mexican museums and businesses.

The conference opened with an unforgettable evening at UNM’s Popejoy Hall, where former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and UNM alumna Deb Haaland gave a keynote address emphasizing the lasting power and impact of stories. Haaland is a historic public servant, 35th-generation New Mexican and member of the Pueblo of Laguna.

That same evening, the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company (DTSBDC) — led by nationally acclaimed choreographer and UNM alumnus Dana Tai Soon Burgess — premiered Sudden Snow, inspired by Helen Frankenthaler’s print of the same name that was included in UNMAM’s spring 2025 exhibition, Push & Pull: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler and her Contemporaries.

UNMAM commissioned the 30-minute piece, which embodied Frankenthaler’s expressive abstraction and showcased the interdisciplinary spirit at the heart of UNMAM.

Student Advisory Council  

UNMAM’s Student Advisory Council (SAC) members created a student-centered How-To Guide for the UNMAM Beaumont Newhall Study Room to make the space more visible, approachable and usable, including simplifying the appointment request process. Members worked with Coordinator of Student Engagement & Technology Joseph McKee and UNMAM staff to create the guide, which outlines not just how to schedule a study room appointment, but also what kinds of research or creative projects it might support, whether studio practice, academic coursework or other approaches. 

SAC members also curated a themed pull list around the concept of “Lines ” as a foundational and entry-level theme that could be connected to multiple disciplines. Read more about the project and view the guide here. 

Reminders

Public programming at UNMAM is paused through Summer 2026 due to Collections Year. The Beaumont Newhall Study Room is open by appointment. We look forward to welcoming you back!