Testimonials

“Student employment and education opportunities through UNM’s museums was why I chose to come to New Mexico for college and why I’m choosing to stay for a graduate degree. Getting hands-on experience with art installation and handling and seeing exhibition design from the inside has equipped me with skills I didn’t think I’d learn for another 10 years. The trust and mentorship that UNMAM’s staff has extended to me in my time here has inspired me to push myself to grow into the best professional I can be.”

— Bre Kappel, UNMAM Programs Assistant The University of New Mexico, BALA in Science Communications and Museum Studies, Class of 2025

“I am so grateful to have my work included in UNMAM’s current exhibition, Push & Pull: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler and Her Contemporaries.

Museum staff made sure to include me on every step of the process. Curators Mary Statzer and Angel Jiang had a studio visit with me to discuss my work, Collections Manager Andrea Perez-Martinez showed me how to mount my print on matting, and Coordinator of Exhibitions Steven Hurley let me help frame the piece. Not only was it my first experience showing work in a museum, I had never actually seen one of my prints framed and well-lit before. After I told a curator at another museum that my work was up in the exhibition, she came by to visit and was really impressed!

I’ll forever be thankful to UNMAM for giving me the opportunity to share my work in a show alongside some of my favorite artists, in a space where I got to invite so many people in the community I’ve developed while studying at UNM.”

— Adrian Ricca Lucci, UNMAM Communications Assistant The University of New Mexico, Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting & Drawing

“I worked at UNMAM as a museum programs assistant for almost 2 years. My role led to many fun and interesting opportunities both inside and outside the museum. From merchandising gift shop items, participating in student orientation tabling, curating an exhibition section, hosting artist talks, to simply greeting guests, I enjoyed my time as student employee and have benefited from the skills I learned there. The UNM Art Museum values its student employees and provides opportunities for anyone interested in the arts at UNM.”

— Eleanor Kane, The University of New Mexico, Art History PhD Candidate

“My experience as a graduate research assistant and study room assistant at UNMAM has provided me with an abundance of opportunities. My projects vary depending on what I would like to learn and take away from the positions, allowing me to gain the exposure and knowledge that I cannot acquire in a classroom. Throughout my assistantship I have worked in the UNMAM archives, interviewed professional artists, and written blog posts for the UNMAM Journal. Working in the Beaumont Newhall Study Room has provided me with hands-on practice with a fine art collection. My involvement with the museum has equipped me with the education and mentors needed to become a meaningful contributor to the museum profession.”

— Hannah Cerne, The University of New Mexico, Museum Studies Graduate Student

“Showing my artwork at UNMAM was a privilege, but the real honor came from working closely with the staff at the museum. Learning about all that goes into a museum exhibition—from hanging and lighting work to contextualizing and promoting the work in the exhibition—was an invaluable experience that I have no doubt will pay dividends as I pursue other exhibition opportunities in the future. The staff actively brings the UNM community into the museum and makes that community feel that they have a stake in the work of the museum, and that commitment is apparent whenever I enter the space.”

— Francis Reynolds, The University of New Mexico, Master of Fine Arts Candidate

“As a graduate student, we don’t often get the chance to exhibit in a museum context. Working with the UNMAM staff helped me understand how a museum functions and how my work might fit into a space like that. Getting to be a part of the exhibition planning process and respond with my own artwork and public scholarship was one of the highlights of my graduate career at UNM. I felt that my ideas were valued and that I could contribute in an authentic and meaningful way.”

— Anna Rotty, The University of New Mexico, Master of Fine Arts Candidate

“UNMAM for me is a place of possibility. Throughout the length of my master’s program, I worked with the museum as a research assistant and co-founded their first Student Advisory Board—a student-led organization that provided direct interaction and collaboration between the museum and the university’s student body. In this role, I gained valuable experience with community engagement, programming, and budgeting which are essential skills for any future museum professional. Moreover, the organization gave me a chance to step up as a leader and to see the positive impact institutions like UNMAM can have on students.” 

— David Saiz, PhD Student, Princeton University MA in Art History, The University of New Mexico, 2021

“The Beaumont Newhall Study Room offers students rare access to the museum’s extensive photography collection, allowing them to engage directly with works usually experienced only on screens. Encountering photography firsthand transforms classroom learning into a memorable experience. Surrounded by original artworks, students come to understand photography as more than a flood of images but as a deliberate construction of observation and imagination.

 It’s been a rewarding experience bringing students to visit this space as it deepens their understanding of photography as both inquiry and artistic expression.”

— Amber M. Straquadine, Instructor, School of Architecture + Planning 

“A student in my art history survey class was amazed when we visited the print room and saw prints by Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, and others. What surprised her most wasn’t that they were prints, but that they were not copies or reproductions. They were original works of art, created by the very artists we had studied in class. And these works were right here: five hundred years old, on small sheets of paper, yet bursting with vivid expression. At that moment, art and its history became real for the student.” 

— Susanne Anderson Riedel, Associate Professor, Art History, UNM Department of Art 

“The museum is fortunate to have the gallery space available to socially distance and continue to provide safe viewing opportunities for students. It’s been a great this semester to have groups like Tamarind come in and interact with the art in person, which is such a different experience than viewing digital images.”

— Heather Kline, UNMAM Collections Associate, November 2020

“The Beaumont Newhall Study Room provides an intimate environment for students, researchers, and community members to examine original works of art in the UNM Art Museum’s collection with guidance from Museum staff.

The primary function of any study room in a university art museum is to act as a classroom for teaching with authentic works of art and to engage students and faculty in the museum process, a practice that has been fundamental to the UNMAM since its inception. Each year students enrolled in a wide variety of courses are taught in the study room using works from the collection. In many cases, these class visits present students with their first close exposure to works of art.

Since Tamarind Institute relocated to Albuquerque from Los Angeles in 1970, their students have utilized the UNMAM’s comprehensive print collection to engage with the history of printmaking.”

— Arif Khan, Director, November 2020

“I really enjoyed our visit at Art Museum’s Print Study Room. I was immediately struck by the beauty and precision of the burin engravings. Viewing these original works of art up close, I appreciate how, from a technical point of view, they were able to represent so realistically the softness of fabric and the fluffiness of hair by carving into metal. Their ability to create tone, volume, texture, and light using dots, lines, and crosshatching is extraordinary. Despite their small scale, the engravings are so dramatic and they glow in their own regard.” 

“Going to the art museum and looking at the prints was the highlight of these two weeks, and I thought it was so cool to look at the prints that we have been learning about in class and that we will continue learning about in the future. My favorites were the Goya prints because I love his work and seeing them in person was amazing.”  

“I particularly enjoyed visiting the print study room today; it was nice to see the actual scale of each of the prints that we’ve been discussing during class. I especially liked looking at the different Goya prints and the aesthetic differences between each of the series of etchings (I think his use of Aquatint in the print from the Disasters of War series was especially effective). The intimacy of the scale was surprising compared to many print editions today; lithographs in particular tend to run much larger now which could be attributed to the availability of aluminum plate lithography and less reliance on limestone.” 

“Lastly, by far the most amazing experience was the visit to the art museum why? well because I finally got to see a physical and original print by Francisco de Goya! it actually felt so surreal to actually see a piece by someone I really like in person so getting to a close-up and discussing his work was amazing I would’ve talked a lot more about how Goya art is so cool but I got nervous and didn’t say much. Even the other pieces were very amazing and breathtaking! I definitely had such a great time with this course and would love to continue more about prints and the different techniques to create them (a classmate in class was telling me about the process/techniques of making prints and it was so interesting).” 

“For today’s entry I’d like to focus on the prints we saw at the UNM Museum. It was really relevant to me to see them in real lilfe, as opposed to a projected image from a computer. The details of the lines, the richness of the tones, the depth in space are easily simplified in the reproductions and it was apparent how a picture or a scan doesn’t make them justice. 

I particularly enjoyed Piranesi’s print ‘Prisons, Perspective of colonnades with Zig-zag staircase’. I couldn’t help but noticing the extreme level of detail and control on all the other pritns, especially the engravings with burin. The space between lines, the precision to achieve the tonal shifts, to a point that I found even irritating. What I really appreciated was the loosenes in Piranesi’s mark making, the gestural lines, the expression of the artist. I was truly surprised to see such a modern graphic language in a 1760 print.”  

“This week we went to the UNM Art Museum and it was so interesting to see prints in person. We saw a few that were in class lacture, but seeing them in person was so different. I was really blown away  by the detail of Robert Nanteuil’s and Pierre-Imbert Devet’s engravings. Engravings can obtain so much detail and it’s incredible to see how the repetition of marks cna have the effect of fur or fabric. This sort of mark making and attention to detail has always impressed me because of the skill and that the artists pu into these prints. I wonder if perhaps photography made this sort of skill inconsequential, but now that phtography is becoming so available, I wonder if this type of skill might be more appreciated again.

During our visit I was also struck by Goya’s print, ‘Tauromaquia #5 – El Animoso Moro Gazul Es el Primero que Lanceó Toros en Regla’ and the two Piranesi prints we saw. Both artists used etching in a way that captured rich darks that visually I found very appealing. This sort of mark making draws the eye in a dramatic way and as a viewer I am most struck by these images. The intense darkness both artists achieve is visibly captivating and makes the viewer pause just that much longer on the image.” 

“The visit to the gallery at the UNM art museum was the best part of the last two weeks for me personally. Being able to view physical prints and then discuss them is one of my favorite ways to learn. The variety of prints that the curators pulled for us was also fantastic. The architectural prints were some of my favorites, though I did enjoy the Goya prints as well as the bound editions. All in all, the last two weeks has been a valuable experience outside of the classroom. Though I love the comfort of sitting in lecture the experiences of meeting in other environments cannot be replaced.” 

“The Rose B. Simpson seminar was a refreshing break from a traditional online class. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with the artist during office hours and explore various prompts with her and my peers. I highly recommend continuing this programming with other artists in the future. What an Innovative approach to getting to know ourselves as well as the artist.” 

— Armelle Richards, UNM Student, January 2022  

“Working with Rose through the digital space of Seminar was thought provoking.” 

“Our direct contact with Rose about her thought process created a sense of connection unlike a traditional gallery experience.” 

“Through Seminar, we were able to have a glimpse into Rose’s captivating worldview and interact alongside her as if we were colleagues.” 

“I feel so lucky to have witnessed Rose’s interdisciplinary talents unfold each week in both visual and written works.” 

— Quinn Gottlieb, UNM Student, January 2022 

“On behalf of the board of directors of the Association of Academic Museums & Galleries, I write in my capacity as president to extend our sincere gratitude to Arif Khan, Director of the University of New Mexico Art Museum, and to the leadership of the University of New Mexico for hosting the 2025 AAMG Annual Conference, June 24-27, 2025.  

The Association of Academic Museums & Galleries establishes and supports best practices, educational activities and professional development that enable its member organizations to fulfill their educational missions. This year was one of our best conferences yet, with a record number of attendees and sponsors — this is in no small part because of the exceptional art collection held by the University of New Mexico Art Museum and because its exemplary administration and educational programming serves as a model of excellence for academic museums and galleries nationally. Arif Khan deserves the highest praise for his tireless advocacy for the Art Museum and for his exceptional service to the academic field. This letter acknowledges the profound impact of his contributions to our shared professional community.  

Our 2025 annual conference centered on the theme of belonging, focusing on how we welcome people into our galleries, expand representation in our collections, develop rich academic and creative lives for all students, and cultivate audiences on and off campus. The conference brought national recognition to the outstanding work by the University of New Mexico Art Museum for advancing and championing elements of this theme. Its exhibitions, curricular and co-curricular programs, innovative work with faculty, and significant outreach to the community have inspired creativity, cultivated professional development and learning, and presented ideas of belonging that will spread far beyond the campus boundaries.  

Over four hundred museum professionals join together at The University of New Mexico main campus for three days of learning, collaboration, and networking with museum leaders across all disciplines and museum types in higher education. I cannot thank you enough for the generous welcome AAMG received during the year-long planning process; it has been a privilege to work alongside Arif and his dedicated and visionary team.”

Kristina L. Durocher
President, AAMG
Director of Visual Arts
Fine Arts Center
University of Massachusetts Amherst 

“I had a great time at the AAMG open house at MSB…We met many interesting museum curators and directors from around the country who share similar issues and concerns. I met one particular colleague who directs a set of natural history collections at a small college in California… we got talking about museum databases, and it turned out that she needed an upgraded database and management system. At MSB, we help to run the Arctos Collection Management System, a non-profit and consortium of 60 institutions that provides a database and sample locator system. Now it looks like we will have a new member of our consortium as a result of the AAMG meeting!” 

Christopher Witt (he/him)
Professor of Biology
Director & Curator of Birds
Museum of Southwestern Biology
University of New Mexico 

“AAMG is such a special conference in that it brings together museum professionals with so many shared core values; education, student learning opportunities, preservation of history, community outreach, and so much more. To have gotten to host all these excellent museum people at UNMAM was such a great way to uplift the museums of campus and New Mexico.

During the conference, I got to network with so many staff and faculty members from other university museums that were interested to hear from a student employee at another university and I really appreciated their eagerness to learn more about improving their classes and employment options by looking to UNM and UNMAM as a model.” 

— Bre Kappel, UNMAM Curatorial Assistant and Collections Apprentice.

“Hello! My name is Gianna Ramirez and I am a sophomore in my undergraduate, majoring in Art History. The AAMG conference was an incredible opportunity that I will be forever grateful to have had. Since the very beginning of the conference, I could feel the collective love and passion everyone has for the arts. 

During the conference, I was able to attend sessions and support the UNM Art Museum during our open hours. These sessions were diverse, intense, and immensely insightful.  Each part of the conference was a learning opportunity, helping me to gain new perspectives as a young student. I felt honored to be a part of our museum staff during open hours where I could see visitors enjoy and resonate with our beautiful exhibitions; I observed the deep appreciation other museum professionals have for our work at UNMAM.

As a participant, the AAMG conference transformed and developed my knowledge on academic museums and galleries; institutions that I now hold of deep value and have a better understanding of.  By connecting with speakers and other participants, I felt deeply impacted by the ways academic institutions utilize the arts to create spaces of learning for every visitor, especially young students. 
Institutions like this are incredibly important, especially now, in preserving stories and giving community access to learning. As I reflect on AAMG, I am thankful and excited to see how I can implement this value of learning into my future aspirations as a curator. Thank you again to the UNMAM staff for bringing me this opportunity and to AAMG for creating the space for such amazing people to gather!” 

— Gianna Ramirez, UNM Art History Undergraduate Regent’s Scholar.

“I found the AAMG conference to be one of the most fulfilling conference experiences I’ve had. Attendees were engaged, the conversations were robust, and I can see the ideas and best practices shared in the panel discussions being implemented at campuses across the country next semester. Our team was proud to be the keynote sponsor and look forward to continued collaboration.” 

— Alex Costas, Bloomberg Connects 

“Sharing supper out on the portal, with academic curators, registrars, interpreters, and students from every corner of the country, felt like a graduate seminar under New Mexico’s evening skies. We loved hearing about everyone’s favorite exhibitions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.”

— Rebecca Shreckengast, Chief Experience Officer at Ideum 

“New Mexico’s layered landscape sparked fresh ideas all week. It’s hard to stand amid big skies and even bigger histories without imagining new ways to tell the stories waiting in our academic collections.”

— Rebecca Shreckengast, Chief Experience Officer at Ideum 

“Watching AAMG colleagues dive into exhibits we’ve built for clients nationwide reminded me how good design dissolves distance: a North Carolina dinosaur or a WWII interview with a centenarian suddenly belonged to all of us around that touchscreen.”

— George Hardebeck, Director of Media Systems at Ideum 

“I’m currently a museum studies student at IAIA and I’m working at the IAIA Research Center Archive this summer. I’ve only been at IAIA for a year, but they’ve offered me great opportunities such as getting to attend this conference. This was only my second conference surrounding museums and galleries and I feel very lucky to be a part of it. My favorite part about AAMG was getting to engage with various people within the museum field, especially other students from around the country. Coming from a tribal background and college, I find that I often stay within my own bubble, but I found it helpful to hear from a variety of people and the different issues that they face within their own institutions and communities. It was also nice to share my own experiences and perspectives as a Cherokee person and as a student. It was a very engaging conference, and I got to meet a lot of great people. I’m very appreciative it was in New Mexico, as I most likely wouldn’t have gone otherwise. I’m now interested in AAMG and hope to attend in the future. Additionally, I appreciate UNM for hosting and it was great to tour the campus and go to the UNM Art Museum (I’m a big fan of Elaine de Kooning and Agnes Martin so I was happy to see their works!). I was able to help with the tour at IAIA and had a full group with me, I appreciated all the questions they asked and their personal recommendations. I hope it was an enjoyable experience for them, and I look forward to meeting more museum/gallery professionals in the future. Thanks for reaching out, I had a great time. Let me know if you may need anything else!” 

— Laney Cully, Student, Institute of American Indian Arts