Las Cruces Museums

New program date alert! We have a new date for our previously scheduled March "Animal Encounters: Amazing Amphibians" and it is Saturday, July 25! So come on down and learn about amphibians.

Did you know that the Chihuahuan Desert is home to 53 native amphibian species? This number includes 42 frogs and toads, as well as 11 salamanders! That is pretty surprising for a desert ecosystem.

Learn more about all of these unique critters at our next "Animal Encounters: Amazing Amphibians" on Saturday, July 25, from 10am to noon. This program has been rescheduled from our original date of May 16.

The Museum of Nature & Science is located at 411 N. Main St. and is FREE to the public! All ages are welcome.

For more information, contact Lea Harriss, Museum Assisstant (Living Collections), at [email protected] or (575) 528-3472/TTY 711.

Before the Branigan Cultural Center was a museum, it was the city’s first public library. As such, Mr. Nero, the building’s old library cat in the 1960s and 70s, read a lot of books! Today, he’s sharing a literary connection to one of our amazing exhibits for today’s “Mr. Nero’s Nonsense Notes!”

“New Mexico’s ‘Cowboy Chronicler,’ Eugene Manlove Rhodes, wrote his masterpiece novelette ‘Paso Por Aqui’ in 1927. His descriptions of the White Sands in the book give reverence to the beauty of the landscape.

“He wrote, ‘…she looked through a green archway across the leagues of shimmering desert, somber, wavering and dim; she saw the long bleak range beyond, saw-toothed and gray; saw in the midway levels the unbearable brilliance of the White Sands, a wild dazzle and tumult of light, a blinding mirror with two score miles for diameter.'

“Rhodes went on, ‘Flame tipped the far-off crests, the sun leaped up from behind the mountain wall, the level light struck on the White Sands, glanced from those burnished bevels and splashed on the western cliffs; the desert day blazed over this new half-world.' Upon Rhodes death in 1934, per his request, he was buried in the San Andres Mountains overlooking the White Sands. The canyon in which he is buried is now named after him, Rhodes Canyon.

“Come see the photography exhibit 'Into the Great White Sands: Photographs by Craig Varjabedian,' an exhibit that captures some of that ‘unbearable brilliance of the White Sands…,’ on display at the Branigan Cultural Center until September 5.”

Join us for an evening designed with neurodiverse visitors in mind. During our "Neurodivergent Nights," we lower the lights, reduce noise, and create a calm, welcoming environment across our museum spaces. Explore exhibits at your own pace, connect with others, and enjoy a sensory-friendly experience after hours.

Admission is free and open to all ages.

Come to our next "Neurodivergent Night" on Thursday, July 9, from 4pm to 6pm at the Museum of Nature & Science! "Neurodivergent Nights" are held weekly, so stop in ANY Thursday afternoon!

**Please Note:** The Museum of Art and Branigan Cultural Center will be closed during "Neurodivergent Night" now until they reopen for the fun on Thursday, July 23.

Have some fun, join in our activities, and wander amongst friends.

For additional information contact Mina Stafford, Education Manager, at [email protected] or (575) 541-2160/TTY 711.

The next "Education Station" activity kit with the Museum of Art will be available on Saturday, July 11, during regular business hours.

"Education Station" explores art through projects inspired by individual artists, art movements, or other fun art topics. In this month's activity, we will be making art inspired by White Sands National Park.

The kits are free and will be available at the Museum of Art front desk and the atrium desk at the Museum of Nature & Science on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

For more information, contact Bryan Lee, Curator (Education), at [email protected] or (575) 541-2217/TTY 711.

Humans have teeth meant for chewing and grinding, but snakes don't chew their food. Instead, their teeth are meant to hold their food in place.

At our monthly "Animal Feedings," you can see our snakes chow down! Come down on Saturday, July 11, at 11am and join us.

The Museum of Nature & Science is located at 411 N. Main St. and is FREE to the public! All ages are welcome.

For more information, contact Lea Harriss, Museum Assistant (Living Collections), at [email protected] or (575) 528-3472/TTY 711.