Category: Campus Community

Western New Mexico University (WNMU) celebrated National Poetry Month in April with an event organized by Miller Library and The Humanities Department.  Additionally, WNMU was a part of a series of poetry events, called, “The Poetry Long Weekend.” This long weekend of poetry events was curated by WNMU Associate Professor and Silver City/Grant County Poet… Continue reading Western New Mexico University Hosts Vibrant Slate of National Poetry Month Events

March is Women’s History Month and Western New Mexico University (WNMU) honors the women who made the university what it is today. While the bricks and mortar of WNMU were laid by many, the soul, culture, and academic rigor of the institution were forged by a cadre of pioneering women. Since its inception as the… Continue reading The Historic Women of WNMU – Celebrating the Architects of an Educational Legacy

The Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Expressive Arts Department and the Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art presented the 2026 Student Juried Art Exhibition. A cornerstone of the university’s spring cultural calendar, the exhibition showcased the technical mastery and conceptual depth of the next generation of Southwest artists. This year’s collection highlights the unique “applied… Continue reading WNMU Francis McCray Gallery Unveiled Diverse Talent in 2026 Student Juried Art Exhibition

The Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art at Western New Mexico University (WNMU) celebrated the opening of the Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts: Eva Gabriella Flynn exhibition on Thursday, October 23, 2025, with a vibrant opening reception that drew students, faculty, and members of the local arts community. Attendees had the first… Continue reading McCray Gallery at WNMU Unveils Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts Exhibition

WNMU Fosters Dialogue on Censorship with Banned Book Week Events Western New Mexico University (WNMU) concluded its annual Banned Books Week celebration on October 7, with a series of well-attended events that fostered engaging discussions on intellectual freedom and the power of narrative. The observance, held October 1 through October 7, marked the sixth year… Continue reading WNMU Fosters Dialogue on Censorship with Banned Book Week Events

When Aldo Leopold published the essay “Thinking Like a Mountain” as part of the collection “A Sand County Almanac” in 1949, he coined a phrase that continues to reverberate today. For Leopold, the naturalist who first proposed setting aside a half-million acres surrounding New Mexico’s Gila River as wilderness, “thinking like a mountain” meant appreciating… Continue reading “Thinking Like a Mountain”: WNMU McCray Gallery Hosts New Exhibition

SILVER CITY, NM – Ceramic artist Bianka Groves credits her high school art teacher for setting her on her current path. “I was considered a ‘bad kid’ in school, getting into in-school suspension,” explained Groves. “My teacher would come and rescue me out of in-school suspension and put me to work in the clay room,… Continue reading Lines of Perception: New Mexico Ceramic Artist Leads CLAY Festival Workshop at WNMU

SILVER CITY, NM—Adding a new app to a computer or phone might seem everyday business for most people, but for Jill Winburn, the director of the WNMU Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art, adding an app called CatalogIt has been revolutionary. The McCray Gallery is home base for the university’s permanent art collection, and CatalogIt… Continue reading Advancing Scholarship in the Arts, WNMU Develops Catalog of Its Permanent Art Collection