The Historic Women of WNMU – Celebrating the Architects of an Educational Legacy

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

WNMU Francis McCray Gallery Unveiled Diverse Talent in 2026 Student Juried Art Exhibition

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

McCray Gallery at WNMU Unveils Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts 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

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

“Thinking Like a Mountain”: WNMU McCray Gallery Hosts New Exhibition

Flagstaff-based artist Shawn Skabelund sprinkles pine pollen on a pedestal as he installs the exhibition “Thinking Like a Mountain” in the WNMU McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art. The exhibition will be on display through October 2.

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

Lines of Perception: New Mexico Ceramic Artist Leads CLAY Festival Workshop at WNMU

Ceramic artist Bianka Groves (right) leads workshop participants at WNMU as part of this year’s Silver City CLAY Festival, July 16, 2025. Groves is a New Mexico-based artist whose work is represented in galleries and collections across the United States.

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

Advancing Scholarship in the Arts, WNMU Develops Catalog of Its Permanent Art Collection

Art from the permanent collection at WNMU is displayed in the “Pen, Pencil, and Print” exhibition at the McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art in 2023. The university is working to create a more complete catalog of its holdings, preserving the collection for generations to come and making it digitally accessible to art scholars.

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

El Son de la Gila Mariachi Conference Brings High School Musicians to WNMU

El Son de la Gila, the annual mariachi conference at WNMU, provides an opportunity for high school students to learn from master mariachis, and it allows their group leaders to network and learn from each other. The conference was held on the WNMU campus June 4-6, 2025.

SILVER CITY, NM – The sound of mariachi music could be heard throughout the western part of the Western New Mexico University campus June 4-6, as the university hosted El Son de la Gila, its annual mariachi conference. Drawing students and their mariachi directors from across the southwest, the conference provided an opportunity for high… Continue reading El Son de la Gila Mariachi Conference Brings High School Musicians to WNMU

WNMU Hosts Sin Fronteras Creative Writing Project

Participants in this year’s Sin Fronteras Creative Writing Project met in a series of weekly workshops this spring.

SILVER CITY, NM—This spring marked the second year of the Sin Fronteras Creative Writing Project at Western New Mexico University. The project included a weekly series of two-hour workshops, each led by an established writer. Participants not only had an opportunity to experience craft talks, but they also participated in writing sessions and experienced readings… Continue reading WNMU Hosts Sin Fronteras Creative Writing Project

WNMU Department of the Humanities Announces the 2025 Creative Writing Contest Winners

The winners of the WNMU Creative Writing Award (L-R): Natalee Drissell, Arielle Certosimo and Anais Orantez Middleton. Not pictured is Katie Ortiz y Pino.

SILVER CITY, NM—The WNMU Department of Humanities has announced this year’s winners of the Creative Writing Contest: Anais Orantez Middleton, Arielle Certosimo, Katie Ortiz y Pino and Natalee Drissell. Orantez, who won first place in prose for her story “What Doesn’t Kill You Will Probably Kill You”, describes her work as fiction that is inspired… Continue reading WNMU Department of the Humanities Announces the 2025 Creative Writing Contest Winners