News

Western New Mexico University is bringing the American style of Taiko Japanese drumming to Grant County on Saturday, October 7, 2017. The TAIKOPROJECT All-Stars will perform in the Fine Arts Center Theatre at 7:00 p.m. Founded in 2000, the Los Angeles-based group TAIKOPROJECT is made up of young drummers seeking to create a truly American style of this traditional musical form. Raised with Taiko, these emerging talents created an innovative and fresh approach to the Japanese drum. The TAIKOPROJECT All-Stars have performed and recorded with Usher, Alicia Keys, A.R. Rahman, John Legend, Kanya West and even Stevie Wonder. The group was featured in a Mitsubishi Eclipse commercial and on the “Conan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” television programs. Find more info about TAIKOPROJECT All-Stars at taikoproject.com. Sponsored by Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN Program, Western States Arts Federation and National Endowment for the Arts, the show is...

Prospective Western New Mexico University students can visit campus for free on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Open House hosted by the WNMU Office of Admissions will showcase campus life and educate future Mustangs about degree options and financial aid opportunities. The Open House is the annual fall event during which students from high schools and community colleges can sample WNMU’s offerings. “We know Western New Mexico University is a great choice for students in our regional area, and we’re excited to open up our campus to them and their families for a day of learning and exploring,” Student Services Coordinator Devin Stroman said. The Open House includes a tour of the new student apartment facility in Mustang Village, an introductory walk around WNMU’s cornerstone buildings, and an academic showcase, where visitors will have the chance to meet professors and learn more about each department and discipline. Attendees will get a Mustang...

A traditional Irish duo made up of fiddler Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill will perform in Western New Mexico University’s Light Hall Theater at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 2, 2017. Considered one of the most significant talents in the traditional Irish music culture, Hayes' interpretation of traditional tunes is considered soulful, the results of which are recognized worldwide for musicality and rhythm. Also one of the top traditional Irish musicians, Cahill has played for presidents and prime ministers. He is known for a unique style of accompaniment and arrangement. Both men together, according to The Irish Times, “play with a concord and an affinity that most musicians lust after, but few ever acquire.” Learn more about the duo at martinhayes.com. This event is sponsored by AMP Concerts, Western Institute of Lifelong Learning, and WNMU Office of Cultural Affairs. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased from the WNMU Office of Cultural Affairs...

Barbara Perez was recently named Western New Mexico University’s Employee of the Year for 2016-2017. For more than two decades she has served in various roles central to the institution’s success, starting in WNMU’s Business Office and moving to Campus Police. Perez is currently the Campus Security Specialist. A native of Tularosa, NM, Perez has several hours of advanced law enforcement training. A Certified Tele-communicator through the State of New Mexico Department of Public Safety, she dispatches but also works as the records clerk, monitors security cameras, and manages the Campus Police Office. She develops budgets and schedules, compiles the Annual Security Report (police.wnmu.edu), and facilitates the monthly Clery Act reporting. With the help of other Campus Police staff, the longtime employee provides security at events and makes recommendations for improving campus safety. Perez said she enjoys the work, even with its daily surprises and sometimes dramatic...

Susan McAllister and Naomi Natale will discuss their Million Bones Project and “Art of Revolution” organization during the Edwina and Charles Milner Women in the Arts Lecture in Western New Mexico University’s Light Hall Auditorium on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 p.m. Installation artist and social activist Natale is best known as the Founder and Director of One Million Bones, a large-scale installation made up of a million bone sculptures handmade by people all over the world in order to spotlight the victims of genocide and visually protest ongoing mass atrocities. The project was displayed on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in 2013 and earned Natale the 2011 Arts Healing Network Award. Natale, with Susan McAllister, co-founded “Art of Revolution,” an organization that aims to incite social change and political awareness through art. The two bring together artists and activists to create educational, socially conscious, and far-reaching work that they hope...

Western New Mexico University Foundation's annual Hats in The Garden is scheduled for Sunday, October 1, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. in the WNMU Alumni Gardens, adjacent to Hunter Hall. Themed Victorian Impressionism, this elegant event gives attendees a chance to unleash their inner British Queens and don their fanciest headwear. A People’s Choice Award will be awarded to the person with the most-eye catching hat. “Guests enjoy voting on their favorite hat. It is quite competitive and exciting,” said Western New Mexico University Foundation Executive Director, Jodi C. Edens-Crocker. Attendees can bid on themed baskets during the silent auction and enjoy a fashion show, presented by Vintage Fantasies, that will evoke the sense of stepping into a late 19th-century painting. “The event is a fun and unique opportunity to support the university. Both men and women attend, and it has become a wonderful mother-daughter afternoon out. Many attendees embrace dressing up for the theme,...

Western New Mexico University is hosting the 7th Annual James H. Pirtle Walk for Heroes, which starts and ends at Old James Stadium on Saturday, September 30. This year’s participants will walk three miles around campus and through the historic downtown Silver City area then enjoy speakers and food together afterward. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the event and costs $25 per person or $30 per couple. Registered participants will get a T-shirt and lunch. The remaining funds go to local charities. While the walk began as a grueling and lightly attended trek along the highway between Hurley and Deming, it has evolved into a more community-focused event that benefits locals in need. The fundraising event also brings awareness to local military organizations such as the Vietnam Veterans Chapter 368, which co-sponsors the event. Local veteran Mike Lopez founded the event and, along with his wife Liz, still organizes it today. After a couple of long and...

The first round of Legacy Bricks have been installed on the Western New Mexico University campus, and the school invites those visiting for Homecoming 2017 to wander among the bricks. Commemorating alumni, loved ones and friends, Legacy Bricks are sold through the University Foundation and placed in the school’s most scenic spots. These first Legacy Bricks are located in The Gardens, adjacent to Light Hall. Whether Legacy Bricks contain loved ones’ names, special dates, or words about favorite memories, each leaves a lasting testament on campus. “We’re excited that anyone who has an important memory or accomplishment at WNMU has the opportunity to leave their legacy on a brick that will be a part of the landscape of our future,” University Foundation Executive Director Jodi Edens-Crocker said. Bricks can contain one line of information for $100 or two lines for $125 of up to ten spaces per line. “Salute the past, capture the present, and pave the future for...

Three Western New Mexico University alumni will be honored during the 2017 Homecoming Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, September 22, at 6:00 p.m. followed by an induction at the homecoming football game on Saturday. Rosie Gomez (’02) and Thaxter “Scrappy” Richard (’97) will be honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, while Larry Barstow (’62) will be receiving the Outstanding Alum Award. Tickets to the awards dinner, which will be held in the Student Memorial Building Student Dining Room, are available online at alumni.wnmu.edu for $20 per person. Gomez is being recognized for dedicating a career to improving the health and wellbeing of children and families. A social caseworker with the Denver Department of Human Services, Gomez also served in various roles with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She oversaw the distribution of millions of Federal dollars to decreasing child maltreatment, brought state leaders together at the White House to...

Violist Willy Sucre kicked off the inaugural season of the Western New Mexico University President’s Chamber Music Series last fall and returns to campus with a string quartet this Tuesday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. in Light Hall Theater. A pre-performance reception will take place on the Light Hall Patio at 6:30 p.m. Originally from Bolivia, Sucre studied at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in La Paz, at Colby College Chamber Music Institute in Maine, Mannes School of Music in New York, and the Peabody Conservatory in Maryland. With experience as a conductor, a symphony violist, and an orchestra director, Sucre’s passion is chamber music ensembles. He spends his summers in South America searching for new chamber music pieces by modern composers and encouraging composers both here and in South America to write new pieces. Sucre has performed and recorded music throughout South, Central, and North America. He is now a member of the New Mexico Philharmonic and the driving...